CajunDiva
Contributor
Per request - here is our full trip report, complete with pictures:
We decided to take advantage of the extra days Continental is flying this time of year, so we were able to arrive in Roatan on Monday, July 4th and depart on Thursday, July 14th. We thought 10 days might be a little long, but it was just perfect...except that we didn't want to leave! (The staff at Media Luna/Aqua Adventures has a way of doing that to you
)
Arrival this trip was a breeze. We were fortunate enough to receive a complimentary upgrade to business class
(This is one of the BIGGEST advantages of achieving elite status with Continental...we get upgraded on most of our flights - so sign up for a one-pass account and start accumulating those miles!) Since we were at the front of the airplane, we were first to arrive at customs and it was a breeze. It helps that we visit often enough so that the customs agents know us We went through the standard procedure of getting our bags off of the luggage carousel and through x-ray on the way out. We were very pleased to find David from Media Luna waiting for us as soon as we walked outside. From there it was simply a nice ride out east to Media Luna. Everything is looking so lush and green...Roatan must have been getting some rain lately.
Check-in was effortless. Not many people travel on a Monday, so we were the only couple arriving and it made things go quickly. We were escorted to our bungalow near the dive shop. This trip we had a great view over half moon bay - we really enjoyed laying out in the hammock on our balcony watching the gorgeous view during our down time.
We informed the staff that we were there the celebrate our 17th anniversary and they were so sweet about congratulating us. I suspected something was up...when we arrived for dinner Tuesday night our table was all decorated and we had a lovely "Happy Anniversary" cake along with a chilled bottle of champagne...that's what I'm talking about!!!
During our first week at Media Luna, we dove with a large group from Spain as well as PADI's Regional Director from Canada and his two buddies. Everyone was great to be around and they were all courteous divers. For this many divers, we used the "Mama Iolanda", which is a large dive boat that is a pleasure to dive from. I love this boat!
We enjoyed three days of blissful diving, including our first-ever trip to dive and play at Cayos Cochinos...a GREAT DAY
If you have the opportunity to do this trip, by all means take advantage of it! These dives were fantastic - the fish life was great. During the boat ride over, we came across a pod of Pilot Whales snoozing on the surface! (See my previous post "Anniversary at Media Luna" for pics) As if that wasn't spectacular enough, we then had a group of dolphins swim along with us for the rest of the journey. We dove a sea-mount outside the entrance to Cayos Cochinos and saw all kinds of interesting specimens, including my personal favorite...lots and lots of tunicates:
After such a great start to our anniversary dive trip, unfortunately hubby encountered a minor tragedy...he slipped and hit his shin. Unfortunately it broke the skin and stitches were required. I can't thank the staff of Aqua Adventures and Media Luna enough for everything they did to take care of him. Management jumped into action and loaded him into a vehicle and drove us (and accompanied us) to the clinic at Anthony's Key, where the doctor did a good job of getting Hank all stitched up.
Instead of letting it ruin our trip, he was a real trooper and found ways to adapt and have fun anyway. He threatened to get back in the water and dive with me if I didn't agree to buddy up with the divemaster, so I grudgingly consented. It turned out to be really fun because we were diving with a couple of divers from Spain who were visiting Roatan for the first time. I took advantage of an opportunity to show them so many cool things on the reefs of Roatan that they had never seen before and they had a great time. As a result, there are two more divers who have fallen in love with Roatan and we have two new international friends who made us promise to meet them again at Media Luna in two years...not a bad deal
The pain in Hank's leg subsided to the point where he really enjoyed coming out on the boat with us and hanging out while we went diving. It was a nice compromise - we'd go out on the boat for the two morning dives and then I skipped the afternoon dives to spend time with hubby at the amazing pool or playing on the computer.
All in all, it was a great anniversary trip. We practiced our favorite saying..."When life gives you lemons - make lemonade!" I can't think of a better place to enjoy a little lemonade than Media Luna Resort
We decided to take advantage of the extra days Continental is flying this time of year, so we were able to arrive in Roatan on Monday, July 4th and depart on Thursday, July 14th. We thought 10 days might be a little long, but it was just perfect...except that we didn't want to leave! (The staff at Media Luna/Aqua Adventures has a way of doing that to you
)Arrival this trip was a breeze. We were fortunate enough to receive a complimentary upgrade to business class
(This is one of the BIGGEST advantages of achieving elite status with Continental...we get upgraded on most of our flights - so sign up for a one-pass account and start accumulating those miles!) Since we were at the front of the airplane, we were first to arrive at customs and it was a breeze. It helps that we visit often enough so that the customs agents know us We went through the standard procedure of getting our bags off of the luggage carousel and through x-ray on the way out. We were very pleased to find David from Media Luna waiting for us as soon as we walked outside. From there it was simply a nice ride out east to Media Luna. Everything is looking so lush and green...Roatan must have been getting some rain lately.Check-in was effortless. Not many people travel on a Monday, so we were the only couple arriving and it made things go quickly. We were escorted to our bungalow near the dive shop. This trip we had a great view over half moon bay - we really enjoyed laying out in the hammock on our balcony watching the gorgeous view during our down time.
We informed the staff that we were there the celebrate our 17th anniversary and they were so sweet about congratulating us. I suspected something was up...when we arrived for dinner Tuesday night our table was all decorated and we had a lovely "Happy Anniversary" cake along with a chilled bottle of champagne...that's what I'm talking about!!!
During our first week at Media Luna, we dove with a large group from Spain as well as PADI's Regional Director from Canada and his two buddies. Everyone was great to be around and they were all courteous divers. For this many divers, we used the "Mama Iolanda", which is a large dive boat that is a pleasure to dive from. I love this boat!
We enjoyed three days of blissful diving, including our first-ever trip to dive and play at Cayos Cochinos...a GREAT DAY
If you have the opportunity to do this trip, by all means take advantage of it! These dives were fantastic - the fish life was great. During the boat ride over, we came across a pod of Pilot Whales snoozing on the surface! (See my previous post "Anniversary at Media Luna" for pics) As if that wasn't spectacular enough, we then had a group of dolphins swim along with us for the rest of the journey. We dove a sea-mount outside the entrance to Cayos Cochinos and saw all kinds of interesting specimens, including my personal favorite...lots and lots of tunicates:After such a great start to our anniversary dive trip, unfortunately hubby encountered a minor tragedy...he slipped and hit his shin. Unfortunately it broke the skin and stitches were required. I can't thank the staff of Aqua Adventures and Media Luna enough for everything they did to take care of him. Management jumped into action and loaded him into a vehicle and drove us (and accompanied us) to the clinic at Anthony's Key, where the doctor did a good job of getting Hank all stitched up.
Instead of letting it ruin our trip, he was a real trooper and found ways to adapt and have fun anyway. He threatened to get back in the water and dive with me if I didn't agree to buddy up with the divemaster, so I grudgingly consented. It turned out to be really fun because we were diving with a couple of divers from Spain who were visiting Roatan for the first time. I took advantage of an opportunity to show them so many cool things on the reefs of Roatan that they had never seen before and they had a great time. As a result, there are two more divers who have fallen in love with Roatan and we have two new international friends who made us promise to meet them again at Media Luna in two years...not a bad deal
The pain in Hank's leg subsided to the point where he really enjoyed coming out on the boat with us and hanging out while we went diving. It was a nice compromise - we'd go out on the boat for the two morning dives and then I skipped the afternoon dives to spend time with hubby at the amazing pool or playing on the computer.All in all, it was a great anniversary trip. We practiced our favorite saying..."When life gives you lemons - make lemonade!" I can't think of a better place to enjoy a little lemonade than Media Luna Resort
