Anyone going to Roatan? Looking for dive buddies or deals

[nquinn]

I have a bunch of vacation time saved up, and looking to do a short 5-6 day trip to Roatan. I only like doing a couple of dives a day and relaxing.

Some questions:

1. It sounds like Anthony's Key Resort is one of the better values and higher quality than Cocoview. However, their deals are for 7 nights. Does anyone know how much they discount if I only wanted 5-6 nights?

2. Any other resorts or simple motel/airbnb's you'd look at? I don't really need inclusive, but if the money isn't that different I'm open to it. Also open to anyone on this board that might rent out a room at their place if the location is good.

I'd love to join a group or other divers to save a little money on the room/single occupancy as well.

Looking mid-June or early July.

 

[drrich2]

I recently tried CocoView Resort and really liked it. My trip report -
CocoView Trip Report May 2021 - Trip Report - CocoView Resort May 8-15, 2021

Saying that Anthony's Key Resort or CocoView Resort is higher quality or better is likely to be a matter of perspective. Do sand beach, catering more to non-divers and accepting kids under 10 years old matter? Does a shore dive with extensive house reef options matter? One Scuba Board member complained of not getting as much as he wanted to eat on an AKR trip, whereas CCV is buffet (they serve now due to the pandemic, but you can go back...).

If you only want to do a couple of dives/day, have you considered staying at the West End, where there are more topside diversions? If not, and you want a budget option, have you considered Turquoise Bay Resort?

I compiled some research notes on Roatan prior to my trip, and I haven't dug through, updated and posted them yet. I'll post some content from those in case it's helpful to you.

Roatan (pop. 29,636, most in the western half) is largest at about 48 miles long and < 5 miles max. width, with a mountainous ‘backbone’ of hilltops running west-to-east. Has an international airport (RTB) – with a less-than-stellar reputation, so don’t get in a hurry. Coxen Hole, to the southwest, is the capital and largest town. West End and West Bay are on the north coast (DiverSteve (Post #12) wrote there’s 2 miles between them, you can walk around either pretty conveniently; West End has most of the partying and West Bay is more ‘civilized’ and has more touristy stuff). MeganW89 (Post #33) opined West End has more of a backpacking, serious divers vibe; West Bay has a nice beach but is very touristy and gets packed when cruise ships are in (note: actual ports are Port of Roatan in Coxen Hole, and Mahogany Bay Cruise Center in Dixon Cove east of Coxen Hole). Roatan Marine Park aims to protect the coral reef system. The south is the windward side (but Doc (Post #21) noted Roatan is a long, thin island, a barrier to storms that track by on the north – so the south’s protected from storms yet you get a breeze; on the other hand, the south lacks sandy beaches). Roatan.online has downloadable maps.

Anthony’s Key Resort
Isolated but a short cab tide to West End. Doc (Posts #84 & 93) noted 67 steps to get a meal. AKR can host large groups (hotel accommodations up to 120 guests) – such as a Scuba Board Invasion in 2017 (one 2018 cancelled due to pandemic). Kids allowed and 4-year old and under stay free, there’s kayaking (and stand-up paddle boarding, horseback riding, dolphin encounters, spa and off-site overnight excursions – including to mainland Honduras) and there’s a Dolphin Scuba Summer Camp option. Warning: as of Nov. 27, 2020, Hill Standard bungalows are not air-conditioned! Watch out! Doc commented on the lengthy stair climb to the dining room (67 steps per Post #84). Their other bungalows have A.C. There’s a 30x60’ 4’ deep freshwater pool. I got the impression they’re expensive, but often run BOGO sales (which rocks if there’re 2 of you). 3 Dives/day (+ 2 night dives/week) and allegedly a shore dive (which Doc (Post #93) called a ‘huge stretch of imagination’; nippurmagnum (Post #14) thought it was nice but not as protected as CCV, and the dive shop supporting it was only open 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. DiverSteve (Post #11) quoted a source in 2014 who said the reef’s fantastic but a long hike out – water’s around 1 foot deep for ~ 100 feet, quickly drops to 3 for another 100 feet).
AKR Trip Report (Nov. 14 – 21). 2015 Report by Captain Sinbad. Nice detail and high praise…except some people wanted larger food portions.
Trip review ScubaBoard Invasion 2014 Roatan AKR – by cardzard.
Anthony’s Key Resort (AKR) trip report – November 2013. by Lorenzoid. Excellent detail.

