Victor Bodden "Best of Roatan Private Tour"

[51Frazer]

Part 2

 

Tex was friendly and greeted us warmly. I started it off well because I wore a Red Sox shirt this day and from the comments the other drivers said it seemed he was also a Red Sox fan. Tex was wearing his Detroit Lions hat today. He says he started liking them years ago. They had us wait while he went and retrieved the car and pick us up by the roadside. He drives his own vehicle, a Kia Sedona. It had manual transmission, power windows and air conditioning. He started off asking us what we liked to do. We weren’t into zip lining or snorkeling (I know, call us weird right). We figured we attempted some snorkeling in Grand Cayman on the Stingray tour and our kids (age 11 & 13) aren’t big thrill ride people. We mentioned we wanted to see the Bodden Monkey Business, Roatan Butterfly Gardens, have lunch at the beach someplace and do a little shopping.

 

Tex asked us what we were looking for shopping so we mentioned we wanted to get Coffee, Vanilla and t-shirts someplace. Ok, he said, “we’re going to the grocery store”. I said, “really?!?” Tex said, “Yea, that’s where street side vendors get it from.” So he took us to BIMBO Plaza Mar Bienvenidos near Coxen Hole. He helped us in the store locating what we were looking for. Picked up some coffee (Some was L100.00 & others were L50.00), some vanilla (L25.95 for a 16 oz bottle), some cold drinks (L12.50 ea) and some munchies. Prices were in Lempira which equate to about 19 – 22 to $1 US. We could even us our VISA card which was great.

 

Following that we headed to Bodden Monkey Business. This is where you also pay for your Bodden Tour. We loved it. The 4 of us had our own guide for us which took us through the area where the animals were kept. Not only were there Spider Monkeys which you could handle but there were several exotic birds which could also be placed on your shoulders, arms, hands and/or heads. Several photos and video clips were taken. As we walked around the cages you could see people off in the distance zipping through the openings and trees as they went from platform to platform.

Our Bodden Tour Shore Excursion Part 2.pdf

[51Frazer]

Part 3:

Following the monkeys, Tex took us on a side road not prompted by us but he had a feeling that we would like something. This was near Anthony’s Key Resort. He has a side job that he overlooks a house that is owned by someone in the US. We parked there and walked out onto the dock and sat for a little while. Right across from it was a penned in area where cruisers and others swim with the dolphins. My kids really like seeing the dolphins do their thing there. It was a beautiful location and very relaxing. Even saw a barracuda maybe 2 feet long swim by in the clear water just off the dock. The dock, looks like a ‘T’, is visible in image 29 of the following website: http://www.anthonyskey.com/modules/photo_gallery/category/Beach+and+Scenic+views and the house and dock are also show in image 15 of http://www.anthonyskey.com/modules/photo_gallery/category/Dolphins . I think Tex said there were about 18 – 20 dolphins there. We stayed maybe 20 – 30 minutes just watching the dolphin activities and enjoying the scenery.

 

Leaving the Dolphin area we then drove for a stretch right on the beach. I mean the water was only a few feet from the car as we drove for maybe a quarter to a half mile along the sandy beach. There was hardly anyone around however we did see another car driving the other direction on the beach. It was another tour group. This was a stretch of beach between Anthony's Key and Half Moon Bay. Then it was on to the Butterfly Garden.

Our Bodden Tour Shore Excursion Part 3.pdf

[51Frazer]

Part 4:

We asked Tex about the Roatan Butterfly Garden which is near the West End village and he said that sometimes he hears there isn't any butterflies. He said perhaps we should ask before purchasing the tickets. As we pulled up we could see butterflies through the screen so we didn't see a need to ask. Not sure, but maybe and I do mean maybe there were 20 butterflies in the whole screened in area. I will say though that is spite of the lack of butterflies our visit was awesome!! We had a guided tour of the grounds, just the 4 of us while Tex relaxed elsewhere. The grounds there had several exotic birds, maybe more than at Bodden Monkey Business. These birds were not in any cages at the time but weren't going anywhere because they said they had their wings clipped so they couldn't fly. But most all of these birds we were able to have on our shoulders or on our arms. There were a few other animals there as well. While on our tour we caught up to another tour of about 15 people with one tour guide and our guide just had us go around them so it wouldn't slow us down any. My girls loved this place as well. Our guide was friendly and answered any questions we may have had. He didn't rush us at all.

 

We then proceeded over to Half Moon Bay. We stopped briefly there to shop for T Shirts at the T-Shirt Shack. They were selling them for $8 each but they did sell them to us for $7 each. Jury still out on quality of shirts from there. We have since washed one, put it through the dryer and it seems that the decal has faded some. We didn’t stop long because we wanted to go someplace for lunch.

