Just got back from a fantastic vacation and am looking forward to returning.
We flew direct into Roatan, connecting through Houston from OKC. United did their part and got us there with no issues. I had read some less than positive reviews of the Roatan airport and am happy to say we did not have any of the issues. Yes, it took us about an hour or so to clear immigration/Customs but it was air conditioned, bathrooms were available, and really the only difference was that you have to clear individually instead of as a family. After the line, they scan your finger prints, ask you a few questions about your immigration form and off you go to claim your luggage.
We were traveling with a group of 16 so TBR had a representative waiting for us. While we were in the immigration line, a TBR employee located our bags and had them waiting for us at the vans. It was about 15 minutes to the resort and the drive was beautiful. Once we got to the resort there was a situation with our ocean view rooms. They could not accommodate us in the booked ocean view rooms, so instead they gave some of us rooms at the top of the resort, with as good of a view if not better because of the elevation. We did have a double instead of a king (not a problem for me...my wife...not so much) and they threw in unlimited drinks ($119 each), a 20 minute massage each, and a $50 credit towards nitrox, tours, or the gift shop. Rooms were well air conditioned with thermostats (mini-splits), no bath tub but we never ran out of hot water in the shower, and the only complaints I can think of was having to climbing 48 steps to get to our rooms and our beds were hard...really hard. I asked for a mattress topper and they replaced our mattresses with something slightly softer...but still hard. Most resorts we have stayed at in Central America have had the same type of mattresses so that's really not TBR specific.. With the number of Pina Colada's I drank, that was probably a good thing. The drinks were great. I also recommend a Monkey LaLa, Monkey Tail, Miami Vice, and the Mojitos were good when they had mint. Bar tenders were talented. Rocque kept me happy!! Salvavida, the national beer of Honduras, is pretty tasty for a light beer.
The grounds are beautiful and the staff treated us like royalty. There is a Donkey and several small horses that graze around, a cat that is friendly for the most part, and a boxer dog that makes the place feel like home. Geckos, Big lizards (sorry-don't know what they were...but we named one Zac because he looked and ran like our son)) are everywhere but not in the rooms. Insect wise, some of our group had several no-see-um bites but I used 98% Deet and had no problems, even at the evening beach barbeque. I had no mosquito bites at all. Food was good and plentiful, served buffet style and a snack at 5:00.
The flat top grilled fish at lunch may have been the best I have ever had. Surprisingly though there was not a fish/seafood dish at every meal. All the food was good and you will probably recognize most of it. Some version of plantain was served with most meals. Mashed Plantains are wonderful...even though they were green.
DIVING- Subway Watersports is a top tier dive operation. There were 2 divemasters in the water on every dive, even when we only had 3 divers on the boat. Enoch and Minor were attentive towards those that needed it and let you do your own thing once they knew your skill level was adequate. Rock Star was a great dive with literally something for everyone. The wreck dive was great, although limited due to air usage of some newer divers in our group. The standard dive would usually go deeper to 70-80 feet then finish at a shallow part of the reef where basically everything was a safety stop. I have found a new luxury item when diving because they take off your fins for you. Swim up to the ladder, and a DM stays down and removed your fins and hands them up to the boat. Small gesture...but nice never the less. Nitrox tanks were always within 1% and most of my tanks were 3000 psi fills. I did have one 2700 but that was on a short dive and I was diving 100cf tanks so no big deal. On the 4th day out of 5, they let us shoot lionfish!!! A new but addictive experience for me. We went to a small island on the far East end and had a cook out where they grilled the lionfish we had just taken. It was a really good time and was included in our package.
The only negative issues I can find about diving was they need to replace their orings regularly. Most of us experienced a leaking o-ring at least a couple of times during the dives. We didn't lose much air, but the constant bubbling in my ear bugged me (twice out of 13 dives). I had one leak that I pulled a o-ring out of my save a dive kit and replaced my own. On the long dives, (wreck and island trip) there were only 2 dives a day. Facilities and boats are very nice. Giant stride entry with 2 big ladders for exit. they take care of your BCD 's, you are responsible for fins, mask, and wetsuits. Rinse tanks are fresh and the nicest I have seen. There are separate camera and mask rinse tanks on the boat. They put some type of detergent in the wetsuit tank. You are given a locker to hang yours stuff at the diveshop as well. Diveshop wise, it is a well run, quality operation. Boats are slow, but they are wide with a head if necessary.
Visibility is not what Cozumel is, nor was the amount of aquatic life. I would say the reef is healthier with lots of different coral types. Maybe over fished, maybe lionfish invasion, don't know. We just never got into the huge schools of tropical fish like you see in Cozumel. We saw lots of green, friendly Morray ells and several smaller turtles (2 feet-ish) 1 barracuda, and a shark in the distance on our last dive. We have dove most of the dive sites in Cozumel over the last 3 years and this was our first dive trip elsewhere, so my reference point is extremely limited. Also, we only hit 12 dive sites so maybe we were just in the wrong places.