 

[drrich2]

CocoView Resort
Isolated on a cay off the southern coast. Large enough for some groups. Described as ‘summer camp for divers,’ with boat diving and a very nice house reef (shallow 140-foot wreck of the Prince Albert plus wall diving), and a range of non-diving excursions. Minimum guest age is 10-years old (truth’s a little nuanced; see Doc’s Post #17). 2 1-Tank boat trips/day…but they can drop you off on the way in to ‘dive back’ to the resort’s large house reef, so 4 boat dives/day plus unlimited shore diving (Doc (Post #2) said you can easily get 27 dives in a week; it is shallow, vertical walls facing the sun and is ‘little critter heaven’). Doc (Post #93) said a trip to West End is a planned trip. No pool or beach. Outside the pandemic, meals are buffet (and were during it when I went, though staff served). It doesn’t offer frequent or large discounts, does heavy repeat business and tends to book up well in advance.
Trip Report Oct. 2020 by GirlonFire (Post #4). She noted getting menus instead of buffet meals (I presume due to COVID-19 pandemic) – they had a day trip to dive Cayos Cuchinos! Got nailed by noseeums – don’t wait! Use repellent from the start!
Roatan Trip Report: CocoView, July 2018. Extensive report by Ironborn.
CocoView Trip Report: July/August 2018. By Trailboss123, who wrote “Probably the best land based setup I have ever encountered.”
CocoView Trip report…dive camp… 2016 report by KeithG. (Post #88) didn’t like CCV’s shore dive compared to Bonaire dock dives – didn’t like the gear ‘slog’ from gear room to shore, the wading out to get deep enough to put on fins then more time finning out to start the dive, bumping other divers during that and noseeum bites after the dive…but he said the dive site was fine (Robint in the next post had a more positive experience, and said Roatan has more lush, beautiful reefs and dramatic walls but Bonaire more fishlife).
April 2014 CocoView Trip report – by oregondiver.

 

[drrich2]

Turquoise Bay Resort
Very popular value option chosen by dive clubs in my area (Doc (Post #3) said there’s a very simple reason – the price structure commission/rebate to group leaders is by far the most attractive on the island). Dive op. is Subway Watersports. 3 Boat dives/day (+ 1 night dive if you stay 6 or more nights) and there’s no shore dive. Isolated east end resort. DiverSteve (Post #16) said there’s a small, nice-looking beach (Yoda-X (Post #8) said it’s gorgeous). Isolated – per their website “We are located 15 minutes from French Harbour where you will find banks, supermarket, boutiques and local restaurants. We are 45 minutes from the tourist area of West End/West Bay which has a variety of bars and restaurants,” and 30 minutes from the airport. They offer topside excursions. There’s a pool.
Turquoise Bay Resort/Subway Watersports August 2017 – by Scubadada. Noted it’s beautiful, on a lush, green hillside overlooking the bay. Meals were buffet. Kayaks, paddle boards, hiking and horseback riding and other excursions were available.
Turquoise Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras. Oct. 2016 Undercurrent online magazine.
Tarponchik (Post #2) said they dive mostly in the north but also dive the south.

 

[drrich2]

