Victor Bodden guide/driver recommendations? (MERGED THREADS)

[tkat]

Just have to add that the tour we did with Victor Bodden was amazing! we were a group of 5 ladies, l one legally blind, we explained she can see but it's blurry so we take pictures which she later looks at on a big screen to see. They paid extra attention to her so she didn't fall & get hurt and instead of pointing to something they told her to look left or right. We did the monkeys at his home, Oscar, our teenage guide, was amazing. He would hold her hand to guide her, took her camera to get good shots for her and would tell her, "stay here" he would go into a cage, take pictures of the animals and then come back and get her and continue on. For such a young man he was very respectful, informative and polite. Ruppert was our driver and Leona our guide, they managed to show us some amazing parts of the island, laughed with us, gave us great history of the island and made sure we saw everything we wanted to and made it back to the boat on time. Would highly recommend this tour!

[crayphish]

Thank you so much for the Bodden tour info. I would guess he's the William Lawson from merida/progresso of roatan. Woo hoo!

 

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[Cruise Envy]

We had Tex on Thanksgiving day, in the pouring rain. He was a great guide. He knew alot about the island, answered questions my sons had, and took us wherever we asked to go. We stopped for some local food, which was delicious, and stopped at a grocery store for bottled water & some kind of banana soft drink. I would repeat Victor Bodden again, and I would ask for Tex again!

[Burtonrider726]

We had Jorge last week. We didn't book ahead of time and was a bit nervous heading down through all the masses. Through our talks it looks like he had been requested quite often and was a hot commodity. We enjoyed our time with Jorge, but I felt all we did was drive around the island and he pointed our buildings. He took us to west end to snorkel instead of west bay. It would have been nice to be told where to look for the coral instead of just dropping us off. Maybe it is my fault for not asking more questions, but I felt like it was just a job for him on this day and not the story telling I would have liked. Half the time we had no idea where we were headed and he just drove us around. Anyway, we ended up comin. Back with over two hours or more hours to spare and he took our payment and left. Coming from the tour in costa maya with Ivan, native choice tours, I was really disappointed. I did get to meet victor, but it was just a handshake.

[Pyrate13]

We just returned and also had Jorge. I must say our experience was much different from the prior posters, we loved him, very informative and friendly, we had a great time and would definitely use as well as recommend him again. Took us everywhere we wanted to go as well as additional sites that he suggested.

 

As others have said, pay the two bucks a person for the taxi to meet your driver, that hill is a killer and loaded with venders/drivers trying to get your business.

[CharlotteNCCruiser]

Victor was easy to contact via his website and always emailed me back promptly when I had any questions. We got off the ship and it was easy to find his booth at the pier based on the email that he sent the prior week. Vision of the Seas docks at a different pier and there was no walk up a hill. They have a booth to the right after you walk away from the ship. I believe there was a sign that said excursions and as soon as we turned right his was the first booth. As soon as we checked in we were handed over to William our guide for the day. We had booked the group excursion, but ended up in a van alone which was an unexpected bonus. He drove us directly to the zipline and monkey area. We were joined at the ziplines by another family of four, but it was so nice to only have 8 of us doing the ziplines at one time. The guys who worked there were great and we really had a good time. It was much better than the zipline excursions that we have done with the cruiselines where there are 50-100 people on the excursion. We were able to buy all of our pictures on a disc for $20. We then were taken on a tour of the animals and we got to feed and hold various monkeys and birds. William then took us to the beach where my daughter and I parasailed. William arranged our 4 chairs and two umbrellas with a vendor. I think it was $10 for the two umbrellas, but the chairs were included with the admission fee that was included with our tour. The parasailing was fun. The bar was close, but very busy and service was slow. The beach was a bit crowded with a lot of vendors asking us to buy various things. We had told William we would be ready to leave at 3 and a soon as we walked up the stairs he was there to take us back to the van. We got back to the ship in plenty of time and we had a great day. We would definitely do this or another of Bodden's excursions again.

[AryMay]

Victor was easy to contact via his website and always emailed me back promptly when I had any questions. He drove us directly to the zipline and monkey area. We were joined at the ziplines by another family of four, but it was so nice to only have 8 of us doing the ziplines at one time. The guys who worked there were great and we really had a good time. It was much better than the zipline excursions that we have done with the cruiselines where there are 50-100 people on the excursion. We were able to buy all of our pictures on a disc for $20. We then were taken on a tour of the animals and we got to feed and hold various monkeys and birds.

