Best All-Inclusive Resort in Roatan???

[octopuppy]

Me thinks you may want to look at another local in the Carribean. Bahamas, Grand Cayman.

 

[Mike]

Thanks Mike. Thank you all for you contributions. I did look on Trip Advisor but there are so many people with differetn levels of expectation, plants and haters there that it is tough to know who to trust. I do realize that divers tend toward the places that maximize diving and minimize the cost of accomodation. But there are some who look for the best of both worlds. Diving is not at all low on my list. That is why I am considering Roatan at all. I just know that I will be able to find a great dive shop without too much trouble either on Scubaboard or through other sdiving friends. My current issue is finding a beautiful spot to stay while I dive. I was indeed looking for the nicest - as in the biggest, cleanest, most modern rooms, best food, biggest, cleanest pool, most luxurious (using that word advisedly in Roatan) resort. I want a really nice place for others to stay and lounge by the pool, play on the beach, have decent meals, while I dive. Or, is Roatan a site that is best left to diving and we should go elsewhere for family vacations with non-divers? For example, I was in Cozumel in March. I would not spend 5 seconds there but for diving. I stayed at the Presidente which had beautiful rooms. But the pool, food and beach were mediocre at best. The town was a port with the same crappy cruiseship stores and very mediocre, albeit cheap, food. Awesome place for diving though.

You and I must be twins.

I've stayed at the Presidente, like the rooms with the outside showers, other than that, it's nice but it's hardly 5 star, but for Cozumel its at the top of the food chain. Totally agree on the Cozumel food issues, we struggle every time we go there. I'm not impressed with the culinary achievements of Mexican food. You'll like Roatan a lot, much more Giligan's Island like compared to Cozumel, but more sleepy than Cozumel for the most part.

Of the places I listed for you - Mayan Princess, Infinity Bay and Henry Morgan are at the best location - West Bay. The beach there is routinely listed on some magazines top 10 beaches in the world list.

Biggest - Parrot Tree, but it's secluded on the south side away from everything, but very nice.

Cleanest - I find all listed to be pretty clean, maybe Henry Morgan would be at the bottom of the list.

Most Modern rooms - Parrot Tree, then Infinity Bay then Mayan Princess. But the differences are not huge.

Best AI food - that's where it all falls down. Good luck with that one. We mix eating out even when we stay at a place that is AI. Maybe Henry Morgan would top the list in regard to food.

Cleanest pool - well they are all pretty darn clean. Best pool is Mayan Princess, it's beautiful. Parrot Tree has that crazy private 'lagoon', not a pool but kinda cool.

I'd recommend the Mayan Princess, have stayed there many times. I don't stay there for the food, its not going to be too impressive, but the location, the pool, the accomodations (always stay in a beach side room, basically 10 steps off the beach), non divers can lounge at the awesome pool or on the beach, walk next door to the Thirsty Turtle for their daily drink specials and weekly crab races, they can snorkel down the beach near the cliffs where they will likely see a lot of what you will diving, you're a short water taxi ride from the major metropolis (just kidding) of West End. There is a house dive op - Mayan Divers, very safe, maybe too safe. Next time we are diving with Banarama next door, they seem to be more interested in catering to more advanced diving. Have dived with Mayan Divers many times, can't say anything bad about them.

 

[parrotheaddiver]

if you didn't like the non diving activities/food in Cozumel then you will not like Roatan...sorry but it is my favorite place to go but if you don't dive there is not much to do West end/West Bay can be done in an afternoon ....and we haven't even got into the sandflies issue...IMO..Cozumel has some of the best restaurants nothing on Roatan can compare.FWIW

 

[dmoore19]

I spent 1 night at Infinity Bay. It did not impress me. In all fairness we were there for one night when Ernesto threatened. We had been evacuated from our quiet bungalow on Anthony's Key. Infinity Bay is a large condo type place and it doesn't much fit with what I want when going to Roatan. I did enjoy going to Coxen hole on a grocery run with a hurricane looming. Ernesto turned out to be not much more than rain showers and some wind, Infinity Bay turned out to be a disappointment.

 

[Doc]

As was said previously- there's some stuff out there that is unknown to most casual visitors. Things that are off the radar for SCUBA divers.

If you are willing to do daily transit from the lodging to get to diving, the most opulent (anywhere near day-dive ops of West End) is Lawson Rock, click-> Lawson Rock Vacation Villas | Roatan & Honduras Vacation Rentals | Roatan Resorts

They were proposing to have a West End dive op do a boat pick-up for the few divers that they attract, but along this Nort/West coast, that can be problematic due to weather. The cab ride to the West end's array of dive shops is very short.

Lawson Rock was shown several times on that Travel Channel show when idiots with way more money than common sense come down to paradise in an effort to purchase a piece thereof. Renting for a week to get that infinity pool with waterfall off the master suite~ that's another thing entirely. See some pix at http://www.lawsonrockrentals.com/rental-properties.htm?PHPSESSID=ff07b8aa7d4bbd3827d1f05b95de518e

It might be just what you described- but remember, this is Honduras, so get that "actual 5 Star rating scale" out of your head right now.

 

[drrich2]

For example, I was in Cozumel in March. I would not spend 5 seconds there but for diving. I stayed at the Presidente which had beautiful rooms. But the pool, food and beach were mediocre at best. The town was a port with the same crappy cruiseship stores and very mediocre, albeit cheap, food.

Following up what someone else asked on page 1, what do the non-divers traveling with you like to do?

Right now, I don't know whether there are any grade school kids (who chase lizards) or teenagers (who posture for and chase each other), young adults in their 20's who like to hang at a bar and get a buzz, a wife who wants lots of shopping, a spa and a massage, 50'ish or 60'ish in-laws who want to bake on a sandy beach in the sun, etc...

Are these people who entertain themselves pretty well (e.g.: kid likes roaming the jungle chasing critters, wife likes reading novels), or are they higher maintenance types who expect to be entertained (e.g.: hiking to ruins, guided jungle tours, deep sea fishing trip, a shopping mall)?

Richard.

 

[jlevine]

How so? I've never stayed there. Just curious.

Infinity Bay turned out to be a disappointment.

 

[dmoore19]

How so? I've never stayed there. Just curious.

None of the charm of the place or the people I have met at Anthony's Key. Basically it is a huge concrete box with living quarters within. I did not find the people working at Infinity bay to be as friendly or happy to answer or help. Very impersonal. The amenities are ok, I don't need satellite TV or phones in my room. There is not much for privacy. I can sit on a deck at sunset overlooking the ocean. Just not the same experience for me. It might be fine for you but I found it lacking the things I like about going to Roatan.

 

[Chaseh]

"best" in a third world country is not the same as "best" in the states...

I don't know, I've been to many parts of the world, and some of the fanciest hotels I've been to, along with the finest service, have been in "emerging countries". They were in Thailand though, not CA.

---------- Post Merged at 04:28 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 04:18 PM ----------

Fred, I don't go to Roatan to ride motorcycles, and I don't go to West Virginia to SCUBA. Some resorts in Roatan are surely better appointed than others, but IMHO the details are what may set the resorts appart from each other for divers, but would mostly still be lacking for a full week for non-divers. I'm sure there are many folks that would be very happy in a hammock all day with a good book, but there are many choices that would likely be better suited to the family while still offering you time underwater.

 

[Doc]

Hmmm

I did take a non-diving bad swimmer for a week's hammock rest (and no intention of even snorkeling) to Cocoview and she was certified by day 3. She even wove diving into a children's book that Oprah liked.

People can blossom and expand their horizons when you provide the opportunity.