Our Bodden Tour Shore Excursion Part 4.pdf

[51Frazer]

Part 5:

For lunch Tex drove us to a place called Thirsty Turtle Beach Front Bar and Grill located on West Bay Beach at the Bananarama Dive Resort. He chose this place because it has good food and it is a resort which doesn’t charge to access the beach. He did tell us that no one owns the beach but people can control their property and limit access through them. While we had lunch there, which was really good, Tex hung out with several other tour drivers. I think there must have been 10 or more Bodden drivers there. Following lunch the girls changed to take a dip. They charge $1 to use the restrooms but if you have your waitress’s name they let you in free. The beaches there were gorgeous. Water was warm, clear and there was plenty of beach activities as far as the eye could see. As our departure time was drawing close Tex sought us out to find out when we desired to leave. He said it would take about 40 minutes from there to get back to Mahogany Bay. We stayed another 10 minutes or so and left there.

Our Bodden Tour Shore Excursion Part 5.pdf

[51Frazer]

Part 6:

While driving back Tex said he has never had a cruiser miss their ship. Said he came close once with a mother and daughter which had a little bit too much to drink. He said he practically had to push them into the car and drive like crazy to get back to port. He said they thought his driving was wild but he said they would thank him the next morning for getting them back. The phone rang shortly afterwards and it was the Bodden Tours checking up on our status since we haven’t returned yet. We got back to Mahogany Bay in time to stop at a few shops for about 15 minutes and got on the ship just before 3:30 PM. Tex even drove us down to the entrance of the complex so we didn’t have to walk over that hill again. PTL!

 

 

This cruise port and tour was really a major highlight of our cruise. Felt like we could have done more but just didn’t have more time. Time sure flew by. I would highly recommend this to anyone. We need to go back someday and bring friends.

Our Bodden Tour Shore Excursion Part 6.pdf

[CRUISING71]

Thank you for the awesome review!

[lovevacadays]

Part 6:

While driving back Tex said he has never had a cruiser miss their ship. Said he came close once with a mother and daughter which had a little bit too much to drink. He said he practically had to push them into the car and drive like crazy to get back to port. He said they thought his driving was wild but he said they would thank him the next morning for getting them back. The phone rang shortly afterwards and it was the Bodden Tours checking up on our status since we haven’t returned yet. We got back to Mahogany Bay in time to stop at a few shops for about 15 minutes and got on the ship just before 3:30 PM. Tex even drove us down to the entrance of the complex so we didn’t have to walk over that hill again. PTL!

 

 

This cruise port and tour was really a major highlight of our cruise. Felt like we could have done more but just didn’t have more time. Time sure flew by. I would highly recommend this to anyone. We need to go back someday and bring friends.

 

Oh my. You brought by such wonderful memories or our tour with Tex back in 2009. We also had a fabulous time. By the way, when you were at the little dock that Tex took you to that you could see the dolphin excursion from - the big house is the house Tex manages as a side job. If you noticed another small house on the property - back in 2009 this is where Tex lived. I wonder if he still lives there now. When we visited he introducted us to his two dogs while he went in his house to get a few items. We also drove down that stretch of beach that had no one on it. Since it was in the residential area of Roatan and it was mid-week no one was on the beach. We thought it was absolutely amazing. My friend and I still speak of our tour with Tex. In my 16 cruises our day with him was the most personal and amazing experience I've had. So happy to hear you had such a wonderful day.

[girlscruise2011]

Thank you for the review. I already have Tex booked for my November visit to Roatan and I can't wait to meet him.

[51Frazer]

Oh my. You brought by such wonderful memories or our tour with Tex back in 2009. We also had a fabulous time. By the way, when you were at the little dock that Tex took you to that you could see the dolphin excursion from - the big house is the house Tex manages as a side job. If you noticed another small house on the property - back in 2009 this is where Tex lived. I wonder if he still lives there now. When we visited he introducted us to his two dogs while he went in his house to get a few items. We also drove down that stretch of beach that had no one on it. Since it was in the residential area of Roatan and it was mid-week no one was on the beach. We thought it was absolutely amazing. My friend and I still speak of our tour with Tex. In my 16 cruises our day with him was the most personal and amazing experience I've had. So happy to hear you had such a wonderful day.

 

He didn't say he once lived there. I did see it and noticed what appeared to be a car that had been sitting there a long time in front on that smaller home. I believe the home you are referring to is right behind it but the access is the same driveway. He did say he lives not far from there. I had thought he might take us to his home but no one was there that day. His kids were in school on this day.

