Utila vs. Roatan in Oct

[AboutUtila]

Mark,

How would you compare Roatan to Coz (topside)..We are in the PRE planning stages of our next trip. Just got back from Coz - and unlike many others weve had enough at this point . We'd like to see other places.

We are considering: Utila/Roatan/Cayos Cochinos

Thank you

The Bay Islands in general are nowhere near as developed as Cozumel. There are no large 100+ bedroom hotels, no significant road traffic (compared to Cozumel), no international brand name hotels or restaurants chains.

Roatan is the most developed of the Bay Islands with a number of quality inclusive resorts - some owned by off-shore companies and larger developers. Roatan is easily reached by air and sea with regular direct scheduled flights from the USA, and charter flights from Canada and Italy. There is a daily ferry (2 sailings/day) between Roatan and mainland La Ceiba. Cruise Ships regularly visit the island (130+ ships per year with 200-2000 passengers per ship). Although the population of Roatan is around 30,000 these are mostly centred in 6-10 small towns and spread around the island.

Utila is less developed than Roatan, all accommodations are owned and operated by local residents. There is only 1 population centre, with large parts of the island being uninhabited. Most tourists are 18-30 year olds, either backpacking Central America or staying for 2-6 months for Divemaster/Instructor certifications/work. Utila is reached by scheduled light aircraft flights from La Ceiba or Roatan or twice daily ferry from La Ceiba. Non-backpacking international tourists tend to arrive at San Pedro Sula or Roatan and then take connecting flight on the SOSA or Atlantic Airlines domestic carriers.

Cayos Cochinos (Hog Islands) is the least developed and is heavily protected as a conservation area. There are no roads or airports in Cayos Cochinos, access is by boat only, mostly from La Ceiba. The Plantation Beach Resort is the main place to stay in Cayos Cochinos. This is a real "get away from it all" location with the most pristine coral reefs of all the Bay Islands and a minimal number of other tourists.

I hope this helps - Mark

 

[NudBud]

I am going to Honduras islands in Oct. and am looking for recommendations on places to stay & dive shops... we are comparing Utila and west end of Roatan (we will mostly be diving). Any helpful advice on cool places to stay. what is utila like in oct.? Is the diving that much better than Roatan? we would like to be around young travelers (30's) but do not need a big night life scene.

manga inn on utila and Luna beach on Honduras seem to be recommended a lot.

Hi there, i am curently staying on Utila and this is my forth trip here in as many years. This trip being a 10 week stay, I am lucky enough to have family here and a family run dive shop and resort. Deep Blue Divers and Deep Blue Resort. Both of which have web sites and give lots of info on Utila. There are some great places to stay and some not so great places to, all depending on how much money you wish to spend and how long you are staying. You can rent rooms or a whole apartment, both of which i done on different trips. Yes Mango inn is lovely, there are also new hotels popping up everywhere. The Calibre is very new and nice, has a resturant and pool, very nice rooms and is peaceful without being far from sea and the dive shops. You would be best to book with them as they only have a few rooms, worth the money though.
There are lots of places to stay and as i said depending on your budget, you can always turn up and find somewhere.
The age group varies but Utila is probably the cheapest place to dive in the world. From larger dive shops to smaller dive shops and i think three resorts. There are quiet bars and then the busy bars, so you have a good variety in the evenings. Utila definetley has a friendly atmosphere as it is that much smaller. The diving is superb and you also have the chance of snorkling wiuth the Whalesharks. Deep Blue Divers go north side every morning and thats where you see them. Our Captain is a Fanatic about them, and if they are out there he will find them.
I have to run, in the middle of my IDC, any questions dont hesitate to ask.

 

[Dave Zimmerly]

Girlfriend and I went to Roatan in May. First time to Roatan and Fantasy Island. Despite having read mixed reviews of the resort, we were very pleased. Yes, there are bugs, but only when the sun goes down, so come prepared. Only a few bites. Enjoyed the animals that roamed the resort. The dive shop was top notch. We liked the fact that you are assigned one boat with crew and the same divers for your entire stay. By the third day, there were only six divers on our boat. Nice to have a small group. Got to know them, and enjoyed having all our meals togther, diving and evenings drinking Mai Tai's on the beach. The food was very good, especially lobster night. Happy Hour could be alittle longer. One hour on the beach goes too quickly. Overall, we truly enjoyed our stay and look forward to returning. One piece of advice - this resort is meant for diving. If you are not going to be diving, there isn't much else to do.