Excellent Diving/Resort

How often do you have the owner pick you up at the airport? Exactly, but at the Reef House Resort that is what the owner's Larry and Carol do. From the time we exited the airport until we flew out -we had an excellent time. The divemaster at the resort was outstanding. We were the only people at the dive sites. There was plenty of fish/coral to see. Upon returning from our dive -we had the great food to look forward to at the resort. Plus, the prices were amazingly low for the service and quality that was given. If you want a relaxing vacation filled with good food, diving and excellent customer service this is the place to go. I highly recommend the Reef House Resort and look forward to returning.

Quality Padi Scuba Instruction at the Reef House Resort

My husband and I had an incredible time at the Reef House Resort. I could not have selected a better resort at which to learn to scuba dive and to receive my Padi certification or a better instructor. Leanne was not only knowledgeable and professional as an instructor, but also friendly and patient. She is a natural teacher, combining book studies with hands on experience in a safe environment. She encouraged me to move at my own pace and was sensitive to my strengths as well as my needs giving me extra time and practice with the skills that I required more instruction to master. The class size is small making the instruction extremely personal. I highly recommend The Reef House Resort for learning to scuba dive as well as Leanne as an instructor. My husband was already certified and he reviewed his skills alongside me as I learned to dive. After I received my certification, we enjoyed many days of diving together, including an unforgettable night dive with David. I was confident and prepared to try the night dive thanks to Leanne's fantastic instruction. I can't wait for our next scuba vacation!

Thanks for a memorable honeymoon!

An Educator and an Anthropologist from PA

Diamond in the Ruff

We almost don't want to review our stay, want to keep it secret, but the new owners of Reef House are so wonderful that we want to give them all the support we can.

We just returned from a wonderful week at the Reef House and diving with a superb dive master -David, and great captain -Choco. (see our review of the diving)

At the Reef House we enjoyed the family athmosphere. The meals were a 'family affair'. Carol and Lynnanne (resident dive master) were at the table eating with us, answering our questions, sharing in our adventures. (Regrefully Larry had to go back to the U.S. on business.) The food was wonderful -breakfast varied each morning from pancakes one day, to an omlette another day, to eggs and bacon. All served with 'out of this world' home baked coco bread! During the week we were served fresh crab, surf and turf (lobster and steak), fajitas, delicious spaghetti, and of course chicken. I really appreciated that they took into consideration my son's eating habits -meat and potatoes, and need for extra portions.

Our room was very comfortable -cable TV from US, AC, fans, lots of towels. Only thing thing we had to get used to was the bathroom-toilet filled up slowly (learned to fill up the bowl after flushing to solve that) and that it was not secured to the floor. Got used to that too. Carol and Larry have plans to give the bathrooms some TLC in the future.

The longer we stayed, the more we loved staying at the Reef House. It was just like going to summer camp. My son didn't want to leave, is pestering me to go back in September! We will be going back, but have to wait till next year.

One thing I have to advise is the setting of the Reef House, why I call it a 'Diamond in the Ruff'. It is on a cay off Roatan. A staff member from the Reef house will pick you up at the airport in their very used van. They will motor you over on a small boat to the cay. (I was a bit embarassed at the 4 pieces of luggage that we had! Even though most of it was diving equipment.) Along the way you will see a setting that is really 3rd World. I mentioned to my son he was seeing / staying in a community where I worked in the Peace Corps 40years ago. There are no restuarants, bars, stores to walk to. Most of the houses are make shift. It is not a resort setting. I went to a neighbor's house to use the Internet. They were wonderful about letting me do this.

If you want to go diving, stay at a wonderful place, then the Reef House is for you. It is also a great place for snorkeling. But if you want after hour activities, they aren't available. Your entertainment in the evening will be sitting on the patio, relaxing, talking to the other guests and to some of the locals who stop by, watching the action in the enclosed water area - the turtles, moray eels, octupi, etc. that live there.

Diving not to be missed

If you are going to Roatan, make sure you dive with the Reef House Resort! (I don't know if you have to stay with them if you just want to dive. If you have to, it is well worth it to stay there.)

We stayed at the Reef House for a week, did 6 days of 3 tank dives, plus additional shore dives, 1 night dive. Each time we were treated to a different dive site. The day we went to Mary's Place, we were even taken for lunch to Gio's between our dives.

Besides the variety of dive sites, the star was our dive leader -David. He was a joy to talk to on the way to and from the dive sites. Giving all the little tid bits about our dive sites, plus life in Roatan. As a dive leader, he would go out of his way to find special 'goodies' on the walls - lobsters, seahorses, crabs, even king crabs, a wide variety of coral and marine life.

