Trip to Roatan

[FoxHound]

My wife and I are looking at taking a trip down to roatan.......we have used the fantasy island beach resort before and had a good time, great diving.

What we are looking for is a nice all inclusive resort preferably with a dive op on site.....not required just handy. We were looking at the henry morgan right now


any one have some good experiences with places around there?

 

[Doc]

Just 100 yards East of there is Cocoview. If you liked FIBR, you'll think CCV is heaven.

AI Resorts? On Roatan, there is also AKR (Anthonys Key), Reef House Resort (RHR), and BFK (Barefoot Key). Somewhere less well regarded is Turquoise Bay (TBR) and Media Luna (MLR) which are more of resorts that offer diving. In that same category are some other operations which have a small but fervent following here, Henry Morgan (HMR) is included. All "AI's" are not necessarily dive resorts. Some HMR guests may do 2 dives a day, most/many do 1 a day, in that range. Not all that many guests are divers. The place is pretty inviting. Why leave?

Your criteria becomes hugely flexible and quite vague due to your wording- ("a nice all inclusive resort preferably with a dive op on site.....not required just handy") either you want what an on-prem AI Dive Resort offers, or you are willing to shape the dive portion of your vacation by what the resort can/will offer.

Your experience at FI might have been at its peak of quality and service a few years back, or it might have been in its troubled times. The rooms and food were never reliable, but (a few of) their stellar DMs dedication spectacularly overcame even their dive op's dismal infrastructure. They were by no means u/w naturalists, but in every other respect, they were the perfect DMs. The DMs made people rave about the place, and no-one really understood that they kept the place alive. Your experience there was "good", but it depends upon what you really wanted.

If you want the ultimate Roatan dive-centric vacation, it's CCV with an easy 5x a day. However, the other AI Dive Resort properties I mentioned above offer varying quantity of diving access with a known and stable level of service- some of it is up-scale by Roatan standards, but whatever you chose, 3 Star is about tops for Roatan. The place is pretty provincial in terms of aspirations and ability to deliver the "luxury" experience.

You were on the South side, and that dive environment is unique. You will not find that near the North (TBR) or the West (HMR or AKR). AKR has the wherewithal to move dive operations to the South shore if weather shuts down North/West as it is wont to do August thru February.

 

[diversteve]

It's actually Barefoot Cay. Roatan Resort, Roatan Diving | Barefoot Cay - a lot nicer than Fantasy Island...

Another option might be Luna Beach resort. Roatan accommodations - Roatan resort and beach - Roatan scuba diving experience the BEST

Neither has the shore diving options that CCV/FIBR do.

 

[FoxHound]

thanks for the info folks, quite helpful!

i think we are planning on bringing about 10 divers. Usually do 2 charter dives a day, if there is shore diving, we usually hit that late afternoon or for some night dives. Having the dive op on site is just a convenience thing, i like rolling out of my bed and strolling down to the dive op.

 

[large_diver]

The answer still depends on how hard core (i.e. volume) you want the diving experience to be......and if you are diving 2-3 times/day...what do you want to fill the non-diving time with?

CCV is the perfect solution if you want 4-5 dives a day. Unbeatable boat-shore-night-wreck-wall diving combo. Great dive op. It can still work for 2-3 dives/day, but if you want a pool or more creature comforts for the non-diving time, another choice would be better.

That said, every room has a hammock and is either right on or over the water. If rocking yourself to sleep in a hammock with a good book is your thing.....there couldn't be a better place....a perfect spot for pure relaxation.

My $0.02

 

[robint]

another vote for CocoView.

 

[dmoore19]

Can't speak about CoCoview but there is a large following on ScubaBoard that like it, may have to try it someday for myself. As for an all inclusive on Roatan that delivers a product that is consistent I think Anthony's Key should be considered.

They have 3 dives/day and (when I was there is August) offered 2 night dives during the week(for a total of 4 on 2 days). The DM's are into pointing out things. The boats are bigger and comfortable. None of the dive sites take that long to get there. When staying a week they make a trip to the south side for the signature dive Mary's Place. The Key Superior bungalows are roomy and comfortable, most are on the water or very close to it. Nothing fancy mind you, no TV no Phone but room to spread out a little with a desk and room to leave things out where they are handy. They have a covered deck and have a hammock. Don't know if all of them do but most have a table and a couple of chairs too.

They have a shore dive but I have never done it so I can't speak to what it is like. One thing I found interesting was that the people that work there seem to keep their jobs. Most of the faces I saw in August 2012 were the same ones I saw in January 2010. I was treated like family while I was there. Overall it is a great place. Depending on what you are looking for it may work well for you.

It is a short cab ride to West End if you want to get out of the compound for a bit.

 

[robint]

The BIGGEST difference between AKR and CCV... kids.
AKR is a family resort, kids of all ages.
CCV is a diver only resort, no kids unless they are certified.
It makes a HUGE difference in atmosphere.

 

[dmoore19]

The BIGGEST difference between AKR and CCV... kids.
AKR is a family resort, kids of all ages.
CCV is a diver only resort, no kids unless they are certified.
It makes a HUGE difference in atmosphere.

Ya there were a few kids during our trips there. They were kept busy all day at the dolphin camp. Never bothered me. YMMV

 

[RickyF]

I have been to Barefoot Cay for the last three years and loved it. It is a small resort that is A.I. and has a great dive op on site. They do three dives a day but do not have shore diving. Rooms are nice and have TV and internet. Food has always been great IMHO. It all depends on what you want. I stayed at Henry Morgan for one night due to a cancelled flight and would NEVER step foot in that place again.