Trip report to Roatan - not the best week in my life

Berlingirl · Post by **Berlingirl** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 11:20 am

So Sorry Maggy, I've toyed with this destination for years...never quite getting the nerve up to deviate from what we know we love and won't regret doing (our VI trips). Sounds like a beautiful place, but think I'll be sticking to the known for now.

Maggy · Post by **Maggy** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 11:59 am

Pickle wrote:
That reminds me of being in a remote atoll in French Polynesia. Sitting on the deck, which was right on the edge of the water where the reef extends very close to the beach, I saw sharks constantly roaming around, a 6-foot-Moray, stonefishes, a huge trumpetfish (nearly 3 feet long), etc. And from the little dock, which was built right on the drop-off, I could see more sharks, turtles (swam right by), tons of tons of fish, etc. I loved it. The water was crystal clear - didn't have to snorkel to see all those creatures. Well, we did snorkel too, of course.

I guess you just can't convince your husband to try diving again. I kind of understand him – I don't dive, either. At least he does snorkel. Have fun on St. John and Virgin Gorda (assuming he is going there too, right?).

Wow, that sounds great. I know they have a lot of sharks in the French Polynesia and it must have been fantastic just seeing them from the dock.

Well, yes - husband is coming to St John and Virgin Gorda and is looking forward to it. He has only been on STJ once and that was April 2007 when we had a lots of rain also, so I hope it's going to be better this time. And if it's not, there are more things to do on STJ. And as long as he comes with me and snorkels, I'm perfectly fine with that.

Maggy

Marcia (Mrs. Pete) · Post by **Marcia (Mrs. Pete)** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 2:29 pm

Oh Maggy, I am so, so sorry you got ill. I cannot imagine trying to travel when that sick! It's bad enough when you feel good! (I hate to fly and I do it a lot.)

The place where you stayed looks very interesting (baring the rain issues). It looks rustic and quaint. The "boardwalk" to the rooms is very pretty.

Happy to know you are 100% recovered. Thank goodness for Ksea. So nice to have forum friends to help you when you.

Now, enjoy your STJ planning. When are you going down?

Maggy · Post by **Maggy** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 2:34 pm

Marcia (Mrs. Pete) wrote:Oh Maggy, I am so, so sorry you got ill. I cannot imagine trying to travel when that sick! It's bad enough when you feel good! (I hate to fly and I do it a lot.)

The place where you stayed looks very interesting (baring the rain issues). It looks rustic and quaint. The "boardwalk" to the rooms is very pretty.

Happy to know you are 100% recovered. Thank goodness for Ksea. So nice to have forum friends to help you when you.

Now, enjoy your STJ planning. When are you going down?

Yes, what better than a forum friend helping a damsel in distress

It was so appreciated.

We are going to STJ April 18-25 and then continue to Virgin Gorda for another week.

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Maggy · Post by **Maggy** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 3:31 pm

SJfromNJ wrote:Maggy - From what you were able to see on your diving trips, do you think that you would consider returning and hoping for better conditions, or have you had enough of Roatan?

I have been wanting to return. I understand they are building a Westin there, so I would be able to transfer my timeshare week there for a year instead of going to St John.

I would consider returning because of the diving. Then I would go in the spring or summer when the conditions are the best. The corals and sponges were really healthy and colorful. Some of them large enough to park a Volvo inside (to quote someone I heard).

I show a couple of more pics of the reef:

joanybelle · Post by **joanybelle** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 3:34 pm

Maggy, I am so sorry for the yucky weather & sickness you experienced in Roatan. I have been to Cocoview in Roatan a couple of times, and on both trips we had people in our group who got sick after a meal. Thankfully, I was spared both times, but at least half of our large group were down for a couple or more days. It was awful. Our dive shop took a group a couple of months ago to Fantasy Island next door to Cocoview, and the same thing happened again. Cocoview and the island of Roatan are beautiful and the diving was great. Those of us who didn't get sick want to return, but those who got sick don't.

Maggy · Post by **Maggy** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 3:47 pm

joanybelle wrote:Maggy, I am so sorry for the yucky weather & sickness you experienced in Roatan. I have been to Cocoview in Roatan a couple of times, and on both trips we had people in our group who got sick after a meal. Thankfully, I was spared both times, but at least half of our large group were down for a couple or more days. It was awful. Our dive shop took a group a couple of months ago to Fantasy Island next door to Cocoview, and the same thing happened again. Cocoview and the island of Roatan are beautiful and the diving was great. Those of us who didn't get sick want to return, but those who got sick don't.

Wow - sorry to hear that. I never heard that this was a problem. I kind of thought that if it was really common the word would be out. I'm sometimes active on Scubaboard, and things like that usually spread fast.

The experience would have been competely different with good weather and no food poisoning. I also liked the resort and the rustic feeling.

DELETED · Post by **DELETED** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 3:59 pm

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mbw1024 · Post by **mbw1024** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 4:08 pm

I got so sick on our last trip to Ireland - last full day. I was in the brew pub at Guinness which is all glass and the city was moving around me - this was not one of those rotating rooms either! Oh it was bad. I begged Charlie to stay out doing fun things with our friends and I went back to our room and slept like the dead. I woke up in a pool of sweat. Never had anything like that in my life.
Charlie kept saying "I don't know if they will let you out of the country like this". That was not helpful

flip-flop · Post by **flip-flop** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 4:13 pm

Both of my kids got SICK as dogs while we were at Disney. The older (6 at the time) actually puked at the gates of magic kingdom, took a look at me and said, "mama, magic kingdom is not so magical!"

Fortunately for both it lasted EXACTLY 24 hours. I was sweating the plane ride home but both were fine!

joanybelle · Post by **joanybelle** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 5:25 pm

Cocoview is my kind of dive resort. I really love the laid back style, too. We went in the summer both times and it was perfect conditions for diving.

Do they still have the talking parrots? When I was there one would sing "Jesus Loves Me" along with me, and another would say, "I'm a duck. I'm a duck" and "I've fallen and I can't get up." It was really funny.

Maggy · Post by **Maggy** » Thu Jan 28, 2010 4:01 am

joanybelle wrote:Cocoview is my kind of dive resort. I really love the laid back style, too. We went in the summer both times and it was perfect conditions for diving.

Do they still have the talking parrots? When I was there one would sing "Jesus Loves Me" along with me, and another would say, "I'm a duck. I'm a duck" and "I've fallen and I can't get up." It was really funny.

Yes, they had 3 parrots. 2 in a cage near the storage rooms and docks and 1 in the main house. They talked all the time

.

sea-nile · Post by **sea-nile** » Thu Jan 28, 2010 8:52 am

I love your pictures!

Well your week was still better than mine! I was at work stalking you on the webcam!

mindehankins · Post by **mindehankins** » Thu Jan 28, 2010 10:18 am

So sorry to hear that you got sick and had the rain, but you do have some really spectacular pictures (love the bat!!!), and memories, and St. John will make up for anything that's not perfect!
I looked Cocoview up, and it looks beautiful!
Thank you for sharing!

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Trip report to Roatan - not the best week in my life