Private tours in Roatan

Can anyone suggest/recommend a tour company that provides private tours in Roatan? There's just 2 of us but we like to take leisurely trips around the island, making stops at the highpoints.

Talked about frequently....Victor Bodden and Rony are probably the top two....

We LOVE Rony. We've used him several times. I love to stop for photos when I see something interesting. He's great about stopping anywhere I like(my family - not so thrilled with all the photo stops). It's great having a private driver. You will have a great day with Rony!

Less talked about is Theris Dixon's Tours, we've enjoyed 2 tours with them, very personal and private, and our last tour we (2 couples) had Carmel and she was wonderful. We were treated more like family than welcome guests and the vehicle was comfortable and clean.

Here's our last report if interested, we highly recommend Dixon Tours and Carmel if available but other guides are also excellent and speak great English -

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g292019-d1444486-r195118238-Theris_Dixon_s_Isla_Roatan_day_tours-Roatan_Bay_Islands.html#REVIEWS

If you want more even more pampering At Your Service is more a concierage service and will have drinks (beer, water, wine) at your disposal for a slightly higher fee.

theconcierge@atyourserviceroatan.com

We have booked tours right off the ship at Coxen Hole and Mahogany Bay for around 35.00 ea. I like flexibility and not having to worry about a meet up time. If you walk out of the pier complex you can negotiate your price.

The great thing about booking ahead with Dixon tours or another highly-regarded outfit is you know the guide is going to be excellent. We just grab a driver at port in many other destinations, here we like Dixon and so we book ahead. We were switched to another port at the very last minute and Carmel was there waiting for us!

We are just back from Carnival Magic in May of 2014, and we had a wonderful private tour in Roatan by Channin Bodden Tours.

Though repeatedly warned by Carnival not to leave the port area without being accompanied by a Carnival excursion guide, we walked a short distance through the port, though a green gate, then immediately saw tons of taxi and tour guide operators waiting for their charges. We saw Channin holding up a sign with his name, and easily found him.

We all piled into an air conditioned van, into which the seven of us and Channin comfortably fit. He had an ice chest with cold drinks waiting on us, too. For an hour or two he simply drove us around the island and showed us some interesting sights. He was incredibly informative and gave us a wonderful oral history about his country. We stopped and did a little shopping from some local artisans, visited a couple of scenic photo ops, then finally arrived at West Beach where his uncle was waiting for us with a boat.

Channin had snorkeling equipment ready for each of us. The only complaint had had for the whole experience was that I noticed there were only two life vests in the boat - but then I remembered that I wasn't in the lawsuit happy US anymore! We spent the next couple of hours snorkeling in various spots and riding along the beautiful coastline. The snorkeling was literally breathtaking. We saw fish that looked like they were straight out of a crayola box. We saw turtles, coral, even a small piranha!

We really worked up an appetite, so we were more than ready to eat when we arrived at Foster's on the beach for lunch. We chowed down on fish and lobster tacos, guacamole, kabobs - a real feast! It wasn't cheap, but definitely delicious. And the Monkey Lala Coco drinks were worth their weight in gold. I must find the recipe!! Channin's delightful wife even joined us for lunch.

We had a lovely day in Roatan, and I would highly recommend Channin Bodden Tours! It was inexpensive, very informative, and we felt incredibly safe the whole time. He and his wife speak perfect English, and he was college educated in the United States. He even took us by his home and got mangos for my children straight from his garden.

He charged us $25 each for the tour, plus $25 each for the snorkeling. Well worth it!! He will cater his tour to whatever you guys want to do. Have fun!