[Meshee]

We also recently did a best of Roatan private tour. We were on the Carnival Dream and visited Roatan on Feb 22nd. The Island of Roatan, was one of our favorite Islands, and this tour was the highlight of our cruise. Francisco, our guide, was Awesome! He gave us a great sightseeing tour of this beautiful Island and was very attentive & informative. We visited Victors Monkey Business where we interacted with the spider monkeys along with a few exotic birds. Our kids had lots of laughs with the monkeys and we took some great pictures. I highly recommend this tour and can't wait to visit this beautiful Island again soon.

[CanadianBaldGuy]

I've seen a lot of reviews for the "Best of Roatan" tours (and yes, I totally realize that "Best of Roatan" is the theme of the thread), but what about the "Fun-n-Sun" tour? My girlfriend and I are fairly easy to please (lol) and the simple tour of scenic views, some shopping, some monkeys, and the beach all sounds like a lot of fun to us.

 

So has anybody taken the basic tour? Is it worth the $25/pp?

Edited March 10, 2012 by CanadianBaldGuy

[melika091900]

I've seen a lot of reviews for the "Best of Roatan" tours (and yes, I totally realize that "Best of Roatan" is the theme of the thread), but what about the "Fun-n-Sun" tour? My girlfriend and I are fairly easy to please (lol) and the simple tour of scenic views, some shopping, some monkeys, and the beach all sounds like a lot of fun to us.

 

So has anybody taken the basic tour? Is it worth the $25/pp?

 

YES YES And yes

we just did it last week

 

amazing !! tour of the island, monkeys, and beach,,

 

best of everything

our guide was kenny.. he was awesome,

you will probably be with other people, but there were only 5 of us total

so worth it , you wont regret it!

[CanadianBaldGuy]

YES YES And yes

we just did it last week

 

amazing !! tour of the island, monkeys, and beach,,

 

best of everything

our guide was kenny.. he was awesome,

you will probably be with other people, but there were only 5 of us total

so worth it , you wont regret it!

 

Sounds awesome! Can't wait to go!

 

Thanks for commenting. :)

[lovevacadays]

He didn't say he once lived there. I did see it and noticed what appeared to be a car that had been sitting there a long time in front on that smaller home. I believe the home you are referring to is right behind it but the access is the same driveway. He did say he lives not far from there. I had thought he might take us to his home but no one was there that day. His kids were in school on this day.

 

Sounds like he moved out of the small house on the property since we were there. His kids were in school the day we visited too but he did go into his house and bring out one of his dogs and the other one was already outside. Either way, he provides such a personal tour. If I were to go back to Roatan I would do my best to plan my time there around the ability to book with Tex again.

[chadsjewel]

Just booked a VB tour for September, and will have Tex as our guide! We are zip lining in the morning and then I dont know what lol.

[lovevacadays]

Just booked a VB tour for September, and will have Tex as our guide! We are zip lining in the morning and then I dont know what lol.

 

Lucky, lucky you. We loved Tex and loved Roatan. Keep in mind it is not an island that is developed like St. Thomas. While it has become somewhat developed it is really about the beauty of the island. What other things do you like to do? You can also ask Tex for suggestions or get suggestions from Victor's website.

[knight2096]

I was in Roatan this pass friday on Carnival Legend. My wife and I and our two sons did the best of Roatan private tour. Our guide was Marty, great guy. We did sightseeing, went to see the monkeys (which my kids really loved) Then went to West Bay beach and had a great day swimming and relaxing. Marty was awesome, whenever I go back to Roatan and do Victor tours again, I will be asking for Marty. Great guy, great tour.

[chadsjewel]

Lucky, lucky you. We loved Tex and loved Roatan. Keep in mind it is not an island that is developed like St. Thomas. While it has become somewhat developed it is really about the beauty of the island. What other things do you like to do? You can also ask Tex for suggestions or get suggestions from Victor's website.

 

 

Im quite excited! We are not the really snorkeling type although we wouldnt be against trying it. We love nifty bars and little restaurants and seeing what the locals like to do etc. Im interested in hearing about the island and about our guide's lifestyle. Im thinking of maybe checking out the Butterfly Garden.

 

We are really just into seeing the island, away from Mahogany Bay, for a few hours and getting some great photo ops. I think Im going to let the day unfold as it may and see what happens!

[Athankfulheart]

Frankie was our guide last week and we highly recommend him.

