craracer
Contributor
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- 895
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It didnt take me long to discover that most of you are Co-Co for CoCo View (CCV). Ive read post after post declaring allegiance to this dive destination. I also discovered that another dive resort resides within a stones throw from CCV. That resort is Fantasy Island Beach Resort (FI). Against the overwhelming advice of ScubaBoard members, and motivated by an enticing dive package (i.e. cheap), I decided to vacation at FI.
Before I begin this review of FI, I feel that its important to tell you a little bit about who is writing this review.
I started diving, due in part to the prodding of my wife, on our honeymoon in Negril Jamaica (Sept 2006). Since that time I have attained my master scuba divers certification (PADI) and have completed 96 dives.
Both my wife and I work within the medical field. We vacation approximately 5 times per year. The majority of our time is spent in Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Cancun, and Negril. Neither of us had been to Roatan prior to this vacation.
We are accustom to staying at 5-star, all-inclusive resorts, which include, but are not limited to, the resorts of RIU, and Occidental Grand. Our diving experiences have been limited to the dive operations located at these resorts.
Getting there:
Our stay was during the off-season from 16-24 September 2008. Unfortunately, there were no direct flights into Roatan. Therefore we caught a flight from Minneapolis Minnesota to Houston Texas and from Houston to San Pedro Sula Honduras (both via Continental). We flew to La Ceiba Honduras via an island hopper and caught another like-plane to Roatan.
If youve never flown an island hopper, I would highly suggest doing so simply for the experience. Our flights were arranged through Sosa Air and Taca Air. We were forced to use Taca Air on our return flight due to a scheduling error made by our booking agent.
Its an easy 20 minute bus ride from the airport to the resort, which is provided by FI.
The resort:
The resort is located upon a beautiful 21 acre island, which is accessed via a guarded bridge. FI has 109 rooms, two restaurants, two bars, and a gift shop.
Grounds: Over all, the resort appears to be in decent condition, but is in need of some TLC.
Rooms: I was doing some research about FI, and discovered that they had recently remodeled several of the rooms in one of the wings. My wife and I stayed in room 125, one of the revamped rooms. The room was very spacious and had a partially blocked view of the ocean (trees). None the less, the view was nice.
There was a small private deck and furniture accessible through a sliding glass door. Interestingly enough, the sliding door was secured by a broom handle located at the bottom of the door as the lock did not work. Normally this wouldnt be a big deal as I have a commercially manufactured device, akin to the broom handle, securing the door in my own home. What makes it interesting is that both the right and left sliding glass doors open, but there was no way to secure the left door. Therefore, it could be opened from the outside.
Our room had a king-sized bed, which was very comfortable; a small TV with working cable access, and a small locking refrigerator. The maid service refilled a water pitcher within the refrigerator on a daily basis (tap water from the bathroom faucet is not potable). The floor was covered in a Pergo-like covering, which had several large gaps (probably due to water dripping from vacationers wet clothing). There were several spots on the walls where spackle work was either not completed or in the process of repair.
There are no safes in any of the rooms. Safety deposit boxes are located at the main building and a monetary deposit is required for the key. The boxes are in a locked room located next to the main desk. Of note, the key to this room is on a long chain, which is bolted to the front desk. So, basically anyone has access to the room. FI charges $1 US/day for use of the safety deposit box.
The bathroom was spacious and covered from floor to ceiling in marble-like stonework. The shower head was of the handicapped type with a hose attached to it so that it could be hand held and/or moved to a lower position. Unfortunately, the wall attachment was broken so it couldnt be hung up. In order to take a shower, I had to hold the shower head like a garden hose and soak myself down; then, hang it over the faucet handles while soaping up.
A large vanity with shelving provided ample space for clothing, dive gear, and miscellaneous items. There was also a small table and chairs within the room. The air-conditioning worked well enough to freeze us out, which is a feat in itself being that we are from Minnesota. There are no Do not disturb signs available, which nearly caused a moment of embarrassment with the maid service.
Overall, the room was more than adequate.
Dive op
FI does not allow diving on your day of arrival. The shop manager provides a very brief overview of the operation and assigns you to a boat and DM, which you will remain with during your visit. Normally this might be a good thing, but in our case, the DM went on vacation half way through our vacation. I say this because our first DM was absolutely fantastic! He and the boat captain went to great effort to mingle with the divers before and after the dives. He always made sure to point out as many underwater creatures as he could and our dive times averaged a little over an hour. His philosophy was You guys are experienced divers and Im not going to hold your hands unless you ask/need me to. Plan your dive and dive your plan. Im just here to make sure you have a good time.
This was not the case with our second DM. He rarely spoke to the divers unless spoken to, only pointed out a few things underwater, and our dive times were in the thirty-five minute range. On three separate occasions my wife and I watched him tear off pieces of fan coral to use as a scrubby in an effort to reduce mask fogging.
