Part 3- Complaints
We like TBR and will return. After 2 trips there we have learned to stay on the resort. Usually a staff member will say "My cousin/sister/uncle/ etc has a Boat/Bar/Restaurant/ etc." Every time it has turned into a clustermess.
in 17 or 18, 4 of our group went on a fishing trip expecting a large nice boat with a head and normal amenities for $400. They jammed 4 large people plus a driver into a sub compact vehicle and drove across the island where a 4 foot wide panga with a leaking gas tank awaited. The boat ride was so rough that 2 had kidney issues, caught one small barracuda, and survived the ordeal.
I went to a staff members relatives restaurant for an authentic Honduran meal and the cab ride was $80 for 4 of us. They had set us up a table at the end of a pier and was an amazing location, but the menu had no prices and we didnt ask....but the meal cost for 4 of us was over $300 if I remember right. Fish soup, mashed plantains, a half a lobster tail, and some shrimp.
My wife went on a mangrove tour of a trashy smelly mangrove and everytime they moved the outboard motor operator would tell them not to or they would turn over. Boat was in poor shape. (thats probably a compliment)
This trip, the non-diving spouses were offered a tiki-bar boat tour. I believe they went in a Turquoise Bay Resort van to a home made pontoon boat with plastic oil type drums lashed to the bottom of a platform, it had about 6 inches of freeboard and with all of them on there, they were a wave away from bad things happening. Since it was a tiki-bar boat....they asked for drinks and were told they had none...they were supposed to bring their own. That's a valuable piece of information to know beforehand. They came back in a staff members cousins car with no brakes. I believe they were refunded half of their money for that trip.
We do love Turquoise Bay Resort, and the staff, but every time they have left the resort, it has been overpriced and less than any expectation of what was portrayed to be.
CRUISE CHIP DAY PASS- The rumor that TBR sell beach passes to cruisers is true. They set up a portion of the beach for cruisers. The music is loud but other than busses arriving and unloading, I never saw any cruisers at the resort. They stay at the beach area and are not allowed up to the resort pool or bar. Most cruisers were gone by the time we came back from diving. We did not have any issues with our service while the cruisers were there.
The Wedding- TBR rented out their beach are for a wedding. it did not effect us other than the music from the reception was loud until about 10:30 and it was capped off with a short fireworks show at about 10:30-10:45. I had managed to fall asleep and woke up at the first boom..... screaming like a little girl, trying to establish a fortified perimeter and supply ammo, set up a flanking counter attack, and call in a fire mission all at the same time ... all while filling my PJ's with mashed plantains. I laughed about it when I was able to let go of the ceiling and clean out my shorts. In their defense....we were warned.....
The shopping trips to West End have been fine and we had lunch as a surface interval at Mayan Princess Resort (same owner) and it was fine. They did charge us for our drinks that should have been included in our drink package.
I was hesitant to post the complaints, and staying on the resort will solve most of them, because it is a wonderful resort with nice facilities, good food, and a truly exceptional staff. The owners are local and are doing everything they can to recover from being shut down for a year. The locals are too.
Its a wonderful value, often with 2 for one specials, and I'm sure we will return,
Again, safe travels... Fire for Effect!!!
Jay