[lovevacadays]

Im quite excited! We are not the really snorkeling type although we wouldnt be against trying it. We love nifty bars and little restaurants and seeing what the locals like to do etc. Im interested in hearing about the island and about our guide's lifestyle. Im thinking of maybe checking out the Butterfly Garden.

 

We are really just into seeing the island, away from Mahogany Bay, for a few hours and getting some great photo ops. I think Im going to let the day unfold as it may and see what happens!

 

That's exactly what we did. We let the day unfold, checked out the island, had some great photo ops, lovely lunch at the Half Moon Bay Resort. Best day ever.:)

[51Frazer]

That's exactly what we did. We let the day unfold, checked out the island, had some great photo ops, lovely lunch at the Half Moon Bay Resort. Best day ever.:)

 

That's the best way to enjoy yourself. Have maybe 2 or 3 key things you wish to take in and let the rest of the day runs its course. If your visit is too structured it could cause stress and unwanted rushing.

[Happyladi]

I just signed up for a private tour with Bodden's. I think our guide will be Howard. Anyone had him? I am hoping for an outgoing and knowledgable guide that speaks good English.

 

Any suggestions for fresh seafood for lunch?

Edited April 3, 2012 by Happyladi

[BayouGirlUSA]

I just signed up for a private tour with Bodden's. I think our guide will be Howard. Anyone had him? I am hoping for an outgoing and knowledgable guide that speaks good English.

 

Any suggestions for fresh seafood for lunch?

 

Tell your guide what you would like to eat and they will take you there. We told our guide we wanted to go to a "local" eating establishment and wanted to try iguana and have some conch. He took us to a little hole-in-the-wall place and it was very good! The cook came out and we told him we wanted the conch 2 different ways. We wanted conch fritters and also conch cerviche. We got it both ways and it was delicious. We had tons of food for a VERY reasonable price. The name of the place was called Berties and Miss B's.

 

Fresh seafood should not be a problem. Roatan has a very successful seafood industry and they do a lot of export business with Florida!

[Monkeylala]

Tell your guide what you would like to eat and they will take you there. We told our guide we wanted to go to a "local" eating establishment and wanted to try iguana and have some conch. He took us to a little hole-in-the-wall place and it was very good! The cook came out and we told him we wanted the conch 2 different ways. We wanted conch fritters and also conch cerviche. We got it both ways and it was delicious. We had tons of food for a VERY reasonable price. The name of the place was called Berties and Miss B's.

 

Fresh seafood should not be a problem. Roatan has a very successful seafood industry and they do a lot of export business with Florida!

So sorry to read that you were served something that is illegal on the Island and the conch that likely was illegally harvested as well.

Just to make sure all are on the same page, Roatan does not have a very successful seafood industry, It has been declining for years due to overfishing, Honduras does do well selling the majority of its lobster to a very popular chain in North America , Now if one does a little google search on the number of divers killed or left handicapped due to diving for the critters they may think twice before ordering .

I have posted a link below that tells some about the lobstering and the harm it causes, It is an older article and while some things such as seasonal dates and population have changed a bit, it gives a good description as to what these folks go through. A good friend of mine has two brothers, one is parapalegic the other quadropolegic (sp)? dues to diving for lobster. These are not dumb people but it is all many know and they are trying to provide for family and if they question a captain about safety they will lose their job to one of the dozens hoping to get on board a working boat

 

http://ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=22229

Edited April 13, 2012 by Monkeylala

[BayouGirlUSA]

So sorry to read that you were served something that is illegal on the Island and the conch that likely was illegally harvested as well.

Just to make sure all are on the same page, Roatan does not have a very successful seafood industry, It has been declining for years due to overfishing, Honduras does do well selling the majority of its lobster to a very popular chain in North America , Now if one does a little google search on the number of divers killed or left handicapped due to diving for the critters they may think twice before ordering .

I have posted a link below that tells some about the lobstering and the harm it causes, It is an older article and while some things such as seasonal dates and population have changed a bit, it gives a good description as to what these folks go through. A good friend of mine has two brothers, one is parapalegic the other quadropolegic (sp)? dues to diving for lobster. These are not dumb people but it is all many know and they are trying to provide for family and if they question a captain about safety they will lose their job to one of the dozens hoping to get on board a working boat

 

http://ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=22229

 

When I am told something by a local like Roatan having a very successful seafood industry, I really don't have any reason to doubt them! Why would someone blatantly lie to someone about that?

 

Also, as a tourist, how am I supposed to know what is illegal and not illegal? I would certainly hope the good people of Roatan would not steer a tourist in the wrong direction! I have read many of your posts and you are the cheerleader :rolleyes:!