Rockin' Roatan 2007
Our Central American adventure had an uninvited guest joining our group. His name was Dean, Hurricane Dean. His projected path was heading towards our vacation destination, Roatan, a small island off the coast of Honduras. What should we do? Stay or go was the question two days preceding our departure. The true projected path was the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, which meant Honduras and the coastline could still see high winds and surge. We decided to go for it since our resort was located on the South side of the island at Coco View Resort. This rustic little hideaway proved to be comfortable, well run and prepared for weather changes. We had two or three days before the storm would potentially impact our location.
The flight out of Hartford was on time and we reached our destination shortly after lunch. We cleared immigration quickly and the resort’s staff escorted us by bus to the docks for a short boat ride to Coco View. The resort has just 26 rooms, all with ocean views and the upgraded bungalows and cabanas, which are positioned over the water, are linked by decking and walkways. The main clubhouse has two floors; first floor containing a large kitchen, dining room, and bar, along with a recreational area with ping pong and pool tables. The second floor; housed an open veranda with hammocks, a meeting room and large screen television/movie/entertainment salon. The salon boasted a lending library, a large assortment of videos and DVDs, and conversation area. Well if it rained, we certainly had plenty to do.
Perfect weather for the first two days of the trip allowed for some good diving. Boat and shore diving was available 24/7 and offered visibility of 60-70 feet The dive outfit was very professional, spoke English and did everything they could to make our stay comfortable and pleasant. Our package offered four boat dives daily, two am & two pm, the second tank at each part of the day was actually a drop-off dive which means you do your dive and end it as a shore dive on your own. The drop off point was usually the house reef in the am and the Prince Albert wreck in the afternoon. Shore diving was unlimited and does give the diver total freedom. The dive sites are plentiful and offer a variety of wall, wreck and reef sites. Lots of turtles, schooling fish but the usual Caribbean type marine life, nothing extraordinary. Nitrox is available at this resort and rather inexpensive about $125.00 for the week. The resort also claims an 85% return rate of its guests by providing the best value for the money. Rooms are equipped with fresh filtered drinking water so you can freely use it to drink, make coffee and brush your teeth. All rooms have air conditioning, ceiling fans and porches with hammocks, chairs and a clothesline to dry gear.
Day three the ocean began to have some chop and wind so all diving was cancelled for the one afternoon and resumed the very next morning. The visibility improved each day and we caught some great diving at the West point of the island on an optional day trip later in the week. More turtles, large schools of jacks and eels afforded some good photo opportunities.
Our non divers found allot of topside activities to keep them entertained on this pleasant little island. There a four adventure courses available, two have zip lines, horse back riding, snorkeling, a sea plane excursion and much more. There is a smaller cay (island) off the resort used for parties, BBQs and other scheduled entertainment. Our last evening at Coco View, two fire dancers put on a fantastic show which was high energy and very professional. The show was followed by a dance party with D.J. Lobo orchestrating the limbo contest and distribution of free rum punch. We were grateful that our sleeping accommodations were a good distance away from the partying crowd.
The routine gives an impression of scuba camp, but on vacation I try to avoid routine. The variety of offerings is plentiful, so if it feels routine you have only your lack of imagination and adventure to blame.
Two draw backs come to mind that I felt were minor, one being common with the vast majority of Central America, no seems em’s are prevalent and if you are sensitive to bug bites you may want to consider another location. I found that good bug repellent worked effectively and I avoided the sandy areas, which is where you will find the majority of the offending insects.
The other is the food served which is good or adequate but certainly not gourmet. If you have special dietary needs you may find it challenging since the kitchen staff could not comprehend basic vegetarianism as was the case of our week. A conversation with management corrected the situation but the food could have been so much more with just a bit more forethought. However, I find that the average American will eat just about anything as long as it doesn’t move. We are definitely looking forward to our next visit to Coco View Resort on Roatan Island.
For more information:
For more information on our Trip to Honduras please contact
Laura at 413-562-7431 or email her at adventures@weu.com!!