I also watched him wash out his baseball cap in the onboard camera soak bucket. After two days of this, I complained to the shop manager. After a talking to by the manager, the DM quickly changed his tune and allowed us to dive our dive. My last dive of the trip was the longest at an hour and twenty minutes.
The shops regulators and BCDs appear to be in good condition. However, I do have reservations about their tanks. I saw several divers returning tanks due to leaking around the area in which the valve mates to the aluminum tank. I had the same issue with a tank. I also heard the loud, gun-like noise of a o-ring exploding as a diver connected their first stage to a tank (at first I thought it was a hose giving way, but it was the o-ring).
There are boat dives three times a day and they return to dock after each dive. At first I thought this was a bad idea, but in actuality it was nice to be able to use the restroom, grab a snack, or gather forgotten gear. Fresh fruits and water are provided on the boat. There is one night boat dive per week. I learned that after your third boat dive, you can request a drop off on the way back to the dive shop. You simply bring an extra tank with you and switch out on the way back. The captain will drop you off directly above the shipwreck of the Prince Albert. You can either tell the captain when to pick you up (at the gazebo), or use the phone at the gazebo to call for a lift back. The walk back from the gazebo to the dive shop is rather long.
I would highly suggest doing the wreck dive at some point during your stay. The ship is located about 80 meters from the gazebo. Heading West Northwest from the wreck, you will find the remains of an airplane, which has an attached cable that leads back to the gazebo. Take your time following the cable because there is a ton of small aquatic life living along this path. Its very easy to navigate your way from the ship to the gazebo. Be aware that viz can be pretty poor at this location.
You check out your weights from the dive shop much like you would at a library. If you need to change weights, you simply exchange what you have for what you need. This system is somewhat poorly regulated, and Im assuming that there is a charge for lost weights. However, I did notice piles of weights left by departed divers in unused dive lockers.
Speaking of dive lockers, FIs lockers are housed within a building next to the main dive shop. The lockers are made of wood with a shelf and a small bar for a hanger. There are no doors on the lockers and its first come, first served. The locker room is unsecured so be conscious of what you leave behind. We had no issues with gear going walkabout nor did we hear of any other guests having problems. We chose to take our regs and BCDs back to the room with us (we rented Zeagles from our LDS prior to leaving on vacation).
There is an onsite photography center as well as dive gear shop. Both must be accessed via help of a staff member (ie: Youve got to find someone to open the shop(s) doors for you). I cant speak for the photo center, but the gear shop has a reasonable selection of items that one might need. SSI and Padi courses are available as well as EANx. Several large soak tanks are available as well as one dedicated to camera equipment.
CONTINUED IN NEXT POST
Before I begin this review of FI, I feel that its important to tell you a little bit about who is writing this review.
I started diving, due in part to the prodding of my wife, on our honeymoon in Negril Jamaica (Sept 2006). Since that time I have attained my master scuba divers certification (PADI) and have completed 96 dives.
Both my wife and I work within the medical field. We vacation approximately 5 times per year. The majority of our time is spent in Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Cancun, and Negril. Neither of us had been to Roatan prior to this vacation.
We are accustom to staying at 5-star, all-inclusive resorts, which include, but are not limited to, the resorts of RIU, and Occidental Grand. Our diving experiences have been limited to the dive operations located at these resorts.
Getting there:
Our stay was during the off-season from 16-24 September 2008. Unfortunately, there were no direct flights into Roatan. Therefore we caught a flight from Minneapolis Minnesota to Houston Texas and from Houston to San Pedro Sula Honduras (both via Continental). We flew to La Ceiba Honduras via an island hopper and caught another like-plane to Roatan.
If youve never flown an island hopper, I would highly suggest doing so simply for the experience. Our flights were arranged through Sosa Air and Taca Air. We were forced to use Taca Air on our return flight due to a scheduling error made by our booking agent.
Its an easy 20 minute bus ride from the airport to the resort, which is provided by FI.
The resort:
The resort is located upon a beautiful 21 acre island, which is accessed via a guarded bridge. FI has 109 rooms, two restaurants, two bars, and a gift shop.
Grounds: Over all, the resort appears to be in decent condition, but is in need of some TLC.
Rooms: I was doing some research about FI, and discovered that they had recently remodeled several of the rooms in one of the wings. My wife and I stayed in room 125, one of the revamped rooms. The room was very spacious and had a partially blocked view of the ocean (trees). None the less, the view was nice.
There was a small private deck and furniture accessible through a sliding glass door. Interestingly enough, the sliding door was secured by a broom handle located at the bottom of the door as the lock did not work. Normally this wouldnt be a big deal as I have a commercially manufactured device, akin to the broom handle, securing the door in my own home. What makes it interesting is that both the right and left sliding glass doors open, but there was no way to secure the left door. Therefore, it could be opened from the outside.
