bcaderunr
Contributor
This is my first trip report. I've been to most places in the Caribbean, land based and liveaboard, over the past 15 years. Most of these experiences have been well (and accurately) reviewed by others, so there's been no need for any "me-too" postings. Over time I've tried every 3rd trip or so to stretch my boundaries and try something new and relatively undocumented in the hopes of finding a hidden gem. Well it finally happened when me and the non-diving (fearless snorkeler) wife spent 10 nights mid-January at G&G's Clearwater Paradise Resort: Scuba Diving Trips & Snorkeling, Guanaja Clearwater Divers
Travel: We flew Denver to San Pedro Sula and took a 3 hour "luxury" bus to La Cieba where we spent the night at the Paris Hotel ($55/nt w/breakfast). We took a 2PM Puddle jumper the next day to Guanaja where we were greeted by George Peel who, along with his wife Ginger, are the on-site owners of the resort. He brought us by boat (ONLY way to get around Guanaja) to the resort on a quiet north side bay. They built the place from scratch in 2010 and are continually upgrading the property - which is surrounded by peaceful jungle. The web site photos are an accurate depiction. On the return trip we puddle jumped back to La Cieba and spent the night at Rainbow Village ($55/nt w/breakfast) near the airport, catching an early flight to San Pedro for the International flight home (by way of Miami). George and Ginger made all the travel arrangements for us to and from San Pedro. The only payments we had to make to anyone besides them were to the Hotels in La Cieba upon check-in. Both Hotels were safe, clean, comfortable and had quiet A/C.
Resort. Also clean, comfortable, safe and with solid A/C. We stayed in one of the 2 suites on the middle floor next to the bar/dining area and were the only people at the place for the entire time! We knew that mid-January is typically a quiet time of year in general, but this was an unexpected bonus. Our 10-Day package included all meals and unlimited diving. The food was high quality, delicious and abundant. George and Ginger do all the cooking with assistance from a full time staff. Alcohol was extra, but drinks from a well-stocked bar were just a hand wave away. And, you can always BYOB as long as you don't consume it in the dining areas. Our bar bill came to approximately $10/day/pp and we didn't hold back. The grounds are spacious and we walked around a bit. There's a small 4 foot deep pool that's mostly good for rinsing off after diving or chilling on a hot afternoon. WIFI worked just fine for me, but the wife said it dropped her a few times. In a nutshell, George and Ginger are very accommodating hosts who totally have their act together -- and are two of the nicest people you will ever meet.
Diving. OK. I'm totally spoiled now. As near as I could tell, I was the ONLY diver on Guanaja the entire time. Never saw another boat. Got blown out 2 days, the other 7 dive days ranged from rainy to sunny/flat. All but one day was spent on the north side of the Island -- where the meso-American fringing reef sits 1/4 mile offshore. Corals were uniformly clean with sporadic algae in places. Saw nurse sharks, eagle rays, one blacktip, turtles, eels, octopus, and schooling fish in Bonaire quantities. It's as pristine as any place I've been in the Caribbean. At the Pavilions and Black Rock sites to the east of the resort the structure of the reef is volcanic and Cathedral-like. I was in silt-free, swim-thru heaven. Other favorite sites were Pinnacle, Eels Garden, Basket Star and Pelican -- the last three done as a single drift dive which reminded me of a never-ending "The Lake" in Bonaire -- sandy bottom with mini walls on both sides. My snorkeling spouse (who was taken out on the boat with me every day) stayed in the water as long as I did and was mesmerized by all the sea life six feet below her on the fringing reef top. Most days we went for 2 morning dives off the small boat and would head out for a single in the afternoon if the weather was good. Night diving was always an option, but I skipped it this trip. Bottom line: Safe, well-run operation that puts the client first. Depending upon conditions, they would have happily taken me anywhere on the Island. George used to own a Dive Shop in Austin, Texas. He's a consummate Pro.
Before you go. Sobering up for a moment, this trip is NOT for everyone. Guanaja is out there. It's not the easiest place to get to, some Spanish comes in handy on the mainland and the "no-see-ums" on Guanaja (and every other Bay Island) can be brutal -- especially after a rain. That said, once you get to G&G's you WILL be in a Paradise all to yourselves. It is an intimate 8-Room Property and the ONLY one on the unspoiled north side of the Island.
Costs. Airfare to San Pedro Sula from the States varies, but suffice to say it isn't a top $$$ destination. You might even get straight to La Cieba with a 1-stop from another departing City. We paid around $700/pp.
All remaining costs are per person. G&G booked all these for us and went out of pocket (which we later paid back to them) for all but the overnight La Cieba Hotels. All taxes are included.
