Roatan Dive Trip

We flew into San Pedro Sula and took a cab to the central bus station. This cost less than U.S. We then bought tickets to La Ceiba on the 1pm departure for less than . Our orginal plan was to catch the water ferry to Utila. The bus ride was okay by Central American standards, a little hot but a great view. We did, however, have some trouble on the bus; I believe we hit something en route. We arrived in La Ceiba around 4:15pm, after the last water ferry. We took a cab to the La Ceiba airport and caught the last flight of the day to Roatan. They were no more flights to Utila that day. I would suggest that if you are trying to do the trip as inexpensively as possible to overnight in La Ceiba and go to Utila. We probably spent an extra or more by going to Roatan. For photos of the dives, see my photos through my homepage at www.geocities.com/sendtobrad.

Quick Tips:

I can highly recommend Coconut Tree divers in the west end. A cab from the airport was , and the ride back was only , so do some haggling. The dive boat and staff and dive sites were great. We stayed at Hotel Dolphin. I do not recommend it. The room was really hot. We did change rooms later. If you decide to stay, be sure to get as low a floor as possible. We paid a night. Roatan is decidely more expensive than Utila. The best cheap food by far is at Foster's Waterfront. Their food was better than most higher-priced fare.

Best Way To Get Around:

We used taxis on Roatan and the bus from San Pedro Sula to La Ceiba. If you have time and want to save money, use the bus/water taxi combo. We did fly from La Ceiba to Roatan and from Roatan to San Pedro Sula on our departure.

The first night, three of us split a room with five beds and two air-conditioners, one of which was for show and the other of which had no chance. It was like an oven. It would have been more comfortable on the beach. The next day, two of us moved to the second floor with a room facing the beach with a balcony. It was much better but still not much in the way of value. The rooms were not adequately cleaned each day and had a lot of minor problems. In general, just choose somewhere else if possible.

We lived at this place after we discovered it. They've got great hamburgers and fries and onion rings. We ate nearly everything on the menu and were VERY satisfied. It's great island cooking, fresh seafood, and the best chili you will find outside of Texas. The owner's email is costaricamack@hotmail.com. We ate at several other restaurants and were rather disappointed until a local recommended this one. We never ate anywhere else afterwards. We were only on the island 5 days, and the menu was plenty varied. It is located over the water, with phenomenal views of the sunset.

Not much to report here. There are a few bars, and they are pretty dead. Don't come here looking for a hook-up. Better to bring your date with you.

Well, I imagine that if you are looking into going to Roatan, you already know that the diving is good. I did my first wreck dive and really enjoyed it. The only site I liked better was the Palancar Reef, and it is probably only because it was my first really nice reef dive. Phil and I both took courses and were both really impressed with the level of service and knowledge of the staff. We also had the photos in this review taken by a diver who regularly works with this agency, and I highly recommend him. The photos speak for themselves. You can contact Coconut Tree divers at coconuttreedivers@yahoo.com or divingonroatan.com.