Victor Bodden guide/driver recommendations? (MERGED THREADS)

[5seamama]

We were going to book Tex for our upcoming Bodden Tour and he is already "booked" :(

 

Who else would you recommend next if Tex wasn't available??

 

Thank you!

 

We were on Roatan January 22, 2014. Our driver was Lany and he was great! He showed us around the island and gave us a narrative tour and told us a lot about their culture. We had a booked a private tour so first went to watch some people zip line (we didn't want to do it ourselves but enjoyed watching), he took us grocery shopping and then to an orphanage we had asked Victor about in advance, then to West Bay beach at Bananarama where we walked the beach and had lunch. From there we went to Victor's place and paid for our tour and back to the ship. It was an overcast rainy day so we didn't get to spend as much time at the beach as we would have liked but the island is a great place to visit and I definitely would recommend Lany to any who will be visiting there.

[5seamama]

Hi , thank you for your very nice review of your tour. Could you please tell me, what "Mayan Eden" is? Also, you mentioned stopping at a restaurant for lunch which was 'local' and inexpensive ..... what did you eat there and what was the name of the restaurant?

\thanks again for the information ... I believe it is exactly what we plan to do.

 

marise

 

We had Lany as our tour guide just last week. I wish I were back on Roatan! I can't help you with your question about "Mayan Eden" but we did have lunch and a couple of drinks at the Bananrama beach bar and grill on West Bay beach. The bill came to $30, my husband and I shared a plate of chicken nachos, each had a drink and we bought Lany lunch too. Enjoy!

[libno]

We had Lany as our tour guide just last week. I wish I were back on Roatan! I can't help you with your question about "Mayan Eden" but we did have lunch and a couple of drinks at the Bananrama beach bar and grill on West Bay beach. The bill came to $30, my husband and I shared a plate of chicken nachos, each had a drink and we bought Lany lunch too. Enjoy!

 

5seamama the cruise is looking more enjoyable by the day;) thanks for your informative info re your tour. It will give us an idea of what to do.

 

marise

[LetTheGoodTimesCruise]

Hi , thank you for your very nice review of your tour. Could you please tell me, what "Mayan Eden" is? Also, you mentioned stopping at a restaurant for lunch which was 'local' and inexpensive ..... what did you eat there and what was the name of the restaurant?

\thanks again for the information ... I believe it is exactly what we plan to do.

 

marise

 

Mayan Eden Eco-Park is is nature park with some Mayan culture thrown in. It is a sanctuary of animals, birds, there was a butterfly enclosure and some replicas of ancient Mayan sculptures. We were able to hold a couple of the monkeys and a lemur (we passed on the snake!). A guide took us through the walking path and gave us history and cultural information along the way. I think we paid around $6 each to get in. It is not very big so it may not appeal to someone who is looking for a ton of things to see for hours. We were there about an hour and it was just right for us because we didn't want to spend too long at any place so that we could have time to fit in as much as possible. About the restaurant we stopped at - I really should write things down because I honestly don't know the name. We weren't looking to stop and eat at some expensive resort area with a magnificent view of the ocean or anything. We just wanted something simple, quick, inexpensive and I'm sure any guide will be able to find something similar. We asked our guide to take us to where he would go for lunch. We ate a very traditional cultural dish of rice/beans, chicken, fried bananas and it was delicious. The three of had all had the same dish with drinks and it was very cheap at around $21US. It was a good portion and enough to recharge us for the rest of the day.

[lornajones]

We've used Jorge 'Pilo' twice he is awesome. He even took us by his house and meet some family members!

Edited February 16, 2014 by lornajones

[Saltz]

We've just booked a private tour in June for four and have been assigned Tex. June cannot get here fast enough! The kids are super excited. We picked island tour, monkeys, shopping, and the beach. Hopefully, we will be able to see the dolphins that others have mentioned seeing when with Tex. That'd be an amazing bonus!

 

 

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[Holly2]

I'm so glad Tex is still there. You will have a great time. We saw the dolphins from his dock. We brought school supplies and he took a picture of the children with the supplies and sent it to us. A great guy. Also showed me where to get a better price on bowls being sold on the beach :).

[Remus2010]

Think his name was Francisco. He is Victors brother. Really liked him.

 

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[mnsweeps]

My 9 yr old daughter opens up and is comfortable with female guides(we have taken her on may tours before) ...so I picked up a few names here and on TA ...Have anyone had one of these guides? Joanna, Elyn , Anna, Janet ..They all seem to be good.

[FloridaMomma]

We were on the Carnival Dream last week for our kids' spring break. I booked "Tex" with Victor Bodden months ago. We had such an amazing day in Roatan. It is beautiful, and Tex was awesome. I admit, I was nervous about being out and about in Roatan. We didn't have any issues at all. There are some pics in my review (link in my signature). If you have an questions, please feel free to ask. I highly recommend his company and if you can request him in time, try to ask for Tex!