 

Can you give any details on the zipline? How long? How high?

 

We have been on a zipline in Costa Rica that was 13 stations and WAAAAAAYYYY up in the air. I'm just wondering if you thought Victor's zipline was exciting?

[RogueMonk]

We had Anthony (Tony) for our tour last week. We loved it. Tony was great. Highly recommended. Friendly, easy-going, answered all our questions, explained things as we went. Highly recommended.

[airlinerob]

Hi,

 

I have Anthony. Has anyone had him?

 

It's my first time touring Roatan. Is it possible to just do a city tour without add ons like zip lining? I just want to see the city.

 

Robert

 

 

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[JJean]

We went on the sun and fun tour last week. We had Kenny for the driver and he was very good. There were only4 of us so we got an early start and seems like we saw most of the island Kenny was very informative and we spent just the time we wanted at the beach and then it started raining. I would recommend this trip.

[TxLnghrnz]

Hi,

 

I have Anthony. Has anyone had him?

 

It's my first time touring Roatan. Is it possible to just do a city tour without add ons like zip lining? I just want to see the city.

 

Robert

 

 

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Check the review right above your question... It looks like they had Anthony (Post #683.)

Edited January 19, 2015 by TxLnghrnz

[c-leg5]

Hi,

 

I have Anthony. Has anyone had him?

 

It's my first time touring Roatan. Is it possible to just do a city tour without add ons like zip lining? I just want to see the city.

 

Robert

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

I believe the "sun and fun" tour is a shared tour without zip lining. If you have particular places you want to visit you would need a private tour which you could customize. Pleases note Roatan does not have a CITY to tour, not sure if you mean general island tour?

 

I would suggest you look at the options on Bodden website and some of the suggestions on other regularly used tour operators like Rony or Island Marketing to see what is available on Roatan and where you might be interested in spending your time.

[serene56]

It's my first time touring Roatan. Is it possible to just do a city tour without add ons like zip lining? I just want to see the city.s

 

without the zip its only 30. and while people are ziplining you are visiting his monkey farm

[ren58]

We just got back from our cruise and we toured Roatan with Victor. Our guide was Rupert and he was great. We had been there before so we knew what we wanted to do and what we didn't. Rupert took us right where we wanted to go. There was 4 of us, but only 2 wanted to zip-line. The other 2 sat on Victor's front porch and used his free Wi-Fi to communicate with home. The zip-line was great with about 10 to 15 stations (I didn't count them). We had a choice of high or low and we chose low. It was not a bit crowded and we could take our time and enjoy the scenery. The 3 young men that went with us, (2 for the zip-line and 1 to take pictures) were great. They were very respectful, even to an old lady like me (56). They put all the pictures they took onto a CD and sold it to us for $20. They were pretty good pictures too! We got to meet Victor as well. I would highly recommend Victor's company!

[jdqtravelstheworld]

Husband and I did a Victor Bodden tour last week while sailing on RCI Navigator of the Seas. Joanna was our guide. We booked a private tour and added the zipline, Monkey Business, Iguana Farm and local lunch. Joanna was great! She drove us from one end of the island to the other and showed us lots of sights. We went first to ziplining since we wanted to avoid possible rain. It was fun, safe and they had a photographer whose pictures were well worth the money for the disc ($20). The whole day cost us much less than the ship's excursion and we got a much more personalized view of Roatan. Wouldn't change a thing except to return and do more with Bodden!

[hcomputers]

We took this tour in January 2015

 

Very prompt Pick-up. Driver was very courteous and knowledgeable. We visited many places prior to our stop at the Zip line and Beach. Once at the Zip Line, we were promptly suited up and taken on a private zip line experience. As we have done this zip line many times before, we were especially surprised at the 3 new lines they installed. 250' High and over 1100' feet long. We got to do flips and hang upside down. Very safe and the guides were always there to assist us and teach us new tricks. After the zip line we were given a tour of the Monkeys and other animals there. It was fun to interact with the animals. We were then taken to Bananarama at the beach where we were taken on our para-sailing adventure. There were four of us and we did 2 tandem para-sails. It was so peaceful high up in the air and the dip in the ocean was awesome. The guides were very professional and made sure we were safe and secure. The only negative comments I can give are that free bottled water would have been nice and that there were a threesome on the para-sailing boat with us that had no regard for children being present as they flaunted their bodies and made suggestive moves in front of us. However, that incident should have no reflection on Bodden Tours as it was not under their control.

