AKR, FIBR, Bananarama - which is best and why?

[farsidefan1]

I consider myself a picky eater (and so does everyone else that knows me). I had no problems at FIBR finding something I could eat and enjoy.It is definitely NOT a fast fod fare only type of place. On a scale of 10 I'd give it a pretty solid 6 (ok, I gave the one extra point for the ice cream so if you don't like icecream give it a 5, then just shoot yourself, life without ice cream isn't worth living). Oh and regarding hot water you should note, there isn't really any cold water on the island without ice. A cold water shower is slightly cool water, not cold.

 

[billmosel]

My wife and I stayed in FIBR and BR this past March. The dive op at FIBR was great. However depending on the week the boats can et very crowded. Fortunately for us that was not the case. The week before we were there the was 125 divers at the resort and was told it was a problem.
As has been posted the food is at best adequate. The rooms although having been redone they forgot to redo the bathrooms. Water pressure was a trickle and hot water seldom. The beach was nice but was hard to find a chair to sit on.

The dive op at BR was also great. There were never more than 3 additional divers on the boat. The rooms were clean and no problem with the bathroom facilities. The food was good beach type food and the restaurant on property, Island Pearl, was very good but pricey. A $5 cab ride to West End and there are plenty of bars and restaurants to choose from that were very reasonable. The beach at West Bay is absolutely one of the best beaches on Roatan. Baby powder sand and beautiful water along with some Pina Coladas is very relaxing. You have a lot more choices and the sneery is much nicer.
Your op stated that you were looking for what is best topside and in my opinion is to stay at BR. You will be very happy there for your 25th anniversary.
Which ever you decide, have a great trip!

 

[Reef Tank]

My wife and I stayed in FIBR and BR this past March. The dive op at FIBR was great. However depending on the week the boats can et very crowded. Fortunately for us that was not the case. The week before we were there the was 125 divers at the resort and was told it was a problem.
As has been posted the food is at best adequate. The rooms although having been redone they forgot to redo the bathrooms. Water pressure was a trickle and hot water seldom.

Now that is odd. We had plenty of hot water but the handle sprayed constantly for the entire week. :cool3: I don't know what happened to your hot water. The sound of the water spraying was so loud we closed the bathroom door at night.

We are booked to return this year and will most likely often return to FIBR. I am hooked on Roatan.

 

[BDSC]

I thought I'd throw this place in the mix. Roatan Diving, Honduras Roatan Diving, Honduras Scuba Diving, PADI Scuba Courses, Shark Dive, Scuba Diving, Night Dive, Night Diving, Reef House, Reef House Resort, Reefhouseresort, Reef Dive Sites, Scuba Vacations, Dive Vacations, Roatan Dive Resort

The reviews of this place are just incredible. I, along with some friends, decided to return to Roatan this fall and have booked to stay here. (We're up to 15 people) The deal we have for September is excellent and the diving is supposed to be top notch because you dive the less visited areas in Roatan. I'd certainly look this resort over before I made my final decision

 

[CODMAN]

OK, let me elaborate a bit on on my food evaluation...:cool2:

First thing to know, I love great food! I do all he cooking at home and have no problems with spending 2-3 hours preparing gourmet meals for me and my family... I really enjoy it, especially when the end result is delicious. I also Love all forms of international cuisine (Thai, Indian, French, Italian, Spannish, mexican, Ethiopian, etc... you get the picture)... So when I say I love food and am hard to please, I really mean it!!! Also, I used to mountain bike race semi-pro so I totally understand people who train and try to eat accordingly to their training efforts. It's hard sometimes... So hopefully this tells you a bit more about myself so you can better make an idea of what I am saying about the food...

