Shar34
Guest
We got back Sunday from a great trip to Honduras - here's my report (including the non-diving part for those who may be interested):
We flew into San Pedro Sula, where we were met by a taxi/van we had pre-arranged, and drove to La Ceiba. I thought it would be quicker and more scenic than flying, but it was a long ride after the long overnight flight. (Red-eye from Seattle to Houston, 9 am from Houston arriving at noon).
We were met in LaCeiba by another cab driver to take us to the Omega Tours jungle lodge, about 30 minutes up the Cangrejal River on a dirt road. Nice little rustic place, with restaurant and bar (honor system, help yourself to beer). They have a nice, small pool. We splurged on the $80 suite which is like living in a treehouse -very nice - big walk-in tile shower, loft bedroom above. For $30 you can get a regular room. They offer many activities daily including kayaking, rafting, hiking, and horseback riding. We did the rafting trip - fun! We spent another day with friends touring the sites in La Ceiba (including an unbelievable butterfly collection) then took the ferry from there to Roatan.
Then we spend a week at the Luna Beach Resort. I was extremely happy with it. I felt like we were truly in paradise. They have dives at 9, 11, and 2 every day. We did 15 dives over six days. Wolfgang Schild is the instructor who runs the Dive Center. He is very attentive and conscientious. He has two divemasters who led most of the dives, while he taught the classes. I would guess there were about 50 people at the resort - I think that is about half of its full capacity. Only about 20 of them were divers, and many only went on a few dives.
The 9 o'clock dives were usually just 6-7 of us "hard cores," while the 11 and 2 had as many as 18 - 20 people on the boat, but never more than 7 with one divemaster. The two divemasters were knowledgeable and very accommodating to whatever the group wanted to do. I was concerned that our relative inexperience (20 dives) would be a problem, but we felt very comfortable with them and the choice of divesites was always appropriate for our skill level.
We didn't see any spectacular critters, but did see some eagle rays and many moray eels. I really enjoy fish watching, and learning to identify them, and had plenty of time for that. After every dive, I had my book out, checking off new sightings. I really appreciated the experienced divers pointing out things I would have missed like flamingo tongues and tiny shrimp. We did one night dive and one deep dive (on the wreck, El Aguila - at 110 feet). On the night dive we saw something they call "strings of pearls." I'm still not sure what manner of critter these are, but it was a truly mind-bending experience. I felt like I was in some sort of ghost story... hard to explain, but unforgettable. Because my SO does not have his OAW yet, those two dives were done as "adventure dives" for him.
I was a little disappointed that we did not hit any of the "famous" sites I had read about, like Mary's Place, but they kept pretty much to the north and west end of the island. I think the water is quite a bit calmer there, and there was no shortage of reef to see. The West End wall was especially spectacular, at least in my limited experience. We also did some very fun canyons and swim-throughs.
A little more about the resort - it's a short walk from the town (term used loosely) of West End, and a long walk from West Bay - the nice beach with a few restaurants and hotels. Luna Beach offers one and two bedroom units (called suites but are not really) right on the beach - each with private porch and hammock. We had a the one-bedroom, which is really just a room. One downside was the windows don't open! They also offer 2- 3- and 4-bedroom houses which I think include kitchens and living space, and these do have screened windows. The houses are up on the hillside - some are a bit of a hike from the beach. We enjoyed being a quick walk from the bar/restaurant and dive shop - easy to run back to the room between dives. The restaurant was not spectacular but we're not "foodies" so it was adequate for us. The pool is small but nice, and in the same space with the bar/restaurant. The beach is also quite nice, but the sand fleas tortured me, so I stayed away from it. They are selective in who they bite, but if they like the taste of you, none of the repellants can repel them!
The owner of Luna Beach, "Mr. Chuck, " is a character, and fascinating to chat with. He made a point of checking in regularly with all the guests and making sure everyone was happy. They are quite careful about security -the road is gated, and there is a guard walking the resort at all times. The paths into the resort are discretely but carefully controlled. We were not quite sure what we were being protected from, but assume that there were good reasons for their concern.
I think that sums it up - I'm happy to answer any questions. What a trip! I can't wait to get back in the water!!!!
