Review of Coco View Dive Resort

Roatan, Honduras
July 2007

By Duncan Seaman

In a Coconut shell:

This report is written for the diver considering Coco View Dive Resort (and Roatan) for the first time. Coco View offers excellent value for the serious diver wanting to get the maximum diving for their money. The rooms are clean and basic, and the food is fresh and well prepared. The resort does not offer a lot other than diving, so if you are looking for Beach and nightlife activities - or traveling with a non-diving partner - I would recommend that you look elsewhere.

What I liked:
· Diving – Outstanding Dive Operation
· Food
· Botanical Garden

What I didn’t:
· Bugs (no-see-ums)
· No Beach
· Honduras Customs (Inbound)

The Diving:

That’s what you come to Coco View for!

During the week, the weather generally cooperated and I managed 26 dives. Most days were a 2-tank morning, and 2-tank afternoon boat dives. Each 2-tank dive consisted initially of one of the many sites on the South side, then a drop off dive outside the Resort at either Coco View Wall, or Newman’s wall.

The dive operation is first rate, and highly professional. From the layout of the gear lockers, to the dive boats and crews, things are designed with the serious diver in mind. Although the boats did not always leave exactly on time, it is a well-oiled machine that offers the best value for the diver, and 24/7 shore diving and Nitrox continuously available. Shore diving is an easy entry and exit, with a short walk from the gear lockers into the water.

Marine life is abundant, and during the week our group had sightings of Whale Sharks, Dolphins, Seahorses, a variety of crabs, shrimp, squid, octopus, and a wide assortment of Caribbean Fish. There were several all-day diving excursions offered to the West End and Port Royal. The West End group ended up snorkeling with 2 Whale Sharks (which I unfortunately did not sign up for!), and the Port Royal trip ended up being shortened to a ½ day trip due to weather concerns.

Typical dive profiles were in the 60 to 80 foot range, with many dives lasting about 60 minutes. Diving is varied, and can offer depths in excess of 100’ for the more advanced divers. 32% Nitrox is available (and plentiful) for $6 per tank, or $100 for the week. You can pretty much dive your own profiles on the shore dives, although the DM’s limit the depth & dive time when on the boat to 60 minutes to keep things organized. Also, a lot of the divers really liked the ease of entry back on the boat using the center “Moon Well” ladder on the dive boats.

The Resort:

The Resort is situated on a private island about 20 minute ride from the airport. After transport to a small landing, you take a boat to the island, and begin orientation briefing that lasted about an hour. The resort delivers your luggage to your room, which I thought was a nice touch. After that, they conducted a short orientation dive in the “front yard”, and the wreck of the Prince Albert.

The rooms were basic, but clean. We had an over-water Cabana that was a large open wood-trimmed room, with a private porch overlooking the Caribbean. Since our room was booked as part of a group package, I am not sure of the specific rates for the different room options (Bungalow’s, Cabana’s, vs., Ocean View Rooms) but in general I do not think you can go wrong with any of them. Maid service was daily, with a change of sheets mid-week.

The resort has a small friendly bar (you must try the “Monkey-La-La”) for unwinding in the evenings, and you are provided with a free drink coupon upon arrival. Two evenings they had live entertainment, and also “fire dancers” one night. Most nights the group was in bed fairly early due to the extensive diving, although Willie the bartender was very friendly,

The resort also has wireless Internet in the “Clubhouse”, and also 2 computers with Internet access located near the health spa. The made it easy to keep in touch with the world - if that is what you want to do while you are on vacation! Also FYI - I found the cell phone reception was fine at the Resort with my GSM Cingular world phone.

A short note about the bugs – we used 100% DEET everyday, and still managed several nasty bug bites. We heard an assortment of bug repellant remedies from various guests from Dove soap to herbal lotions with mixed results. So – come prepared. The local critters like foreign blood!

An aerial view of the resort can be found here: http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=16358943&x=-86431841&z=18&l=0&m=a&v=2

The Food:

I would rate the food at the Resort very good. While not gourmet, the food was fresh and well prepared. Breakfast was typically eggs to order, fresh made waffles, sausage and bacon, and plenty of fresh fruit. Dinner was an excellent main dish (meat, chicken, or fish) with local side dishes. All meals were served in the open-air screened Dining room Buffet style.

One of the nights we had an island cookout with ribs and chicken on the Cay (very good), and another night was Lobster and prime Rib (excellent). The menu is fairly varied, and should suit even the most demanding diets. My wife and I went to a local restaurant (Gio’s) as part of a Resort organized outing, and while the food was good - I would rate the Coco View Lobster dinner better. Dinner at Gio’s ended costing my wife and I about $50.00 each with appetizers and drinks.

The drinking water at the resort is provided in the room in 5 gallon bottles. We had plenty of salad and fresh fruit without concerns about bacteria. Before traveling to Roatan, we did get all the required immunizations, and also Malaria medication as recommended by the CDC.

The Island:

I would recommend the Island tour on Friday Afternoon (since you can’t dive before flying anyway). It consisted of a visit to the Iguana Farm (so-so), the Botanical Garden (very good), and a trip to West End. The West End is basically a dirt road surrounded by dive shops, restaurants, hotels, bars, and gift shops. It reminded me of somewhere you would go on spring break when in college. Nice to visit one-time, but don’t know that I would go back except to hit one of the great Restaurant’s on the water.

The Island tour will give you a better sense of the Local Island culture, and you will find that the Roatan standard of living is low, with many dirt streets and a low level of services available. This is stark contrast to the rolling hills and the natural beauty of the island both above and below the water.

Conclusion:

If you love to dive, dive, dive – Coco View is the place for you. If not, look elsewhere on the island. There is not much else to do at Coco View other than diving since you are pretty well island-locked. The diving is outstanding, and I would consider Coco View an excellent value for the Money.