Roatan, Utila, Caye Caulker or Ambergris Caye?

[rossyl]

Hello ScubaBoard!!

Firstly I realise there have been similar threads on this, but they are between 2-7yrs old now, so i thought it ok to seek more recent views.

I'll be going for 7-8 days with my girlfriend. She'll be a "just qualified" PADI Advanced, and I am also Advanced but with only about 15-20 dives. We'll be going this July.

Trying to decide where to go: Caye Caulker, Ambergris Caye, Roatan, or Utlia. Firstly, I think it's important to say we won't be going just for the diving.

Here's what we're going for:

• 2-3 days Scuba Diving
• A few days of adventure in jungles
• Chilling out on the beach, reading books
• Chilling out in bars/cafes - afternoon and evening.
• Partying in beach bars - a couple of times.

We want something a little bit backpackery, but where we can still get nice, clean, accommodation. Basically we don't want it overrun with families and all-inclusive hotels.

I understand that Caye Caulker/Ambergris Caye have no real beaches. But amazing diving, and the opportunity for adventures in the belize Jungle. Caye Caulker also sounds very laid back.

Rotan I've heard has the beautiful beaches, that correct?, good diving, but I wonder if it's full of all-inclusive resorts? I've heard the West End is better, but does it have the nightlife, or is it quiet?

Utilia, I wonder if there's much of a party scene in the bars in the evening, or if it's a bit dead? Also I hear that the beaches aren't so good.

All opinions welcomed!

Thanks,
R

 

[dukedives]

Your research is pretty good. Utila and Cauker are pretty small with not much other than diving and a few local bars. Ambergris has probably the most on island things as far as restaurants and bars. Roatan is my choice. Diving is great and vibe is perfect. We stay in West Bay b/c its near our favorite shop (Anemone). There's enough restaurants and its also a short hop to West End. The beaches are PERFECT. Trust me.... if you're new and doing 2-3 a day, night life is well over rated.

 

[diversteve]

The West End is the nightlife on Roatan. Especially on Friday - the party starts about 7PM and goes way late. Probably a mile or more of bars, restaurants, shops - tourists and locals out at night... doing the pub crawl was a lot of fun - other mid-week nights are a little quiet.

The AI's are pretty spread out all over the island. Cocoview and FIBR are on the south side, AKR is probably the closest to the West End but it's a 10min. cab ride. And there are others in West Bay, the East End etc. There are small hotels/cabins in the West End with their own restaurants but although they bundle diving/lodging, they're not AI's.

West Bay has the nicer beaches but Half Moon Bay beach was pretty nice - just not especially wide. (from the road to the water) Sundowners - one of the dive bars - is right on the water there. But the majority of the bars/restaurants/hotels are across the (dirt) road. Chillies is one hostel type place I've heard good things about. They're linked with Native Sons for diving. And there's a bunch of sub-$50 accommodations all over the west end. A friend rented a cabin at Coconut Tree, bed, bath, table and mini-frig with an outside deck (no view) for $45/nt. It's an older place so the cabins are bigger than you'd expect - I was in 3 of them.

We were on Utila last spring - it's a lot smaller. I read somewhere there's only about a dozen restaurants in town. If they're going through the same (politically induced) slowdown Roatan is, it must be pretty dead there now. Although it was a big backpacking destination - everybody on the ferry seemed to be a local, a diver or a backpacker. Probably more backpackers than divers judging by the luggage being off-loaded. Seemed like an odd backpacking destination - it's a small bug-laden island (big Mangrove lagoon in the middle) with not a lot of access to areas much outside of town but I guess the price to stay there has something to do with it. And it's $21 one way on the ferry from La Ceiba. We stayed at an AI so didn't see much of town except for one day. But my buddy walked most of town one afternoon - his exact words were "it's not much".

Liberal application of bug-repellent is a must on either place. We also did Malaria treatments for Roatan. The sand flies early evening are brutal either place. We've been to both places in the last 18mos. but in April/May not July.

 

[hopefulist]

I've spent just under a week on Caye Caulker, nearly 2 each on Roatán and Guanaja, and 2 separate weeks each on Utila and Glover's Atoll. That's the sum total of my dive time, all in the summer months, all but 1 Glover's week in the last 3 or 4 years.

We loved Caulker (2009) - laid back, great food, variety of lodging options, friendly locals, easy and cheap to get to from the airport, good diving and snorkeling, though not from shore, in general more expensive than the Bay Islands. Lots of great mainland activities in Belize including Maya ruins and a great diversity of cultures: Maya, Creole, Garifuna, Mennonite.

We also loved Utila (2006 & 2008), which has good diving and good - though a little tricky to find - snorkeling from shore, good eating options, variety of lodging options and is, in general, a really cheap place to stay, eat, and dive. Imo there's not much to do there besides diving but we love staying in a place with a kitchen, shopping for some meals and enjoying others out. If you want a really great hotel, consider the Lighthouse. It sits out over the water by the bridge leading to the old airport so it's a bit quieter, closer to snorkeling and flyfishing, and Alton's Dive Shop and our favorite restaurant, RJ's Barbecue.

We loved Roatán (2006), too, choosing to spend a week in a remote lodge (Mango Creek Lodge) and a week in a little rental house in Sandy Bay which is a few miles east of West End, near Anthony's Key Resort (AKR). There's some great hiking on Roatán in the Carambola Reserve in Sandy Bay and additional villages and gorgeous beaches the other islands don't offer. It's also easy to find good snorkeling from shore - maybe your best all around choice.

Great jungle adventures near La Ceiba in the Pico Bonito national forest - check out Omega Lodge. Copán in western Honduras is lovely but further afield.

Best diving and snorkeling I've done are around Glover's (2003 & 2009) and Guanaja (2008) but that's a topic for another thread.

Here's a link if you'd like to check out my photos, blogs, and travelogues. Happy trails!