Accommodation advice for Roatan

[rakay]

Last year we stayed at Pura Vida Resort. It is in West End. You can walk to the restaurants there.

It is a small hotel. The Padi dive shop is next door. No shore diving and no pool. However it was affordable and we enjoyed it so much we are going again in Feb 2007.

When we went last Feb, there was six of us. There was only 5-7 divers that went on the boat at one time. I like the smaller groups. I avoid the large operations that take out 20-30 divers at one time. Check out the shark dive while you are there. It was great!

Check out thier website: www.puravidaresort.com ( I am not sure how to make a link here)

 

[mjnansen]

I am not a big fan of the AI style of diving (I been diving with several of the operators on the island). But I do acknowledge that they can often be the best choices for many people. They all have their fans- CCV has the most vocal crowd. BIBR is has a beautiful beach area, is a lot closer to any other activities you may want to do on the island, and has a fantastic and friendly staff. Paya Bay is really not a great choice for divers- especially at the end of the rainy season when the seas can be pretty rough right in there. Semana Santa is the week before Easter and the West End of the island is packed (although dive boats are pretty empty at that time).
Staying at a hotel or renting a condo in West End is a very viable option (I have a condo in West End so I do know how this works!) If you do that I really recommend Native Sons- they will store your dive gear so you don't have to lug it back and forth, it is a very short walk to the boat, and in case of bad weather they move to the South side of the island (always a possibility in Feb). West End has a great variety of places to eat at all price levels so you really don't have to cook unless you want to.
Feb is the end of the rainy season- but the weather changes daily and so do the seas at that time of year. It really helps if you dive with someone who will take you to whichever side is calmest that day (something to ask the individual resorts or dive shops if you get down to just a few choices).

 

[Antietam]

Just a quick piece of advice. We got on the waiting list for the same week at CCV. As of last week there were only 2 beach houses available for the waiting list. My wife and I took 1 of them. You will not be disappointed with CCV if thats your choice-just do it soon if it is. Good Luck!!!

 

[highdesert]

www.reefhouseresort.com

 

[scuba e]

If you are going for the diving go to Cocoview. I spent 29 hours submerged last March (our second visit). I have yet to find a place that makes high quality diving as easy. 4 boat dives a day and a great house reef/wreck. You will be so tired you wont notice the lack of topside.......anything.
The food is edible. The rooms, well, I was tired, I slept. The dive staff is solid and helpfull. Wake up, eat, get on boat. The gear is rigged and the boats are very low volume.
If you are looking for high quality food, comfy room, pampering resort staff and topside activity dont go. The island in general is rustic. We have stayed at cocoview and the west end. It is a beatiful island. great reef life. The south walls are unreal.
Not alot of fish life. Few big guys.
That being said, my wife and I will go back again and again. It is the easiest access the great wall/coral/wreck diving I have found and really do love it there.

 

[rakayaker]

My son & I spent just 6 days at FI and returned last Monday. Fantasy Island was great as a dive resort. AI means you really don't have to leave the resort at all. I can't vouch for everyone's experience, but if you are going to Roatan to dive, it's absolutely AWESOME. Other than diving, there's really not much outside of the resorts, so I think you should aim for one of the bigger resorts (CCV, FIBR, AK, PT). FI's beach was beautiful and the bugs, while there stay away with bug spray on.

One of the things I liked best about FI vs. CCV was the additional boat dive every day. FI has 3 or 4 (add'l night dive), CCV 2 or 3. CCV has better shore diving, not by much, but closer to the wrecks, but FI has a skiff that will drop you right on top of the wrecks.

CCV's over water rooms are very cool, but the rooms at FI were very close to the dive shop.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the resorts. If Roatan/Honduras could clean up the land side issues, I think it would be paradise (there was a plane full of cocaine that landed at the airport one night we were there; armed guards at the gate of the resort and police barricades at almost every town).

Let me know if you want any more info about FI (since my experience is current).

 

[wylerbear]

CCV has 4 boat dives per day. A morning site then a drop off dive at Neuman Wall/Prince Albert, then an afternoon dive with a drop off at CoCo View/Prince Albert. Plus 24 hour shore diving and one night boat dive during the week (for an additional charge). I thought FI advertised as having 3 boat dives per day which is one of the reasons we went to CCV. I've only been to CCV and thought it was fantastic but I've heard lots of good things about FI-it looked nice from the water as we went by to dive sites. The FI rooms seemed a lot further from the water than at CCV. We were in an oceanfront room and that really meant oceanfront-our door was not more than 15' from the water. When I plan another trip to Roatan I will probably return to CCV-my dive buddy & I both tried to think of some way they could improve the dive operation there and neither of us could think of a thing.
Whereever you stay, I'm sure you'll have a great time. Have fun.

 

[Alex777]

<< CCV has 4 boat dives per day. A morning site then a drop off dive at Neuman Wall/Prince Albert, then an afternoon dive with a drop off at CoCo View/Prince Albert. >>

I'm confused. Are you saying that 2 of the 4 CocoView boat dives per day MUST be done as dropoffs at those specific locations? CocoView advertise "4 boat dives per day". To me, a dropoff dive is NOT a "boat dive", it's just the boat Captain pausing for a minute as he passes the wreck so you can giant stride off the stern, check the wreck, and then swim home to CocoView.

Can someone clarify this?

BTW, Fantasy Island has 3 (and only 3) genuine boat dives per day. Once per week they do a night dive.

 

[Alex777]

I need to correct something I said earlier. CocoView does not advertise "4 boat dives per day." Their web site says:

"2 boat dive trips daily including 1 tank at selected site and optional drop-off wall dive (up to 4 boat tanks daily)"

The bottom line is that you get TWO real boat dives per day and can, if you wish, be dropped off at the Prince Albert wreck on your way in, making it a 1-way shore dive. Fantasy Island does 3 true boat dives per day and will also drop you off at the same wreck, so you could say (although I wouldn't) that at FI "you get 5 boat dives per day."

 

[Bay Island Diver]

At Coconut Tree they do do four genuine boat dives a day, 9am two tank trip a 1pm and a 2.30pm. Rarely more than 6 people in each dive group as well. My favourite thing about their package is the fact that you get to choose where to eat every night!