Dive Review of Roatan Divers/Anderson Sunset View Apartments in
Honduras/Roiatan West End

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Roatan Divers/Anderson Sunset View Apartments : "Roatan Divers an excellent Excellent", May, 2017, by Clint Capshaw, TX, US ( Reviewer 5 reports with 9 Helpful votes). Report 9580 has 5 Helpful votes.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	We are a group of experienced divers that take an annual trip together to various Caribbean and Mexican locales. Roatan Divers is the best operation we have used in 10 years. While the name has been there for many years, Saaya and Karl have been the owners for a bit over 3 years. They have made numerous improvements. DIVING and DIVE OPERATOR: Fantastic staff starting with owners Saaya and Karl. Saaya was the email contact for all reservations and questions and she was responsive and comprehensive with the many emails. She also assisted with accommodation options which turned out the be great and super convenient. The have their own compressor and mix their own EAN (32%). Attention to detail at every level is the norm, from the condition of the shop, dive deck and boat dock, rinse tanks, hot water showers, storage. The staff work as a team and everyone is happy and friendly and really enjoys their work. And Saaya or Karl will usually see you off on your dive and welcome you back. We dove all week with Alexandro as our DM and guide. Perhaps the most enthusiastic, professional and personable DM we have ever been with. Kevin drove the smaller boat (RAN) and Victor the larger boat (SAGA). Both boats are in impeccable condition and they were experienced captains. Because the boats are fast and the dives sites usually 5 or 10 minutes away we returned to the shop after each dive. Much better than rocking away for an hour+ on the surface. The afternoon of our arrival we brought our gear to the shop and barely touched it again for 6 days...yet it was easily accessible if needed. Each day the BC's, regs, fins and masks were thoroughly...note thoroughly... rinsed inside and out and stored. Gear was completely set up and waiting in the morning. Rinse tanks were clearly marked and always had clean water...we only had to handle our wetsuits and booties, and then they were dried outside and stored overnight for us. Bottom line....they put the V in valet diving....and the Hot Water shower on the dock was a luxury not found in many places. The diving in Roatan is terrific...this being my third time there in 15 years or so. Spectacular walls, plenty of marine life and excellent viz. We were 6 divers and had a boat to ourselves each day usually the smaller RAN which is about 2X/3X the size of most 6 pack boats, easy to walk around and gear up)because we were at the end of the busy season. Back roll into the water and good ladder on retrieval. We dove our limits each day and we were all on EAN (at only a $3 upcharge per tank!), with every dive lasting an hour or more. Alexandro took us to sites he wanted to share with us and he delivered on a diverse selection of structure, walls, swim throughs and marine life (large and small). Finally, RD does accept CC with an additional 3%fee (standard on Roatan) and they will accept large bills ($100 and $50) while most shops on the island will take $20 bills as largest. The dive operation, facility, staff and dive sites selected were top notch. We are a discriminating group with our dive operators and RD met every category. We had a lot of fun with the staff. ACCOMODATIONS: As discriminating as we are with the dive operator and diving, we are much less with our accommodations. This is guys only trip and we generally look for basic digs (to help pay for the fancy places when the non diving spouses are along). RD offers some info on their website and we chose the Anderson Sunset View Apartments that are located on the (working and well foot traveled) beach about 1 minute from the dive shop and dock. Note that I gave the accommodations 1 Star rating. We were very satisfied but these are definitely 1 star accommodations and were very much as expected. RD does not own or operate the apartments, and the owner is not onsite nor did we meet him/her. Margarita lives behind the apartments and is easy to find for any issues. Our A/C went out overnight and it was repaired before we returned next day from 2nd dive. RD (Saaya) did make the reservation for us but she had to confirm with owner before any commitments. We did pay RD for the rooms (cash only for the room, no CC) but that is just a convenience. We were 2 divers each in a 2BR 1 shower, A/C small apartment, using 3 2BR units total. Each BR had a full size bed and single. Living area small with a sofa and two chairs, Full Kitchenette with Fridge, coffee maker and microwave, but no stove...only an old electric skillet. Good enough for breakfast every morning and cold lunch. The units were clean but old and a bit worn out. AC in the living room with draw fans to pull into the bedrooms. Comfortable but still a bit warm in the bedrooms. Plenty of room for 2 men, but 4 would be very cramped....bathroom tiny but adequate. Two big negatives -- (1)We had trouble getting hot water each day so mostly showered in cold water. Not that big a deal for us but a deal breaker for most others. There are hot water showers at the dive shop so we could warm up as we rinsed off after each dive. (2) Friday and Saturday night a disco down the beach was playing music at deafening levels until about 2am, with massive bass. Ear-plugs helped but again, could be a deal breaker for many. Not for us. We enjoyed sitting on the front porch each morning and early evening in the (plastic) Adirondack chairs, enjoying the view, the beach, the locals and their boats and the local foot traffic going by. Meals/Restaurants: The West End, while a small area, has many restaurants from which to choose. If you need groceries, stop at Eldon's back in town but there are locals sources for produce and limited small conveniences stores. We made breakfast and lunch in the apartment or walked less than 5 minutes to several choices. There is a small bar/grill right next door in the same building (actually same room) as Reef Gliders (wasn't impressed with them) with good hamburgers. Anthony's Jerk chicken for lunch or dinner--quarter chicken with rice/beans, pico and plantain chips for $5. Thai Place for dinner was very good. An Italian restaurant with terrific Pasta but can't remember the name. The Oasis is about a 10-15 minute walk up the hill but very good food, though pricey for West End. We were not disappointed with the dining options....and we never once during the week needed a car or taxi, though they were readily available if you wanted to explore past the West End. Bottom line we had a great time and will be returning.
Websites	Roatan Divers
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Cozumel many times, Bonaire, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Cayman Brac, Roatan, Florida Keys, Belize, Flower Gardens, Hawaii (4 islands)
Closest Airport	RTB	Getting There	Non-stops from many mainland airports, especially DFW and IAH (Houston)
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, cloudy, dry	Seas	calm, choppy
Water Temp	82-°F / 28-°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	70-100 Ft/ 21-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	100 feet max except for one dive with deeper profile. Other than that we dove our limits and available air.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

Report currently has 5 Helpful votes

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Dive Review of Roatan Divers/Anderson Sunset View Apartments in Honduras/Roiatan West End

Roatan Divers/Anderson Sunset View Apartments : "Roatan Divers an excellent Excellent", May, 2017,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Roatan Divers/Anderson Sunset View Apartments in
Honduras/Roiatan West End