Victor Bodden guide/driver recommendations? (MERGED THREADS)

[PrincessTammyOhio]

We booked the fun n sun tour through Bodden tours for our June 3rd 2015. We were met close to the cruise port as promised, and that's where we began a very nice day thanks to Lany at Bodden tours. Lany was very outgoing and catered to our wishes in every way all day long. We had a couple requests for certain souvenirs that we were interested in getting while in Honduras and he knew right where to take us. We felt completely safe the entire day.

The funnest time of the day was the monkeys. we enjoyed this very much. He took us to the beach club (where it rained and rained) but we didn't let it ruin our fun. Lany did not drop us and leave us , he stayed at the beach with us and I have to say it was nice knowing he was looking out for us as a local at the beach club tried to take advantage of us and Lany stopped it immediately! Turns out it was Lanys Bday so we invited him to eat lunch with us. (Highlight of our day to be honest) as we were able to learn about Honduras and the people that call Honduras home. This is the best part of traveling in our book. He was so sweet and kind even when we were soaking wet from the downpours and decided to call it a day , and didn't hesitate us getting in the vehicle in this state. lol

I honestly cannot recommend this tour company enough! They truly do go the extra mile for us and we appreciate that.

[beachmom24]

RONALD!!ASK FOR RONALD!

To set the stage...there were 8 family members in our group. Myself and my husband (early 50's), my sister and her husband (early 60's), two of our kids (20/22) and our parents (89/78). I list the ages so you can get a feel for how we compare to your party.

That said...sightseeiing excursion was FABULOUS! Easy to book online, very easy to meet them once we got off the ship and it was just a short walk to the kiosk where we gave them our name and confirmation number and then short walk from there to the van.

Our driver was Ronald (Ronald McDonald is what he said to make it easy to remember)...he was a joy! Very kind, patient and totally intent on only doing what we wanted to do. There was no pressure to do paying stuff, etc. The van was comfortable, air conditioned and in great condition.

We mentioned wanting to zip line and he called and checked to see what that line looked like. He took us there straight away and four of us did a fantastic "extreme" zip line outing that was fantastic. I'd never ziplined and I'm afraid of heights so this one was a huge challenge for me as several of the lines were VERY HIGH and fast. You do have to do quite a bit of uphill walking on this extreme course so bear that in mind. We all had a blast and there was a comfortable place for the rest of the party to wait under shelter for us to finish. They were given a free bottle of water while they waited for us. We actually ziplined into that shelter as the last line on the course. Again...highly recommend....well worth the money. The zipline place takes cash or credit cards and provides all you need equipment wise.

As we finished our zipline advenure there was a huge bus of people that had booked through the ship...I'm talking 50 people at least....we mentioned how happy we were we did not have to go behind that group as it was going to be quite a slow and tedious process. Ronald said that is why he called to make sure he took us there at a time of day when we wouldn't have to be crowded or wait...just another example of the great service you get with this private tour.

We left there and my husband asked to see a "backroads" tour of the island. Ronald proceeded to drive us up really steep, dirt roads and it was awesome. The views amazing and we stopped, got out and took some pictures at one point. Again, not something he would normally do, but when my husband said can we go up that road and see what's there, Ronald said sure!

We then proceeded to the monkey place and it was great. If you have never had the chance to hold monkeys and have them crawl on you, it is a must. Kids should love it. Great photo ops, etc. and only $5 each so well worth it. This was also where we finally paid for our tour (again they say cash, but you can do cash or credit card) and there is a small gift shop. We also had the chance to personally meet Victor at this stop and he was very kind and welcoming.

After this, we asked Ronald to take us around some more and then to the beach for some food and relaxing, He took us to a great beach club where we ate and swam before heading back to the ship.

There are just not enough nice things to say about this entire experience. Stress free, reliable, etc. For $25 per person for the entire day it is a BARGAIN. And, keep in mind, your day can be as long or short as you want and you are not stuck on some giant excursion with no flexibility. Don't get me wrong, we did ship purchased excursions in other places, but this is the way to go in Roatan. We will use them again when we are back.

Being able to talk to someone one on one and ask the questions you have about the place is wonderful.