Others
Roatan has a range of dive op.s and stay options with good reviews.
NDL_Diver (Post #4) recommended West End if you want easy access to good bars and restaurants, a safe t-shirt & flip flop atmosphere with a decent beach and lots of dive shops close to the reef, but West Bay if you want beautiful beaches, close to reefs and dive shops, restaurants and bars (but cruisers go there). Bay Island Diver (Post #16) noted West Bay is stunning but West End cheaper in hotels and food. Nic Lin (Post #23) described West End as quieter and less touristy, more of a beach town with a mix of hotels, restaurants, dive shops, gift shops and houses, the town pretty much a main road following the beach, with a beautiful beach at Half Moon Bay; West Bay is more of a resort area with the best beach, larger hotels and resorts, a few independent restaurants, and it’s much more expensive in everything. His favorite is Jackson’s Dive Center in West End.
Mayan Princess Beach & Dive Resort – per Carlos Danger (Post #16) a very nice place centrally located in the middle of West Bay, with gorgeous beach, nearby snorkeling and convenient access to topside activities.
Bottom Time Scuba – per Chiggins (trip report) a boutique single boat op. offering 100-cf steel tanks (unusual in Roatan), and a 3 unit bed and breakfast an easy 10-minute walk from West Bay Beach (albeit along a 2-lane road with no shoulder or side-walk most of the way). He said it was a 10-minute drive to West End.
Media Luna Resort & Spa – a remote all-inclusive resort on the southeast side, praised by CajunDiva (Post #27); she said (Post #11) they offer 3 boat dives/day, plus there’s a house reef with ‘incredible shore diving’ within dive shop hours, a lovely beachand 3 pools.
Coconut Tree Divers at the West End – DiverSteve (Post #3) and Bay Island Diver (Post #16) liked; ScubaJeffy (Post #17) liked Splash Island Dive Resort in West End Village.
DiverSteve (Post #8) liked Barefoot Divers; Barefoot Cay Boutique Resort is near French Harbour (south coast) where large markets are, and a few restaurants (but the majority of those are at West End on the other side of Roatan, 20-30 minutes away); good shallow snorkeling in a lagoon protected by a barrier reef. He also noted Barefoot Cay is pretty upscale, and they spray/rake the beach (for sand fleas), and mentioned Beachfront Villas. He said the best beach on Roatan is in West Bay.
Roatan for non-diver – 2015 thread.
Roatan Dive Resort – Stay At Reef House Lodge – Southern site on a cay east of CocoView Resort. I haven’t seen reviews on Scuba Board in awhile. I recall Reef House Resort described as smaller and cheaper than CocoView, more limited food options, good shore diving more apt to get blown out than CocoView’s. In Recent Reef House Resort Thoughts? (2015 thread ran into 2016), Doc described it and at least 3 other people spoke well of it. Trip Report – Reef House Resort, Roatan – 2015 report by Stoo.
Seagrape Plantation Resort – a West End op. NDL_Diver (Post #7) said there’s shore diving. Seagrape Trip Report 3/26-4/2 (2015) by mellowwee. Just back from Roatan and Seagrape Plantation – 2014, by DonPropinas.
Infinity Bay Resort – cpace (Post #8) did several shore dives out front of the resort in West Bay.

 

[drrich2]

Comparisons
AKR and CocoView together – 2017 thread. Docs (Post #3) said AKR dives the west/north and CCV the south. Lorenzoid (Post #61) said AKR was fine, but he preferred diving with West End Divers. Robint (Post #97) said AKR has a pool, allows kids, seems better for families – CCV doesn’t (kids < age 10), a non-diving spouse would be bored there but it wins hands down on diving setup dock and shore diving. Nippermagnum (Post #14) said AKR has a nice shore dive less protected than CCV’s (the dive shack supporting shore diving only open 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.), CCV has 24-hour shore diving, 2 massive reefs and a very substantial ship wreck, and he though CCV’s food ‘a notch better.’ He deemed AKR’s northern side dives better in terms of larger marine life than CCV’s southern sides; AKR is walking distance from a nice beach.

And leaving off discussions of the Roatan Aggressor, that's about all the info. I found. Hope it helps.

 

[nquinn]

Wow that's a lot of info. Thank you and will review. I'm not super picky on food, but it does sound like AKR is a little more tame/family friendly and maybe not quite what I'm looking for.

 

[nquinn]

Hmm, covid cases also seem to be raging in Roatan right now unlike Mexico or Turks & Caicos... may influence my decision. (though I am fully vaccinated)

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

We enjoy Turquoise Bay Resort and are going back in August. Here is the report I made in 2017. I didn't see it in the references listed above.

Roatan, Turquoise Bay Resort, Subway Review- Long, but complete

Safe travels,
Jay

 

[Doc]

Hmm, covid cases also seem to be raging in Roatan right now ....)

(late response to above, but....) This is quite demonstrably not correct.

btw- the COVID test requirement for Roatan entry has now been lifted with vax proof.