Infiniti Bay Roatan
We have traveled several places in the Caribbean, and Roatan is on the list of good dive spots we hadn't been so off we went. My wife who is the queen of research chose Infiniti Bay Beach Resort who's web site has very accurate photos. I think she enjoys the research and reading reviews almost as much as the trip and therefore the results never leave us surprised in a bad way.
Infiniti Bay is condominiums in a resort setting. Some people live in their units, and some seem to be rented and serviced by the resort almost all the time. We stayed in a bottom floor unit (four floors no elevator) that offered a pool view room and was 150' from the sand. The resort is structured in a "V" shape with the top of the "V" pointed to the beach. Any unit on the inside of the "V" you can see the ocean from the patio/balcony. If you are right on the ocean you would be near the bar/restaurant and live entertainment in the evening. We knew we would be drying wetsuits etc. on the patio and the beach is the main conduit of people to and from resorts , shopping, and restaurants, and we didn't want to loose anything therefore we didn't want ocean front. The unit we stayed in was VERY nice for this part of the world. Granite counter tops, teak cabinets, central air, modern kitchen appliances, nicely furnished. We paid extra for buffet breakfast that was good before diving each day. Breakfast had generic offerings, with a few different hot choices each day, custom made omelets, and good coffee, The resort is on the North facing side close to the West End of the island and mixed in with other resorts and restaurants. The resort has beachfront chairs and and outdoor restaurant with "beach food" and a nice pool.
The dive operation is on resort (infinity Divers) After bringing our gear to them we never lifted it the rest of the week. They rinsed and stored our gear after every dive and it was on the boat every morning. Safe, professional, and on schedule. Make sure you ask about the different sites and sign up for what you want to do and see. Diving offered typical Caribbean sea life and rocky topography. My favorite dive was El Aquila wreck which is a 230' long tanker broken in three pieces. Easy penetration and saw a 25' long free swimming eel and other lager marine life than during other dives. The wreck sits at the bottom of a wall that is a nice way to spend your time coming up. My computer shows 110' on the sand. Our favorite dive guide with huge experience on the island is Lindy who seemed to be an independent dive master. We also felt well watched over by Sarah. We booked diving and hotel as a package and had unlimited beach dives which were really impressive although a lot could be enjoyed by snorkel. We also enjoyed a night beach dive that went straight off the pier and North along and in and out of the reef where we saw all the creatures that come out at night and the Bioluminescence.
Top side.
To me the island primarily faces north and south, however where Infinity Bay sits on the very west end you are facing West. Along that part of the shore there are restaurants that are competing for business up and down the beach(picture). You can take a water taxi(picture) east to an area called West End that has more restaurants and shopping. This is all very beach environment. If you are looking for fancy dinner or shopping you will have to go to the south side of the island near where the airport is and the cruise ships come in. The beaches became more full on cruise ship days but I can only imagine what it would be like if we had stayed on the south side of the island.
In conclusion the marine life is not as good as Cozumel. The value is excellent for your dollar compared to many Caribbean countries. We felt safe to explore and dive at will in Roatan, and did all that we could and got everything out of our trip we expected.
