AKR and CocoView together

[scrane]

Reef House Resort on the south side has a very nice reef a short swim from RH's front dock. Nothing fancy, butReef House Resort offers solid value, good home style food, and reliable dive service.

 

[kelemvor]

I stayed at AKR about a month ago for the scubaboard invasion. I have overwhelmingly positive things to say about the resort and the diving. Just make sure you don't get the bottom of the barrel room with no A/C (most rooms do have AC, but they offer cheaper rooms for those on a tight budget). The resort was very nice and well kept up. I can't say enough good things about all the staff. I don't just mean the divemasters, either.. everyone there from the front desk person to the cleaning people, the guy raking up weeds, and the salespeople in the shops. They were all great. Ask them for something and they would go way out of their way to handle whatever it was with a smile. It was obvious they really liked having that job. The room was great, plenty of electrical outlets, AC worked well, and it was beautiful. The diving was great. Boats were very well maintained - I don't think I heard of any problems the whole time we were there and our group had all their boats I do believe. The dive sites had lots of marine life. We saw rays, sharks, dolphins, lobsters, crabs, fish, you name it. You could just stand on the dock and watch sea stars and lobsters tool around. The restaurant is "open air" and therefore does not have air conditioning.

As for bugs/mosquitoes. Just be diligent with bug spray. I use "Off familycare" which is a 15% deet based insect repellent. I don't believe I got bit by a single bug while I was in Roatan. Now, I'm used to being diligent with insect repellent as I live in Florida where we often joke that our state bird should be changed to the mosquito. I did see several folks who forgot to apply bug spray, and had paid a heavy price to the bloodsuckers as a result. Use bug spray, and it doesn't have to be ultra mega super-off with 200% deet and gasoline. Many folks in our group were using a much more reef safe bug spray that they sell at the resort. The name escapes me.

I only had two complaints about the whole trip. These aren't that big of a deal, but I don't like to leave out anything negative:
1. Their nitrox room where you select tanks, analyze, etc.. that whole setup needed some improvement. Only because the area just wasn't large enough to accommodate 50 or so people trying to analyze tanks at once between dives. Although we had a giant group, I was lead to believe they're almost always just as busy. They could stand to double the size of their nitrox room (or whatever they call it). This really caused a lot of stress for one of my friends on this trip. Managing your schedule so you aren't analyzing when everyone else is there can be important. Even if you bring your own analyzer, the system they use still requires you to be in the nitrox room to get the tanks, drop off analyzed tanks, and log analysis results.

2. Internet Access. Part of the problem here is that AKR could use a few more access points to serve the edges of Anthony's Key island. However, we did travel off the resort one day and did not find any internet that I was happy with anywhere. I suspect that the uplinks off the island suck and were greatly contributing to the "problem". Even when I was on 4G cellular with full bars on my phone, internet access tended to be mediocre at best. I know.. "first world problems" right?

I've only been diving for 5 years. So far I've dived lots of Florida USA (Keys, Atlantic coast, Gulf coast), Cozumel MX, and Roatan HN. I think it's a toss up comparing the reefs in Roatan vs Cozumel. Roatan's good reefs were far more accessible than Cozumel's - 5 or 10 minute boat rides to get to the amazing sites where I had to sit in the boat for an hour to get to the best sites in Coz. Which brings me to my next point. The boat rides to dive sites from AKR are so short that you go back to the dock for every surface interval! That little fact is far better in practice than I thought it would be when I read about it. I don't think we saw any dives with vis less than about 40'. It was good the whole time I was there.

Shore diving is available at AKR but I didn't try it. We did do several night dives and those were amazing. One of the night dives I did with a blue flouro light kit. Very nice!

Exposure protection: We went at the end of June. In the summer, all you need is a dive skin or bathing suit. In my opinion any neoprene at all would have been uncomfortably warm. I did see a handful of folks with neoprene on when we were there - so I know there are some who disagree with me.

