looking for input on Utila

[bkpix]

We have not been to Utila for quite a few years. When we were there we stayed at Laguna Beach Resort and we were nearly bitten to death by sand flies. The diving was wonderful, but the bugs took most of the fun out of the trip.

We would like to go back, but have no idea where to stay and dive. We have seen posts about Utopia Village but really know nothing about them.

Have inquired about Deep Blue. But haven't heard anything back. Meantime, we saw some unfavorable reviews about them.

We are looking for boat and shore dives with an all inclusive package. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks, BK

 

[diversteve]

Deep Blue seems to be having financial issues at times. I don't know their recent status.

But they're on the same lagoon as LB - just a few hundred yards farther. So the bugs are just as bad. We did a dusk dive once and you could see swarms of sand flies in the sun around their dock which is on an even quieter part of the lagoon than LB's was. Also their beach, which fronts the reef on the other side, was full of biting bugs the one time we tried it w/o shoes. And one night we mistakenly left the screen door open - that night we had to "fog" the room with Deep Woods Off to sleep.

The last I read their boat was drydocked (a few years ago) and the captain had left. Shirley was buying boat services from LB - which is obviously no longer an option. Their shore dive was difficult also - entry off a rocky beach at the very south end of the resort (they offered to have someone carry tanks for us) and you had to find a small break in the reef to get out to deeper water. It's the Pretty Bush dive site.

Utopia is farther down the south coast so may not have the bug problem. Another possibility with a shore dive is Coral View - it's west of town about 10mibs but far enough before the lagoon that bugs might not be an issue there.

I believe those are the only resorts with a shore dive except for a couple in town that dive the harbor.

I think there's just a lot of bugs on Utila period. One of the divers staying at Deep Blue when we did went birdwatching around the lagoon - we were kidding her that she'd be quarantined on her return to the US - all bit up anywhere that was exposed.

We didn't do much better on Roatan either. I counted 35 bits on my arms/back on the flight home. And i was pretty careful to use Off all the time. Plus there it's a good idea to do the Malaria treatment before ou go. Anywhere in the region where the jungle fronts the ocean it's going to be a problem. Someone once posted West Bay was reclaimed from a swamp.

If shore diving is what you're looking for - the Caymans, St. Croix or the ABC's (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) are good options. Not so much Little Cayman but there's the Brac Reef Beach Resort AI on the Brac, Cobalt Coast or Sunset House on Grand Cayman or the Reef or Morritt's condos on the East End. Compass Point is almsot an AI out there also with their own restaurant and Ocean Frontiers on site.
No shore diving out there though - much of that is centered around Cobalt Coast or nearby.

Bugs aren't allowed on Grand Cayman...lol. And they spray.

 

[bkpix]

Deep Blue seems to be having financial issues at times. I don't know their recent status.

But they're on the same lagoon as LB - just a few hundred yards farther. So the bugs are just as bad. We did a dusk dive once and you could see swarms of sand flies in the sun around their dock which is on an even quieter part of the lagoon than LB's was. Also their beach, which fronts the reef on the other side, was full of biting bugs the one time we tried it w/o shoes. And one night we mistakenly left the screen door open - that night we had to "fog" the room with Deep Woods Off to sleep.

The last I read their boat was drydocked (a few years ago) and the captain had left. Shirley was buying boat services from LB - which is obviously no longer an option. Their shore dive was difficult also - entry off a rocky beach at the very south end of the resort (they offered to have someone carry tanks for us) and you had to find a small break in the reef to get out to deeper water. It's the Pretty Bush dive site.

Utopia is farther down the south coast so may not have the bug problem. Another possibility with a shore dive is Coral View - it's west of town about 10mibs but far enough before the lagoon that bugs might not be an issue there.

I believe those are the only resorts with a shore dive except for a couple in town that dive the harbor.

I think there's just a lot of bugs on Utila period. One of the divers staying at Deep Blue when we did went birdwatching around the lagoon - we were kidding her that she'd be quarantined on her return to the US - all bit up anywhere that was exposed.

We didn't do much better on Roatan either. I counted 35 bits on my arms/back on the flight home. And i was pretty careful to use Off all the time. Plus there it's a good idea to do the Malaria treatment before ou go. Anywhere in the region where the jungle fronts the ocean it's going to be a problem. Someone once posted West Bay was reclaimed from a swamp.

If shore diving is what you're looking for - the Caymans, St. Croix or the ABC's (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) are good options. Not so much Little Cayman but there's the Brac Reef Beach Resort AI on the Brac, Cobalt Coast or Sunset House on Grand Cayman or the Reef or Morritt's condos on the East End. Compass Point is almsot an AI out there also with their own restaurant and Ocean Frontiers on site.
No shore diving out there though - much of that is centered around Cobalt Coast or nearby.

Bugs aren't allowed on Grand Cayman...lol. And they spray.

