Off the Beaten Path

[get10wet]

I've tried my best to do the research. Hopefully I haven't posted questions already asked elsewhere. If so, my apologies.

My husband and I are vacationing (mostly diving) in Roatan April 14-21. We're not interested in AI and "dive package" options on busy resorts. Does anyone know of a small, clean, waterfront rental a bit "off the beaten path?" We'll be renting an SUV and perfer to cook for ourselves most days. Most of the inquiries I have made so far have been for private homes in the $600 - $750 range for the week.

We have a few priorities:

• king bed
• fully equipped kitchen with coffee maker
• water/beach front or at least immediate access and view of ocean

How much can I expect to spend on meals at better restaurants if we choose to eat out for dinner?

Has anyone done any diving on the East End?

How do Subway Watersport and Coconut Tree compare? We're looking for a "fewer the better" approach to boat diving.

Thanks for the help!

~Get10Wet~

 

[undefined]

Lands End, where we stayed on our last trip, is right on the water at the end of West End. King size bed, coffee maker (no kitchen), and balcony on the water is $100/day in April. It is very nice!

As for comparing Coconut Tree to Subway - I haven't done anything with Subway, but we're going down for our third dive trip with Coconut Tree in May (third time in less than one year, if that says anything about how much we like it).

Cost of meals at the better restaurants in West End will put you back $30 - $40 for two, including drinks, on average. If you go for the best of the best (most expensive meal, nicest places) you can figure $50 - $60, including drinks. That's eating lobster every night.

 

[get10wet]

Meals sound affordable, even for lobster and drinks every night! Thanks for pointing me toward Coconut Tree. I'll check out Lands End now.

Have fun on your trip in May.

 

[undefined]

Thank you! You have fun on your trip in April!

Roatan is incredibly affordable. We rented a house the first time and it was a huge mistake. There's no reason to cook for yourself on Roatan, and the cost differential just isn't in your favor. Local food selection at the grocers is severely limited. I stopped looking for a place with a kitchen after our first trip - a bar fridge is nice to keep a few beers cold in, but anything more than that is useless. Don't get me wrong, I love to cook, but it doesn't make sense down there.

 

[diversteve]

Help looking for rentals:

http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/central-america/honduras

Some of the bigger properties consist of multiple houses in the same area that can be rented individually also.

 

[undefined]

sjspeck

That's how we found our first rental in Roatan. Nice place, but cost an arm and a leg for something that offered little benefit over the more standard hotel/cabin arrangements.

 

[Doc]

SubWay is first rate. Never a problem.

You might want to seriously reconsider driving any vehicle in Honduras. Your liability is absolute and can not be imagined by our standards. Could be very hazardous to your wallet. Hire a driver, call a cab. There's really no-where to go anyway.

Three most remarkable restaurants on Roatan? By my estimation and the constant mention by others:

- Argentine Grille, West end
- Garden of Eatin, West end
- The View, just E of CCV & FIBR

also:

Geo's
Romeo's
French harbour Yacht Club

East End Diving? Assuming you mean East End past Roatan (proper) and out along Helena and Morat....Yes, I have been for a few dips. You're going to have to hire a boatsman to either meet you down towards Oak Ridge (you'll bring all of your gear, and hire him as a boat) or have a charter op take you for the long ride East along the North Coast.

There are several memorable dive sites along the North coast, notably near Punta Gorda where used to reside the short lived Ben's Dive Shop (Mitch got him) towards Diamond Rock. Finding the right guy to take you there is another thing. Everyone can get you a boat- the trick is finding the dive sites and having a reboarding ladder.

The South side is pretty bleak after Oak Ridge until you get in the flats between Helena and Barbaretta.

 

[get10wet]

I have spent countless hours on VRBO and two property management outfits online looking at private rentals. Undefined, you make a good point. If meals are that inexpensive, why bother to cook. I hadn't realized the grocer was limited. Lands End looked like a good compromise.

Thanks for the diving info, RoatanMan. I've been using Wikimapia and dive op's web sites to seek interesting places to dive, and thought the far east end would be a fun day trip. Dive boats without boarding ladders? That sounds like more of a challenge than I'm up for!

Thanks also for the dining locations. I heard about Dian's Garden of Eatin and The View, but not the others. Sometimes the research leading up to the trip is almost as fun as the trip itself.

 

[get10wet]

Just what kind of danger can I get myself into driving on Roatan?

 

[undefined]

I must be the only person (or couple, including my wife) to ever go to Roatan that was not impressed with Dian's Garden of Eatin. It just wasn't that good. In fact, the red curry there (for ~250L if memory serves) was nowhere near as good as the little Vietnamese place in West End for 170L. I hate paying more for lesser quality product...

get10wet - Do you normally go to someplace like BVI where renting a villa is the norm? We did, prior to going to Roatan, and let me just say that unless you are bringing a huge family and just cannot tolerate renting a hotel or cabin - DON'T RENT A HOUSE. We have spent quite a bit of time going to Virgin Gorda, BVI, and even on that beautiful little spec of an island the selection of food available to cook yourself is an order of magnitude greater than what you will find in West End. West Bay, on the other hand, has basically NOTHING available to purchase for cooking.... maybe some ramen noodles at the snack shop...

I rented a very large house on West Bay our first trip for less than the price of a hotel room in the Virgin Islands. I was thrilled, until I tried to buy food. If you plan to cook yourself, either hire a taxi to take you to Coxen Hole to buy groceries (there's $10 - $15 each way), or bring a cooler from home.


Danger? Driving in Roatan - you are 100% liable for anything that happens, and you had better hope you are more convincing than the other person.