Just back from Anthony's Key!

[Addict]

We had a spectacular time! Never wanted to come home.

Anyhow, the staff were awesome, and the location was stunning.

I want to thank everyone who gave us advice on what to do during our stay.

You guys are awesome!

Addict

 

[pigletfish]

How was the canopy tour? Did you videotape it in the end?

 

[Addict]

piglet - yes, we did the canopy tour. It was quite fun. The kids that ran it were pretty cool too.

I did not end up video taping the ride. I probably could have managed it - but not for sure. It will just have to live in my memories

 

[scren]

great to hear, i just made my reservations for the week of 11/13-- i can't wait! how's the weather and the visibility?

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

Our shop is going there the end of January. Canopy tour????

 

[Brian Gilpin]

When we went to Roatan we stayed on the other side of the island at Fantasy Island Resort.The diving was very good on that side. We did visit AK and I like that side of the island better and I specifically liked the looks of AK but I would not want to sacrifice the quality of the diving.Has anyone here had a chance to dive both sides and if so are they about the same or is one side clearly superior?

 

[Sirto]

When we went to Roatan we stayed on the other side of the island at Fantasy Island Resort.The diving was very good on that side. We did visit AK and I like that side of the island better and I specifically liked the looks of AK but I would not want to sacrifice the quality of the diving.Has anyone here had a chance to dive both sides and if so are they about the same or is one side clearly superior?

I was at Fantasy Island in October and did two dives on the North side. We did that because there was a strong wind from the southeast all week and the water on the South side was pretty rough. The North side was dead calm. I would say that I did not see a lot of difference in the diving but the DM said that they see turtles and rays more frequently on the North dive sites. We didn't see any that day but did run into two eagle rays and one turtle on a South side dive the following week.

From what I've read, when the weather gets bad it usually happens much worse on the North side. I have no experience to verify that statement, it's only what I've read.

Ed

 

[Dive California]

Addict...great to hear...I am going in December. Any recommendations you can pass on. I am new to the board here. My wife is a non-diver, I'm hoping there is enough for her to do while I'm diving....sounds like there will be enough? Any intel you can give will be greatly appreciated....food? lodging? gear? flight? etc. thanks.

 

[Addict]

I have a report in my signature link for the hotel portion. Diving report is coming soon.

Quick peek... the diving had less vis then I am used to (Cayman, Coz, Curacao). The vis was slightly better on the other side of the island on the day we went over there (Mary's Place). Best reef condition I can remember.

The people were extremely nice! I certainly have never been treated so well on a dive trip. No kidding.

Canopy tour... fun. Slide on zip lines from tree to tree. 11 lines start to finish. last few are kinda lame, but it was worth it for $35. Bring a tip - you'll want to give it to the kids who run it. I saw a family of 5 put $20 total into the tip bucket at the end - the kids eyes lit up.

This trip was a very very good trip.

Again, if you are wondering about AKR - check out the link in my signature.

Sorry for the delay in these replies - funny how the work piles up when you leave for a week

 

[Doc]

I have a report in my signature link for the hotel portion. QUOTE]

To save everyone the "hassle":

Anthony's Key Resort is an all inclusive resort that includes accomodations, meals and diving. It is located on Roatan, one of the Bay Islands, just off the coast of Honduras in Central America. Because this resort is all-inclusive, I will be providing 2 Undercover Diver reports. This one covers the room, meals, and location. The other report will include information on the diving facilities provided by the resort.

Overall Rating: 9/10

Hotel Name: Anthony’s Key Resort
Address: Sandy Bay, Roatan, Honduras (Bay Islands)
Phone: 800.227.3483 (Reservations)
Email: akr@anthonyskey.com
Website: http://www.anthonyskey.com

Type of currency used at location: U.S. Dollars. Others may have been accepted - but not sure.

Languages Spoken: English/Spanish. English was spoken very fluently among the staff.

Type of resort: All Inclusive

Cost: $117.85/night includes room, diving and meals (Key Superior Room)

Check-in: 9/10
Comments on Check-in: We were met at the airport by resort representatives. Before we made it through immigration, they had retrieved our bags for us. We never had to touch them until we moved them into our room – the staff took them from the plane to our room door!

Check-in was a breeze. We sat drinking a free rum punch while orientated to the resort, and checked into our room. The smoothest check-in procedure I have ever seen – by far.

Staff: 10/10
Comments on staff: Throughout our stay the staff was extremely helpful and friendly. They appeared to actually enjoy dealing with us. I have never, ever been presented with such friendly people interested in helping me.

Food if All Inclusive: 9/10
Comments on food: The menu was typically 2 main choices, except for breakfast which had several variations. The preparation and quality was exceptional. Very tender and tasty!

