cathycalg
Registered
This was our very first trip to Roatan and it won't be our last. A little background on us -- we've never done an AI/dive till you drop vacation - we always book our accommodation and diving separately. We have been diving in Cozumel, Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, Belize, Maui , Kauai, and off the coast of BC.
Accommodation in Roatan ; Lands End Resort in the West End, right next door to Seagrape and CocoLobo ..and near the Half Moon Bay Cabins.
Our first week we were in a small room at the back of the resort, called the Tiki Room. It was very dark inside, quite small, with two twins beds pushed together. There was a ceiling fan and a nice breeze could flow through the room if you left the front doors open and just had the screens shut. The room reminded me of a rundown cabin at a kid's summer camp. The room was serviceable, but not one I'd recommend to friends. In a pinch - it's okay. But we were very glad to move to another (more expensive) room for our second week, called the Venado. It's at the front of the property, right on the ocean. It's a big big room, very bright, with A/C and a small fridge, and a much nicer bathroom. If you stay at Lands End , breakfast is included -- cereal, fresh fruit, toast, coffee and a plate of two eggs and a small serving of bacon. You can order dinner as well -- most dishes are around the 15-dollar mark -- and there's a bar open in the evening as well. There's no lunch offered. It's a lovely location. The website says there's snorkelling out front -- true, but not the best Roatan has to offer. Plus, the ladder into the sea had been damaged in a recent storm -- so we could get in the ocean, but had to get out elsewhere. A little disappointing. Once we snorkelled to Half Moon BAy to get out -- not far at all. And the other time we used the Seagrape's ladder to get out. No one minded.
Bottom line --- I'd certainly stay at Lands End again, IF I could book one of the ocean front rooms -- not the cabins at the back.
DIVING:::: I LOVED it. Relaxed, no one rushing you along (as in Cozumel), lots to see. WE dove through Atlantic Sea Divers, who are very close to Lands End.
They say they dive at 9, 11 and 2. It's more like 9:30 , noon and 2. Let's just say you couldn't set your watch by them. Once you get used to that idea -- it's okay.
They do all the heavy lifting, and set up your gear for you unless you want to do your own. By the second day, they had a bigger tank available for my husband, who is addicted to air (!) and goes through quite a lot of it. Their equipment is quite new and in good shape. (WE brought our own wetsuits, fins and masks) They handle all the rinsing after, and have all the gear ready for you the next day. Also, I really appreciated that they helped me get back on the boat after the dive -- I have one knee that gives me trouble and I don't like climbing the ladder with gear on...so after each dive, I took the weight belt off , and then they helped me out of my BCD and took that aboard before I climbed the ladder. (Other divers took their weight belts off and climbed the ladder with BCD and tank still on)
WE never had more than four other divers in our group. Sometimes, they had two DM's to lead two different groups...one group would go deeper then the other. My husband and I are OW certified, not Advanced..so we were only allowed to go 60-feet. But there's still plenty to see. Water temp was around 72 to 74 degrees, dives lasted about 55 minutes, and visibility was good, except for one day when conditions were a bit rough.
The boat was large, but basic. They carried fresh water, but had no snacks/fruit available. Then again, trips to the dive sites were short and we always came back to the dock in between dives, and it's easy enough to put a granola bar or two in a bag.
The crew and DM's were friendly and knowledgeable.
Bottom line: we'd use Atlantic Sea Divers again and recommend them to anyone.
BUGS and SICKNESS: My husband was the poster child for the need to wear long sleeves and long pants in the early part of the evening. He got bitten, and bitten again ,by those no-see-ums. I think the DEET product we'd brought with us was too old. WE bought some new stuff and began to wear socks, long pants and long-sleeved shorts when we went out for dinner -- that did the trick.
I got some kind of nasty intestinal bug which sidelined me for three days, until I began to take the antibiotics I'd brought with me. The lesson we learned: dive while you can. We'd taken a few days "off" to do some snorkelling in West Bay (lovely by the way) ..but I regretted that decision when it was looking as though I wouldn't be diving again. Fortunately, the antibiotics kicked in and I was able to get back in the water. I don't know where I got the bug -- I was very careful about not drinking tap water, and making sure I didn't swallow water while showering. My husband didn't get sick. Other people we ran into had stomache issues and quite a few had ear infections. Just luck of the draw I guess. But what a bummer when you want to dive!
So.....we plan to return to Roatan, no question. We will stay longer next time, as we'll both be retired by then. I might even book one week at a place like CocoView -- to get that intense diving experience and also to experience the other side of the Island and then spend the rest of the time in West End again....there are so many possibilities. We're also considering getting our Advanced OW when we go back.
