Dunbar Rock Resort

[bsppc]

My LDS is planning a trip to Dunbar Rock Resort. Can anyone give feedback ? thanks,

 

[laurenceh]

i've never stayed there but it sure is pretty

 

[Dannybot]

Please, please please give a review if you go. That place looks spectacular, but I can find little information.

 

[large_diver]

It would appear that Dunbar was selling hard at DEMA....my LDS has a tentative trip planned there as well

 

[parrotheaddiver]

they have a facebook page...not sure that helps https://www.facebook.com/DunbarRockResort

 

[large_diver]

They have lots of reviews on tripadvisor....but very sparse on diving details.

 

[drrich2]

Very neat looking! A distinctive place to go & say you've been. That said, I've got a few questions:

1.) All diving aside, people often go to an island hoping to see, and be on, that island a substantial amount of the time (obvious exception: some live-aboard trips).
Guanaja[FONT=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] is an island most divers haven't been to. It seems like with this villa, you go, but you're not actually on it. I imagine they ferry people back & forth, but how often, and how much time do people spend on the main island?

2.) Does anyone know how the on-island competition is? Is the appeal of this villa the distinctiveness, view, a more upscale service/facility offering, what?

3.) In a video, looks like it's quite shallow right around the base. Is there good shore diving around it? Is there good shore diving off [/FONT]Guanaja[FONT=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]?

4.) Anyone know how many airlines fly into this island? I ask because of this blurb from the website:
[/FONT]

Luggage: Airline luggage restrictions are constantly changing. Be sure to check your airline’s web site(s) for the most current information on baggage allowances and restrictions. If flying Lanhsa Airline, you are allowed one 50 lb. bag or two 25-lb bags per person. Anything over that will be charged $0.50 per lb. Please be aware that there are NO overhead compartments on Lanhsa. You may be able to fit a small personal item under your seat or on your lap, however there are no restrictions on holding whatever items you may wish to on your lap. Other luggage will need to be checked curb side before boarding the plane.

[FONT=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]
A typical scuba tourist is going to have a couple of bags, at least one 40 something pounds I'm thinking, and no overhead compartment is a problem. If there are other airlines with better baggage offerings, perhaps this is a non-issue.

Richard. [/FONT]

 

[Pam_In_Paradise]

Very neat looking! A distinctive place to go & say you've been. That said, I've got a few questions:

1.) All diving aside, people often go to an island hoping to see, and be on, that island a substantial amount of the time (obvious exception: some live-aboard trips).
Guanaja is an island most divers haven't been to. It seems like with this villa, you go, but you're not actually on it. I imagine they ferry people back & forth, but how often, and how much time do people spend on the main island?

2.) Does anyone know how the on-island competition is? Is the appeal of this villa the distinctiveness, view, a more upscale service/facility offering, what?

3.) In a video, looks like it's quite shallow right around the base. Is there good shore diving around it? Is there good shore diving off Guanaja?

4.) Anyone know how many airlines fly into this island? I ask because of this blurb from the website:


A typical scuba tourist is going to have a couple of bags, at least one 40 something pounds I'm thinking, and no overhead compartment is a problem. If there are other airlines with better baggage offerings, perhaps this is a non-issue.

Richard.

Hi Richard,

I will be happy to answer your questions. I am a long time (but don't often post) ScubaBoarder and I am in the US Reservations office of Dunbar Rock. Although I represent them, I am a diver first and foremost, and will be honest with you but you need to know that I do work for them.

The Rock is like a cross between a liveaboard and a remote island location. You can certainly get off the Rock and do things (and we provide free transportation on demand for you to do that) but if you want a lot of outside stimulation, this might not be a good choice for you. Very much like a liveaboard (without the rocking and rolling), the main things you do are dive, eat, visit around the bar and sleep. The things you might want to do while you are with us are go over to Bonacca Town, where the vast majority of the islanders live (it is another rock where houses are build on top of houses on top of more houses). and do a town tour. It takes a few hours with a stop for some beers at a locals bar, stop in one of the grocery stores to see what can be bought and just plain people watching. When we took a break from diving, the dive staff went with us and gave us a good walking tour. They had lots of stories to tell and it was lots of fun.

The main island of Guanaja is actually sparsely populated and with very tall hills and lots of trees. There are some beautiful waterfalls on the island and birding is a favorite past time. If it is our staff that take you around, that is at no charge. If you want the birding and nature hikes up to the nigher waterfalls, there is a modest charge because we have locals that take you.

