Los Rocas

[gkrane]

I would like some opinions from anyone who has stayed here. I understand this is not a luxurry resort which is fine by me. How was the diving? Any shore diving here? Are additional boat dives available per day besides the 2 package ones? Nightlife?

 

[Bay Island Diver]

It is a great West Bay Resort. It has the advantage of being right by the West Bay beach, on the water, but without the big hotel feel. Tucked just around the corner, you have the best of both worlds, feeling like you are on a secluded private island and then walk 50 yards and you have all the amenities of a bigger island.

No shore diving though, you need to be on the other side of the island for that. There is no realistic shore diving on West Bay Beach.

You can easily get more that 2 dives a day if you wish. If the Las Rocas can't organise it for, there are lots of people within a stones throw that can.

Hope that helps.

 

[Roscoe B]

The diving is great. Depending on the conditions and your groups experience you can arrange to hit whatever dive sites you’d prefer (my favs: Texas, El Aguila, West End Wall, Pablo’s Place). Los Rocas can put you in contact Mirta who runs Aqua Adventures (the dive op at Los Rocas) and she can fill you in on your options.

Additional boat dives may be arranged depending on their schedule as well as special trips to dive Mary’s Place or Cayos Cochinos. You can also arrange additional dives with other ops in the area. Los Rocas only does one night dive a week so if it doesn’t work with your schedule you can plan one with a different op. Also, if you’re looking for some good diving and a chance to see a bit of the Island, I’d suggest arranging a dive at Mary’s Place with Barefoot Cay.

No shore diving, the only shore dive I’m aware of is a night dive out in front of Infinity Bay.

As for night life, West Bay quiets down not too long after sun set, Banarama often has something going on. West End stays up a bit later but you’d need to have/arrange transportation.

 

[jlevine]

I haven't been to Roatan in a while but I stayed at Las Rocas many times and enjoyed it. The dive shop was great and the food was really good. I would not do the meal plan as there are many great places to eat . In terms of the shore diving, I agree with the above comments. The dive by Infinity Bay is (if I remember correctly) Mandy's Eel Garden. It's a very nice dive but a tad far to walk with your diving gear. Las Rocas used to have 9am, 11am, and 2pm dives. If your package only includes two dives per day and you want more, you can just add the other dives to your bill (I'm sure you know that, just saying). If they still have the 2pm dive they will only do it if they have enough divers. Just tell them you want to go out at 2 and they'll add you to the list.

 

[CajunDiva]

I haven't stayed at Las Rocas Resort, but the owners of the dive operation also own Aqua Adventures - the diver operation at Media Luna Resort on the south side of the island down past CocoView. We dive with them all the time. They are great people and run a good operation. The last time I dove out of Las Rocas, they offered morning dives as well as afternoon dives at an additional cost. They provide all levels of instruction and are great, honest people to work with. I would recommend this place highly.

 

[gkrane]

I had a reservation at CCV for next year, but cancelled it for a few reasons. After evaluating costs from a 10 day trip to Cozumel earlier this month which was phenomenal and very reasonable price wise, I took a look at our upcoming bill for 1 week at CCV. The cost comparison was an eye opener. I originally booked CCV due to the fantastic reviews here on SB, which I am sure are very warranted for quite a few divers. But after I received some PM's and videos from some who had been there and had a bit of buyers remorse for the lack of things there underwater that we really enjoy I thought I better sharpen the pencil a bit if we were going to Roatan. Before I booked CCV, I only researched 2 places in Roatan which were CCV and AKR. CCV seemed like the better fit even with the 2 for 1 special at AKR. Once I returned from Coz, I dug in (I am a research nut when it comes to planning dive vacatrions) and started getting West Bay and West End suggestions so I looked past all the cheerleading and broadened my search. The cost comparison of Los Rocas and Mango Inn seemed much more in line for a family of three who love diving but also have budget restraints. I am a bit concerned about no AC at Mango Inn which is why I am leaning towards LR. After the first few days in Coz, it became tougher to get my family to do more than 4 dives a day, and later on more than 3. If they were all boat dives it would have been no issue, but lugging gear isn't their favorite thing to do. Luckily, I had my older son who is in the Navy in Coz with me who was my go to guy so that helped a bit, but my wife wasn't thrilled after a few days of being wet all day long. She was quite content with 3 dives, then going into town to poke around a bit, and at night reviewing my daily photos and videos on her laptop over some drinks. These points alone sort of diminsh the reason for going to CCV, after all you are paying all of the extra money to dive all day and all night. Final analysis: To do Roatan a trip, Los Rocas or Mango Inn seemed much more suited to the majority interest of the family. And to pay CCV prices I would much rather pony up the extra money and do T&C on the Explorer liveaboard which everyone would take full advantage of. To each his own, but for CCV cost I could do 1 week at LR with three of us and then another whole week at Blue angel in Coz including airfare.