Thanks for your input. Pretty much what we had thought. We have been to Bonaire and Curacao many times, might go back there again. Have looked at Caymans, but have heard that the reefs are in pretty bad shape.

 

[Nic Lin]

I really like Roatan. West End and West Bay are the best places to stay in my opinion.
West End is more of a beach town that has a mix of hotels, restaurants, dive shops, gift shops, and houses. There are ex-pats, tourists, and locals that all hang out at the same places. The town is pretty much a main road that follows along the beach (it used to be a sand road). The best beach in West End is Half Moon Bay. It is not as nice as West Bay beach but is still beautiful white sand with clear Caribbean blue water. It is also much quieter and less touristy. Pretty much everything that is beach front is commercial property (restaurants, dive shops, gift shops, and bars). There are about 30 restaurants ranging from cheap street food to Thai to Italian to Argentinean plus cute little palapa bars that have live music. Most of the hotels, property rentals, and houses are set back from the beach .

West Bay is the best beach on the island and routinely ranked as one of the best beaches in the Caribbean. But because of this, it is more of a resort area. It has larger hotels and resorts though there are a few independent restaurants. The food tends to be overpriced and typical US offerings like burgers, wings, chicken tenders, pasta, plus some local things like coconut shrimp and whole friend fish. Three of the resorts are all inclusive so you can't really go into them but the others have some kind of entertainment every night that you can go to. And on cruise ship days which is Tues - Friday, most of them head to that beach to sit on beach chairs and turn into lobsters. But even with the people, it is still beautiful. I recommend going on non cruise ship days or in the afternoons once the cruise ships have left. It is also much more expensive for everything (accommodation, diving, drinks, food, etc) and can be difficult to get to and from in the evening.

If you are looking for a place to stay, I like Sea Breeze Inn in West End. Also, www.caribbeancolorsrentals.com has some great options for an budget. For diving, Sun Divers and Jackson's Dive Shop in West End are fantastic.

 

[laurenceh]

The Utopia Village resort on Utila is very nice, highly recommended

 

[UtopiaOnUtila]

I am one of the owners of Utopia Village. If you are looking for a dive-oriented vacation in a remote/quiet but beautiful location, I think you will really enjoy Utopia Village. The resort sits on the south west side of the island, several miles from the only town on the island - it is boat accessible only. Typical packages are weekly Saturday to Saturday, with meals and valet diving included. 3 guided dives a day - Sunday to Thursday, with optional shore diving on Friday. The resort has a really nice shore dive with access from the dock in front of the resort. We dive all around the island (weather-permitting).

Even though the resort has 20 rooms (40 beds) it never books more than 16 guests, so it never feels crowded and the dive boats are large/spacious. There are several trip reports for the resort on Scuba Board (if you search for Utopia Village) and 100s on TripAdvisor.

We have tried not to "market" too much in our answer, and just provide some basic information. If you are still interested check out our website at www.utopiaonutila.com or our FB page etc. or let us know and we can follow up directly.

On the bugs: At the resort we have an aggressive program to help manage them. We fog daily. We rake the beaches several times a day. We have "skeetervac" lights/traps all around the resort. That has made a big difference over the 5 years we have owned the resort. But the bugs can still sometimes be annoying. After it has rained and the wind dies down. Especially at dawn and dusk. Where we are located on the island the ocean breezes help a lot too.

 

[diverswifey]

Great answer, UtopiaonUtila- very helpful to me, too!

 

[Kharon]

Re. sand fleas (Roatan & Utila) - I've been told they are not insects but are arthropods. So they don't respond to insect repellant. I forget what the solution is but you could probably find it using Google or Bing.

 

[cpace]

and fleas (Roatan & Utila) - I've been told they are not insects but are arthropods. So they don't respond to insect repellant.

I have been to Roatan twice for a total of 4 weeks and the sand fleas can be vicious. Many on the Island swear by DEET products (an insect repellent). We added a product called "Cactus Juice" (also recommended). So typically I would lather up in Cactus Juice and spray feet to knees with 20% DEET. This seemed to do the trick for me, I would be relatively bite free while others at the resorts looked like they had chicken pox.

 

[Dan]

Re. sand fleas (Roatan & Utila) - I've been told they are not insects but are arthropods. So they don't respond to insect repellant. I forget what the solution is but you could probably find it using Google or Bing.

I don’t think so. Arthropods don’t fly. Sandflies do. I saw them flying around & landing on my legs when I was in Utila in 2008. I wasn’t concerned at the time as I didn’t feel anything. Later on in the evening, my legs were itching.

They are so tiny. Some people just can’t see them, hence, they are also called no-see-um.

The bites itch like hell & left red dots all over my legs. Ruined my diving trip there. I would never go back there again. There are plenty of better diving sites in Caribbean where no sandflies around.

Sandfly - Wikipedia

Ceratopogonidae - Wikipedia