There was a time - I think it was 1999 - that I found TA helpful.
Reef House Lodge
- Thread starter turtlegurl
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drrich2
Contributor
It depends on what I'm after. TA is not my first choice for Scuba info., true, but as a supplemental source for info. on the topside non-diving aspect of an operation (e.g.: clean rooms, tasty food, is there a pool, is it walking distance to a grocery store or restaurant, etc...) it sometimes comes in handy. As others have noted elsewhere, one need be mindful of the risk of 'fake reviews' (e.g.: by staff or competitors, good or bad), so credibility is better when there are many reviews, and take what you get with a grain of salt.
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in re TA, in terms of fake posts, read through the many 5* posts 2014-2018 for FIBR (Fantasy). This period was the lowest point in the resort’s condition. Couldn’t be much more obvious- so much so that TA came down limiting their access. FWIW it’s still closed, maybe till cruise ships come back?
now as to the most recent query in this thread-
It wouldn’t be hard for RHR to request a water taxi on VHF Radio to take you over to the main landing at Oak Ridge, likely to any of the pier front, more ex-pat style “sports bars”. Wouldn’t Hole in the Wall be reachable? It (this below is older than the dirt lining the coffin that i sleep in…)
When I say “sports bar”, I’m using an East End Roatan filter. It’s everything you could ever want or dream of. Four or three very fun places nearby, certainly at night.
As @KevinG58 touches upon, leaving the resort should be viewed as a minimum 3 hour event, likely a 5 hour sortie. Factor that in.
RHR is probably your last chance to feel old school Caribbean dive resort vibe.
Show up knowing what it is. Do not expect what it is not.
As to the separating of the food cost from the room? Could it be that these are two different businesses now? Makes no diff, just riffing.
I see what you did there.
now as to the most recent query in this thread-
It wouldn’t be hard for RHR to request a water taxi on VHF Radio to take you over to the main landing at Oak Ridge, likely to any of the pier front, more ex-pat style “sports bars”. Wouldn’t Hole in the Wall be reachable? It (this below is older than the dirt lining the coffin that i sleep in…)
When I say “sports bar”, I’m using an East End Roatan filter. It’s everything you could ever want or dream of. Four or three very fun places nearby, certainly at night.
As @KevinG58 touches upon, leaving the resort should be viewed as a minimum 3 hour event, likely a 5 hour sortie. Factor that in.
RHR is probably your last chance to feel old school Caribbean dive resort vibe.
Show up knowing what it is. Do not expect what it is not.
As to the separating of the food cost from the room? Could it be that these are two different businesses now? Makes no diff, just riffing.
I see what you did there.
OP
turtlegurl
Registered
Thanks everyone. Turns out I could get a reservation at Cocoview afterall. I think we lucked out on a cancellation.
I stayed there in 1981 and 1982 when it was Reef House Resort. I doubt it's exactly the same. 
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I stayed there in 1981 and 1982 when it was Reef House Resort. I doubt it's exactly the same.
Wow! That as an era that you were truly an “adventure traveler”.
How did you pick RHR? How did you get from the airport to Oak Ridge? (Guessing by boat from French Harbor) Likely Mike was running it?
@kensuf That has to be a great tale! Type a bit for us!
I was 12 and 13, it was a summer camp. My family did the PR for the camp and I got to go there for free in exchange.
riceowls
Contributor
Talked to them on what's app recently. It seems that they've switched to an ala-carte system, $450/week stay with the transfer, $25/tank boat dive, $10 shore dive. Meals are $5-15. Would love to hear some impressions of the place from recent visitors. For what we want, it is perhaps ~50% cheaper than Coco and perhaps cheaper the turquoise bay Roatan.
I doubt anyone restructures their pricing model in order to reduce revenue so I'd expect this to equate to a price increase for the previous type of customer. If you figure 20 dives in a week, that's $500 plus $450 for room. Figure $30/day for meals, that's another $210 plus any bar tab. You can get TBR for $999 after August and that includes all the meals plus alcohol. So no, I don't see it cheaper than TBR, not even close. Almost as much as AKR.
Perhaps they are trying to draw a different type of customer that is more of a non-AI casual diver. The thing with TBR/AKR/CCV is that you pay for a diver's package then you're throwing away money if you don't do most or all of the dives. The couple that likes to do a little diving, maybe 2 per day for 4 of the days, might be interested in a remote resort with a la carte pricing. The budget diver might shore dive more. A light eater might be good with one or two meals per day.
riceowls
Contributor
Room is split in 2, so it is $225 so even with 20 dives it would be slightly cheaper than $2k for the two of us. If we were to go we would also go before the low season rates kick-in. But I doubt both me and my wife do 20 dives in a week. Perhaps 12 boat and 3-4 shore. So for us, it seemed much cheaper. But you are exactly right, if dive-sleep-dive is the mode, perhaps going for an all-inclusive dive package is the way to go. I did not realize TBR includes drinks but that does not change the calculus that much either...
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