looking for assistance with Utila logistics

[eab]

We're planning a trip in August '06 to Utila. Our current thinking is that we would rent the Sandy Bay Beach House for 7 or 10 days and dive with the Utila Dive Center.

First off, any issues with that? Has anyone had bad experiences with either?

We're wonding about getting around town for the diving, eating, and perhaps shore diving. We've read that golf carts are available for rent, but we've never rented carts before. Our particular questions are:

- From whom would we would rent them? Any contact info for them?
- How much are they to rent for either a week or 10 days?
- How many would a group of 8 require for general tooling around as well as for diving? Utila Dive Center said the could store most of our gear for us.
- How far is it to the middle of downtown to go to restaurants from the Sandy Bay Beach House? Would we need the carts? Could we walk if we had the energy?

Thanks a bunch! And yes, I have been to AboutUtila.com, and it's a fabulous site.

Eileen

 

[AboutUtila]

We've read that golf carts are available for rent, but we've never rented carts before. Our particular questions are:

- From whom would we would rent them? Any contact info for them?
- How much are they to rent for either a week or 10 days?
- How many would a group of 8 require for general tooling around as well as for diving? Utila Dive Center said the could store most of our gear for us.
- How far is it to the middle of downtown to go to restaurants from the Sandy Bay Beach House? Would we need the carts? Could we walk if we had the energy?

Thanks a bunch! And yes, I have been to AboutUtila.com, and it's a fabulous site.

Eileen

Eileen,

Sandy Bay Beach house is a nice private house down at Blue Bayou, near the entrance to the lower lagoon, past Chepes beach. It is about a 30 minute walk into the centre of town, 10 minutes by bicycle. The people I've meet who have rented there all say they have had a good time.

You can rent golf carts from;
Rita Whitefield Email: ritakirkw@yahoo.com
and
Lance Bodden Email: BoddenLance@yahoo.com

When I asked Lance the prices, he asked what size, for how many people, for what dates, for how long, etc. I suggest you email both Lance and Rita for pricing. Also don't forget to ask about Golf Cart Battery Charging. You will probably need to rent a charger if you have a battery powered cart, obviously not if you have a gas powered cart.

I would suggest 1 golf cart (the standard size takes 4 adults) and bicycles for the rest (much cheaper). The only drawback with bicycles is you will need a light (I suggest you pack a few flashlights) for coming home late at night if there is no moon.
There are no street lights between Chepes Beach and Sandy Bay Beach House (in fact there is no street, it's just a sandy track along the beach shore between the beach and the lagoon).

The golf carts are no good at going off-road, if you decide to do that you can also rent quad bikes.

Hope this helps - Mark

 

[eab]

Thank you Mark!!! Plenty of info for us to digest. I'm sure I'll be back later with additional questions.

Eileen

 

[pelicansnest]

if you are looking for another option, please visit my house (the pelican's nest) at www.aboututila.com or www.coralbeaches.com

we are further west on the south side of the island, which is only accessible by boat, so if immediate access to town is a must, may not be right for you. however, we have room to sleep 12 (2 private rooms, with attached baths = 4 people), 2 double beds in a loft with bath upstairs (semi-privacy = 4 people), and 2 futons in the living area (out in the open and no privacy = 4 people).

diving can be arranged with utila lodge, who will pick you up from the dock in front of the house morning and/or afternoon and drop you off there (door to door/dock to dock service). 3 dive buoys are reachable as shore dives from our front yard - house is 60' from the water.

with 8 people, could work out rental arrangments over 7 - 10 days at around $200 - $300/person. full kitchen which can be stocked at your expense when you arrive, so you can do some/all of your own cooking and keep resteraunt expenses down.

email me at george@panalaw.com for more info, if needed.

thanks. gja