Back to Roatan or Somewhere Else?

[jerlane]

My wife and I are looking to go somewhere warm in March. We went to Roatan last year and stayed in West Bay and just loved it. We are relatively inexperienced divers, but enjoy it a lot and look forward to doing more. I just purchased my first set of gear.

We usually like to go to new places, but liked Roatan so much that we would consider going back. We like to do more than just dive, so a dedicated dive resort is probably not what we want. I also love to windsurf. We have been to Belize and liked that very much, but liked the beaches and convenience of the reef being right off shore in Roatan a little better. Places I'm thinking of are Bonaire and Barbados. I'm not sure if we are quite ready to dive on our own on Bonaire, but I'm open to considering it now that I have my own computer, but maybe I need some more experience with it first.

Any thoughts? The things we liked about Roatan: great reef, snorkeling from shore, great people, good cheap food and beer, and the fact that it is relatively undeveloped, no big hotels at least.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks in advance,
Jeremy

 

[LynnB]

going to roatan i June and can't wait.....
went on a cruise and fell in love
Lynn

 

[Scuba Monster]

My thoughts on Bonaire ... We dived Bonaire when I was a newbie in 2005. We stayed and dived with Captain Don's, which some people really like or really hate - it is not for everyone. I liked Capt. Don's, but the accommodations were so-so. Most of the DM's were pretty good and stayed with you in the water. If you don't want to go out on your own yet, choose a resort on Bonaire that offers boat dives and has a DM in the water. I prefer the ease of boat diving anyway and sometimes a DM can help find cool stuff. Dive sites are close to shore and just a short boat ride away. I found the diving easy because there is very little current - you can go slowly and take your time. I don't recall many shear drop-off walls that go to infinity, like Cozumel, which sometimes is challenging for a new diver. Bonaire is a great place to practice buoyancy skills or learn how to use your new computer. You will not see much in the way of big stuff like reef sharks, huge loggerhead turtles or manta rays like certain parts of Belize. But, the marine life is diverse and the reefs are in good condition. Sandy beaches are scarce on Bonaire, but they do have windsurfing. Lac Bay is one of the places on the island where you will find windsurfers, a nice sandy beach and a cool beach bar. After diving, the charming Dutch town of Kralendijk is a great place to walk around, drink a beer and enjoy a good dinner. I don't remember the prices, but it is not Roatan cheep. We haven't been back to Bonaire since 2005, but not because we didn't enjoy it. We like exploring new places and just haven't repeated it, yet.

I don't know about Barbados, we haven't been. One of my dive magazines recently said that Barbados is not necessarily one of the top places to dive in the Caribbean, but if you find yourself there, you don't want to miss out on some of the diving.

Roatan is awesome - one of my favorites! You can't go wrong with a repeat visit, unless you want to try someplace new.

 

[rleslie]

My wife and I were in Roatan in June '07 and the Bahamas '08. We also considered another destination this year, but for the prices and diving you can't beat Roatan. I looked at Belize, ABCs and Caymans. We're staying in Roatan for 9 night for the same cost for 7 night in the other places, plus the food/drinks is sooooo inexpensive.

We will arrive there March 9th. When in March are you heading down?

Roger

 

[Doc]

You've been to Roatan, now try Bonaire.

I rate both islands in the Top 5 of the Caribbean.

Remember also, Roatan has two shorelines (NW & S), each offering distinctly different reef structures, depths and critter environments. The underwater world on these two sides is as distinctively different as is the above water scene.

 

[robint]

If you want reefs right off the shore and a chance to windsurf, go to Bonaire!!!!
check out a few websites for more info.
The Bonaire WebCams - Welcome!
Info Bonaire - The Bonaire Information Site - The Most Current and Up-To-Date Information
Welcome to the Buddy Dive Resort website
and
my videos.

robin

 

[jerlane]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Bonaire is definitely high on the list. I could use a little more info.... can anyone offer feedback on what some good accommodations might be if we are going to be doing more than diving, ie. may want to hang out by the beach or pool, snorkel from shore etc.? Divi Flamingo looked interesting. Also, what can we expect as far as cost of eating/drinking? It seems like the cost of beer is a good way to compare. On Roatan you could usually get a beer for $1-2, cocktails weren't too bad either and food seemed pretty reasonable as well. Similar experience on Ambergris Caye. How much more expensive is Bonaire?
Any other tips on Bonaire would be much appreciated. We don't need the Ritz, but do like decent/nice accommodations.
Thanks again!

 

[Scuba Monster]

There are some strong negatives about Capt. Don's that I am not sure we would return, so I am beginning to think about some alternatives. This is one of mine on the list of alternatives ... Plaza Resort Bonaire Hotel and SCUBA Diving, which appears to have better accomodations and offers boat dives also. I don't know about Divi. So, I would be interested in hearing about other suggestions from SB members too. Sorry, I can't comment too much about the prices, since we traveled to Bonaire a over a few years ago. As mentioned earler, I don't remember outrageous cost for beer or food. $1 - $2 good? I remember a local beer called Polar, which we would buy at a local mart and kept a few in our room frig for the end of our dive day. There was a local town, that wasn't the main town, with a beer mart or two. I am sure the beer must have been fairly cheap at the local "drive up." There seemed to be a variety of restaurant/bar type venues to choose from in a variety of price ranges in the main town.

 

[Warren Luck]

Do Roatan again. This time go to Coco View on the other side. It is across the slip from Fantasy Island so you won't be out in the sticks. You should be able to get 20 dives easy. Great food, plenty of night dives. Been there four times. Check out their web-site.