AKR

[divingmedic]

Ok I know someone from here has to have gone to AKR in the past. How about giving the good, the bad and the ugly about this place. I know it cost an arm and leg, but I was looking at it mainly for my daughter to give her something fun and educational to for the week, other than hand out at a pool.

[gtoph]

Originally Posted by divingmedic

Ok I know someone from here has to have gone to AKR in the past. How about giving the good, the bad and the ugly about this place. I know it cost an arm and leg, but I was looking at it mainly for my daughter to give her something fun and educational to for the week, other than hand out at a pool.

We were there in August and it was a nice place. We stayed on the island across from the mainland which was kinda cool. We were on the back side, so it got a little old having to walk across the whole thing, but ehh.. not that big of deal I guess. And being on the backside the sunsets and peace and quite were nice. The pool is actually on the island, as was the shore dive (which is worth doing at least once).

I'm sure you daughter would love the dolphin encounter. You get to learn some basic things about them and then touch and play with 'em. We did the snorkel as well, which actually I probably wouldn't recommend. On the day we did it the water was pretty clouded up and we did more swimming around than looking/playing with them.... can't speak to the dive, but I've heard it's similar in that they have a hard time bringing them out to the open ocean to begin with and the pretty much do what they want.

If she's not into dolphins (though what kid wouldn't be) there is always horseback riding (included) down the beach which was fun.

The staff and food were excellent, they take good care of you.

Diving.... At the time, we were probably a little disappointed with the aquatic life. Looking back, it wasn't all that bad. There is a lot of little things to see and we did see a few bigger things like eels and more giant grouper than you can imagine. Might have been the time of year as well, all-in-all we will probably go back eventually.... but you know, so many other places to see, so little time.

The shark dive was pretty cool as well, especially if you've never done one before.... they take you to around 70ft and let you swim around (depending on conditions) then they open a bucket of chum and the frenzy begins.... good stuff.

[gibson1525]

I went to Roatan last year but stayed at Bay Islands Beach Resort, not AKR. I wanted to stay at AKR but it was not in my price range. BIBR was great, owned by a couple that bought it about 20 years ago after getting out of the banking business. They love what they do and they will do anything for you. We stayed in one of the cottages on the ocean, there was a hammock out front and it was very close to the restaurant and dive shop.

The owners picked us up at the airport and dropped us off when we left, she even bought us coffee while she sat with us waiting for the plane to leave. The staff is amazing at BIBR, within 12 hours all 20 or so of them knew our names. They had a bottle of champagne in our room and even though we didn't drink it until our last night there, they put it in fresh ice every day when they cleaned the room. They hold a pig roast on thursday nights that is amazing. They roast a pig and hold hermit crab races for those who want to participate, the proceeds go to buying books for the local elementary school.

I think the diving would be similar to AKR since they're right next door I'd assume they do many of the same sights. The only advantage of staying at BIBR is that shore diving is free and the spooky channel is right in front of BIBR. It's a pretty good dive, worth doing a few times.

We did the dolphin dive, it was pretty good. Although the water was murky so it was hard to see the dolphins if they strayed too far. Probably worth doing if you daughter likes dolphins, it is a unique experience where you get to learn about them and also play with and pet them under water. I didn't enjoy dealing with AKR for the dolphin dive though. We set up the dive and were told that it could be paid for through BIBR and added to our tab at the end of the week. When we got there they wanted us to pay up front and nobody had brought any money with them. They refused to drive us the 200 yards back to BIBR to get money so we walked there and back and when we got back they gave us a hard time and threatened not to do the dive because it was now 'too late in the day'.

From the things I've read and heard I'd say I'm definitely in the minority on this last point, most people seem to love AKR so I'm sure either would be a good choice. I just though I'd give my experience at BIBR since it is definitely a little easier on the wallet.

[lucidblue]

This is a great thread. I'm in the middle of comparing AKR and Bay Islands Beach Resort. AKR is offering a buy one get one half off right now, but I think Bay Islands is still cheaper. I also think BIBR sounds quaint. Planning to go in late January or early February. It's taken awhile to narrow down the destination and resorts, but I think we're down to these two.

I'm looking for a few more details about each resort.