Also, keep in mind that AKR's all inclusive package is only really "mostly inclusive." It does not include alcohol. They do have several bars, and serve alcohol at breakfast/lunch/dinner if you order it. The price simply isn't included in the AI package.

 

[kelemvor]

But in general, when you factor in the price of airfare and difficulty getting to Roatan and add in the 19% tax - the pricing seems pretty consistent with many other Caribbean areas - but again this is only my opinion.

I'm curious what you mean about the difficulty of getting to Roatan. I've only traveled out of the USA twice, and thought Roatan was easier than Cozumel, MX.. Otherwise I don't have experiences to compare with. Are other destinations easier in some way for travel?

 

[tarponchik]

So you are saying you had 2 ft viz? That is more helpful then just saying it was crappy

I use DEET repellent. Works best for me. Thanks for your input..

DEET is bad for neoprene. So if you insist on using DEET, dive in Lycra.

 

[scubamickey]

DEET is bad for neoprene. So if you insist on using DEET, dive in Lycra.

I don't put DEET on when I'm wearing a wetsuit. I only use it post dive in the evenings.

 

[scubamickey]

I'm curious what you mean about the difficulty of getting to Roatan. I've only traveled out of the USA twice, and thought Roatan was easier than Cozumel, MX.. Otherwise I don't have experiences to compare with. Are other destinations easier in some way for travel?

It will take ME 32 hours to get to Roatan and that includes having to layover for 10 hours in a hotel. I'm coming from Alaska. So for at least me, going anyone outside the USA is always a long flight.

 

[scubamickey]

I know that I am posting in the Bay Islands Forum so I will probably get blasted for my comments, but I honestly don't consider Roatan as big of a bargain as is frequently stated.

When you look at Roatan's resort pricing, keep in mind that there is a 19% tax added on top of the listed price; although the 2 for 1 at AKR does seem like a great deal. But be advised that the cheapest accommodations at AKR do not have air conditioning. I wouldn't stay anywhere in the tropics without AC, so you may want to consider one of their higher-priced lodgings when making reservations - but again, it is still all-inclusive and 2 for 1 - so it will be hard to beat the price.

But in general, when you factor in the price of airfare and difficulty getting to Roatan and add in the 19% tax - the pricing seems pretty consistent with many other Caribbean areas - but again this is only my opinion.

I have been to Roatan twice, although it has been a long time and things may have changed, and I didn't stay at either of those resorts (although we did CocoView's shore dive). We had great trips and a lot of fun and I don't regret them, but I am not eager to go back. I would not hate going back but it's not at the top of my list.

I wasn't overwhelmed by Roatan's reefs because there wasn't as much sea life as I have seen in other areas and the phrase "a good environment for macro photography" comes to mind. But again, maybe we were unlucky during our trips. Our 2 trips were in the Spring and Fall and you are going in summer so maybe the conditions will be different.

But another reason that I don't consider Roatan a great bargain is because of the insects and medical concerns which can add both annoyance and expense. Some folks may not bother, but before we went to Roatan we consulted a travel medicine physician and were vaccinated for Hepatitis A, Typhoid, and we took malarial medication before, during, and after our trips. And you have to be careful about the food and water due to enteric diseases, especially when you leave the resort. Biting insects in the tropics are not a rarity, but the mosquitos and sand fleas can be ferocious on Roatan. You may have to cover yourself with DEET at regular intervals and Dengue Fever is an issue of concern.

And there are places with better shore diving than Roatan, again IMO, St. Croix comes to mind - we had some very good shores dives there and the Fredricksted Pier is outstanding, our memories of the reef were very good - but we did most of them from a liveaboard, I am not sure about the land-based boat dives on St. Croix.

And I have heard that there is good shore diving on Cayman Brac, but I have only boat dived there so I can't say - the boat dives were great. We've had good shore diving on Grand Cayman, too, but Caryman is a pricey location. But if you can find reasonable lodgings and a good dive package it may be worth considering, especially since you may be able to find cheap airfare and the rental car prices are usually a bargain - but the US dollar is only worth $0.80 in Cayman so that's another issue to consider. The North Wall and the East End are the best land-based boat dives on Grand Cayman IMO.

