Banana Coast Trujillo

[Wannahavefun4]

I don't believe Trujillo is a bad place. Its actually a nice place. The trash that I was talking about was in some non tourist areas. It had washed up because of the tropical storm. We were just mislead and told we would see certain things on the private tour that we booked. I believe if we would have done something else in Trujillo that we would have been perfectly happy. We were upset because our tour guides promised star fish and other various things. We didn't see any starfish and our kids were upset. We knew another family on the Norwegion tour that did see Starfish and were happy with their snorkeling experience.

[Levanah]

I don't believe Trujillo is a bad place. Its actually a nice place. The trash that I was talking about was in some non tourist areas. It had washed up because of the tropical storm. We were just mislead and told we would see certain things on the private tour that we booked. I believe if we would have done something else in Trujillo that we would have been perfectly happy. We were upset because our tour guides promised star fish and other various things. We didn't see any starfish and our kids were upset. We knew another family on the Norwegion tour that did see Starfish and were happy with their snorkeling experience.

 

I can understand your disappointment -- especially for the kids! Hopefully, there will be another starfish adventure for them in the near future ;) I think it's going to take several more sailings before these kinds of problems with tours and excursions are sorted out.

[Wannahavefun4]

We have been offered a full refund for what happened to us on the banana coast in Trujillo. They are supposed to be mailing us a check for what happened. I'll let you know when we receive it. If this happens we will do business with their company in the future I'm sure

[jingle5616]

We have been offered a full refund for what happened to us on the banana coast in Trujillo. They are supposed to be mailing us a check for what happened. I'll let you know when we receive it. If this happens we will do business with their company in the future I'm sure

 

Victor is a good guy. He offered me a refund as well but I declined. I had a great time even though not a star fish was found (sand dollars are almost a starfish!). He also said he would be in town the next few cruises to make sure things got off to a better start. His tours in Roatan are very good and I'm sure he wants Trujillo to be a success as well. I wouldn't hesitate to use Victor again, though I might not chose the snorkeling in Trujillo again.

[Susie51]

I appreciate all of the info from so many CCers on this thread. I didn't realize the town center wasn't near the dock. I will be in Trujillo in Dec. as well as Tanyaheart.

[danfiveoh]

The town center is walkable from the dock (I'm guessing it would be 15 minutes). We grabbed a cab because my wife uses a cane. Also, as far as snorkeling goes, from the beach area it did not look like a good option, especially given the other two stops (Cozumel and Belize) which have great snorkeling. I'll also chime in that we've used Victor in Roatan and he was great. Probably going to take him a bit to get things running smoothly in Trujillo.

[mommy1122]

how did you get to the beach? What was the cost? Did you pay there or did you book online? We are going March 25.

thank you,

[tanyaheart]

how did you get to the beach? What was the cost? Did you pay there or did you book online? We are going March 25.

thank you,

 

I recommend Banana Beach Resort. They have a bus that picks you up just outside the port gate. Beautiful beach, fantastic food, pool, etc. http://www.bananabeachbums.com

[hawk1972]

We did the Starfish excursion with Victor Bodden in Trujillo on the Jewel in January. We joined a group that we met through our Roll Call.

There were 7 of us in the group plus two people who joined us.

We walked the short distance to the VB booth outside the port area, paid $35 pp and then waited in the El Delfin Restaurant for about 15-20 minutes until our trip was ready.

The people in the El Delfin were very nice. They have rest rooms and showers that we used when we came back from the excursion. We ate lunch there after.

 

We boarded a fairly small (but adequate) boat with an outboard motor for the trip. Our guide was a 16-year old young man who had recently been hired to help. He was from Roatan. I was impressed that he led us in a prayer before we set off. There was an older man who drove the boat and a young man who helped. Our guide was the only English speaker.

 

We traveled across the bay and stopped on the sandbar right next to the floating platform where the NCL excursion went. We (my wife and I) had our own snorkeling gear which we purchased for this and future trips. VB provided gear for those who didn't have it. The price was the same. We weren't expecting a lot -- we just wanted to snorkel some more. We had gone snorkeling at Chankanaab in Cozumel and wanted to try our new gear one more time. There weren't many starfish. I saw probably 3-5 different ones. Sometimes it was hard to tell if you found one that you had left and come back to later. I've never handled live starfish before. I thought they would be softer -- these were about as rigid as the dead one I bought at the beach in Texas several years ago. We laughed about whether these were "plants" that had been placed there just for the tourists. Some people found sand dollars.

 

Overall it was okay -- as I said, I wasn't expecting much. We knew it was a sandbar, not a coral reef. There wouldn't be a lot to look at. We snorkeled for probably an hour or a little longer. Everyone seemed to have a good time. We came back and showered and ate lunch at El Delfin, then did some shopping in the local shops and port area before returning to the ship.

 

About the tendering process: the ship was encouraging people to get off the boat, so they didn't require tender tickets if you left before 9:30 am. We got on one of those early tenders at about 8 am. There was only a short wait for the return trip. The weather was fairly nice so we didn't have to put up with rain or big waves, although the people sitting at the front of the tender/lifeboat did get soaked once or twice because the window was open.

[tanyaheart]

Our tendering in December was rough. Big waves and one life boat even bottomed out. A mechanic had to go out and make repairs to get them back to the ship. Everyone on the tender received free specialty restaurant and wine.

 

Our tender in February was smooth as silk. No problems whatsoever.

 

FYI on shopping. "Made in Honduras" is an artisan coop with all handmade goods and fair trade products. Ask any taxi and they will take you there. The prices are amazing. Too inexpensive if you ask me. I got the most beautiful gifts and the ladies that made them were present. They had bags of Honduran coffee for $5 each. Take cash!!!! No credit cards accepted. They do not even have electricity.

 

The market in town is okay but not all handmade. Mass produced souvenirs but there is a booth with people hand rolling cigars.

 

The port area shopping is expensive, mainly because they have to pay $1200 a month to set up their shop.

[mommy1122]

Thank you!