Thinking about Roatan for Next Year - Where to Stay?

[robint]

Just got back from Cozumel and I've been having major diving withdrawal so I HAVE to plan for next year's trip. I read through a lot of travel reports for FI and love the thought of seeing spider monkeys up close and personal but not really looking forward to the smell of poop wafting in the air and family oriented resort (solo traveler here). I'm a female traveler and would love to meet up with others who are just as easy to get along with. I'm all for budget traveling. As long as there's a comfy bed w/ good AC and clean restroom, I'm good to go as far as accommodations are concerned. I've been to Costa Rica so I have a feeling I know what to expect as far as bugs and geckos go.

Diving - I only have 31 dives under my belt and would like to dive in more calm waters. If it's anything like the cool drift diving I did in Cozumel, I can definitely handle that!

Also, does anyone know how to get the resort prices at FIBR or CCV? I googled FIBR, searched Trip Advisor and searched this board for its pricing schedule but never got anywhere. Do I have to correspond through a travel agency? If so, where?

In the long run, I think the overall cost for accommodations and diving will determine where to stay. I loved Scuba Club Cozumel if that helps.

OOOOh and when is the best time of the year to go as far as weather is concerned? When is the non-rainy season?

Thanks!

There are several groups who have blocks of rooms booked for CCV in Spring-summer. You can talk to them and see if they can put you in a room with a roomie.

If you enjoyed SCC then you will love CCV. In fact, we have done both and thought CCV was 10x better in every area. CCV is a bit more expensive than SCC overall, but the dive packages at SCC only cover 2 boat dives per day, where at CCV you get 4 boat dives and unlimited shore diving 24/7. The food is much better at CCV plus every room is oceanfront.

Go to the CCV website, and click on the Chat button: Welcome to CoCo View Resort
They have a chat board and you can post there asking about joining a group.

robin

 

[Doc]

I loved Scuba Club Cozumel if that helps.

Kind of.

The main questions:

How many dives per day, in reality, do you want to log?

How many night dives would you like to experience?

It all boils down to pure mathematics, unless cost is no object.

Scuba Club Cozumel offered a broad array of available dives of which you can select and pay for, ala-carte.

This is the opposite of CCV, FIBR or an All Inclusive (AI) resort. You go to these places if you want to dive a whole lot and do it cheaply... it's included in the price.

IF your tastes run more to two dives a day and one night dive experience during the week, if you do not mind shopping for and then taking the time to prepare food, the guest houses of Roatan as previously mentioned might be just the thing.

It is not uncommon for divers at CCV to do four tanks off of a boat in any given day, plus a night dive, quite a few winding up with 25~27 dives in a week's stay. Free air and good diving will do that to you.

If your plans for a vacation include a bit of partying and sleeping-in, your cost factors might better be represented by any of the great ala-carte dive ops and guest houses that do the West End.

 

[lmorin]

..........
Scuba Club Cozumel offered a broad array of available dives of which you can select and pay for, ala-carte.

This is the opposite of CCV, FIBR or an All Inclusive (AI) resort. You go to these places if you want to dive a whole lot and do it cheaply... it's included in the price..............

Doc, just to clarify, Scuba Club is an all inclusive with the typical dive package being 2 AM tanks per day x 5. There is unlimited shore diving included. More boat dives can be added and paid for separately.

Having been to both CCV and SCC twice each, my 2 cents are that while SCC may be cheaper, I prefer CCV because of the shore diving variety available and the general ease of all the diving. It is close to perfect, IMHO, in terms of the mechanics of the operation. If the OP goes as a single, she will be assigned a boat and is unlikely to have difficulty making friends on that boat or in the clubhouse. CCV would be a good choice. I can't speak to other places on Roatan.

 

[paradise]

Kind of.

The main questions:

How many dives per day, in reality, do you want to log?

How many night dives would you like to experience?

It all boils down to pure mathematics, unless cost is no object.

Scuba Club Cozumel offered a broad array of available dives of which you can select and pay for, ala-carte.

1. I want to log at least 25 - 30 dives in a week. When I was at SCC a few weeks ago, I paid extra for the twilight dives and a wreck dive but would have done a lot more if my buddy and I had more $$ to spend. So the thought of having 4 boat dives a day included in the package is VERY appealing. The shorediving also sounds pretty awesome from what I've read. CCV is a serious contender.

IF your tastes run more to two dives a day and one night dive experience during the week, if you do not mind shopping for and then taking the time to prepare food, the guest houses of Roatan as previously mentioned might be just the thing.

I'd rather have at least 2 night dives, 3 if it could be done. I don't mind shopping for food since I would be fine with grabbing a bunch of bananas, chips, soda and eating that for dinner. Having 3 full meals a day can get a bit overwhelming since I'm not used to such a full menu 3 times a day but the fact that I didn't have to hunt and gather was really awesome. Especially right after a dive! I honestly thought the food at SCC was EXCELLENT. Beyond my expectations for lunch and dinner.

If your plans for a vacation include a bit of partying and sleeping-in, your cost factors might better be represented by any of the great ala-carte dive ops and guest houses that do the West End.

I'm not looking for partying it up or sleeping in if it means missing a dive. I guess since I'm traveling solo, I just hope to find a bunch of friendly divers to hang out with. At SCC, it was really nice getting to know other divers on the boat. We kept diving the same boat day after day that they became a really fun group of people to hang out with.