"Luxury" Bus to La Cieba: $35
RT Air - La Cieba/Guanaja/La Cieba: $165
Air - La Cieba to San Pedro: $105
2 different Hotels in La Cieba (coming and going ): $55
Per person 10 night stay (double occupancy) with Guanaja airport transportation, 3 meals day and unlimited diving at G&Gs: $1839
Total Cost per person NOT including International Airfare: $2199
Alcohol drinks and staff tips have not been included.
Travel: We flew Denver to San Pedro Sula and took a 3 hour "luxury" bus to La Cieba where we spent the night at the Paris Hotel ($55/nt w/breakfast). We took a 2PM Puddle jumper the next day to Guanaja where we were greeted by George Peel who, along with his wife Ginger, are the on-site owners of the resort. He brought us by boat (ONLY way to get around Guanaja) to the resort on a quiet north side bay. They built the place from scratch in 2010 and are continually upgrading the property - which is surrounded by peaceful jungle. The web site photos are an accurate depiction. On the return trip we puddle jumped back to La Cieba and spent the night at Rainbow Village ($55/nt w/breakfast) near the airport, catching an early flight to San Pedro for the International flight home (by way of Miami). George and Ginger made all the travel arrangements for us to and from San Pedro. The only payments we had to make to anyone besides them were to the Hotels in La Cieba upon check-in. Both Hotels were safe, clean, comfortable and had quiet A/C.
Resort. Also clean, comfortable, safe and with solid A/C. We stayed in one of the 2 suites on the middle floor next to the bar/dining area and were the only people at the place for the entire time! We knew that mid-January is typically a quiet time of year in general, but this was an unexpected bonus. Our 10-Day package included all meals and unlimited diving. The food was high quality, delicious and abundant. George and Ginger do all the cooking with assistance from a full time staff. Alcohol was extra, but drinks from a well-stocked bar were just a hand wave away. And, you can always BYOB as long as you don't consume it in the dining areas. Our bar bill came to approximately $10/day/pp and we didn't hold back. The grounds are spacious and we walked around a bit. There's a small 4 foot deep pool that's mostly good for rinsing off after diving or chilling on a hot afternoon. WIFI worked just fine for me, but the wife said it dropped her a few times. In a nutshell, George and Ginger are very accommodating hosts who totally have their act together -- and are two of the nicest people you will ever meet.
Diving. OK. I'm totally spoiled now. As near as I could tell, I was the ONLY diver on Guanaja the entire time. Never saw another boat. Got blown out 2 days, the other 7 dive days ranged from rainy to sunny/flat. All but one day was spent on the north side of the Island -- where the meso-American fringing reef sits 1/4 mile offshore. Corals were uniformly clean with sporadic algae in places. Saw nurse sharks, eagle rays, one blacktip, turtles, eels, octopus, and schooling fish in Bonaire quantities. It's as pristine as any place I've been in the Caribbean. At the Pavilions and Black Rock sites to the east of the resort the structure of the reef is volcanic and Cathedral-like. I was in silt-free, swim-thru heaven. Other favorite sites were Pinnacle, Eels Garden, Basket Star and Pelican -- the last three done as a single drift dive which reminded me of a never-ending "The Lake" in Bonaire -- sandy bottom with mini walls on both sides. My snorkeling spouse (who was taken out on the boat with me every day) stayed in the water as long as I did and was mesmerized by all the sea life six feet below her on the fringing reef top. Most days we went for 2 morning dives off the small boat and would head out for a single in the afternoon if the weather was good. Night diving was always an option, but I skipped it this trip. Bottom line: Safe, well-run operation that puts the client first. Depending upon conditions, they would have happily taken me anywhere on the Island. George used to own a Dive Shop in Austin, Texas. He's a consummate Pro.
Before you go. Sobering up for a moment, this trip is NOT for everyone. Guanaja is out there. It's not the easiest place to get to, some Spanish comes in handy on the mainland and the "no-see-ums" on Guanaja (and every other Bay Island) can be brutal -- especially after a rain. That said, once you get to G&G's you WILL be in a Paradise all to yourselves. It is an intimate 8-Room Property and the ONLY one on the unspoiled north side of the Island.
Costs. Airfare to San Pedro Sula from the States varies, but suffice to say it isn't a top $$$ destination. You might even get straight to La Cieba with a 1-stop from another departing City. We paid around $700/pp.
All remaining costs are per person. G&G booked all these for us and went out of pocket (which we later paid back to them) for all but the overnight La Cieba Hotels. All taxes are included.
"Luxury" Bus to La Cieba: $35
RT Air - La Cieba/Guanaja/La Cieba: $165
Air - La Cieba to San Pedro: $105
2 different Hotels in La Cieba (coming and going ): $55
Per person 10 night stay (double occupancy) with Guanaja airport transportation, 3 meals day and unlimited diving at G&Gs: $1839
Total Cost per person NOT including International Airfare: $2199
Alcohol drinks and staff tips have not been included.
