Roatan, Honduras

[HowieDean]

I hang out at the Inn 8 weeks out of the year..... It's a very laid back place to stay...
Everyone will jump through hoops to make sure that you have a great time.... If you choose "and most do" after you set your gear up the first time you will never have to touch it again................

But the thing that really sets the place apart is the atmosphere - IF YOU CHOOSE they will treat you like one of the family - If you prefer to be treated like a TOURIST they will respect that and take excellent care of you.. They are also pretty practiced on being able to read which of the above you want........

I have friends that work in the Dive Shop at AKR so I usually stop by a couple times a week - it is a very well run top notch outfit..
But it is BIG - Regimented - and you have to carry your gear back and forth to the boats....... The biggest thing AKR has going for it right now is the option of diving the Cayos Cochinos and The two little Island at the East end of Roatan St Helen and Moratz or what ever they are called... these trips are run a couple times a week weather permitting... I don't know how they ration space - If I ever decided to stay at AKR it would be solely to make these spots which are the most pristine left in the Bay Islands.. As far as the Dophins stuff goes - they also cater to none guest so anyplace you stay can arange an opointment for the AKR dolphin incounters....

You will find that the Nort side has a lot more dive sites and there is also alot of varation... The North side USUALLY has calmer seas in the Summer and Spring...
This reverses in the Winter months........

If there are any specific questions you would like clarification on please don't hesitate to ask...........

 

[mjh]

Have dove COCO View and AKR. Here is a trip report from last year that compares the two.

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=66281

 

[jlevine]

I have stayed at Las Rocas Resort three times and Bananarama once. Both are located by West Bay Beach. Both resorts have good dive shops. The rooms are clean but modest. The dive sites are between usually no more than 10 minutes from the resorts. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

 

[tboxcar]

I stayed at Los Rocas Resort in Oct. of 2003, good dive shop, close proximity to the dive sites. They have a shuttle at night (small skiff) that goes between West End and the resort, so i had my meals, and 'night life' in West End and came back each night. Yes,the rooms were neat, clean and simple. I would go back again!

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

:06: Hi All,

The wife and I are planning a dive vacation to Roatan in April, '06. We are leaning towards Anthony's Key Resort . Anybody out there have any suggestions, comments, or perhaps alternate choices with the same type of ammenities?
We are very open to suggestions and look forward to any feed-back.

A few divers from our shop have done the other resorts on Roatan and then last year went to Anthonys. They raved about it so much I signed up for Anthonys this year. Great dive sites only 5 minutes from the dock there.

 

[saf_25]

We went to CCV this summer and had a marvelous time. I would recommend anyone interested in getting the most of their diving to go there, but since that's the only place I've been, I'm also biased. From what I've read, it does seem that you can't go wrong with any of the resorts on Roatan (CCV, FI, AKR, IOLR all get great reviews from the people who stay there). Having said that, if (when?) I return to Roatan, I would definitely stay at CCV again - nothing that I experienced there gave me a reason to look elsewhere. The diving was organized and easy, accomodations were nice and clean, food was good and plentiful, and it was a wonderful, relaxing trip!

 

[windi_g]

:06: Hi All,

The wife and I are planning a dive vacation to Roatan in April, '06. We are leaning towards Anthony's Key Resort . Anybody out there have any suggestions, comments, or perhaps alternate choices with the same type of ammenities?
We are very open to suggestions and look forward to any feed-back.

We stayed at Fantasy Island and loved it. Visit their website and get the all inclusive package. 3 full course meals and I mean meals - buffet style with crab, all kinds of fish, steak etc. I have never seen such a buffet at every meal. HEED MY WARNING: Do not eat the fruit or veggies or even the water on the island that they say they purify or you will be spending your vacation in bed. My husband didn't listen and while I was diving seeing Manta Rays, sea horses, eels, etc. he was in bed the whole week. Only managed to make one dive. While you are doing your surface intervals, they have an area to snorkel (which I managed to find tons of sand dollars), kayaking, table tennis, bar, etc. You can sign up for all kinds of activites such as Shark Diving, taking a plane to Utilla, going to the mainland and go rafting and it goes on and on. MAKE SURE TO TAKE BUG SPRAY or you will look like you have chicken pox your first time on the beach.
We signed up for the dolphin encounter which was held at Anthony's Resort. Wonderful!!! Dive shop at Fantasy Island is very clean, professional, and the boats are in great shape. I was very impressed. Do rent a vehicle and visit the island. Very jungle like there. For the money (compared to Anthonly's Resort), miss critical me gives Fantasy Island a 10. I was impressed!

 

[DiversMom]

:06: Hi All,

The wife and I are planning a dive vacation to Roatan in April, '06. We are leaning towards Anthony's Key Resort . Anybody out there have any suggestions, comments, or perhaps alternate choices with the same type of ammenities?
We are very open to suggestions and look forward to any feed-back.

Be aware that Easter is on April 16th, 2006. The week preceeding Easter, Semana Santa is the BIGGEST vacation period in Latin America. Everyone, and I mean everyone goes to the beaches and the islands. Public transportation is packed to the max - boats, planes, buses. Prices reflect that peak travel time, they increase by 25% or more.

 

[Doc]

Be aware that Easter is on April 16th, 2006. The week preceeding Easter, Semana Santa is the BIGGEST vacation period in Latin America. Everyone, and I mean everyone goes to the beaches and the islands. Public transportation is packed to the max - boats, planes, buses. Prices reflect that peak travel time, they increase by 25% or more.

Yes, but there is always the threat of topless sunbathers. :1eye::1eye:

Ick, icky bad.

 

[CFL]

I stayed at Fantasy Island in 2003. It's probably seen better days. The rooms are kind of run down. One thing about French Harbor is that there is virtually no night life, but if you're there to dive, no big deal. The drive to West End, where all the nightlife is, is about 45 minutes, so we only went there once during our week trip.

Besides a lack of nightlife, the food at FI is also mediocre. The best thing about the place is that the dive shop is good, plenty of small boats (no cattle boats) and there's unlimited shore diving. There's a wall not too far from the hotel that you can dive anytime with a plane and boat as well. It makes for a pretty good night dive.

West End was fun but can sometimes be a little rough. I was with four of my buddies on that trip, and some of the locals were definitely sizing us up, but nothing happened in the end. I'm glad it wasn't just me and my wife in that situation. (We had just met, so she didn't make the trip.)

Overall, the diving is pretty good but no large pelagics, but very good macro stuff. Enjoy!

Cary Loughman