If you want fabulous reefs and walls in the Caribbean, my suggestions are Little Cayman or a liveaboard in the Turks and Caicos to dive French Cay or Little Caicos. Both are pricey destinations but sometimes you get what you pay for, and you can look for specials and often find some bargains. I understand that there are good shore dives on Little Cayman but we haven't tried them.

Anyway, we enjoyed our trips to Roatan and I am sure that you would also, but I am just suggesting that you consider all your options and costs, and make the decision that is best for you. Have a great trip wherever you decide to go!

Thanks for the suggestions to the other places. I'll consider them. Vaccines are all up to date so that's not an issue. vicious Mosquitoes I'm used to-huge ones here in Alaska. Sand fleas I hate. Had to deal with them in Jamaica and it sucked. But it is what it is.

 

[diversteve]

I'd consider a week at CCV followed by a week on Utila instead. Roatan diving didn't seem much different north/south - a couple of the AKR optional trips are south, Mary's Place or the Shark dive. AKR only does 3 boat dives/day and their shore dive is shallow for a long way out - most people wade out.

With the new ferry it's really easy to go between the islands - Friday->Monday daily. www.utilaferry.com
You'll find it easier to fly in/out of Roatan though, Utila only has a day strip and small planes. The only way that would be better is if you flew into San Pedro Sula then on to Utila on SOSA or Air Carolineas (sp) or one of the other options. It's cheaper but wlll take longer and SPS is not a safe place to overnight.

Since you're mostly planning to dive, stay somewhere in town (not too near the bars though) many of the smaller resorts have on-site dive operations. The best of Utila diving IMO is the north side, most boats from town (south side) will go around almost daily. www.utilaguide.com

I have not been there but Coral View seems like an option, smaller resort, on-site dive operator and a shallow shore dive. The upscale AI resort is Utopia Village on the south side but all access from there is via boat. If you see references to Laguna Beach, they closed last year. Another, older portal site aboututila.com

We try to do the best of suggested dives when we travel. IMO the best of Utila was better than the best of Roatan. The north side is very vertical in some areas, the south shallower with lush coral - in some places almost breaking the surface. Both have a good wreck and a couple marginal ones.

Dives not to miss if you go, Duppy Waters, Pinnacles, Black Hills and the Halliburton. Spotted Bay all the way around on the NW side has been called the best but we chose to look for whalesharks instead - and found several so did that instead of the afternoon dive. If your planned trip is Mar-May there's a high likelihood you'll see some to snorkel with.

Most of the shops dive to the north requiring a longer boat ride from town, Utila's north side is mostly uninhabited (no roads) or along the SW side. IDK if it's a coincidence but the three AI's are all located there - and all access is via boat.

my .02

 

[KevinG58]

Thanks for the suggestions to the other places. I'll consider them. Vaccines are all up to date so that's not an issue. vicious Mosquitoes I'm used to-huge ones here in Alaska. Sand fleas I hate. Had to deal with them in Jamaica and it sucked. But it is what it is.

Others mileage may vary but I've visited Roatan numerous times and I've rarely encountered mosquitoes at CCV and Reefhouse.
The no'seeums at dusk especially, those are vicious. Night diving is the best strategy for dealing with that threat

 

[scubamickey]

I stayed at AKR about a month ago for the scubaboard invasion. I have overwhelmingly positive things to say about the resort and the diving. Just make sure you don't get the bottom of the barrel room with no A/C (most rooms do have AC, but they offer cheaper rooms for those on a tight budget). The resort was very nice and well kept up. I can't say enough good things about all the staff. I don't just mean the divemasters, either.. everyone there from the front desk person to the cleaning people, the guy raking up weeds, and the salespeople in the shops. They were all great. Ask them for something and they would go way out of their way to handle whatever it was with a smile. It was obvious they really liked having that job. The room was great, plenty of electrical outlets, AC worked well, and it was beautiful. The diving was great. Boats were very well maintained - I don't think I heard of any problems the whole time we were there and our group had all their boats I do believe. The dive sites had lots of marine life. We saw rays, sharks, dolphins, lobsters, crabs, fish, you name it. You could just stand on the dock and watch sea stars and lobsters tool around. The restaurant is "open air" and therefore does not have air conditioning.

