Laguna Beach Resort
Although I had read several things about this operation, I, and most of my fellow divers, were very pleasantly surprised by the Resort. Yes it is a "typical" dive resort, with less choices than you might get at a mainland hotel, But, the rooms were clean and everything worked as it should. Although the resort is outside of town, it was only a 7 minute boat ride back and forth and the people at the resort were most accomodating in arranging transportation. The meals only offered 1 main course for each dinner, but the food was plentiful and quite good. What sets Laguna Beach apart from most other places, is that EVERYONE involved with the resort went out of their way to make all of us feel welcome and to offer any service that was needed. This is truly a service oriented group from the Management down to the Kitchen staff (and certainly all the Dive masters and boat captains).

One other thing that should be mentioned is the bug problem. We were pretty lucky in that there was usually a slight breeze which helps keep the mosquitoes down. 40% DEET also helped a lot. One lady in our group was using a 12%DEET wipe and did get bitten up frequently. All in all, my impression was that the bug problem was not as bad as I expected.

I heartily recommend Utila, and the Laguna Beach Resort. Any questions either ask them here, or PM me. Good Luck,,,,DD
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This is our 2nd trip back to Utila. We stayed at the Mango Inn the 1st time (great place also). We loved the island and diving so much, we had to come back. We decided to stay
at the Laguna Beach Resort based on a recommendation from a dive buddy. If you are looking for great diving, a laid back atmosphere, and a place to just chill, read on.
First getting there. Each time we go back, it seems that the customs and airport folks in Roatan get slower and slower. First, landing in Roatan and getting through customs is still a nightmare (this is our 5th trip into Roatan). It took us about 1.5 hours to clear customs (no A/C in the arrival area), and
get our luggage. We then went over to Atlantic Air to check in for the 15 minute ride to Utila. I thought $200 round trip was a little steep, but you can fly into the mainland and take a ferry across if you want. One note on Atlantic Air, they have no competition…enough said. They allow 1 check-in bag not to exceed 50 lbs, plus 1 carry on. Try and get the early flight into Roatan. You might have a 3-hour wait for your flight on Atlantic Air, but it beats missing the flight because you were stuck in customs. You also have to pay $1.50 to fly to Utila (exit tax?)
Don’t forget to have at least $34 in cash for each person for the exit tax when you are heading back. They don’t take checks (duh) or credit cards and you have to pay them the exit tax if you want to leave their country.
After our short flight to Utila, the Laguna Beach Resort folks were waiting at the airstrip (it’s not an airport) to greet us. They got some of our luggage and us and took us into town to load up on the boat that takes you to their resort...a boat is the only way to get there. We had to wait about a half hour for the 2nd plane (they had to make two trips, see no competition above) to get the rest of our luggage and folks that couldn’t fit on the first flight.
We had a short ride over to the resort, where we all gathered in the bar to check-in. Yes, there’s a free drink or beer as a welcome drink. They had everything ready and explained to us the ins and outs of the resort. First the bar, everything goes on your room, and if the bartender is not there, it’s on the honor system. You just write down what you had and settle up at the end of your stay. Coffee (24 hours a day) and tea were free and all the drinking water and ice is purified. Don’t drink the water out of the tap.
The bar area was also the eating area, and upstairs there was a TV (DISH Network) and a small pool table. There are also plenty of books to read, to include all the reef and fish identification books you want. After our drink we went to our rooms and our luggage was waiting for us. We had a room near their new pool. It was very nice, and we used it a lot to get
the salt out of our pores after a day of diving. The rooms are perfect for divers who want to get away from it all. There were no TVs, no phones, not even a clock. Hint, bring a travel alarm clock. There were your basic beds, shelves and small closet. There was a hair dyer…go figure. We had our own dock with chairs and a hammock.
Now for the diving…it was great. They have 3 Newton dive boats, all in great shape. Our DM Isabelle was outstanding and took care of everything. Too bad she was heading back home in September; she had to be one of the best DMs we’ve dived with. They set your gear up in the morning, change all your tanks,
and rinse and put your gear up at the end of the day. The area for your gear is very nice. Each cubicle is lettered to match your room, and there are two hangers for your wetsuit and two hangers for your BCD. They are also labeled to match your room. Nice touch, you don’t have to worry about some bonehead taking your hangers. You always sit in the same place on the boat, and this helps the DMs set you up and tear your gear down and put it up in the appropriate cubicle.
We did swim with a whale shark; and I saw my first Chain Moray. However, there’s not as many fish as you would want. It does seem to be a little over fished, but there were still plenty to see. The reef was in pretty good shape and at dive site called “little bite” we saw about 6 sea horses and a Bat fish. There’s also shore diving. A little hard getting out to the wall; you have to walk on some slippery rocks.
The food is buffet style, but there’s only one meat selection. If you don’t like fish, better bring something. I would say the food is about average. I thought it was pretty good and it was like having a family dinner. You even take your dishes to the kitchen when you are done. No wait staff here.
Speaking of the staff, they were great. Very nice, always taking care of you, and would help in any way they could. On Friday night they have a cookout with chicken and lobster and it was really great. For night life, you have to make your own. Best option is to head into town and party. There are lots of small bars and lots of backpacker hippie types all having a good time. Like I said, this island is laid back. Sure hope they don’t develop it anymore and ruin it.
Because you need to take a boat and you need to come back by 10:00 p.m. (last boat), you can do what my wife and I did. We took the boat across the lagoon towing a 2-person kayak. We jumped on the resort’s bikes (save taxi fare) and road the 2 miles into town. We then headed to the
bars and didn’t worry about the time. We then road back, and got in the kayak. With too much to drink and almost 50 years old, I was wondering if we would tip the kayak over trying to get on it from the dock. Luckily, we didn’t tip the kayak over. A ten minute paddle and we were back at the resort.
We really had a good time, and are planning on going back in March-April 2008. They did raise the rates about $500 a person for 2008, but it’s still worth it. Make sure you bring deep woods off with deet…4 big cans. The “no-see-ums” and mosquitoes can get bad. We didn’t have a problem, but some friends didn’t bring any Off, and they did get a few bites. Bottom line, if you like vacations with the Hilton affect, don’t come here. If you like to dive and want the busy world to be busy some place else…this is where you can come.

Stayed in this place in March of 07. If you are coming here to dive, you picked the right place. I would recommend to leave the kids at home. Rooms are clean, dive master are out of this world, service is good, reefs are amazing, and did I mention the whale sharks? Rooms have no TVs, and in fact, they are pretty basic. Just a bed, shelves and a bathroom. Be very very carefulw with the water you drink. Everyone on my trip got sick.

If you are looking for a vacation in the lap of luxury, this is NOT the place for you but it's great if you want an eco-trip kind of vacation. The staff are absolutely wonderful and accomodating. They do whatever they can to make you comfortable. Meal times are set though and getting food outside of those times is tough unless you want to take a boat to town and cab it to a restaurant. Otherwise you can snack on chips and salsa. The rooms are very basic. They are clean and air conditioned, but the towels and sheets are tattered. There are no ammenities other than a hair dryer and some filtered water. Not too much can be done about the man-eating mosquitos, but bug spray helps. The pool was still being built when we were there in march and by now it's definitely done. It will be a wonderful addition to the resort for sure. The diving was GREAT and the dive staff is fantastic. There were whale sharks a plenty and it is truly an awe-inspiring experience to see them! I dont think i will be visiting honduras again, since it's pretty close to being 3rd world, but if you are a diving fanatic and a low maintenance personality, this is a place to check out.