Loads of questions about Roatan

[Karen Dancheck]

I have spent hours on scubaboard reading every bit I can about Roatan, but I still have a few questions:

Shore Diving: How does the shore diving compare to Bonaire? Would we rent a truck, park next to a "labeled rock" and walk in and dive? Or when you say "shore diving" is it mainly in front of your hotel?

Food: Dee and RoatanMan can probably answer this. I've seen posts from 2003 about people who have gotten sick at CCV. How is the food these days?

Inn of the Last Resort: Has anyone stayed here? My husband I are thinking about a trip next May. It's a long way off, but the best time to plan a trip is when you just got back from one! We were looking at both CCV and the Inn of Last Resort. Any suggestions? I haven't seee many posts about the Inn of the Last Resort. I did pick up some info from them at Beneath the Sea.

What to do? 2 weeks in Rotan or 1 week in Rotan and 1 week in Utila?

Thanks!
Karen

 

[parrotheaddiver]

I am sure RoatanMan aka Doc and Dee will fill in the holes.

CoCo View is the only resort that has great shore diving. FIBR borrows what CCV has and bit more of a hassle to do a shore dive from there.

The food is good at CCV. Doc can fill you in on any details. We are going in July and we went last July. IMO best resort on Roatan. :07:

Have never stayed at Inn of the Last Resort so can't comment.

Doc has been there for 2 weeks and is due to fly out in the morning. Hopefully he will post one last time this evening.

 

[SueMermaid]

The best diving in Roatan is the boat diving, in my experience. Shore dives are good though. But it's nothing like Bonaire at all. Two completely different places.

 

[mjh]

parrotheaddiver, when are you going? We will be at CCV July 17th-24th then Utila till the 30th. We have only dived at AKR before but most food at All Inclusives is ok but nothing to write home about. In another thread Roatan Man addressed the CCV food issue. It had to do with milk or some product provided to all the resorts and CCV was the only one to admit and address the issue, it has been long resolved.

 

[parrotheaddiver]

parrotheaddiver, when are you going? We will be at CCV July 17th-24th then Utila till the 30th. We have only dived at AKR before but most food at All Inclusives is ok but nothing to write home about. In another thread Roatan Man addressed the CCV food issue. It had to do with milk or some product provided to all the resorts and CCV was the only one to admit and address the issue, it has been long resolved.

We are going to be there 7-3 thru 7-11. Yeah I knew the reasoning behind the food issue but didn't want to go into again since it has been cleared up. Mr Bill is a great guy. :07:

 

[austindivers]

Karen -

We are going to CCV the last week in July for our 5th trip.

We have not been to Bonaire, but based on talking with other divers and researching for a possible trip there in the future, one of the big differences there appears to be is security. I have heard and read that at Bonaire if you park and dive there is a good probability of having your car broken into and things stolen. Don't know if it's true, just what I hear and read.

At CCV, in contrast, we get our room key and leave it in the front door all week. We have never lost a thing in four visits. CCV runs things on the honor system and it seems to rub off on everyone.

The ability to dive whenever you want 24/7, and having a great variety of diving sites all within a shore dive is CCV's advantage. We usually decide on night dives while eating supper and can be in the water within minutes after we decide to go. Don't have to call anyone, ask anyone, or tell anyone, just grab a tank, your gear, and your room tag for the chain and go.

 

[TruckDiver]

I just returned from CoCo and will try to answer a couple of your questions.

The shore diving on Roatan isn't like Bonaire, most of the good shore dive sites will have a resort parked on them. I don't believe you will find a more diverse or easier shore dive than CCV anywhere on the island. Or several different islands for that matter.

Food? Well, nobody got ill while we were there. Read RoatanMans posts for a better descript. I'll just say it was good homestyle cooking. Good food and lots of it..

Inn of Last Resort? Never been there, although we looked at them also when scouting for a resort in Roatan. I have driven by it on the way to AKR, I will only say that the lack of enthusiasm for it vs. CCV is somewhat telling..

Two week in Roatan vs. splitting between Utila and Roatan?
Geez, what a choice to have to make. Guess it would depend on what you're looking for. Roatan is the most developed of the two. Ulita is very small and there isn't much to do other than dive, sleep or perhaps fish. If that's what your looking for, go for it.. Personally, I'd do two weeks at CCV and rent a jeep and spend some time running around on the island..

Hope I helped.........

 

[scubaduba]

We just got back from CoCo view last weekend (May 23). We had a wonderful time. Never been to Bonaire but there sure is plenty to see off the CoCo View wall and Newman's wall right out in front of CoCo view. Makes it super easy to get a few extra dives in every day too in addition to the boat dives. CoCo view has everything set up so it is so easy to dive, dive, dive.

We're already starting to plan our next trip back to CoCo View.

I'd describe the food as good but not gourmet. It was good home style cooked food. Every meal was tasty and we never felt sick at all.
Hope this helps some.

 

[seaangel]

Not ever having been to Roatan, I can't make any comments. I will also be in Roatan the 17th to 24th of July, only I will be at Fantasy Island. I really had no choice in the hotel since my LDS made these arrangements and I am travelling with them. They have been to both CCV and Fantasy Island. For whatever it is worth they chose Fantasy Island again. They had no real negative comments about either. Although one time experienced some very humid and hot weather due to a high pressure system that developed over Roatan. They said that even with the ceiling fans and open air their rooms were sticky hot and some of the divers were dissatisfied with that. But, the diving was awesome and those who love the dives go back, those looking for a spa vacation with some dives don't go.

Me, I am just wanting to get in some really great dives this summer and I would be willing to go any time right about now.
Looking forward to July 17th.

 

[saltwater taffy]

I've been to both CCV and AKR. IMHO, AKR is such a much nicer resort in every way!!!! There is so much more to do there. Horseback riding (which is included), the dolphins, the canapy swing. Not to mention, the rooms are much nicer and there is absolutely no comparison with the food. At CCV, the food is good and adequate, but at AKR, you feel like you are dining in a very fine restuarant. All of the dives that we did were no more than 10 minutes from the dock. At CCV, you get two boat dives a day. At AKR, you get 3 boat dives a day. The shore diving is easier to do at CCV, but is available at AKR. There are two night dives from the boat at AKR. At CCV, there was one scheduled, but was cancelled because they did not have enough signed up.

I would not have a problem at all recommending CCV to any diver, but you do get more bang for your buck at AKR!!! Which ever you chose, enjoy your trip. Dive safely!!!

SWT