Breakfast consisted of:
Cereal
Fresh Fruit
Choice of 4 styles of Omelet or Eggs to order
Choice of Bacon or Sausage
Hash Browns
Water, Iced Tea or Juice

Lunch and Dinner typically consisted of:
Choice of Soup or Salad
Choice of Beef/Pork/Chicken or Fish dish
Desert consisted of a daily style of cake.
Water or Iced Tea

Soda, and alcohol were extra.

Amenities: On-site restaurant, On-site bar, Gift Shop, Snack Shop, Medical Center with Hyperbaric Chamber, Photo Lab.

Please list some of the available activities: Kayaks (free), Dolphin Dives and Dolphin Encounters (extra charge), Horseback Riding (free), Wednesday BBQ on the Key (free).

Room Overall: 7/10
Cleanliness: 10/10
Size: Average
Bed Quality: 10/10
Linen Quality: 3/10
Bathroom Quality: 6/10
Television? No
Internet access available? Yes – in the lobby ($10 for 120min)
Type of Outlets: American Standard
Special gear storage? Not needed in room (see dive op review)
Circle amenities in room:
Refrigerator, Sink, Air Conditioning (some rooms), Large Private Deck, Hammocks
Comments on the room: We were glad we had AC in our room, but it was loud, making it harder to sleep with it kicking on and off. We felt it would have been too warm to sleep without it. Rooms without AC were shuttered and screened.

The room was an over-the-water bungalow with a private deck (room 18) on the Key. We had a good view of the Dolphin Encounter area.

We had no alarm clock, and no phone. We inquired and got a ‘wake-up’ knock every morning to make sure we got to the boat on time. I would’ve preferred a clock, but the knock was an acceptable alternative. Not knowing what the time was, and having a schedule based on time made it somewhat frustrating. Bring a watch or travel clock.

I personally like having a TV in my room to fall asleep to & watch during off hours, but since no rooms had TV’s, I dealt with it.

The room and bed were very high quality. It reminded me of a cozy mountain cabin. The sheets were cheap. I had a several bug bites, and a slight move in the bed scratched them causing even more itching. House keeping cleaned and replaced sheets and towels daily.

The bathroom was clean and a bonus was that the shower-head was set at about 7 feet above the floor. I am 6’5” and hate having to bend over to get under the shower head (as I have to do in most hotel rooms) – so it was nice that it was so high. Problem was that the shower provided approximately 2 minutes of hot water. Had to wait 10 minutes to get another 2 minutes – for 2 showers.

Location: 10/10
Near beach/diving/dive shop? Yes – On-site
Close to non-scuba activities/attractions? Not many. Cab required to get into town. You could be picked up for a couple of activities (canopy tour, etc.)
Medical Facilities nearby? Yes – On-site
Convenience Stores in the vicinity? Yes, small snack shop for soda and candy.
Comments on location: Everything needed was provided on-site. The resort was beautiful, with great scenery. The tropical vegetation surrounded the long wooden deck pathways through the hills. Awesome views from the elevated open-air restaurant provided great views of Anthony’s Key and Baileys Key (where the dolphins are housed).

You could take a 1 minute boat ride to see the dolphins at Bailey’s Key. See the Tips and Tricks section of this review for more on Bailey’s Key and the dolphins.

Available transportation/price: (consider to/from airport, rides into town, cab fares, etc.)
Transportation to/from the airport is provided by a free shuttle. Cabs were available on-site for trips into town.

Value for the price paid: 10/10
At $117 per night including room, meals and diving, I feel the value was exceptional.

Overall rating: 9/10

Additional comments not listed above: With a couple of small tweaks this resort is easily a 10/10 overall. Better sheets, an alarm clock, and larger hot water tank are my only recommendations for improvement.

Do you have any tips or tricks that could help other people staying at this location?
Based on a tip by a past visitor, we took a short boat trip to Bailey’s Key at 4:30pm. We laid on the dock and shook our room key just under the water. About 5 dolphins responded coming close enough for us to touch. They seemed to enjoy the attention. They would bring blades sea grass to us in their mouths. We could take the sea grass from them, toss it out, and they would retrieve it for us to toss again. I put my camera underwater to record, and they gathered around the camera making dolphin noises and posing for the camera.

Bring Deet with you if possible. You can purchase a can in the snack shop for about $8.00 if you forget. It is essential at dusk and dawn, but were mostly unbothered during other times of the day.

The bar has 2 for 1's on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 5-7pm. This is a good time to stock up on beer/pop to put in your small room fridge.

Please see the Undercover Diver Dive Op report (Coming Soon) for information on Anthony’s Key diving facilites.

.... Standby for this note.... (ed.)




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When is a spy not a spy? When he's a famous spy. Dat's why...

AKR is a cool place, even for non-undecover divers. They treat everyone pretty nice.