((It's minus 25 today in Calgary -- is it too soon to book our next trip for next week????))
Cheers,
Cathy
Accommodation in Roatan ; Lands End Resort in the West End, right next door to Seagrape and CocoLobo ..and near the Half Moon Bay Cabins.
Our first week we were in a small room at the back of the resort, called the Tiki Room. It was very dark inside, quite small, with two twins beds pushed together. There was a ceiling fan and a nice breeze could flow through the room if you left the front doors open and just had the screens shut. The room reminded me of a rundown cabin at a kid's summer camp. The room was serviceable, but not one I'd recommend to friends. In a pinch - it's okay. But we were very glad to move to another (more expensive) room for our second week, called the Venado. It's at the front of the property, right on the ocean. It's a big big room, very bright, with A/C and a small fridge, and a much nicer bathroom. If you stay at Lands End , breakfast is included -- cereal, fresh fruit, toast, coffee and a plate of two eggs and a small serving of bacon. You can order dinner as well -- most dishes are around the 15-dollar mark -- and there's a bar open in the evening as well. There's no lunch offered. It's a lovely location. The website says there's snorkelling out front -- true, but not the best Roatan has to offer. Plus, the ladder into the sea had been damaged in a recent storm -- so we could get in the ocean, but had to get out elsewhere. A little disappointing. Once we snorkelled to Half Moon BAy to get out -- not far at all. And the other time we used the Seagrape's ladder to get out. No one minded.
Bottom line --- I'd certainly stay at Lands End again, IF I could book one of the ocean front rooms -- not the cabins at the back.
DIVING:::: I LOVED it. Relaxed, no one rushing you along (as in Cozumel), lots to see. WE dove through Atlantic Sea Divers, who are very close to Lands End.
They say they dive at 9, 11 and 2. It's more like 9:30 , noon and 2. Let's just say you couldn't set your watch by them. Once you get used to that idea -- it's okay.
They do all the heavy lifting, and set up your gear for you unless you want to do your own. By the second day, they had a bigger tank available for my husband, who is addicted to air (!) and goes through quite a lot of it. Their equipment is quite new and in good shape. (WE brought our own wetsuits, fins and masks) They handle all the rinsing after, and have all the gear ready for you the next day. Also, I really appreciated that they helped me get back on the boat after the dive -- I have one knee that gives me trouble and I don't like climbing the ladder with gear on...so after each dive, I took the weight belt off , and then they helped me out of my BCD and took that aboard before I climbed the ladder. (Other divers took their weight belts off and climbed the ladder with BCD and tank still on)
WE never had more than four other divers in our group. Sometimes, they had two DM's to lead two different groups...one group would go deeper then the other. My husband and I are OW certified, not Advanced..so we were only allowed to go 60-feet. But there's still plenty to see. Water temp was around 72 to 74 degrees, dives lasted about 55 minutes, and visibility was good, except for one day when conditions were a bit rough.
The boat was large, but basic. They carried fresh water, but had no snacks/fruit available. Then again, trips to the dive sites were short and we always came back to the dock in between dives, and it's easy enough to put a granola bar or two in a bag.
The crew and DM's were friendly and knowledgeable.
Bottom line: we'd use Atlantic Sea Divers again and recommend them to anyone.
BUGS and SICKNESS: My husband was the poster child for the need to wear long sleeves and long pants in the early part of the evening. He got bitten, and bitten again ,by those no-see-ums. I think the DEET product we'd brought with us was too old. WE bought some new stuff and began to wear socks, long pants and long-sleeved shorts when we went out for dinner -- that did the trick.
I got some kind of nasty intestinal bug which sidelined me for three days, until I began to take the antibiotics I'd brought with me. The lesson we learned: dive while you can. We'd taken a few days "off" to do some snorkelling in West Bay (lovely by the way) ..but I regretted that decision when it was looking as though I wouldn't be diving again. Fortunately, the antibiotics kicked in and I was able to get back in the water. I don't know where I got the bug -- I was very careful about not drinking tap water, and making sure I didn't swallow water while showering. My husband didn't get sick. Other people we ran into had stomache issues and quite a few had ear infections. Just luck of the draw I guess. But what a bummer when you want to dive!
So.....we plan to return to Roatan, no question. We will stay longer next time, as we'll both be retired by then. I might even book one week at a place like CocoView -- to get that intense diving experience and also to experience the other side of the Island and then spend the rest of the time in West End again....there are so many possibilities. We're also considering getting our Advanced OW when we go back.
((It's minus 25 today in Calgary -- is it too soon to book our next trip for next week????))
Cheers,
Cathy
