Utila Recommendations

[NJScubaDoc]

Hello all!

I've spent some time reading past trip reports and recommendations for Utila, and was hoping for some updated information. Some friends I are looking to head to Utila Spring of 2018 to try and catch some sweet whale shark action. I get it's a roll of the dice, but you gotta be in the game to win right? Anyway, some members of my party are a bit budget conscious, so the idea of all-inclusive options like Utila Lodge seemed attractive. In reading some reports though, it sounds like Utila is fairly inexpensive anyway, and the meal plans may not be worth it. What have been your experiences? While budget consciousness is important, I'm not against spending a little extra if it means the difference between a miserable trip and a better one. We definitely want a safe operator that is not going to cram a bunch of people on a boat. As far as accommodations, A/C and hot showers in a safe, relatively quiet area would be ideal and are at the top of the list. Beach sounds like a mixed bag with sand fleas, so maybe not necessary. I also read a few recommendations for staying off-resort and renting a house/arranging diving separately. Anyone have any experience suggestions for locations/operators?

Thanks for any info in advance!

 

[laurenceh]

the biggest decision you need to make is do you want to be in town (utila lodge) or out of town (rental house or utopia resort).
town has lots of bars and restaurants, its a party town at night but it's noisy, dirty and only has two small beaches. however, most tourists stay in town and only see the rest of the island from their dive boat as there are no roads outside of the town area. the town covers about 20% of the island but hosts 95% of visitors and 80% of the locals. if your group wants to socialize with our visitors and/or likes to party at night, town is the right choice.
personally i prefer the south shore and the southwest area near the cays, it has miles of empty beaches, is very picturesque and the snorkeling from shore is top notch but restaurants and bars are few and far between.
the best resort on the island is on the south shore, utopia village, no other hotel on the island comes close and they have a good dive operation. the other option on the south shore are the rental homes on treasure beach, they're lovely, have a beautiful location and they use utila cays diving (the best reviewed dive co. on utila).

www.facebook.com/utilabeach
www.facebook.com/UtopiaVillage

 

[laurenceh]

ps. I've been living on utila, on and off, for many years. best months for seeing whale sharks are usually march, april, may, then september and occasionally january. the week leading up to the full moon and the week after the full moon are usually the best.

 

[lthomas132]

We, 3 couples, stayed at Utila Lodge (Utila Lodge) 1 1/2 yrs. ago. One couple signed up for the meals included plan but opted out since the others chose not too. It was a wise decision. There are many good restaurants around town & the meals at the lodge get humdrum after a couple of days. We usually had breakfast there before diving & if you get up early as I do the cooks will make you coffee, just knock on the kitchen door. If you do the Utopia Village deal, which seems to be a really great dive resort, you are stuck there as an AI since it's not easy to travel back & forth to the village (boat ride). The Engels are great hosts and you get that homey feeling after a few days. They are associated with BICD (Bay Islands College of Diving - Dive Shop Utila) next door. They don't mix experienced divers with instructional divers like some shops do. Be sure and dive the windward side, great diving and great scenery. We never had more that 5-6 divers/boat. I love this little island and will be returning very soon if not before. Had I found this little island in my youth I might still be there!

 

[quetzalboy]

Good morning!

I'm the Dive Center Manager at Alton's Dive Center in Utila. If you send us an email to info@diveinutila.com, we can give you all the information you need!

We can help arrange some beautiful off-site accommodation for you, or we are currently building a new accommodation block, complete with private rooms with private bathrooms and AC here on-site (should be ready by September, so in plenty of time for next Spring).

 

[KatRizzo]

I've been to Utila a couple of times and dove with Bay Island College of Diving and agree with Ithomas 132 said about them. They're a good shop. I also dove with and liked, Coral View. They're out of town past Chepes Beach. We also rented a little house right on the water there and loved the location. We rented bikes from in town and they worked out great. It's very quiet and you can literally walk into the water, swim out no more than 30 feet and you're on a beautiful reef. I wouldn't recommend the house we rented but the one next door was very nice. I don't know the name of it off the top of my head but if you're interested let me know and I can find out. It is small but newly renovated. I dove once with Altons and didn't like it very much. A lot of the time on the boat was spent with the DMs and other crew telling us to remember to tip the captain. I get it, but it was extreme and annoying. Utila is pretty inexpensive and I would pass on the meal plan as well. Great diving there and a fun place to walk around.

 

[quetzalboy]

A lot of the time on the boat was spent with the DMs and other crew telling us to remember to tip the captain. I get it, but it was extreme and annoying.

Hi Kat. Can I ask you a little more about this? The only time staff mention giving money to the captain is if he found whale sharks or dolphins for you, and you got in the water with them (where it's actually a mandatory fee, not a tip). Had that happened? If not, please accept my apologies, and let me know when you were here/who you dove with.

 

[Damselfish]

We, 3 couples, stayed at Utila Lodge (Utila Lodge) 1 1/2 yrs. ago. One couple signed up for the meals included plan but opted out since the others chose not too. It was a wise decision. There are many good restaurants around town & the meals at the lodge get humdrum after a couple of days. We usually had breakfast there before diving & if you get up early as I do the cooks will make you coffee, just knock on the kitchen door. If you do the Utopia Village deal, which seems to be a really great dive resort, you are stuck there as an AI since it's not easy to travel back & forth to the village (boat ride).

True Utopia is AI and it's not trivial to get into town. But the AI is not necessarily a negative thing. When we were at Utopia the food was outstanding. That was some years ago, there's new owners, and I doubt the same chef is still there - but I've seen comments that the food is still great. So someone who wants or at least doesn't mind an AI might actually like that aspect.

 

[dlwheeler05]

I was in Utila for 2 weeks this past June and went with Utila Water Sports. They offered free lodging that included, free A/C and private bathrooms. It doesn't have a party atmosphere like some other dive shops, which was nice as you can go out in the town and party. They have 2 boats and group size was small. Eating around the various restaurants was pretty cheap, I wouldn't do a meal plan.
utilawatersports
Utila Water Sports

 

[diversteve]

If you plan to shore dive, Utopia has a shore dive, so does Coral View. One advantage to Coral View is it's possible to walk/bike/ATV into town from there. There's only maybe 1/2 dozen cars on Utila so if you fly in your cab might be a pickup truck. We used the ferry from Roatan which works on the weekend. To save money it's also possible to fly into San Pedro Sula, bus to the port at La Ceiba and ferry over - it just takes overnight practically so you burn almost 2 days each way. Or fly locally - Worldwide Travel is one source for local flghts, she lives on Utila. World Wide Travel

We stayed at Deep Blue which is almost as far west as Utopia and had no problems getting a ride to town the few times we needed/wanted to - they move their staff by boat daily. They've had recent financial problems so I won't recommend them but I'm not current on their situation either..