So Utila is cheaper for stay and food then? Is there any good night enertainment or shows? Is the power reliable? I', looking at renting an aparment or bungalow with hot water and laundry and a queen or king bed do you know of any places. I'm been going crazy tryin to figure out which Island to pick lol I was worried with Utila being so small we don't wanna go crazy in such a small places. How long is it from one island to the other in travell?
Yup Utilia is cheaper & really peaceful & feels safer, just rent a place with a kitchen & eat at home to save more $$. A few fun bars on the water & plenty of community to keep you busy.
Utila Dive Centeris good for fun community & loaded with rec/tech/pro cert classes!! Just contact them and ask for the course director Andy. You can also do a user name search here on SB for "Utilia Dive Center" - it's a direct link to Andy. I really enjoyed diving with them ;-)!! I'm guessing he will respond to your thread very shortly.
Utilia also has some beautiful places to hike, bike or jog - you can buy a bike for cheap. There is also a gym. It is a smallish strip of tourist stuff (maybe 2miles?, 3 fun bars, lots of house parties, a few beaches. The main focus is diving. But if you can easily do a 1/2 day hike on the island. I've heard you can make it all the way around the island in 1 day (that would be a great adventure!!). Unless you're looking for nature, you can probably walk to everything you need within 30 min or less. If you get a place near your dive shop you may be able to get to everything you need by walking in 5-10 minutes. Plenty of internet places, a few cash machines a nice full grocery store with lots of western stuff and lots of little shops.
Lots of people are doing exactly what you two want to do - so plenty of long term residents hanging around. In general it's young & chill - IMO not too small. Nice diving on the North side. I spent a month on Utilia and only a few days on Roatan but I liked the backpacker chill vibe on Utilia & roatan, even the west end, felt more upscale and was deffinatly more expensive. I think it took 2-3 hours to take verns boat to roatan just email him
vfine@hotmail.com.
Personally I liked Utilia better - the locals are more integrated into the local economy - everyone is happier and the poverty isn't such a problem and plenty of divers getting certs who stay around longer. Lots of open space to explore and a small community feel. Very mellow, but not tiny.
IMO -- Rubi Inn is the nicest budget place to camp out and look for a rental about $18 per night:
rubisinn@yahoo.com. With warm water, private refrig, kitchen access, very clean, friendly and centralized ocean front property. I would not rent an apartment without seeing it. Just put the word out on the street and in the dive shops that you need a place. Find your dive shop, find out the local price for a rental, and then look around for nearby apartment/bungalow (something very close walking distance). Chances are you'll have a nicely furnished place within a week, maybe even within a few days. In the month I was there, water and power were never a major issue, every once in a while a minor flicker.
Like others said I think it best to just go, spend a few days in Roatan (I liked diving with the small shop reef gliders) - but don't get stuck on Roatan. Head to Utilia, and check out the vibe. It's pretty easy to organize things once you are there. Cash speaks so paying students are welcome
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Some of the Utilia dive shops have already answered this thread so since they live there year round they will have more info than I do
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Good luck & have fun! Make sure to see a whale shark - they are awesome!!! Oh yeah I got to swim with dolphin 2X in 1 month ;-)!