As for bugs/mosquitoes. Just be diligent with bug spray. I use "Off familycare" which is a 15% deet based insect repellent. I don't believe I got bit by a single bug while I was in Roatan. Now, I'm used to being diligent with insect repellent as I live in Florida where we often joke that our state bird should be changed to the mosquito. I did see several folks who forgot to apply bug spray, and had paid a heavy price to the bloodsuckers as a result. Use bug spray, and it doesn't have to be ultra mega super-off with 200% deet and gasoline. Many folks in our group were using a much more reef safe bug spray that they sell at the resort. The name escapes me.

I only had two complaints about the whole trip. These aren't that big of a deal, but I don't like to leave out anything negative:
1. Their nitrox room where you select tanks, analyze, etc.. that whole setup needed some improvement. Only because the area just wasn't large enough to accommodate 50 or so people trying to analyze tanks at once between dives. Although we had a giant group, I was lead to believe they're almost always just as busy. They could stand to double the size of their nitrox room (or whatever they call it). This really caused a lot of stress for one of my friends on this trip. Managing your schedule so you aren't analyzing when everyone else is there can be important. Even if you bring your own analyzer, the system they use still requires you to be in the nitrox room to get the tanks, drop off analyzed tanks, and log analysis results.

2. Internet Access. Part of the problem here is that AKR could use a few more access points to serve the edges of Anthony's Key island. However, we did travel off the resort one day and did not find any internet that I was happy with anywhere. I suspect that the uplinks off the island suck and were greatly contributing to the "problem". Even when I was on 4G cellular with full bars on my phone, internet access tended to be mediocre at best. I know.. "first world problems" right?

I've only been diving for 5 years. So far I've dived lots of Florida USA (Keys, Atlantic coast, Gulf coast), Cozumel MX, and Roatan HN. I think it's a toss up comparing the reefs in Roatan vs Cozumel. Roatan's good reefs were far more accessible than Cozumel's - 5 or 10 minute boat rides to get to the amazing sites where I had to sit in the boat for an hour to get to the best sites in Coz. Which brings me to my next point. The boat rides to dive sites from AKR are so short that you go back to the dock for every surface interval! That little fact is far better in practice than I thought it would be when I read about it. I don't think we saw any dives with vis less than about 40'. It was good the whole time I was there.

Shore diving is available at AKR but I didn't try it. We did do several night dives and those were amazing. One of the night dives I did with a blue flouro light kit. Very nice!

Exposure protection: We went at the end of June. In the summer, all you need is a dive skin or bathing suit. In my opinion any neoprene at all would have been uncomfortably warm. I did see a handful of folks with neoprene on when we were there - so I know there are some who disagree with me.

Also, keep in mind that AKR's all inclusive package is only really "mostly inclusive." It does not include alcohol. They do have several bars, and serve alcohol at breakfast/lunch/dinner if you order it. The price simply isn't included in the AI package.
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All excellent info. We do travel with our analyzer. Alcohol not being included is not a deal breaker for us since we generally don't drink when diving this much. If we do it's one glass of something. I'm looking at May and I normally wear a 5mm even in 82 degree water but that's because I get cold after 1 hour on dives past 80 feet. I will still bring my 5mm because we are going to try to get in a couple of Trimix dives if I can find a competent place that offers any tech diving. I dive in a dry suit for anything below 75 degrees
Thanks for the fantastic info.