Now on to the food... The buffet at FI is quite varied! There are lots of choices! Unfortunately, when I was there, not many choices were up to my standards....:depressed: And by standards, I mean something I could eat without finding it bad. For food to be good by my standards (or better), it needs to have good flavour, good texture and be appealing to the eye (this last one is of less importance). And each mouthfull needs to leave me with a good feeling. Not "why am I pushing this stuff into my mouth again?" I can eat "average food" that doesn't taste much, but I can't swallow stuff that tastes bad (for example, fish that has a strong fishy/ ammonia taste ) or has a bad texture. And in my oppinion, about 20% of what they served met my minimum requirements! Nevertheless, I was always able to find something to eat; during the week I fed mostly on rice, sauceless pasta, fried fish (caught locally; it was decent ), shrimp (was also pretty good), and other things of the sort... Also for you to know. I stayed away from the salad bar and icecream (despite the good reviews) to play it safe because I didn't want to loose any days of diving with diarhea...:mooner: So from day to day, I was pretty much eating the same things...

At the end of the week, I was seriously "good food deprived"... Nevertheless, for the price I paid for the stay, it was totally acceptable and I don't regret it a bit! Could they make better food? Sure... and the price would go up...


Anyways, hopefully this post will help people better understand and gauge MY oppinion on the food at FIBR and make a clearer choice! I'm sure you will be able to find food that is palatable to you and your wife there. But just how important it is to you and her, and how it will affect the outcome of the trip, only you can tell...

In all honnesty, If $$ was no object, I would stay at: 1- Cocoview if I wanted to dive tons, 2- AKR if I wanted quality accomodations and better food (from what I've read). But in my life, $$ IS an important factor... And if ever I make it back to Roatan, FIBR will probably be my choice!


Cheers!

Thanks for all the input. I'm beginning to lean toward FIBR. Is the food there more the "fast food" variety? If so, I feel we'll end up staying hungry because we just don't eat much fried foods or burgers. Haven't been in a McDonalds, Wendys or the like in decades. Salads, fruit, pasta and rice dishes are fine, and grilled meats are ok too. My wife is the main concern with food. I'm retired Navy, have plenty of experience eating whatever is served, and my system functions fine on it. My wife is a different story - not eating the right balance will stop her up tight and she'll be miserable for the week. She's also a runner which helps her stay regular and I know she won't be doing any running in Roatan. 3 of 10 stars for food quality at FIBR concerns me. Ice cream, huh - that'll work.

I'm not at all worried about the diving. I'm sure that wherever we end up it will be great. We are not beginner divers - I'm Rescue and my wife is Advanced cert with plenty of dives in the 80 to 100 fsw range, including wrecks. I also do photography and we own all gear required. I expect that 2-3 dives a day will be fine and if I find myself bored after that a good shore dive will be the answer, which looks like FIBR is best situated.

We'll be sure to bring some insect repellent with DEET wherever we end up.

Night life and shopping are not concerns. We aren't big partiers or shoppers. A quiet evening and a cool beer or wine after a day of diving is perfect for us. We'll be sacked out by 10pm.

 

[weaponeer]

I really appreciate the time all of you have put into giving me the non-dive related details so I can make this anniversary trip something to remember. Believe me, if the wife isn't happy, there's no way I'm gonna be either. Not because she's hard to please - she just has some standards that must be met for her to feel comfortable. Would she deal with lower standards if she had to? Absolutely, and she has on several more rugged dive trips I've taken her on. But this one has to be special and I'm taking the effort to make it just right.

That said, it looks like we're going to book AKR. The food and room will meet her needs and we should get in some great diving, both north and south sides on the west end. And if I get the trip booked by 6/16 at 5pm est, it's 2-for-1 pricing. Can't beat that with a stick. I've tasked her to start looking at airfare. Plan to book October 23-30 unless it's full.

Thanks again to all of you for the input. Feel free to continue the discussion if desired.

 

[BDSC]

Delta has been running about the best deal I've seen.

 

[Bay Island Diver]

If food is as important to you as it is to me Banarama is your only choice! Vintage pearl nearby is a very good restaurant there is a great choice so you'll find what you like. The other two are more isolated so its eat at the resort or go to a lot of effore getting elsewhere, the resort food at both is average as in C-

 

[robint]

just remember, October is the rainy season...


robin

 

[weaponeer]

I've contacted AKR and booked the week of Sep 18-25, Key Superior bungalow. Less chance of rain and the flight fare is cheaper than October. Looking forward to a great time.