The only issue with the trip is that a cab to town for shopping was $15 to $20 per person. You are several miles from any type of shopping, but you really don't need anything unless you didn't bring sunscreen, or in our case, sunburn lotion. The sun will cook you quicker down there. My wife does not usually burn anywhere...she burnt here and I just kept my diveskin on.
Our divemasters invited us to go to lunch at out Captain's sister's restaurant in Punta Gorda. It sounded fun so 5 us went. I grew up spending my weekends in small Mexican border towns so that is what it reminded me of. Dirt streets, concrete buildings, etc. There were no prices on the menus, and in their defense, we did not ask. We ate across the street on a covered dock at the end of a longer pier. Absolutely wonderful setting. When we went to pay, we were shocked at the $180 tab. The food was good, authentic, and plentiful, but expensive for what it was. We smiled, paid, and the lesson was ask when no prices are listed.
Another part of our group asked about deep sea fishing. They were told $400 for half a day, $800 for all day. At Subway there is a large, modern, fishing boat with a cabin, outriggers, and everything your would expect for a modern fishing charter boat. That is what they expected. Instead, they put 5 of them in a Nissan Murrano type car and took them to the other side of the island where they got into a panga type boat, (I believe it was uncovered) and took off into rough seas. They were basically beat to hell from the rough ride both ways when they returned...but they did catch one small barracuda.
Neither of these trips were booked through the resort or Subway. I think I see a pattern.....
The trip back was uneventful. Clearing security was not a problem. Dive computers and wife's make up passed with no issues. The waiting area was large enough to accommodate at least 2 planes worth of travelers, bathrooms were clean, air conditioners on, seats were more comfortable that many American airports. Drinks were available and several travelers were eating sandwiches that looked great, but I don't know where they got them from. We were told plan on at least an hour and a half to clear, but I'm sure that we were through in 45 minutes or so.
All in all, the resort was great. Our trip was $3,000 for two including air and diving. Nitrox was $136 for the week each if paid in advance. If you are thinking about going, remember sunscreen, 98% deet bug spray, Sunburn stuff, Dog Treats (skinny dogs everywhere in town and at the airport) and maybe a few O-rings. Our travel guy is working on a trip back in July and if the finances will swing it...we will go back. Pet the cat for me...she likes beef off of the buffet!! Don't panic when she grabs you, she just wants to play!
All in all, a great trip!!
Jay
We flew direct into Roatan, connecting through Houston from OKC. United did their part and got us there with no issues. I had read some less than positive reviews of the Roatan airport and am happy to say we did not have any of the issues. Yes, it took us about an hour or so to clear immigration/Customs but it was air conditioned, bathrooms were available, and really the only difference was that you have to clear individually instead of as a family. After the line, they scan your finger prints, ask you a few questions about your immigration form and off you go to claim your luggage.
We were traveling with a group of 16 so TBR had a representative waiting for us. While we were in the immigration line, a TBR employee located our bags and had them waiting for us at the vans. It was about 15 minutes to the resort and the drive was beautiful. Once we got to the resort there was a situation with our ocean view rooms. They could not accommodate us in the booked ocean view rooms, so instead they gave some of us rooms at the top of the resort, with as good of a view if not better because of the elevation. We did have a double instead of a king (not a problem for me...my wife...not so much) and they threw in unlimited drinks ($119 each), a 20 minute massage each, and a $50 credit towards nitrox, tours, or the gift shop. Rooms were well air conditioned with thermostats (mini-splits), no bath tub but we never ran out of hot water in the shower, and the only complaints I can think of was having to climbing 48 steps to get to our rooms and our beds were hard...really hard. I asked for a mattress topper and they replaced our mattresses with something slightly softer...but still hard. Most resorts we have stayed at in Central America have had the same type of mattresses so that's really not TBR specific.. With the number of Pina Colada's I drank, that was probably a good thing. The drinks were great. I also recommend a Monkey LaLa, Monkey Tail, Miami Vice, and the Mojitos were good when they had mint. Bar tenders were talented. Rocque kept me happy!! Salvavida, the national beer of Honduras, is pretty tasty for a light beer.
The grounds are beautiful and the staff treated us like royalty. There is a Donkey and several small horses that graze around, a cat that is friendly for the most part, and a boxer dog that makes the place feel like home. Geckos, Big lizards (sorry-don't know what they were...but we named one Zac because he looked and ran like our son)) are everywhere but not in the rooms. Insect wise, some of our group had several no-see-um bites but I used 98% Deet and had no problems, even at the evening beach barbeque. I had no mosquito bites at all. Food was good and plentiful, served buffet style and a snack at 5:00.
The flat top grilled fish at lunch may have been the best I have ever had. Surprisingly though there was not a fish/seafood dish at every meal. All the food was good and you will probably recognize most of it. Some version of plantain was served with most meals. Mashed Plantains are wonderful...even though they were green.
