FIBR trip report jan 6-13, the good the bad and the ugly

[Wookie]

:rofl3 Please tell me no one really would think the PADI rating meant anything as to the quality of the resort. West End alone has at least 3 PADI 5 star resorts.

The OP has less than 50 dives and has been certified for less than a year. I wouldn't necessarily expect him to know that PADI 5 star resorts means that the resort did no more than putting some dollars in. That's why he is on ScubaBoard!

 

[RTBDiver]

The OP has less than 50 dives and has been certified for less than a year. I wouldn't necessarily expect him to know that PADI 5 star resorts means that the resort did no more than putting some dollars in. That's why he is on ScubaBoard!

I thought most caught on to the PADI system by the end of Open Water. Maybe its not as evident with E-Learning. Anyway, " In the Unlikely event" that people thought the PADI 5 star thing had anything to do with accomodations, reading just a little on Scubaboard should make even a non diver realize FI is no where near a 5 star resort by anyones standards when it comes to accomodations.

 

[tridacna]

I was thinking the same thing. I would love to hear where this was ever given such a start rating and agree as well, while some places may have something that "might" be 5 star, I don't believe anyplace on the Island as a whole could be considered even close to that

I visited Infinity Bay resort last week and it is VERY nice. Not sure what really constitutes a 5 stars rating for a hotel/resort but that place comes real close.

Roatan Resort and Luxury Roatan Hotel | Infinity Bay Spa and Beach Resort

 

[RTBDiver]

I visited Infinity Bay resort last week and it is VERY nice. Not sure what really constitutes a 5 stars rating for a hotel/resort but that place comes real close.

Roatan Resort and Luxury Roatan Hotel | Infinity Bay Spa and Beach Resort

Except they only have an outdoor restaurant that worth anything and the spa is not there yet though its advertised. Maybe someday

 

[billmosel]

I have never seen a 2,3 or 4 star PADI resort. So if you are a PADI resort, I guess that you are automatically a 5 star???

 

[Doc]

Star ratings, from one to five, are used to assess guest accommodations. Following is a brief summary of standards expected from guest accommodation within their ratings....

* Courteous staff provide an informal yet competent service. The majority of rooms are en suite (private toilet), and a designated eating area serves breakfast daily and dinner most evenings.

** All rooms are en suite or have private facilities. A restaurant or dining room serves breakfast daily and dinner most evenings.

*** Staff are smartly dressed and professionally presented. All rooms are en suite, and the restaurant or dining room is open to residents and non-residents.

**** Professional, uniformed staff respond to your needs or requests, and there are usually well-appointed public areas. The restaurant or dining room is open to residents and non-residents, and lunch is available in a designated eating area.

***** Luxurious accommodation and public areas, with a range of extra facilities and a multilingual service available. Guests are greeted at the hotel entrance. High quality menu and wine list.

The newly instituted and controversial Six Star ratings, based on a very stringent set of more than 1700 criteria including cultural and emotive factors, will be awarded to hotels that are truly the most discerning of hotels around the world. Among the criteria are:

- A minimum one-to-one employee to guest service ratio
- Non-intrusive, seamless service attenuated to each guest and their needs
- Privacy for guests in public areas, dining, etc.
- Architectural uniqueness maintaining the local flavor of the location where the hotel is situated

Like I said before, very few places on Roatan might barely qualify for 1* Any number of operations are designed and built with the best of intentions, but the weak link is a local pervasive lack of consistency and commitment to service . It looks good for a few weeks, anyway.

Go there for a dive vacation. If you want posh, you're after "a vacation with some diving". The two simply do not co-exist.

Some Roatan examples of up-scale construction: http://www.turquoisebayresort.com/ http://www.infinitybay.com/en/activities/index.html http://www.henrymorganroatan.info/en/villaggio/albergo.html http://www.palmettobayplantation.com/ http://www.lawsonrock.com/CondoPlan.html

 

[Doc]

I have never seen a 2,3 or 4 star PADI resort. So if you are a PADI resort, I guess that you are automatically a 5 star???

The PADI criteria are somewhat less codified than the above post describing the hotel rating systems.....

The PADI 5 Star Dive Center membership level is awarded to progressive PADI Dive Centers that excel in providing dive consumers with a full range of diver education programs, equipment selection, and experience opportunities and that actively promote aquatic environmental awareness. A PADI 5 Star Dive Center is active in its community presenting a professional image consistent with, or better than, the norm of the marketplace. These dive centers embrace the PADI System of diver education and are committed to providing customers with quality products, services and experiences.

 

[RTBDiver]

The PADI criteria are somewhat less codified than the above post describing the hotel rating systems.....

The PADI 5 Star Dive Center membership level is awarded to progressive PADI Dive Centers that excel in providing dive consumers with a full range of diver education programs, equipment selection, and experience opportunities and that actively promote aquatic environmental awareness. A PADI 5 Star Dive Center is active in its community presenting a professional image consistent with, or better than, the norm of the marketplace. These dive centers embrace the PADI System of diver education and are committed to providing customers with quality products, services and experiences.

Thanks RoatanMan,
The odd thing is what was brought up is a "PADI 5 star RESORT" which without getting into Standards and procedures and limiting the info to the PADI website , requires very little at all. According to their site a PADI 5 star simply must "excel in providing traveling scuba divers with memorable scuba diving experiences, customer satisfaction, scuba diver safety and underwater environmental awareness by providing professional and outstanding service. "
Really nothing at all to even do specifically with a resort with the exception perhaps of customer satisfaction which many must have considering they return again and again.
There seems to be at least 8 PADI 5 star resorts but interestingly when it comes to actual diving and looking at 5 star dive CENTERS there is only one listed and that would be CCV.
After review of the OP's post

Overall for the price I thing it was a good trip and I enjoyed myself

,
as well as PADI 5* Resort standards then it would appear FI certainly did meet the criteria of a PADI 5*

 

[robint]

Yeah, being that I have worked at a PADI 4star dive shop here in ABQ (my husband is still an instructor able to teach there), I can tell you the only basic difference is that for the 5star they need to be qualified to certify instructors (must have a Course Director on staff). Our LDS, I no longer work there BTW, has been debating back and forth if they want the added expense of bumping themselves up. Dive shops that are busy can afford to move up to 5star, most can't.

 

[RTBDiver]

Yeah, being that I have worked at a PADI 4star dive shop here in ABQ (my husband is still an instructor able to teach there), I can tell you the only basic difference is that for the 5star they need to be qualified to certify instructors (must have a Course Director on staff). Our LDS, I no longer work there BTW, has been debating back and forth if they want the added expense of bumping themselves up. Dive shops that are busy can afford to move up to 5star, most can't.

Robin,
You are confusing a 5* dive center with a PADI 5* resort. A PADI 5* resort does not have to be able to certify Instructors.