Trip to FIBR part I

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divin'dog

Contributor
Scuba Instructor
Divemaster
Messages
816
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Location
New England
# of dives
500 - 999
Just came back from FIBR. I had a great time. I know there's a lot divers who prefer CCV, but I go with a large group of divers and stay wherever we're booked... (mmmooooooo). OK, now that's out of the way...

Flying by TACA is kinda ok. There was some lost luggage. Basically, the plane was overweight flying into Roatan, so they just pulled bags out. Now the kicker. The airline said the bags would be on the next flight out at 3pm and would arrive at the resort. Well 3pm comes and goes and no bags, no call. The people with missing bags decide to go out to the airport to check. Typical of service there, the bags came in but noone bothered to check or call or send them to the resort. In fact, it was only at the insistence of the driver who could speak the language that anything got done at all. The driver stayed beyond his work hours and fought with the airline to have someone look for the luggage. All the luggage was recovered (sitting behind the counter!) and kudos went out to the FIBR driver who helped us out.

The resort itself was recently bought by new owners and is undergoing changes. Some are readily apparent. First, the dining area and lounging area have been expanded to just about double what the original lobby/bar area was. It's all open air now and there's a nice breeze that flows through there. There's also a new pool with swim up bar. I'd have to say that there's new paint and the lobby and dining areas are much improved.

The rooms though leave much to be desired. Our assigned room had sliders on the first floor that didn't lock and the bathroom door was hard to close shut. We changed our room and the second room had a toilet that needed repair. Someone came out to fix it 4 times. Finally, we just pulled the lid off and flushed by pulling the stem up by hand. Also the air conditioner quit on us and it had to be replaced. Kudos to FIBR because they did replace it within a day. Other people in our group had to change rooms because of the need for repairs also. Not a good sign.
 
Despite the crappy rooms, things are looking up at FIBR. A group of us spoke with the manager of the resort, Michael. He was very approachable and we voiced our concerns and he was eager to hear what we had to say. In a nutshell, he plans on renovating the resort and making it more diver friendly (to be able to deal with wet gear more easily). He said the money is there but there needs to be time to design/plan all of it. So my guess is that there will be a significant face lift to all the rooms and even the locker storage areas. This will take a while to implement though.

The last time I was at FIBR was Jan 2006. It rained everyday! It was the end of rainy season and it poured. I was not impressed with the diving that much back then, but this time, we had perfect weather. The sun came through the water and it was really great. I love the rugged terrain. Unlike any other place that I have been, but I haven't been to too many places yet that I can compare it to. Lots of overhangs, swimthroughs, chimneys. The life is pretty typical for normal fish unless you're getting up close and watching a lot of the smaller stuff. That's where I think it excels. Lots of little microcosms everywhere. Good color also.

Back in '06 every boat had broken down. This time I was reluctant to go back. It is good to report that none of the boats experienced a problem. In fact, I think the boats were well maintained. Old but very serviceable and comfortable to dive off of. Some boats had only a few divers, ours had more. A rumor had surfaced before going out that new boats were ordered. Well, I guess it's true. New boats have been ordered but probably won't be in service for quite some time. Only one of the boats is close to being finished. Things on Roatan get done a lot more slowly...

I guess if the resort is renovated and the new boats arrive, I could easily go back out to FIBR. Other nice perks... free nitrox all week! and free drinks within limited menu. Oops, almost forgot to mention the food. I thought it was mediocre to good. Some dishes were well prepared, other not so. The dessert bar however was a hit. So that's it for now. If you have specific questions, I'll try to answer them as best I can.

dd
 
Looks like the open air conversion is to a more typically Honduran set up. It should save them a lot on air conditioning. I have been there three times and each time things seemed to go a bit downhill. The final straw was there were whale shark sitings and our boat was the only one not to go after them because the DM was repairing a mooring.
 
Flying by TACA is kinda ok. There was some lost luggage. Basically, the plane was overweight flying into Roatan, so they just pulled bags out. Now the kicker. The airline said the bags would be on the next flight out at 3pm and would arrive at the resort. Well 3pm comes and goes and no bags, no call. The people with missing bags decide to go out to the airport to check. Typical of service there, the bags came in but noone bothered to check or call or send them to the resort. In fact, it was only at the insistence of the driver who could speak the language that anything got done at all. The driver stayed beyond his work hours and fought with the airline to have someone look for the luggage. All the luggage was recovered (sitting behind the counter!) and kudos went out to the FIBR driver who helped us out.

That was very nice of the taxi driver..I assumed that you were generous to your taxi driver;) glad you were able to recover your bags
 
That was very nice of the taxi driver..I assumed that you were generous to your taxi driver;) glad you were able to recover your bags

I personally didn't go. I didn't lose any bags but my roomie lost hers. She and 3 others went out to the airport. Knowing them, they would have tipped generously.

The only reason I wrote in length about this was to inform travelers to Roatan, that they should NOT rely on the airline employees to call or look for their lost luggage and send it to the resort. One person in our group had been here about 5 yrs ago and related a similar story only her bags did not show up for 3 days. Where was the luggage? Behind the counter in the airport. No one bothered to look for it and send it on it's way despite calling for the bags everyday. You will need to be proactive and it will help to have someone who speaks the language. It will also help if that person is insistent because it took about 2 hrs before someone finally relented and looked for the luggage. In the end, everyone got their bags the same day we arrived.

dd
 


A ScubaBoard Staff Message...


Part I and Part II merged

 
The only reason I wrote in length about this was to inform travelers to Roatan, that they should NOT rely on the airline employees to call or look for their lost luggage and send it to the resort.

As Parrotheaddiver will confirm- this marks another distinction between different AI Resorts. Other places have a paid staff person who makes such efforts their full work day effort~ if and when the need arises.

She has you in loaner gear and off diving, while she goes to work. 98% of baggage issues is knowing who to call, and we visitors would have no idea. It for sure isn't the 800# or the desk phone number at Roatan airport. The ticket counter smiley faces may well be struggling (or maybe not) to answer the phone by reaching over your luggage. My hand to God, I have seen this.

They hate seeing this bulldog of a resort employee at the airports, but she gets a lot done.
 
Do they still have the zoo at FIBR? I thought this was a unique think to find at such a place, but it was really in need of maintenance.
 
Do they still have the zoo at FIBR? I thought this was a unique think to find at such a place, but it was really in need of maintenance.

They still have the zoo. I didn't visit it. Didn't want to after hearing a description of it from someone in my group who did go. It's pretty sad for conditions and the animals need better care. Also lots of bugs up there.
 

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