Has anyone stayed at Royal Playa Resort Or Anthony's Key Resort?

[Dive Tigger]

Hi, there - we are considering a trip to Roatan and there are two resorts that we are considering. The first one, Royal Playa Resort, is just outside Oak Ridge and Anthony's Key Resort is in Sandy Bay - different coasts, opposite ends of the island...

Have any of you stayed at either place? Can you provide some feedback as to what you thought of the accommodations and the diving? What did you like/dislike?

Thanks for any help you can provide!

 

[Dive Tigger]

I should add that one of us has 80+ dives and the other has over 900 dives. Both nitrox and advanced open water certified. We want to dive but also want to be comfortable and eat good food at the end of the dive day.

 

[Rick Murry]

I can't say anything regarding the other resort but Anthonys Key is a well run operation.

From being whisked thru customs, to the Dive operation and the general feel of the place, we really enjoy Anthonys Key. The food is fine, not gourmet but fine. The dolphin operation is neat and well run. The diving on the Anthony Key side is ok. Like the Marys place side....seemed to be more fish. They do however have a very organized operation and also have personnel on staff to fix or loan gear if you have any problems. That was important to me since I had a check valve go on me on my BC. Great wreck dives on that side very near resort....Upon leaving they pick up your luggage and gear and you don't see it until you land at your destination....thats really nice! We would go back again.

Rick Murry

 

[JJM1631]

We just got back from our first trip to AKR the week prior to Christmas and had a great time. The weather was poor, however we were able to do alot of diving on the southside of the island which was very nice. I agree with the prior poster, food was very good but not gourmet. Rooms were adequate...if your looking for lots of creature comforts AKR is not the place. The dive operation was super and very efficient. We were there during their low period and typically only had 5-8 divers on the boat at any one time. So we had lots of space were always able to get on the boat and get moving quickly. I cant speak to some of the other tours (horseback, zipline, beach party, etc) as most of these events were cancelled due to the weather. But that didnt bother me as I was just there to dive.

I would just keep in mind that it is geared toward divers. My wife (non-diver) came along on this trip and had alot less to do than when we go to "all inclusive" type places. So as long as your both divers and looking to dive alot I would recommend AKR....we also got the Shark Dive, and Dolphin Dive added on free since we booked during a low period.

 

[Doc]

two resorts that we are considering. The first one, Royal Playa Resort, is just outside Oak Ridge and Anthony's Key Resort is in Sandy Bay - different coasts, opposite ends of the island...

In order to better answer your question... how did you narrow your selections down to these two resorts... as you say yoursef, "different and opposite"

Night and day, black or white, vanilla or chocloate. What is the link, the commonality, the defining thread?

 

[Dive Tigger]

Well, I found Royal Playa first and what appealed to me about it was that it was quiet, seemed to have a good boat captain (as per reviews on trip advisor), good food, nitrox, etc. but I haven't been able to find out much information about the quality of the diving in that area.

AKR had a lot of reviews and was mentioned a lot both on Scuba Board and on trip advisor. Generally, they were positive reviews, the only real issue people had was the "cattle boat" mentality.

Because I have never been to Roatan, I wasn't sure how the diving in the two areas compared or how isolated the place up in Royal Playa is...

Does this help?

 

[UnderwaterBumbleBee]

Have only been to Anthony's Key in August but we loved it. I would stay in a Key room (hillside rooms have really steep stairs you'll love to climb after a dive) which have incredible and mostly private covered patios with hammocks. Nice pool and bar with snacks on the Key. Rooms are nice but not luxurious, all wood floors and most of the walls, no tv's, nice beadspread, our ac worked great. Shore dive is off the Key also (however you have to haul all your gear to the opposite side of the key to get to it). Food is good, dinner always has at least two selections. Much better food than most All-inclusives.

Wreck dives are nearby and are great dives. Shark Dive is well worth the money! Loved the Dolphins at AKR and it is well run. Free horseback riding at the resort along the beach was fun too. Did the Zip line but didn't love it personally. Unless you decide to go into town with people or do one of the outside activities, you'll probably never leave the property and it has enough of a secluded feel to it. Diving on Mary's Place side did seem to be better but the wrecks are right by AKR. Nice boats and dive operation, we were with a group trip so I can't say how full the boat would be normally.

 

[Doc]

(as per reviews on trip advisor....haven't been able to find out much information about the quality of the diving in that area....Scuba Board and on trip advisor........cattle boat.

Because I have never been to Roatan, I wasn't sure how the diving in the two areas compared or how isolated the place up in Royal Playa is...

Trip Advisor is written by vacationers who may scuba dive.

Cattle Boat diving, as a phrase, does indeed have a specific meaning. To say that AKR has CBD is a vast exaggeration. They use ProDives and schedule dives with precision, they accomodate less people than they could max out at, but they do carry a crowd.

AKR is not an urban environment, but it is five minutes by cab to as much of a population center that Roatan has. Oak Ridge is the last stop on the line, East End... at least for now. It is the sticks.

Look at their websites. It is easy to see the dive op at AKR. The one at Royal Playa is not well illustrated, you might well deduce that there are no pictures of it. The diving around Port Royal itself is kind of marginal. Nearby are two dive sites that are my favorites of Roatan. The (original) Hole in the Wall and Calvin's Crack. The walls break in 45fsw and go to the first sand platform at 125fsw. (Approx). There is a lot of good diving, but it is not just offshore. Their claim of the Deco chamber being a 20 minute boatride away made me raise an eyebrow. If you had a cigarette boat, yes.

If they are motivated and capable, Guanaja and Barbaretta are a short ride away. That can be pretty spectacular stuff. AKR has access to the North and West which will give you access to the Marine Park environment. Once again, good and bad- all you'll really see there are the same old Caribbean fish, larger critters. The odd stuff you come to Roatan to see is on the South side, largely between Coxen Hole (Mary's Place) and Calvin's Crack, the best is concentrated from French Key to First Bight. These critters, although unique, take advanced diving and observational skills. Stick with your DM... good advice anywhere, but especially on South side of Roatan.

AKR is more expensive but you do have a defined and stable product. That can be good and bad. Some people like the exotic adventure and if you want the frontier of diving adventure in 2008, Oak Ridge would be a great choice, as in: I remember when....

 

[UnderwaterBumbleBee]

As always, great info from RoatanMan!

 

[Dive Tigger]

Yes, thank you! Really helpful advice from everyone!