Our room had a king-sized bed, which was very comfortable; a small TV with working cable access, and a small locking refrigerator. The maid service refilled a water pitcher within the refrigerator on a daily basis (tap water from the bathroom faucet is not potable). The floor was covered in a Pergo-like covering, which had several large gaps (probably due to water dripping from vacationers wet clothing). There were several spots on the walls where spackle work was either not completed or in the process of repair.
There are no safes in any of the rooms. Safety deposit boxes are located at the main building and a monetary deposit is required for the key. The boxes are in a locked room located next to the main desk. Of note, the key to this room is on a long chain, which is bolted to the front desk. So, basically anyone has access to the room. FI charges $1 US/day for use of the safety deposit box.
The bathroom was spacious and covered from floor to ceiling in marble-like stonework. The shower head was of the handicapped type with a hose attached to it so that it could be hand held and/or moved to a lower position. Unfortunately, the wall attachment was broken so it couldnt be hung up. In order to take a shower, I had to hold the shower head like a garden hose and soak myself down; then, hang it over the faucet handles while soaping up.
A large vanity with shelving provided ample space for clothing, dive gear, and miscellaneous items. There was also a small table and chairs within the room. The air-conditioning worked well enough to freeze us out, which is a feat in itself being that we are from Minnesota. There are no Do not disturb signs available, which nearly caused a moment of embarrassment with the maid service.
Overall, the room was more than adequate.
Dive op
FI does not allow diving on your day of arrival. The shop manager provides a very brief overview of the operation and assigns you to a boat and DM, which you will remain with during your visit. Normally this might be a good thing, but in our case, the DM went on vacation half way through our vacation. I say this because our first DM was absolutely fantastic! He and the boat captain went to great effort to mingle with the divers before and after the dives. He always made sure to point out as many underwater creatures as he could and our dive times averaged a little over an hour. His philosophy was You guys are experienced divers and Im not going to hold your hands unless you ask/need me to. Plan your dive and dive your plan. Im just here to make sure you have a good time.
This was not the case with our second DM. He rarely spoke to the divers unless spoken to, only pointed out a few things underwater, and our dive times were in the thirty-five minute range. On three separate occasions my wife and I watched him tear off pieces of fan coral to use as a scrubby in an effort to reduce mask fogging.
I also watched him wash out his baseball cap in the onboard camera soak bucket. After two days of this, I complained to the shop manager. After a talking to by the manager, the DM quickly changed his tune and allowed us to dive our dive. My last dive of the trip was the longest at an hour and twenty minutes.
The shops regulators and BCDs appear to be in good condition. However, I do have reservations about their tanks. I saw several divers returning tanks due to leaking around the area in which the valve mates to the aluminum tank. I had the same issue with a tank. I also heard the loud, gun-like noise of a o-ring exploding as a diver connected their first stage to a tank (at first I thought it was a hose giving way, but it was the o-ring).
There are boat dives three times a day and they return to dock after each dive. At first I thought this was a bad idea, but in actuality it was nice to be able to use the restroom, grab a snack, or gather forgotten gear. Fresh fruits and water are provided on the boat. There is one night boat dive per week. I learned that after your third boat dive, you can request a drop off on the way back to the dive shop. You simply bring an extra tank with you and switch out on the way back. The captain will drop you off directly above the shipwreck of the Prince Albert. You can either tell the captain when to pick you up (at the gazebo), or use the phone at the gazebo to call for a lift back. The walk back from the gazebo to the dive shop is rather long.
I would highly suggest doing the wreck dive at some point during your stay. The ship is located about 80 meters from the gazebo. Heading West Northwest from the wreck, you will find the remains of an airplane, which has an attached cable that leads back to the gazebo. Take your time following the cable because there is a ton of small aquatic life living along this path. Its very easy to navigate your way from the ship to the gazebo. Be aware that viz can be pretty poor at this location.
You check out your weights from the dive shop much like you would at a library. If you need to change weights, you simply exchange what you have for what you need. This system is somewhat poorly regulated, and Im assuming that there is a charge for lost weights. However, I did notice piles of weights left by departed divers in unused dive lockers.
Speaking of dive lockers, FIs lockers are housed within a building next to the main dive shop. The lockers are made of wood with a shelf and a small bar for a hanger. There are no doors on the lockers and its first come, first served. The locker room is unsecured so be conscious of what you leave behind. We had no issues with gear going walkabout nor did we hear of any other guests having problems. We chose to take our regs and BCDs back to the room with us (we rented Zeagles from our LDS prior to leaving on vacation).
There is an onsite photography center as well as dive gear shop. Both must be accessed via help of a staff member (ie: Youve got to find someone to open the shop(s) doors for you). I cant speak for the photo center, but the gear shop has a reasonable selection of items that one might need. SSI and Padi courses are available as well as EANx. Several large soak tanks are available as well as one dedicated to camera equipment.
CONTINUED IN NEXT POST
