Roatan, Honduras

Author: Jon Ashlock

A little background on my planning.. I researched and researched where to  go on my honeymoon for a dive trip.. Roatan ended up being the place of  choice for its remoteness, that it sounded less commercial than other  destinations, and for the vastness of the reef. Finding a place to stay  was a little different. I did not want to have TV or phone in the room,  but I did want Air-conditioning. During this time the search engine on RSD  was down so I was flying blind on where to go. I did find Bay islands  beach resort's web site and it looked pretty good. About a day after   booking with BIBR I learned of multiple problems with them. (Poor service,   food, diveboats) but it was too late to change my plans. To preface my  below trip report I did enjoy BIBR and would most likely stay with them  again. Some of what I heard was true.. some not.  

Resort:
Two of Bibr's staff members picked us up at the airport and got us through  customs without a hitch. With a short drive in a van we arrived at the  resort. The first thing I noticed was that it did not look like it did on  their web site. The grounds were well taken care of but the buildings  needed a little cleaning (primarily paint) we were shuttled to the beach  bar for a general go over on what happens at the resort and what is  available to us. Much to my dismay they did not put us in the room that I  had specifically reserved. I was a tad peeved at first because I wanted   seclusion, but after I looked at the 4plex room they gave us I was  satisfied. They said that they sold the bungalow that we had reserved to  two of the employees a month ago.. It would have been nice if they would  have told me beforehand.   

Rooms:
The outside of the fourplex needed a fresh coat of stain, but the interior  was very clean. I was previously warned by this bulletin board that they  would have a can of Raid in the room. The beds were clean and comfortable  and bathroom was large. Except for mildew on the ceiling of the shower it  was spotless. The air-conditioner was pretty much on at all times and made  for a very nice environment. The entire week we were there we only had one  spotted roach in the room.. Not too bad for that environment. Everyday the  staff cleaned the room well and left a cooler full of Ice for us (which  was greatly appreciated)

Food:
I personally found the food to be quite good. The only dish I did not care  for was the Carrot soup.. kindof nasty if you ask me. The salads were a  tad bland, but that is usually the case with iceberg lettuce. Otherwise  the dishes were usually chicken based (stirfry, bbq, deep-fried, and  teraki) I would rate the food at a high class Denny's.  

Dive operation:
The divemaster and crew were top notch. They helped us don/doff our gear  with each dive and verified we new what we were diving. Once in the water  the divemaster prettymuch left us alone and hung out about 30 or 50 feet  ahead of us. The only real contact or input he had was the occasional  pointing out of some cool critter. The boats were adequate. One was down  getting its engine rebuilt, but it really did not matter since there was  only eight of us. The boat we used was of the same style that the rest of  the resorts used on the island. AKR had some really nice boats, but I   never saw them out. They always used the ones like BIBR's  

Diving:
Amazing. There was not a ton of damage noticeable from the storm. As the  days went by I began to spot the occasional broken piece of coral, but it  seems quite healthy to me. We were told that the fish were beginning to  return (I personally thought there were a lot of fish there anyways)  Things we saw: Morays, groupers, octopus, turtles, nurse sharks, rays, and  a ton of other tropical fish. This was by far the best and easiest diving  I have ever done. 

Would I go to Roatan again.. Yes.. Would I go to BIBR again. Yes. I think  the main thing is that if you go without high expectations and realize  that you are going to be in a third world country you will have an  excellent time. Some surprises will happen, just don't let the small ones  ruin the trip. As with most resorts on the island you can expect to pay  more at checkout time.. usually not included in the packages are: Sodas,  Spirits, Beer, Reef fee (10 bucks per person), A $25 honduran exit fee,  Tips for Cleaning and Dive Staff. This added up to about $350 for us at   time of checkout.   Any questions feel free to email me.   Jon   Ashlocj@wdni.com