The captain of our boat was Choco. A little quiet, but extremely friendly. He got us to all of our locations quickly and smoothly. He takes special care of his riders -setting up their gear, helping you into the boat, just being there to assist you in any way he can.

I found diving with them was the most relaxing diving that I have ever done. (These were my 50s dives. Most of my diving has been done in Nassau, some in the Keys of Florida, Dominica, Barbados.) I am in my beginning stages of diving. Can't recommend enough diving here for beginners.

A special treat was the fruit snacks on the boat between dives. We can't wait till we can back to Roatan and dive with David again!

Great diving in a relaxing atmosphere off the beaten path

i stayed at the reef house resort in late may following a work trip to honduras. larry and carol, the new owners, are unrivaled in their hospitality and natural ability to make each guest feel like part of the family....the vibe has even enveloped some local characters who drop by to tell a tale or lend a hand around the resort.

during the first few days i was the only guest there and enjoyed the perks of having the place to myself while having the good company of larry, carol, barry (their son-in-law), hugh (friendly local handyman), and leeanne (dive instructor). the addition of other guests that weekend only added to the fun.

the resort is ideal for serious divers and snorkelers given the proximity to amazing dives and the guidance of an excellent staff (david and choko), but also offered the opportunity for a novice like myself to get certified by a dive instructor (leeanne) who maintains a brilliant balance between her enthusiasm for diving and her adherence to safety. the real unexpected bonus was the food. the two cooks are excellent and the meals are well prepared and varied, including local cuisine and individual influences from the staff (if you like spicy food, see if you can get barry to make a guest appearance in the kitchen....he's aussie, but you'd swear he grew up in new orleans).

i have the good fortune of traveling the world for my work and often have the opportunity to vacation in incredible and remote places, but my experience at the reef house resort is the first that has prompted me to write a review b/c i stumbled across what turned out to be a gem in my travels and hope others will find the same.

Great Personal Service at Reef House Resort!

We spent the week of April 2 through 9, 2005 as guests at Reef House Resort, and had a wondeful, relaxing time. The new owners, Larry & Carol, and their son-in-law Barry were gracious and accomodating hosts. We felt like we were living the life of the rich & famous, as 5 of the 7 days we stayed there, we were the only guests, and all week we were the only scuba divers staying at the resort - it was like having a private staff all our own. The meals, a mix of local dishes and more typical gringo fare, were all delicious, and served piping hot from the kitchen - no buffet tables with stuff drying out on them.

The rooms are cozy, and undergoing renovation by the new owners, with everything progressing nicely. We recommend reserving rooms S1 or S2 if possible, for more romantic privacy, as these 2 rooms are in their own building on the opposite side of the kitchen / dining room from the main set of rooms. These sit up a little higher and have a superb view from the veranda of tropical foliage and the Caribbean waters.

David, the dive master, and Choko, the boat captain, are some of the best we've had the pleasure to experience in our travels. David sets excellent multi-level profiles, and sets a nice pace for seeing a lot of different stuff. They would also ensure each time the boat anchor and anchor line were set in a sandy flat, not on any coral - there a very few mooring balls at this end of the island. They do an excellent job of setting up all your gear each time, and the diving right in front of the resort is as good as any on this side of the island, with lots of basket starts open at night. Over the course of the week, we saw frogfish, pipefish, lettuce leaf sea slugs, multiple sea horses, beatiful forests of black coral and deep sea gorgonians, moray eels, and a host of other Caribbean species.

All in all, we can definitely say we had a great vacation at Reef House Resort. It was the perfect time and place for us to unwind for a week from our hectic daily lives here in the USA. Muchas Gracias again to the owners and staff for making our trip so enjoyable.

Reef House Resort (I strongly recommend)

I just came back from an extremely wonderful holiday in Roatan, Honduras where I stayed at the fantastic Reef House Resort, which is towards the East side of the Island. I would highly recommend this resort to anyone looking to escape to somewhere remote, quiet and beautiful. The resort is a 5 minute boat ride in from shore and they call that area the "Venice" of Roatan, because you must travel by boat to get anywhere. The resort was FANTASTIC!!! It is the most personable resort that I have ever been to. The resort was recently taken over by new owners this past February and they are steadily making changes to make your stay even more enjoyable.

