BadeInBulverde
Registered
Just got back from Roatan (2/8/03-2/15/03). First stay at Cocoview Resort --- not my last for sure!!
Couple of items that were important as a 1st timer:
#1 - We flew TACA direct from Houston (drove from San Antonio the day of departure - easy drive arrived in plenty of time for the 2:40PM departure). The direct flight was key to no lost luggage I believe.
#2 - Parked at Dollar Rent A Car rather than a standard or airport parking lot - saved $$$ ($28/7 days) ... thanks Dee!!
#3 - TAKE CACTUS JUICE insect repellant and use it liberally!! We applied a good soaking after every shower before we left the room. We got a FEW bites but not enough to make it uncomfortable. Several people were not so lucky and learned about Cactus Juice too late ... they got many many bites the 1st day
#4 - Maybe I'm just a wimp but we had an AIR CONDITIONED room and were darn glad we did ... this is in February!! Bet it's REALLY hot in the summer. People in the overwater bungaloes said it was breezy but the humidity was pretty high.
#5 - Drink the bottled water -- in response to the recent articles in UnderCurrent and on the various Scuba Boards recently regarding intestinal disruptions ... I always get a 'touch' of GI distress when making a scuba trip out of country (whether to Cozumel, Bonaire, Roatan ... ) and I always take a supply of Imodium in anticipation of that happenstance ... I am careful to drink only bottled water, watch for undercooked foods as best I can and just in general try to be careful. There was no 'epidemic' outbreak of GI trouble during our stay this past week at CoCoView ... the lodge was full and there were lottsa happy divers. (Even a couple from Canada .. saw one mention of Canadians avoiding Roatan somewhere recently)
#6 - Be prepared to DIVE DIVE DIVE (ok ... Dive, Sleep, Eat, Dive and repeat) because that's what this resort is all about ... it's basically isolated from everything else but if you are going to DIVE ... you will be happy ... the vis was mediocre this trip but I believe that is due in part to the recent heavy rains Roatan has experienced. MOST dives had 40'+vis .... the wreck in front of CoCoView was typically less due to the silt and many divers but not 'horrible' .. maybe it's relative...ut:
#7 - Don't expect gourmet meals ... the food is "simple and adequate" ... I wouldn't want a steady diet of their fare but it was exactly what I expected. I am sure there are places you can stay on Roatan where the food is better (in fact I know from experience that Inn Of Last Resort has what I consider to be substantially better food but they can't compare to the dive operation of CoCoView by any measure) but food isn't why most people choose CoCoView ... it's a Diver's dive resort ... 24x7 ... you are responsibe for your own diving at CoCoView.
So ... not really a trip report per se ... just some recent observations by a 1st time guest of CoCoView ... I'll be going back! I did hear that the owners are looking for a buyer -- hope that if/when they sell it doesn't change the operation much ... 20 years or so of successful operations seems like they must be doing it right!
Bade
Couple of items that were important as a 1st timer:
#1 - We flew TACA direct from Houston (drove from San Antonio the day of departure - easy drive arrived in plenty of time for the 2:40PM departure). The direct flight was key to no lost luggage I believe.
#2 - Parked at Dollar Rent A Car rather than a standard or airport parking lot - saved $$$ ($28/7 days) ... thanks Dee!!
#3 - TAKE CACTUS JUICE insect repellant and use it liberally!! We applied a good soaking after every shower before we left the room. We got a FEW bites but not enough to make it uncomfortable. Several people were not so lucky and learned about Cactus Juice too late ... they got many many bites the 1st day
#4 - Maybe I'm just a wimp but we had an AIR CONDITIONED room and were darn glad we did ... this is in February!! Bet it's REALLY hot in the summer. People in the overwater bungaloes said it was breezy but the humidity was pretty high.
#5 - Drink the bottled water -- in response to the recent articles in UnderCurrent and on the various Scuba Boards recently regarding intestinal disruptions ... I always get a 'touch' of GI distress when making a scuba trip out of country (whether to Cozumel, Bonaire, Roatan ... ) and I always take a supply of Imodium in anticipation of that happenstance ... I am careful to drink only bottled water, watch for undercooked foods as best I can and just in general try to be careful. There was no 'epidemic' outbreak of GI trouble during our stay this past week at CoCoView ... the lodge was full and there were lottsa happy divers. (Even a couple from Canada .. saw one mention of Canadians avoiding Roatan somewhere recently)
#6 - Be prepared to DIVE DIVE DIVE (ok ... Dive, Sleep, Eat, Dive and repeat) because that's what this resort is all about ... it's basically isolated from everything else but if you are going to DIVE ... you will be happy ... the vis was mediocre this trip but I believe that is due in part to the recent heavy rains Roatan has experienced. MOST dives had 40'+vis .... the wreck in front of CoCoView was typically less due to the silt and many divers but not 'horrible' .. maybe it's relative...
ut: #7 - Don't expect gourmet meals ... the food is "simple and adequate" ... I wouldn't want a steady diet of their fare but it was exactly what I expected. I am sure there are places you can stay on Roatan where the food is better (in fact I know from experience that Inn Of Last Resort has what I consider to be substantially better food but they can't compare to the dive operation of CoCoView by any measure) but food isn't why most people choose CoCoView ... it's a Diver's dive resort ... 24x7 ... you are responsibe for your own diving at CoCoView.
So ... not really a trip report per se ... just some recent observations by a 1st time guest of CoCoView ... I'll be going back! I did hear that the owners are looking for a buyer -- hope that if/when they sell it doesn't change the operation much ... 20 years or so of successful operations seems like they must be doing it right!
Bade
