Honduras 3-Week Long Trip Plan

[agilulfo]

Hello,

My wife and I have been working for a while at a 3 week trip to Honduras in April 2010. We've been to Roatan before (Reef House Resort for a week in February 2007) and we always felt our trip went by was too quickly and I we didn't get to see much of what Honduras has to offer. This time, being it our ten year wedding anniversary, we decided to do a more in depth trip (mostly diving).

We feel we've reached a pretty definite plan and I am curious about anyone's suggestions/opinions on of the plan's pace, choices of accommodations and dive ops, modes of transportation, and things to do. We're both in our 40s.

Thank you.

DAYS 1-5 (five days):

- arrive in Roatan from the US
- stay at Posada Las Orquideas in West End
- dive with either Native Sons or Coconut Tree Divers in West End

DAYS 6-9 (four days):

- arrive in Utila with Captain Vern Fine (Nina Elisabeth II catamaran)
- stay at the Lighthouse Hotel
- dive with Utila Dive Center

DAYS 10-16 (one week):

- return to Roatan with Captain Vern Fine (Nina Elisabeth II catamaran)
- stay at and dive with Cocoview Resort

DAYS 17-20 (four days):

- fly to San Pedro Sula, rent a car and drive to Copan
- stay at Yat B'alam Hotel
- tour the ruins, town and nearby area

DAY 21:

- drive to San Pedro Sula and fly back to the US

 

[Bay Island Diver]

Sounds like a good trip to me! Enjoy.

 

[robint]

I am green with envy!!!!

 

[agilulfo]

Thank you for the replies.

Does anyone know if it's possible to leave our gear at Native Sons, Coconut Tree Divers, and Utila Dive Center as long as we dive with them, or do we have to take it back to our room every night?

 

[itsjustme0770]

I would be very leery of renting a car in Honduras. Driving on the mainland is only for those with nerves of steel. Plus dealing with checkpoints can be intimidating if you aren't used to it. You can probably rent a driver for just as cheap and be sure to get where you are going.

 

[UTLgirl]

Don't know about the Roatan ops, but I'm sure UDC has a gear room for their clients you can leave your gear in while diving with them. Have fun!

 

[agilulfo]

I would be very leery of renting a car in Honduras. Driving on the mainland is only for those with nerves of steel. Plus dealing with checkpoints can be intimidating if you aren't used to it. You can probably rent a driver for just as cheap and be sure to get where you are going.

Thank you for the tip. The only reason why we were thinking of renting a car is because the bus from Copan to SPS leaves very early in the morning (5:30am), but after checking flights from SPS, it seems that we would have to leave early regardless so, we'll probably take the bus and save some money.

Don't know about the Roatan ops, but I'm sure UDC has a gear room for their clients you can leave your gear in while diving with them. Have fun!

Thank you.

 

[kathydee]

yup UDC has a nice gear room that is quite safe.

 

[diversteve]

Does anyone know if it's possible to leave our gear at[-] Native Sons[/-], Coconut Tree Divers, and [-]Utila Dive Center [/-]as long as we dive with them, or do we have to take it back to our room every night?

Coconut Tree has secure on-site storage as well. And fwiw, I walked my gear over from a house we rented just a couple hundred yards west of Posada Los Orchideas the first morning.

I'm not trying to take business away from Capt. Vern but there is the ferry option also. Same money and a nicer ride.

We left Roatan at 2pm on the Galaxy to LaCeiba, with a short interval there we boarded the Utila Princess (share the same dock but different co's) which dropped us on Utila a little after 5pm. So you could even dive the morning you leave possibly.

Or leave your gear at CTD and get a cab to PLO. get your luggage and back to pack/wait for Vern. The taxi stand is out front of CTD - usually cabs are waiting. If that cost you $10 to have them drive you over, wait and back you've overpaid. Negotiate the fare up-front on any cab rides there.

To return we left at 6:20am and were back on Roatan by 11am. And the Galaxy docks in Dixon Cove, which is at least on the south side of the island closer to Cocoview.

afaik, Vern picks up at the CTD dock so that's probably your best option for the trip out. And a lot more fun.
Although first class on the Galaxy includes A/C..lol. And padded seats and a movie with subtitles.

The Galaxy was $54/62 roundtrip, the Utila Princess either $21 or $28 each way.

http://safewaymaritime.com/index.php?l=en
http://www.aboututila.com/TravelInfo/Utila-Princess/Index.htm - btw, the info is correct, but that's NOT the boat...lol.
Their website seems to be currently offline: http://www.utilaprincess.com/

 

[agilulfo]

Coconut Tree has secure on-site storage as well. And fwiw, I walked my gear over from a house we rented just a couple hundred yards west of Posada Los Orchideas the first morning.

Thanks. We don't mind carrying our gear while it's dry, but we would rather leave it at the shop as long as we dive there.

I'm not trying to take business away from Capt. Vern but there is the ferry option also. Same money and a nicer ride.

I am aware of the ferry, but from what I've read so far, it seems that crossing over with a private catamaran for little extra money would be somehow more fun. Do you happen to know how many people he takes across on an average day?

Vern picks up at the CTD dock so that's probably your best option for the trip out. And a lot more fun.

That's also another reason I was thinking: that with the cab ride to ferry we would probably come pretty close. Also, the fact that he leaves from CTD makes it more appealing imo.

I was also thinking of asking Vern if he could drop us off at Coco View if we paid extra, otherwise it may make more sense to take the ferry back.