There is windsurfing available at a place on the main island, fishing can be arranged for those who wish to fish, we have jet skis for rent, a gym onsite - so there are things to do, just not something to fill days and days. I really enjoyed stopping in at a German restaurant (Real German) and we actually had dinner there at our expense. We stopped in at a local bar at a place called Grahams Place which also has accommodations.

The level of accommodations and service, spaciousness of the villa and the dive staff makes us different than the few other choices on Guanaja (oh and absolutely NO SAND FLEAS). I think there are only two dive operations - us and one that on occasionally has one or two divers diving. When we are out diving, you rarely see anyone else and that is why our reefs are so amazing. The health of the reefs and the variety of the type of diving offered are what makes it special and it is probably unlike anything else in the Caribbean. We were hit hard by a hurricane about 15 years ago and what few divers that had been coming, stopped and so the reefs have had no pressure since then. The locals take the lionfish out and they recently formed a marine park around the majority of the island which should really encourage more and more fish life.

I hope this helps. We are currently about 80% booked for 2016 and already have several sold out weeks in 2017. For a first year - this is amazing! Anyway - I typically answer the phone when you call and I'm happy to talk diving any day. Let me know if I can help further.

 

[drrich2]

Pam:

Excellent response; thanks! I imagine it will be quite helpful to people considering a trip. Level-headed candor can market a destination to the proper demographic than over-the-top hype.

Since in some ways Dunbar Rock may appeal to a similar mentality as live-aboard do, let's expand on what they take an interest in. I found the answers to some of my questions on the website; I'll copy & paste here since it may help lay it out for folks.

1.) How long are most boat rides out to dive sites?

From the website:

Boat rides vary from 20 – 30 minutes for dives along the south, up to 45 minutes for dives along the northern coast. Boats generally depart on regular schedule at 8:30 am for the morning 2-tank dive, returning for lunch with the afternoon boat leaving a reasonable time after lunch has concluded. If we are diving the north shore of Guanaja, we will stay out for a three tank dive and lunch will be prepared during a break between the second and third dive. One night dive is included with any seven night package and is generally conducted on Tuesday evening, or whenever the majority of divers prefers to go. Additional night dives may be scheduled with a minimum of 6 divers.

2.) How many dives/day can people do? The website says:

• Diver Package Includes: Up to 3 dives each daily (excluding the day of arrival and departure) and unlimited tanks for familiarization shore dives on property.

We need to know how the 'familiarization shore dive' offering goes? Are we talking a nice, functional house reef shore diving like, oh, Buddy Dive Resort has in Bonaire, or perhaps what I hear is not great but decent shore diving in Cozumel near Hotel Cozumel & Scuba Club Cozumel, or is this just sandy bottom with water deep enough to do a weight check in? Or something else?

From the website:

SHORE DIVING AND SNORKELING “AROUND THE ROCK”

The “rock” on which the Villa is built is surrounded by flats perfect for snorkeling but may be too shallow to be considered a “proper dive” by some divers. If diving in 8′ – 10′ of water is okay in your book, the dive is a thoroughly enjoyable experience – and it certainly won’t interfere with your safe dive profile! The rocks and coral heads that encase the circumference of the Villa are home to many juvenile fish including drums and queen angel fish. Purple sea fans wave in the shallows in every direction. Schools of squid hang midway in the water column with needlefish just under the surface. All to be seen just steps off the sandy beach, as often as you wish.

There is also a small area off the beach that gets a bit deeper and is suitable for training or familiarization dives. If you have been out of the water for some time, we encourage you to take a self-guided off-shore refresher dive to check your buoyancy and dive equipment while still within safe distance of the dive staff and facilities.
All packages include unlimited use of tanks for these shore dives, and insured visiting instructors are welcome to teach their students in this area.

3.) Do people assemble their gear once on the boat, & it stays there all week (e.g.: like live-aboard, where you just disconnect your 1st stage from the tank & they run a whip to it & refill it)? I assume we're talking 2-tank boat trips, & people swap out tanks instead (how most day boats seem to work). Some people like the 'lazy factor' in live-aboard & would want to know.

From the website:

CONCIERGE DIVE SERVICES

Our friendly and professional staff pride themselves on not just being your guides but your dive concierges, so please plan on leaving the lifting, hauling and packing of all the diving gear to them!
Our team will carefully carry your gear onto the boats, prepare it for the dive, change it over for the second dive, and rinse and store it at the end of the day. Your only assignment while on board is to do a check to make sure you have all your gear before we depart, then sit back and enjoy the ride.