If the OP goes as a single, she will be assigned a boat and is unlikely to have difficulty making friends on that boat or in the clubhouse. CCV would be a good choice. I can't speak to other places on Roatan.

Thank you! That's exactly what I'm looking for! I'm glad that you said that b/c that will really help in making the final decision.

I haven't been able to do a cost-benefit analysis yet but options are still wide open since, according to my budget, it will take a year to save up for a Roatan trip (at the highest range) with taxes, tips, and rental gear.

So far...without any hard number crunching... I'm seriously thinking about CCV as an AI option OR Cocolobos + Coconut Tree Diving as the West End budget option. But since this is only an initial glance, I may come back with a totally different set of options. For now...these are the two I'm considering.

I'm also thinking about getting the AOW cert - not because I'm trying to get as many certs as possible - but because I want to be properly trained in diving in overhead environments so I can safely conduct myself in a cenote should the opportunity arise. If going the budget route, I will most likely go for the AOW cert but if I go the AI route, I won't really be able to.

I also read as much as I possibly could last night about what side of the island tends to have x or y critters and I think there is something to be said about being able to see something different like seahorses! I have never seen a seahorse or an eagle ray yet but plenty of groupers, parrot fish, lionfish (BOO), rays, eels, whale shark, nurse sharks, and octopi. So the more biodiversity I can see compared to what I've seen in Cozumel and Isla Mujeres, then more the merrier for me.


Thank you everyone for sharing your helpful thoughts!

 

[robint]

It sounds like CCV is exactly what you are looking for! Since it is a small resort (26 rooms), you will get to know many divers there and as far as the night dives go, there is always a group going in for shore night dive each night. You just tell them you are going, you agree on a time to meet up at the dock, and you go.

Everyone does 20+ dives per week at CCV. You can get up and do a dawn dive before breakfast, afternoon dive before dinner or night dives after dinner... it is sooooo easy to get in lots of dives!
There is entertainment every night at the clubhouse if you don't want to dive (children from village dancing group, fire dancers, etc) or you can play pool or chess or cards or sit at bar and chat with a Monkey Lala. Most people take a laptop and sit in clubhouse, check e-mail or download there photos for the day and show everyone. It is a very cool, casual, fun atmosphere... more like family than a resort.

 

[Doc]

I want to log at least 25 - 30 dives in a week..... I'd rather have at least 2 night dives, 3 if it could be done.

CoCo View.

In their case, AI means "diving included". They don't limit it to a 10 dive package.

The shore dive is all of what you have heard. That's where I do two night dives every night.
Don't do the weekly "night boat dive", it really isn't worth the money or bother.
Walk into the water at the foot of your room, into the starry night.
Some of my favorite memories.

 

[ncchuck]

Sound like you're doing great research and getting lots of opinions. You'll make great friends easily at any of the dive operations on Roatan. Several resorts are actually smaller and more intimate than CCV (CCV is actually pretty large compared to many) and can be even more fun depending upon your personality. West end is a great place for hanging out and meeting people and does not have to interfere with your desire to dive as much as you want. There are several dive schools there and you'll have several choices to choose from. You could actually walk around and meet with several and choose the instructor you like best. At CCV or other all inclusive you might not have as many choices. I'd go so far to say that if you are interested in taking any classes, West End or Utila are better choices because you have so many choices. I've been diving in Roatan and Utila and lived in both places. All I can tell you is that Utila is highly addictive. Many, many people go there to take a class or two and end up staying for weeks or months. It's cheap, it's wild, it's fun, the diving is great, the beer is good and the people are the best. Beware, I warned you.

 

[CODMAN]

Cocoview is for you! You could do FIBR (you can save a bunch of $$; and you are on a budget). But making contacts might be easier at Cocoview. It,s more expensive, but even from accross the bay I could tell it was nicer...

 

[Doc]

but even from accross the bay I could tell it was nicer...

CCV is extremely consistent, above all else.

FIBR is a bit less expensive, but as was mentioned in another thread, you get what you pay for. At CCV, the rental gear is quite nice- I use it often. The boats are among the best in the industry, and it has what is arguably the best resort based shore dive in the Caribbean. FIBR shares much of the same real estate, but it is simply not as easy to get as much diving while staying at FIBR.

It pretty well sorts itself out, though. The OP, "paradise" is looking for a dive vacation- not simply a vacation with some diving. This is where discussions such as West End and other possibilities come in... and end.

25 to 30 dives in a week and two night dives every night? Go for it.

I'll join ya'.

 

[paradise]

After throwing it all on a nice spreadsheet, I found that CCV has the best personal value per dive. Now, time to save up for the next 13 months so all this planning and analyzing can be actualized!

Qualitative factors:

*Reviews about the quality of gear compared to FIBR (the other resort contender).

*Buddy/roommate matching feature - This is SUCH A GREAT IDEA. I wish more hotels with the dreaded single supplement would offer this!!!

*It sounds like people are very organized about the shore night dives. That is huge for this buddyless diver who thoroughly enjoys night dives.

*Shore diving appears to be above and beyond the norm. Snorkeling a beautiful underwater world on my off-gas day, right in front of my doorstep, would be so amazing...especially mixed in with some time at the spa. :cool2:

There are a lot of other factors but my brain is mush right now. Getting verrrry sleeeeeepy.

RoatanMan, I'm planning to go March-early April 2011 If I ever meet you, I'll make sure to bring a huge Pelican case on wheels...with foam.