AKR:
- Heard the dive boats were packed. Also heard that there's a lot of divers coming in from the cruise ships. Is this true? Are the cruise divers kept separate from the AKR guests?
- Are divers grouped by level of experience or does everyone just go together?
- Would you say most people staying at the resort are divers?
- Were the rooms nice, clean, etc.?
Would love to hear more details that I haven't thought to ask about.

BIBR:
- How do they choose the dive sites? Do they ask what the divers are interested in?
- Are divers grouped by level of experience or does everyone just go together?
- Is the food good? From what I've read the I understand the food is pretty simple and choices are limited, but seem to hear good and bad about the quality. I don't mind limited choices as long as it's good.
- Do they test your basic skills before letting you dive? I've read a few of the other resorts in Roatan do this.

Again, I'll take any feedback or information that anyone wants to pass on.

Thanks!

[ParrotheadDiver]

Remember also....AKR and BIBR are on the North side of the island...if a strong Norte gets down that far in the winter months it will make for rough boat rides or a day of diving lost....

[gibson1525]

lucid-i'll try and do my best on BIBR:

-they have 3 nice boats for divers. we were there in october and the resort was only about half full, and some were non divers, so we all fit onto one boat. they were very flexible with the dive sites when we were there. i didn't really care for the most part, there were just a few i wanted to go to, i just asked them at the beginning of the week and they made sure we went there. i'm sure you wouldn't have a problem requesting dive sites as long as the conditions permit.



-not sure how they group divers because we all went out on one boat, but i would imagine it is on experience and who wants to go to what sites.




-i'll be honest and say that i'm not the pickiest eater in the world. breakfast was a small menu of the usual eggs, pancakes, bagels, cereal etc. there was a small menu for lunch, the usual sandwiches, fish, burgers, chicken, salads, etc. large enough that you wouldn't have to repeat a meal if you didn't want to. dinner was a set menu, unless you had specific requests, and was different each night. an assortment of chicken, fish, steak, pork, etc. i thought that the food was very good, and it is very plentiful. my wife, who is a little more picky, also enjoyed the food very much. dinner is always served with salad, bread, and soup (which is always amazing!!!!). if you don't like what is going to be served for dinner they happily make you something else, my wife got steak again instead of fish one night. the thursday night pig roast and party is only every 2 weeks and is a must so if you decide to stay here make sure you stay during a pig roast week.


(hammock hut on the left and resturant on the right-dive shop just out of the pic to the right)

-there was no basic skills test when we were there. just the usual thing that they watch you on the first dive or two to make sure you know what you are doing and then they are pretty relaxed. the dive staff is great, very relaxed and enjoyable to be around. you take your dive gear on the first day and put it in front of the shop. they set it up for you every day after that. we rinsed and hung our own gear after diving, but if you don't want to, they rinse it and hang it in a locked room to dry overnight. (there was a basic skills test at AKR for the dolphin dive).


(a sunset from our room)
-other things-i know i said this before but the owners are great. there was a student staying there who had allergies to fish. the resort she was staying at before kept cooking her food in the same pots that the fish was cooked in so she kept breaking out. when she came to BIBR they used a different set of pots and made sure she didn't get any fist oils in her food. just a testament to how much they care about their customers. if you have any other questions let me know. my trip report is at home, i'll check and see if there's anything else i missed.


(painting driftwood, always fun)

[lucidblue]

Thanks Gibson, this information is really helpful. Love the sunset on the beach photo!

[lucidblue]

Originally Posted by ParrotheadDiver

Remember also....AKR and BIBR are on the North side of the island...if a strong Norte gets down that far in the winter months it will make for rough boat rides or a day of diving lost....

How often do the lost days of diving happen?

[divingmedic]

BIBR sounds great but what is there for a 8 year old to do beside hang out at the pool? At least at AKR they have the camp for kids and horse back riding.

[gibson1525]

Originally Posted by divingmedic

BIBR sounds great but what is there for a 8 year old to do beside hang out at the pool? At least at AKR they have the camp for kids and horse back riding.

there were 3 younger kids there while we were there (ages 5-12 about) and there is lots of stuff for them to do. you can look at BIBR.com, they have a kids camp and other activities to do. the kids on our trip were accompanied by their nondiving grandmother so they didn't take part in the camp so i didn't get to hear how it was personally.

the kids mostly played on the beach, snorkled (there is a "snorkel trail" they can follow), and took out the kayaks. they also went on the canopy tour and horseback riding and said they had lots of fun.

There isn't a pool at BIBR.

hope this helps.