Look Channin up on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chann...18099841574553

email:channin@channinboddentours.com

(not sure if CC allows me to post that)

Gosh, everyone says something different! lol - We used Victor Bodden and it was great! We really wanted to go to the "hole in the wall" bar and they dove us all the way out there, arranged for a boat to pick us up and hung out a bit. We stopped at a market and picked up some beers while he drove us around and played tour guide. We told him to take us to a place that he likes to eat at and it was jsut the buffet in a local grocery store, but oh my goodness it was good (and cheap). I really felt like he was giving us a great local experience. We did a snorkeling stop and then went to the west end for some beach time (the waters were wonderful). On the way back he stopped by this lady on the side of the road that he buys bread and treats from. I really could not have asked for a better experience and for the price it was phenomenal. HIGHLY recommended

Gosh, everyone says something different! lol - We used Victor Bodden and it was great!

Yes, there are several tour guide options on Roatan as compared to some larger islands. Very much like Dominica in that regard.

We try to use smaller outfits wherever we go and had learned of Theris Dixon while researching our first visit to Roatan. We've been very happy with that outfit and so naturally stayed with them. Carmel is just a sweetheart and made us feel like family this last trip. We are interested in Roatan as 1 of 4 retirement choices, and we learned so much more about living on Roatan from Carmel. And when we left she and the girls actually cried!

My friend and I used Victor Bodden tours back in 2009. Tex was our guide. He was amazing. My friend was not a beach person so we did more of an island highlights tour and lunch.

It was a fabulous day.:):):)

When you know where you want to go, taking a taxi is often the best thing to do. :)

LuLu

We booked a private tour through this organization http://www.shoretrips.com/ and were really pleased. Great time.

We found Channin Bodden on Trip Advisor and contacted him about planning a day for us. He was easy to reach via email - and very responsive! He gave some suggestions and told us that they would be flexible and waiting for us at the Mahogany Bay dock - whenever we arrived. After getting off the ship we walked a short distance and found him waiting for us with a sign - very easy to find! His wife Kimberly was taking us out for the day and she had cold water for us and a nice air conditioned car. She gave a very informative tour of the island and she took us to a nice private spot on the beach where we didn't have to hang with the rest of the cruise ship passengers. She was very, very easy to talk to and took great care with us to make sure we were comfortable and had everything we needed. They made our safety a priority - although we never felt afraid...some of the reports you hear about safety issues are exaggerated - if you go with a reputable tour company like Channin - they will make sure that you are safe, taken care of and back to the ship on time - without issue! The price was reasonable for 4 adults and the day was very enjoyable. We were going to do zip line but decided we wanted to just relax on the beach as we ziplined the last time we were here. Kimberly has done most of the ziplines on the island - so she can take you to the best ones based on her own personal experience. We met up with Channin at the beach in the afternoon and he had been out with a group on their boat - snorkeling. I would enjoy doing that if we get back to Roatan. The water is absolutely beautiful and the beach has nice white sand! They are both very sweet people and I whole-heartedly recommend them if you want to have someone take you around the island - give you great history - take you to beaches or ziplining or out on their boat - whatever you want to do - they will make it easy and enjoyable for you. We have been on 14 cruises and visited many islands - the cruise ships tell you to be afraid to take these private tours...don't be afraid, this is their business, and they will make sure that you are happy, safe and returned to the ship on time! Have FUN!!

last trip Roatan took Upachaya snorkeling trip. for $65 they picked us up and took us to their eco-resort. we went on the best snorkeling trip I've ever taken, and I've taken many. On return we had a meal and then on the way back to the ship we stopped at a local market. This felt like a heartfelt non-rip off excursion and I recommend it to anyone.

By renting a private taxi for $25-30pp you can go wherever you want on the island. This is good if you know what you want to do in Roatan, and if you don't, the taxi driver will have good recommendations. Whatever you do in Roatan, book an excursion and go out and see the island. When you get out of the port gates there are plenty of tours and taxis available at a better rate and will be much more enjoyable than a tour through the cruise line.

We used Victor Bodden Tours (Tex) last October and had a wonderful time! Five of us did the private tour. We included Ziplining, general sightseeing, and even a stop at the local grocery store to get some Honduran coffee. Price was very reasonable and everyone in our group was glad we chose this way to spend our day in port.

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