Reef House Lodge

[ReefHound]

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...

I'm curious about the former customer profile. The few people I've known to go there (long ago) have been dive-sleep-dive people. RHL is taking a big gamble that the dive-nut customers they lose will be more than offset by the casual diver customers. I too would love to hear some recent impressions and that kind of worries me that that seems to be so hard to find.

We like to drink and our bar tab at AKR is about $150/each and would be more but we maximize their 2x1 happy hours, getting the bartender to sell us 8-12 unopened beers just before it ends. We would save money with TBR but we "found" AKR first and have been back 3x. Sometimes it's easier to go with what you know, especially when you're busy at home.

Edit: Just looked up their website and it has a popup with 2021 new pricing details which suggests you can get an AI dive package which does save some money over a la carte diving for the 20+-dive customer:

One week stay, transportation to and from the airport and 1 room for 2 = $420 plus tax

Including all dives in 1 room for 2 = $1170 plus tax

Also, the prices on their site don't match with what you stated (they list $70 for 2-tank dive and $35 for 1-tank dive) or even itself. For example, they list airport shuttle for 2 at $75 but who exactly would be paying for it a la carte if it's included in room? Are they trying to get day visitors?

It seems to me that they are either geniuses with a solution for every type of customer, or confused about what they want to be and who is their target customer.

 

[Nuub]

About groceries - stop at Eldons on the way in and buy groceries and non-perishables (beer and EtOH)
Trip report 6/25-7/6 Reef House Resort & Bananarama

 

[ReefHound]

About groceries - stop at Eldons on the way in and buy groceries and non-perishables (beer and EtOH)
Trip report 6/25-7/6 Reef House Resort & Bananarama

How do you do that if they are providing the airport shuttle? Will they stop for you?

 

[Nuub]

@ReefHound and others - Yes, just ask the driver to stop at Eldons if you have the taxi to yourself. If you get a shuttle, just talk the others on your bus into it, and slip the driver $5.
- sidenote: I just came back from a stay at Cocoview. It's more of a modern-ish inclusive dive operation like Anthony's Key. If you like certainty and a big cattle boat operation - but then also with more people to hang with and party with at night - then go to Coco. RHR is much more like a dive camp where you'll be spending more time with your own peoples. When I went there, everyone was nice, but clearly in their own vacation cliques.
If I was going single and looking for socialization as well as diving, I'd go to Coco. If I was self-contained socially, I'd go to RHR. If pristine dive sites were my top priority, go to RHR. Make sure to go to Calvin's crack and Mary's Place dive sites. Food was good to very good at RHR. Never great. Food at Coco was more variety and occasionaly great.
And you can always hire a water taxi to take you to those waterfront/on-water food places, I did it, I don't remember cost or place name but it was fun. There are a LOT of locals in Jonesville and the east/south side of Roatan who support those businesses. The folks at RHR will hook you up, no problem. Do a mangrove tour early in the trip to get an idea of where to go.

 

[Heather Lemieux]

Trip Advisor has some more recent reports, albeit not many. Might give you a bit more insight into the topside angle. If I were considering a stay, what I'd want to know more about is the food...since it seems fairly isolated. If you are a picky eater, a smaller operation might not offer as many options (e.g.: entree choices at a meal) as a larger one, and if you can't just walk next door and eat at another establishment, this is important. Of the 4 most recent Trip Advisor reports, 3 mention food, and variously describe it as 'delicious,' 'tasty' and 'excellent.' So the question is...what's the variety like, and how picky are you?

Those of you who've eaten there, what do you think? Is this an issue, or is there a pretty good range of choices? @baggins_69 @KevinG58

We have been there many times - Davit is an excellent divemaster and knows the reefs. The last time we were there was December 2017 - so can't say much about the operation now. The food was always good and plentiful - family style. They did take into account allergies - our group though didn't have many dietary restrictions. I can't see going out for dinner very much - it is on an island and you need to take a short boat ride there. There wasn't anywhere else to eat on the island when we were there.

 

[Doc]

I'm curious about the former customer profile. The few people I've known to go there (long ago) have been dive-sleep-dive people. RHL is taking a big gamble that the dive-nut customers they lose will be more than offset by the casual diver customers. I too would love to hear some recent impressions and that kind of worries me that that seems to be so hard to find.

That type of customer has all but evaporated.

The profile of the diver has undeniably changed. Dive counts are down, jungle canopy tours are up.

The offering of such a very remote, small AI must be managed precisely and nimbly.

 

[drrich2]

RHL is taking a big gamble that the dive-nut customers they lose will be more than offset by the casual diver customers.

That type of customer has all but evaporated.

I'm trying to figure out what demographic, what type of casual diver, would preferentially seek them out. A casual diver might do one or two dives in a day, and maybe not every day. Which leaves half-a-day most days, and maybe all day one or two days, to 'do something.' Off-site tours are one option; at CocoView Dive Resort, their website listed a number of them; I don't see them on Reef House Lodge's website. Exploring town is an option...so wouldn't divers seeking that experience stay in or closer to West End?

In other words, I'm trying to conceive what sort of new or intermediate recreational diver might post on Scuba Board asking where to stay and dive in Roatan, for whom some of us would conclude Reef House Lodge sounds like the best, or one of the very best, option(s).

The offering of such a very remote, small AI must be managed precisely and nimbly.

Wonder what a good 'game plan' for them going forward should be?

 

[scrane]

I'm trying to figure out what demographic, what type of casual diver, would preferentially seek them out. A casual diver might do one or two dives in a day, and maybe not every day. Which leaves half-a-day most days, and maybe all day one or two days, to 'do something.' Off-site tours are one option; at CocoView Dive Resort, their website listed a number of them; I don't see them on Reef House Lodge's website. Exploring town is an option...so wouldn't divers seeking that experience stay in or closer to West End?

In other words, I'm trying to conceive what sort of new or intermediate recreational diver might post on Scuba Board asking where to stay and dive in Roatan, for whom some of us would conclude Reef House Lodge sounds like the best, or one of the very best, option(s).


Wonder what a good 'game plan' for them going forward should be?

I stayed at RH for a week because I wanted an inexpensive place to dive the south side of the island.

 

[ReefHound]

That type of customer has all but evaporated.

The profile of the diver has undeniably changed. Dive counts are down, jungle canopy tours are up.

The offering of such a very remote, small AI must be managed precisely and nimbly.

The think the dive nut demographic is reduced but not gone. Your typical 27 dives per week is quite rare but most people I know are not ready for less than 10-12 dives per week at an AI dive resort. I've forgotten and it's not worth redoing but I think I figured it was 10-12 dives or less where a la carte started to save money. Thing is, more dives doesn't cost the resort that much. As long as the boat is going out every day, 8 divers on it versus 4 only requires filling a few more tanks.

I would think an attempt to reach more of the light diver demographic would require more than just charging a la carte for fewer dives but providing alternative things to do, as well.

 

[EvilOtter]

There are a number of “boutique” dive ops on the island that offer a more personalized experience for intermediate to advanced divers and are located in peaceful settings as opposed to the bustling hubs of West End/Bay. They tend to offer lower ratios, longer dive times, more flexibility in choosing dive sites or excursions, macro dives, photography dives, lion fish hunts, the list goes on. The focus is usually on quality dives over quantity and offering customized experiences that you can’t really get on a cattle boat dive op with fixed schedules and strict limits on bottom time. In addition to RHR, I would include Barefoot, Pangea, Black Pearl, Key Divers, etc. in this category. It is certainly a more limited niche but the business model seems to work for a low overhead shop with one or two boats.