4.) You're got 3 dive boats; how many divers do you put on a boat? How many divers will you assign to one guide?

5.) You have 63 & 80 cf tanks; any 100 cf tanks?

6.) How much & what 'big stuff' do you often see diving the region? One point of discrimination amongst dive destinations is whether divers are likely to see good-sized animals. I'm not talking whales; I mean black grouper, goliath grouper, sharks (species?), large barracuda, big stingrays, large sea turtles, maybe tarpon & green moray eels. The lack of 'big stuff' is often mentioned as a negative with Bonaire (aside from tarpon & green morays, & you might see tiger grouper, decent-sized barracuda & maybe a ray or two?).

7.) Any societal safety issues? Your website states:

“Are there security personnel working in the evenings?”
Yes. For your peace of mind there is private security on duty from 6:00 pm – 7:00 am.

Good to know, but somebody thought there was enough of a threat to justify the expense? Interesting. Are these armed guards?

Note: I ask a lot of questions, but threads like this help people decide whether to come. And your offering is new and distinctive.

Richard.

P.S.: Here's the Villa on Dunbar Rock website.

 

[Pam_In_Paradise]

Pam:
4.) You're got 3 dive boats; how many divers do you put on a boat? How many divers will you assign to one guide?
It really depends on the makeup of our guests that particular week. Two of our boats can easily accommodate our standard villa occupancy of 16 so if a group wants to stay together, they can all go on one boat. They may want to split into two groups if part of the group are beginners and part of the group are advanced divers and they want to dive in different areas. If we have a group of 12 and then a couple of couples, then we can divide them up on separate boats. It all just depends We put at least one usually two and sometimes 3 DMs in the water - again it just depends. One of the things you (or your group leader) gets when they make a reservation is an information sheet and one of the questions is what information do we need to know to make sure your stay and diving are enjoyable? That is the place to put your requests in - we review them and do our best to fulfill them.

5.) You have 63 & 80 cf tanks; any 100 cf tanks?
No - nothing larger than an 80 cf.

6.) How much & what 'big stuff' do you often see diving the region? One point of discrimination amongst dive destinations is whether divers are likely to see good-sized animals. I'm not talking whales; I mean black grouper, goliath grouper, sharks (species?), large barracuda, big stingrays, large sea turtles, maybe tarpon & green moray eels. The lack of 'big stuff' is often mentioned as a negative with Bonaire (aside from tarpon & green morays, & you might see tiger grouper, decent-sized barracuda & maybe a ray or two?). While I was there I saw stingrays, medium size turtles, medium size barracuda, nurse sharks, and green eels. I also didn't dive 17 dives like the typical week because I was there to get to know the villa, the staff and the area as well. I would say to expect smaller fish and expect those in the first 30 feet. Below 30 feet it is more about structure and coral- pinnacles, etc plus the Jado Travel - a wonderful wreck. There is a beautiful write up and lots of pictures in a magazine Blue We are trying to get reprints of the article but I think for $3.99 you can buy the one that has the article about Guanaja. I would say - if it is large pelagic animals that get you excited - then you will want to go someplace else. If you like all the other stuff - you would love it here.

7.) Any societal safety issues? Your website states:


Good to know, but somebody thought there was enough of a threat to justify the expense? Interesting. Are these armed guards?

Note: I ask a lot of questions, but threads like this help people decide whether to come. And your offering is new and distinctive.

Richard.

Actually it is probably the safest area of most any Caribbean island. Just by the design and location of the Rock, people can't wander in uninvited. I don't know if our staff is armed - I never saw anything but I don't think it is needed. What they worry more about are boats passing through the area and stopping in and helping themselves to the tenderloin in the freezers I spent some time on the main island of Guanaja and there are just so few people, that I don't think there is any crime and on Bonacca Town, you will see what I call soldiers with big guns (I think maybe part of the national army). But from what I understand - they don't even get bullets issued for them...they are just a presence. I think their biggest crime there is an occasional bar flight on Saturday night. It is truly such a small place and everyone knows everyone and they know what everybody is doing. Although I used my room safe, I did it just because it is habit. I do that every place I go - not because I felt there was a threat. The people in Guanaja are so friendly and they are so happy to have tourists visit them and to have jobs that I don't believe they would risk losing all of that.

P.S.: Here's the Villa on Dunbar Rock website.

Hope this helps!