 

[CajunDiva]

I understand your feelings on the matter. But the great thing about ScubaBoard (and life!) is that we all have different lifestyles, desires and experiences.

Yes, CCV has a large number of past guests who sing their praises. That's because CCV is a GREAT operation where you can indulge your dive addiction to your heart's content. I applaud their continued success. If you want to do 4 or 5 dives per day...every day...then you can't beat the opportunities you will experience at CCV.

But like I said...we're all different. While I LOVE Roatan, and I LOVE the south shore of the island for all of the same reasons Doc does, and I hold CCV in high regard, my dive personality is more like your wife's. I really enjoy two boat dives in the morning, take a break for a nice lunch and a little post-lunch siesta before enjoying a third afternoon boat dive. Then I like to break out the computer and download all of those fun pictures and videos and check them out. I literally CAN'T WAIT to do that every day...it's just how I roll.

We now frequent Media Luna Resort & Spa, which is located on the south side of Roatan a bit farther east than CCV. It's not as far as Reef House Resort, but it's a bit more remote than CCV. Dive sites like Calvin's Crack are very close to Media Luna, and their house reef is Half Moon Bay Wall...a phenomenal site that the southside dive ops visit frequently.

The dive operation is managed by the same couple who run the dive op at Las Rocas Resort, which is why we've had the opportunity to dive there before as well. They are great people and we have become dear friends. I trust them completely and know you will have a great time if you decide to stay at Las Rocas.

If you are looking for something a bit more luxurious (by Roatan standards!) but still on the south shore, Media Luna is a great option. We've done so many trips there and invited so many friends and groups along the way that this summer I decided to start my own dive travel business focused on booking U.S. divers at Media Luna. I'd be happy to indulge your desire for research if I can answer any questions for you.

Here's a link to my site:

Services

Please note that there is no need to add anything for airport transfers, food, drinks (including house brands of wine, beer and liquor), diving, 19% hotel tax, etc. It's all included in one lump-sum number, which REALLY cuts down on the research ;-)

 

[gkrane]

Thank you so much CajunDiva, I really appreciate this. Adding the 19% tax into the trip price is a real nice idea. I bet the unexpected almost 20% increase causes quite a few folks to cringe when they get a dive vacation quote. Media Luna looks like a place that would satisfy the needs of everyone here. How is the shore diving there? The addition of a good shore dive would be great as I really enjoy staying wet as much as possible.

 

[lthomas132]

My dive bud & I just did Las Rocas for a week in Oct. 2016 and thoroughly enjoyed the place & diving with them. Definitely don't do a meal plan there. The breakfast is included with your stay and there are many places to eat a short walk away on West Bay. The rooms are really small cabins with one queen size bed and a small bed tucked in a cubby hole. Rooms are fine for 2 that sleep together, any more will need another room. We got an inclusive deal for diving, a room, and breakfast for a week for $593, TT&L. It has a small beach that's OK for a swim but no shore diving, small bar/restaurant that is adequate for after dive beers. It's owned by Italians, so a lot of the entrees are also. Burgers, etc. are fine

 

[CajunDiva]

Thank you so much CajunDiva, I really appreciate this. Adding the 19% tax into the trip price is a real nice idea. I bet the unexpected almost 20% increase causes quite a few folks to cringe when they get a dive vacation quote. Media Luna looks like a place that would satisfy the needs of everyone here. How is the shore diving there? The addition of a good shore dive would be great as I really enjoy staying wet as much as possible.

I here you loud and clear! As I said, we all have different preferences. I don't want to see the price of a trip and then realize I have to add 19% to the total. So I decided to make it simple. What you see is what you get. No hidden charges...from airport pickup to airport dropoff, it's all included.

The shore diving at Media Luna is phenomenal! Half Moon Bay Wall is a beautiful site that most of the southside dive ops visit regularly. There are 3 resident frogfish, batfish and numerous seahorses at your disposal. I always try to get out and shore dive...even after going on 3 boat dives to 3 different dive sites each day The thing to note about shore diving at Media Luna...it's only during dive shop hours. The packages at Media Luna include adult beverages...that means beer, wine and liquor are consumed at will. There were a couple of incidents where people wanted to go diving after drinking, so after hours shore diving has been eliminated. But dive packages do include 1 boat night dive per week.