We flew into San Pedro Sula, where we were met by a taxi/van we had pre-arranged, and drove to La Ceiba. I thought it would be quicker and more scenic than flying, but it was a long ride after the long overnight flight. (Red-eye from Seattle to Houston, 9 am from Houston arriving at noon).
We were met in LaCeiba by another cab driver to take us to the Omega Tours jungle lodge, about 30 minutes up the Cangrejal River on a dirt road. Nice little rustic place, with restaurant and bar (honor system, help yourself to beer). They have a nice, small pool. We splurged on the $80 suite which is like living in a treehouse -very nice - big walk-in tile shower, loft bedroom above. For $30 you can get a regular room. They offer many activities daily including kayaking, rafting, hiking, and horseback riding. We did the rafting trip - fun! We spent another day with friends touring the sites in La Ceiba (including an unbelievable butterfly collection) then took the ferry from there to Roatan.
Then we spend a week at the Luna Beach Resort. I was extremely happy with it. I felt like we were truly in paradise. They have dives at 9, 11, and 2 every day. We did 15 dives over six days. Wolfgang Schild is the instructor who runs the Dive Center. He is very attentive and conscientious. He has two divemasters who led most of the dives, while he taught the classes. I would guess there were about 50 people at the resort - I think that is about half of its full capacity. Only about 20 of them were divers, and many only went on a few dives.
The 9 o'clock dives were usually just 6-7 of us "hard cores," while the 11 and 2 had as many as 18 - 20 people on the boat, but never more than 7 with one divemaster. The two divemasters were knowledgeable and very accommodating to whatever the group wanted to do. I was concerned that our relative inexperience (20 dives) would be a problem, but we felt very comfortable with them and the choice of divesites was always appropriate for our skill level.
We didn't see any spectacular critters, but did see some eagle rays and many moray eels. I really enjoy fish watching, and learning to identify them, and had plenty of time for that. After every dive, I had my book out, checking off new sightings. I really appreciated the experienced divers pointing out things I would have missed like flamingo tongues and tiny shrimp. We did one night dive and one deep dive (on the wreck, El Aguila - at 110 feet). On the night dive we saw something they call "strings of pearls." I'm still not sure what manner of critter these are, but it was a truly mind-bending experience. I felt like I was in some sort of ghost story... hard to explain, but unforgettable. Because my SO does not have his OAW yet, those two dives were done as "adventure dives" for him.
I was a little disappointed that we did not hit any of the "famous" sites I had read about, like Mary's Place, but they kept pretty much to the north and west end of the island. I think the water is quite a bit calmer there, and there was no shortage of reef to see. The West End wall was especially spectacular, at least in my limited experience. We also did some very fun canyons and swim-throughs.
A little more about the resort - it's a short walk from the town (term used loosely) of West End, and a long walk from West Bay - the nice beach with a few restaurants and hotels. Luna Beach offers one and two bedroom units (called suites but are not really) right on the beach - each with private porch and hammock. We had a the one-bedroom, which is really just a room. One downside was the windows don't open! They also offer 2- 3- and 4-bedroom houses which I think include kitchens and living space, and these do have screened windows. The houses are up on the hillside - some are a bit of a hike from the beach. We enjoyed being a quick walk from the bar/restaurant and dive shop - easy to run back to the room between dives. The restaurant was not spectacular but we're not "foodies" so it was adequate for us. The pool is small but nice, and in the same space with the bar/restaurant. The beach is also quite nice, but the sand fleas tortured me, so I stayed away from it. They are selective in who they bite, but if they like the taste of you, none of the repellants can repel them!
The owner of Luna Beach, "Mr. Chuck, " is a character, and fascinating to chat with. He made a point of checking in regularly with all the guests and making sure everyone was happy. They are quite careful about security -the road is gated, and there is a guard walking the resort at all times. The paths into the resort are discretely but carefully controlled. We were not quite sure what we were being protected from, but assume that there were good reasons for their concern.
I think that sums it up - I'm happy to answer any questions. What a trip! I can't wait to get back in the water!!!!
You know, if it wasn't for the sand fleas I probably would have never left in the first place. I need to recover from the itching for a couple weeks before I go back. But I WILL go back. Right after I check out Bonaire, and the Caymans, and.... 
