Perfectly Situated on the Beach
Submitted: January 28, 2013
Stayed: January 2013
We arrived on Roatan on 1/17/2013 and saw the sun... It was the last we saw of it until we flew out on the 26th of Jan. This is not a complaint of the villa, but so you can better appreciate we used the villa to the fullest extent as we could not get outside very much in the rain / wind.
The description / pictures are quite accurate to the villa. The ceiling fans on the outside front patio are not there anymore, otherwise everything is as is. We have rented numerous VRBO villas over the years and this was the only one that had a full, complete set of everything in the kitchen. We wanted for nothing. It was wonderful. Other high points: Mark, the concierge for Roatan Life, was outstanding. We attempted to book our own rental car via Costco's discount and Dollar. On arrival, not only didn't Dollar have our car (or any cars), but they were not even at the airport! Mark saved our bacon in finding another one. Lesson learned here, if you think you need a vehicle in Roatan, have Mark or whomever your concierge is, book it for you. You won't waste two hours at the airport trying to get another one.
The downsides of the villa:
1) Beach traffic with the cruise ships. On cruise ship arrival days, the passengers come in mass via buses to the beach. It gets awfully crowded and loud. You'll love the non-cruise days.
2) No outside shower for washing off gear or yourself from the ocean. They have a small foot bath by the front door.
3) No direct access to the beach. You need to walk through the parking lot to get there and around the front.
4) No generator for back-up power. The power went off frequently due to the weather so this was inconvenient.
5) No screens on the windows to be let the sea breeze or to turn off the A/C.
We spent most of our time snorkeling and went diving with Bananarama Dive Resort. Great people, good equipment and very skilled. The reef was absolutely fantastic whether it be snorkeling or diving. We took our 4 y/o to the Gumbalimba park for the monkey encounter. It is actually a tour, which we weren't initially interested in, but it was worth while in the end. Being able to handle the monkeys / macaws was a total treat. We also went to Anthony's Key Resort for the dolphin encounters. For 30 minutes, you get into shallow water (3 feet or so) and meet / pet the dolphin while the trainer talks to you. The 4 y/o loved it.
Despite the rain, we had a good time and the villa is well equipped for being stuck indoors!
Recommended for:
Age 55+,
Adventure Seekers,
Sightseeing,
Families with Teenagers,
Families with Young Children
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