The resort is directly on the Sea and if you are a Scuba Diver, prepare to feast your eyes on what awaits you below the waters just in front of the resort, a dive called the "Reef House Wall". It is an amazing dive and you have the extreme fortune of having the best Divemaster I think I have ever met. His eyes never miss a beat and you will be amazed at what he will find for you. The best Scuba Diving is on this side (South) of the Island and is all within 2-20 minutes right around the resort. I promise you, you will never see anything so beautiful unless you try out those waters.

I could go on forever talking about the Reef House Resort, but I do not want to spoil everything for you. I honestly believe that the Reef House Resort is a fantastic getaway and if you are planning your next vacation, I would have to say that this is the resort to stay at, as you will be catered to and treated with the utmost of kindness. Their website is -----. Check it out and you will not be disappointed :)

Please feel free to email me with any questions you may have and I will get back to you right away.

Reef House Resort - an ideal cottage environment

It was like spending a week with the family at the cottage. Larry and Carol, the owners and managers of the Reef House Resort, greeted us at the airport and never stopped smiling or making us feel at home. From the main dining room to the guest rooms to the bar, it all has a warm, welcoming feeling.

The rooms are cozy - two double beds, an A/C unit (which we didn't even need thanks to the cool breeze off the water), satellite TV and a clean, ensuite washroom.

We enjoyed three hearty and delicious meals a day, including local treats such as mutton pepper jam, crab and hogfish. Nothing but quality food and great conversation as everyone gathered around the table to eat together.

To digest those meals, we were treated to three dives a day. Divemaster David and Boat Captain Choco are funny, trusting and knowledgeable. All dive sites are within 5-20 minutes from the resort and there are plenty to choose from. Checking your gear is about all you have to do as David and Choco take care of everything else (including fictitiious warnings of wife-eating crocodiles...). The dives were simple, enjoyable and David has a wonderful eye for everything from eels to crabs to spotted eagle rays.

The bar offers affordable, local (and international) drinks and is mere metres away from an enclosed swimming area where you'll find over a dozen turtles (fed daily and kept safe from local poachers). Nothing quite like a drink and a swim with the turtles for true island relaxation...

If you're looking for a comfortable, friendly, quiet resort where you can trust the owners and feel like you're at the cottage for the week, the Reef House Resort is your choice destination on Roatan.

A warm welcome

We (4 family members) just arrived home from our first visit to Roatan and were fortunate to have selected the Reef House Resort as our base of operations. New owners Larry and Carol along with daughter Ashley and son in law Barry were gracious, friendly, entertaining and accomodating hosts. The resort is a work in progress with rooms and facilities being updated. Having said that, the rooms are comfortable, clean and the linens are changed every other day. The meals are outstanding with a nice mix of local and western meals with local fish ( lobster, crab and hogfish) also on the menu. Meals are served enmass in the dining area with table service.

The diving aspect of the resort is well run. Divemaster David and Captain Choco are enjoyable and outgoing and very knowlegable with respect to local sites. Diving is safely conducted and the staff handle the equipment - all we had to do was confirm that our gear had been loaded on the boat in the morning. Level of diving difficulty would be rated as easy. Larry arranged reservations and transportation for our children to do a shark dive - they loved it.

Overall, we found nothing to complain about at the resort that will not be corrected during the refurbishing and any items that we did find fault with were of a minor nature. The staff are great, we loved the food and the atmosphere was like having a family visit. A great welcome to Honduras

World Class Diving with Gracious Hosts!

Dear Friends who love to dive, I recently spent a week at Reef House Resort. It is under new ownership of a lovely Canadian couple, Carol and Larry who were the most gracious hosts! I dove three dives a day on gorgeous, healthy, lush, deep walls that provided spectacular relief against the deep blue water! Vis was typically 80 to 100 feet. All the expected marine life was there, with a few rarer finds... sea horses were a regular on most dives. Large green morays were common, and fish life was abundant. On the night dive, two octopus gave a colorful show! The divemaster, David allowed me to dive my own computer while proving to be an expert guide with a great eye for spotting sometimes the tiniest of interesting inhabitants on the reef. Most dive sites are only a few minutes from the resort, and my gear was set up each day, before I even got on the boat. Totally hassle free diving. The divemaster, David is a friendly, exhuberant man who obviously loves what he does and values the safety of his divers. He has an uncanny sense of direction inder the water, and there is no looking around for the boat at the end of a dive! Above water, you will experience three delicious meals a day, including special dishes reflecting the local island flavors. The room accommodations were quiet and comfortable and clean, with plenty of hot water, cable T.V. and air conditioner (if desired). I was comfortable and well fed throughout my stay! And the diving..... well, I am still reliving those wonderful hours on the gorgeous walls and reefs of Roatan!