[disgirl]

thanks for the review on Bodden and the pics!

We are booked with them in 5 weeks and cant wait :)

[Cruise Envy]

We were on the Carnival Dream last week for our kids' spring break. I booked "Tex" with Victor Bodden months ago. We had such an amazing day in Roatan. It is beautiful, and Tex was awesome. I admit, I was nervous about being out and about in Roatan. We didn't have any issues at all. There are some pics in my review (link in my signature). If you have an questions, please feel free to ask. I highly recommend his company and if you can request him in time, try to ask for Tex!

 

Thanks for the review -- we have Tex booked in November!

[Eeyoregon]

Hi, all.. We have booked a 25+ passenger vehicle with Victor and have our driver set, but am looking for info on the following guides, who Victor tells me are available. Anyone know anything about Liona, Annie or Dallia? Any info would be greatly appreciated!!

 

I had Miss Annie in 2010 and have her booked again next week. Very kind woman that makes you feel at home. By the end of our tour we had finally convinced her to join us for lunch at Foster's and we had a great time dining with her. I think she was trying not to be intrusive but we really wanted her to join us (we were getting tired of each other, lol) and I'm glad she did.

 

Gina

[GPop&Nana]

Thanks for the review -- we have Tex booked in November!

 

After reading these I am so excited. We have Tex booked for this July:D

[macaroni]

Does anyone have any favorites for us to request???

[crewsweeper]

Tex is the most requested.

[girlscruise2011]

Does anyone have any favorites for us to request???

 

Tex is the most requested.

 

I 2nd Tex. He is one of the best but book him early. He's very popular for that reason.

[Saltz]

We booked Tex in Feb for our upcoming cruise in June.

 

 

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[Saltz]

My family had a private Victor Bodden tour last year with Tex and it was AMAZING.

 

 

 

We'll be back in Roatan in six weeks (last minute cruise) and I booked another private tour. As expected, Tex was already assigned to another group. I was told that our tour guide would be Rick. I haven't seen any feedback on him.

 

 

 

Has anybody taken a private tour with Rick? How is he?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATE: Ok, I found some good reviews on Tripadvisor. Feeling better about Rick!!! Can't wait for another day in Roatan. It's my favorite port!

 

 

What was your opinion of Rick? I just received an email that Tex would be out of the country for 3 months and they are switching my guide to Rick.

 

 

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[shoppingfever]

We had Tex last week and he said we were the last ones for awhile because he is coming to work in the US. This was by far our favorite port and our favorite excursion that we did on our cruise. By the end of our tour, he felt like family to us. He took us around and even stopped by two grocery stores because the prices for coffee and vanilla were better than any stand set up anywhere. We LOVED the monkeys at Victor's!

 

I highly recommend this tour and give a huge thanks to others that reviewed it prior to us booking!

[Holly2]

Did Tex say where he will be and what he will be doing? I'd love a chance to show HIM around, but no monkeys.

[cyndi_at_home]

Hi, All! I thought I would post this here since this thread helped me decide to do Victor Bodden. I sent the following email to them when they requested a review:

 

Hi! I am sorry this took so long, but have been on the road a lot. We were in Roatan Feb 27, 2014. George was our driver. He was personable, but not great at listening to what we wanted. I would use your company again, but would specifically ask for places we wanted to go. I had done this same type of thing in Jamaica and he took us to a local restaurant his family ate at and places he shopped (as well as a couple of places to buy souvenirs). George knew a lot about the island and was able to answer our questions which was great. He took us back to the ship 3 hours before we had to be back. We would have like to see more of the tourist area around West End. I told him that while we were eating, but he kept saying it was touristy. I would have still liked to have seen it. I thought that was where we were headed until we were almost back at the ship. My in depth review and pictures are posted at:

http://www.galatitravel.com/Jewel_Feb_2014_Roatan.html

Thanks,

Cyndi

[shoppingfever]

Did Tex say where he will be and what he will be doing? I'd love a chance to show HIM around, but no monkeys.

 

 

 

He was not exactly sure but thought somewhere on the NC or SC coast. We told him we would love to play tour guide for him, too! lol We exchanged emails and hopefully will hear from him in the next couple of months.

[LParente]

Is Tex expected back? We have him booked for August. Wondering if I should request somebody else rather than ending up with a last minute replacement.

 

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Edited April 24, 2014 by LParente

[GPop&Nana]

Is Tex expected back? We have him booked for August. Wondering if I should request somebody else rather than ending up with a last minute replacement.

 

We had Tex booked in July - got an email from Victor last week explaining that Tex had taken a job in the US and would be gone for 3 months. He reassigned us to Rick. I would assume that if you need to be rescheduled Victor will do it; perhaps Tex plans to be back in time for your tour.:D