Yes they pick up from the rental homes (most homes have a dock). But the south shore is removed from town, there is a lagoon that separates Utila town from the south shore. Homes on the south shore are only accessible by boat.
I always say, that Utila is a tale of two islands:-
1, Utila town, small, busy, noisy, lots of bars and restaurants and lots of dive companies. It's where 90% of tourists stay. The least attractive part of the island, only 2 small beaches but if you want "action" its the place to stay. Best dive ops : UDC, Altons, Bay Islands College of Diving, and there are many, many more.
2/ The rest of the island, miles of deserted beaches, no development except beach houses, great snorkeling from shore. peace and privacy, only a couple of bars/restaurants, no "action". Most visitors only see this part of the island when they pass it on their dive boat when they're heading to the northside.
We spend 4-6 months a year there and have done since 2007, at this point we only go to town once a week, to pay our electric and do some grocery shopping. Only dive ops, U-Dive and Utila Cays Diving