DIVING- Subway Watersports is a top tier dive operation. There were 2 divemasters in the water on every dive, even when we only had 3 divers on the boat. Enoch and Minor were attentive towards those that needed it and let you do your own thing once they knew your skill level was adequate. Rock Star was a great dive with literally something for everyone. The wreck dive was great, although limited due to air usage of some newer divers in our group. The standard dive would usually go deeper to 70-80 feet then finish at a shallow part of the reef where basically everything was a safety stop. I have found a new luxury item when diving because they take off your fins for you. Swim up to the ladder, and a DM stays down and removed your fins and hands them up to the boat. Small gesture...but nice never the less. Nitrox tanks were always within 1% and most of my tanks were 3000 psi fills. I did have one 2700 but that was on a short dive and I was diving 100cf tanks so no big deal. On the 4th day out of 5, they let us shoot lionfish!!! A new but addictive experience for me. We went to a small island on the far East end and had a cook out where they grilled the lionfish we had just taken. It was a really good time and was included in our package.
The only negative issues I can find about diving was they need to replace their orings regularly. Most of us experienced a leaking o-ring at least a couple of times during the dives. We didn't lose much air, but the constant bubbling in my ear bugged me (twice out of 13 dives). I had one leak that I pulled a o-ring out of my save a dive kit and replaced my own. On the long dives, (wreck and island trip) there were only 2 dives a day. Facilities and boats are very nice. Giant stride entry with 2 big ladders for exit. they take care of your BCD 's, you are responsible for fins, mask, and wetsuits. Rinse tanks are fresh and the nicest I have seen. There are separate camera and mask rinse tanks on the boat. They put some type of detergent in the wetsuit tank. You are given a locker to hang yours stuff at the diveshop as well. Diveshop wise, it is a well run, quality operation. Boats are slow, but they are wide with a head if necessary.
Visibility is not what Cozumel is, nor was the amount of aquatic life. I would say the reef is healthier with lots of different coral types. Maybe over fished, maybe lionfish invasion, don't know. We just never got into the huge schools of tropical fish like you see in Cozumel. We saw lots of green, friendly Morray ells and several smaller turtles (2 feet-ish) 1 barracuda, and a shark in the distance on our last dive. We have dove most of the dive sites in Cozumel over the last 3 years and this was our first dive trip elsewhere, so my reference point is extremely limited. Also, we only hit 12 dive sites so maybe we were just in the wrong places.
The only issue with the trip is that a cab to town for shopping was $15 to $20 per person. You are several miles from any type of shopping, but you really don't need anything unless you didn't bring sunscreen, or in our case, sunburn lotion. The sun will cook you quicker down there. My wife does not usually burn anywhere...she burnt here and I just kept my diveskin on.
Our divemasters invited us to go to lunch at out Captain's sister's restaurant in Punta Gorda. It sounded fun so 5 us went. I grew up spending my weekends in small Mexican border towns so that is what it reminded me of. Dirt streets, concrete buildings, etc. There were no prices on the menus, and in their defense, we did not ask. We ate across the street on a covered dock at the end of a longer pier. Absolutely wonderful setting. When we went to pay, we were shocked at the $180 tab. The food was good, authentic, and plentiful, but expensive for what it was. We smiled, paid, and the lesson was ask when no prices are listed.
Another part of our group asked about deep sea fishing. They were told $400 for half a day, $800 for all day. At Subway there is a large, modern, fishing boat with a cabin, outriggers, and everything your would expect for a modern fishing charter boat. That is what they expected. Instead, they put 5 of them in a Nissan Murrano type car and took them to the other side of the island where they got into a panga type boat, (I believe it was uncovered) and took off into rough seas. They were basically beat to hell from the rough ride both ways when they returned...but they did catch one small barracuda.
Neither of these trips were booked through the resort or Subway. I think I see a pattern.....
The trip back was uneventful. Clearing security was not a problem. Dive computers and wife's make up passed with no issues. The waiting area was large enough to accommodate at least 2 planes worth of travelers, bathrooms were clean, air conditioners on, seats were more comfortable that many American airports. Drinks were available and several travelers were eating sandwiches that looked great, but I don't know where they got them from. We were told plan on at least an hour and a half to clear, but I'm sure that we were through in 45 minutes or so.
All in all, the resort was great. Our trip was $3,000 for two including air and diving. Nitrox was $136 for the week each if paid in advance. If you are thinking about going, remember sunscreen, 98% deet bug spray, Sunburn stuff, Dog Treats (skinny dogs everywhere in town and at the airport) and maybe a few O-rings. Our travel guy is working on a trip back in July and if the finances will swing it...we will go back. Pet the cat for me...she likes beef off of the buffet!! Don't panic when she grabs you, she just wants to play!
All in all, a great trip!!
Jay