[passthru]

Can you give any details on the zipline? How long? How high?

 

We have been on a zipline in Costa Rica that was 13 stations and WAAAAAAYYYY up in the air. I'm just wondering if you thought Victor's zipline was exciting?

 

There is no zip line like the one you probably went on in Costa Rica. Victor's island tour is a lot of fun, but the zip line leaves a bit to be desired. It is hard to keep yourself going straight like you can on most zip lines. Your tend to twist and turn, but it is fun!

[jdqtravelstheworld]

There is no zip line like the one you probably went on in Costa Rica. Victor's island tour is a lot of fun, but the zip line leaves a bit to be desired. It is hard to keep yourself going straight like you can on most zip lines. Your tend to twist and turn, but it is fun!

 

My husband and I had not zipped before so this was great for us. Twelve platforms and most not too high. There was an option to go higher and longer, but as novices we opted to do the lower platform. Yes, you turn around but I regarded that as a better way to view things. It was fun.

[roadkillbill]

did the $30 fun n sun and our guide was Olen. We were in a nice van and Olen was polite and took us around the island including the peak. the peak had vendors there and we stayed a while (could've cut that in half). We saw some very poor neighborhoods and the roads were terrible. But then we went to Bodden's monkey farm which we enjoyed. The real estate around there was very nice. After that, we went to Bananarama beach which was pretty good, although crowded. We asked for some shade and got an umbrella which really helped. Olen was supposed to be watching our stuff while we snorkelled and nothing was disturbed. The best snorkelling was further down the beach, but we did see some fish. Overall, it was a nice day. Olen stopped by the pharmacy for one of the other guests in the van.

[4 charlies angels]

Bodden tours was a great experience. Great guide and we were able to personalize our trip with the private tour option. I recommend this tour company to anyone going to Roatan.

[rover68]

We took best of Roatan tour and Lionel was the driver. He knew his history and was very informative. Victor's email gave us specific directions and we felt our tour was great. A fellow passenger took a taxi and was dropped off and had to find his way back to the Vision of the Seas and was late. the ship docked at Coxen Hole which was originally a fishing village. there had been a storm and beach was being raked to get rid of sea grass which came ashore. It looked very labor intensive. You get a 360* view from Cyndies point and was a great photo opportunity. I bought 16 ounces of vanilla for $5 from one of the vendors there.

It was interesting to see the details on the cameos. I learned you can tell real from fake if it is translucent.

[orangepawlady]

We sailed on NCL's Sun which included a port call on Roatan. Used Victor's tour service and was very pleased. Our guide was George Martinez. George is a native of Roatan and knew everything about the island. Also, George worked 18 years with Carnival Cruise Line beginning during Carnivals initial year of start up in 1972. George's drive around the island included a private residence with unrestricted views of both sides of the island. Also we visited a community flea market with local craftsmen. Would highly recommend this tour and will do it again on my next visit.

[Bonnielass]

We have just returned from our cruise on the Vision of the Seas. We picked Victor Bodden as a lot of the reviews were positive.

We had a lovely tour, the driver was careful and the tour guide informative. Regrettably she did not conclude the tour as she was taken unwell, i hope she is ok.

We felt safe at all times and would recommend Victor Bodden tours.

[macaroni]

We took best of Roatan tour and Lionel was the driver. He knew his history and was very informative. Victor's email gave us specific directions and we felt our tour was great. A fellow passenger took a taxi and was dropped off and had to find his way back to the Vision of the Seas and was late. the ship docked at Coxen Hole which was originally a fishing village. there had been a storm and beach was being raked to get rid of sea grass which came ashore. It looked very labor intensive. You get a 360* view from Cyndies point and was a great photo opportunity. I bought 16 ounces of vanilla for $5 from one of the vendors there.

It was interesting to see the details on the cameos. I learned you can tell real from fake if it is translucent.

 

Ask to be taken to the grocery store...we got the vanilla for around $1.50....

[bettyboop16]

We have just returned from our cruise on the Vision of the Seas. We picked Victor Bodden as a lot of the reviews were positive.

We had a lovely tour, the driver was careful and the tour guide informative. Regrettably she did not conclude the tour as she was taken unwell, i hope she is ok.

We felt safe at all times and would recommend Victor Bodden tours.

 

We were on that tour also & was wondering how Delia is doing. (tour guide)

I really enjoyed West Bay :) would have liked to have stayed there longer. West Bay punch was too good :D