[jonboy9756]

We were on Roatan May 20 and did the Best of Roatan Tour. Our guide was also Ronald and we had a great day. He drove us all over the island, stopping for pictures and shopping and telling us historical stuff and stories about life on Roatan and meeting his friends and also some of his family. Then we went to Victor's Monkey Business and had a blast playing with the monkeys and birds. After that he drove us thru the West End and out to West Bay where we got loungers on the beach, had lunch and spent a few hours relaxing before heading back to the ship. Ronald hung out nearby the whole time. I really can't say enough about how wonderful the whole experience with Victor was, from the initial email contacts, the booking, the tour with Ronald and the followup after the visit. Truly one of the best vacation experiences we have ever had.

[jenanderic]

We just returned from our cruise and Roatan with Victor Bodden was our favorite excursion/port. My husband and I did the Fun N Sun tour. Kenny was our driver and he was great. He drove us around to the different districts telling us the history of each. At one time there were two boys chasing the van trying to sell us shells. I was amazed at how long they ran and they were barefoot! I asked Kenny to stop so I can give them each $1. Kenny then took us to a gas station for a potty break and to purchase drinks if we wanted. We then went to Victor Bodden's to see the monkeys, and they were great!! Lots of fun! When we were there, we were offered to do the zip line. We were going to until we found out it was an additional $45 per person! We only paid $30pp for the tour/beach/and monkeys. For an add on, I wouldn't expect to pay almost double the original price.

 

The others in our group wanted to still zip line and we were willing to wait for them. Instead Kenny took us directly to the beach so we could have more time there. That was great. The beach was lovely although the food was a bit expensive. My husband and I shared to brick fire pizza and it was very good and the cheapest item.

 

My husband and I stayed for 2 1/2 hours and was ready to go back to port for a little shopping. The rest of our group wanted to stay longer. Kenny had no problem taking us back then returning for the others.

 

Kenny went above and beyond to make us feel special. I would definitely recommend Kenny and Victor Bodden!!

[Jopaw Cruisers]

We just returned from our cruise to Roatan. We had a group of 16. We booked with Victor in advance and saved a bundle from what the cruise line wanted to charge us !!! Our tour guide was Leona and our bus driver was Rupert. WOW! We had a great time. We did the Fun - N - Sun tour. The sightseeing was awesome... to see the beauty of the island. The we went to the Monkey Village it was fun then we went to the beach and played. With Leona and Rupert watching our personal "stuff" we were comfortable to play, eat and relax as much as we wanted. We had a fantastic time. Highly recommend Victors Tours !!!!! Cant wait to go back to spent a bit longer time on their beautiful island. And you can bet I will be calling Victors Tours !!!!

[sconstan]

We all enjoyed our day in Roatan. Ald was wonderful and was able to answer our questions about the island. We asked him to take us to a local restaurant for lunch and it was delicious and the atmosphere was perfect. I believe the name was Castaways with Wilson. My husband loved it so much he is already talking about going to Roatan for our next vacation. We were interested in seeing ALL we could in Roatan and to see how people live and do things there. Ald took us to so many places we were able to really get an idea of how life is in Roatan. Also, we were able to see how beautiful it is there.

 

Of course, we all had a great time zip lining and visiting with the monkeys. Our guides for zip lining were fun and very courteous. We had two 14 year olds and an 18 year old (all male) and they were so excited to get to do tricks while zip lining. My nephew (18) was so happy after zip lining he thanked us for inviting him and his mom to come. We made lifetime memories the day we visited Roatan.

[alphadog]

We did the Bodden tour just last week (July 2015) and Tex was our driver. He did a great job and I thought the tour was terrific. We brought a huge duffle with school supplies and Tex took us tone off the schools which, for me, the highlight of the tour.

 

But! Be prepared to tip everyone! We did the zipline and had two assistants each of whom expected a tip. There was a photographer with us and there was a bit of a full court press to buy the pictures. We then did the monkey exhibit and was expected to tip that guide (there's a big old sign telling you when to tip). You even have to tip the monkeys but they will accept sunflower seeds.

 

We also gave Tex a very generous tip which he deserved. It was about $100 in gratuities by the end of the day. They have learned well from the cruise ships and are maximizing their income streams.

 

In any event just be prepared and make sure you have enough cash on you - that became a bit of a concern for me as the day progressed. I thoroughly enjoyed the day but felt a bit roughed up financially as I walked back to Navigator to have some idiot photographer want to take my picture for the 300th time.

[cd62957]

Just got back from my cruise to Isla of Roatan Hunduras!! We were a group of eleven ranging in ages from 5 to 78!! We book a tour of the Island with Victor Boden Tours and we could not have picked a better tour!! Our drivers name was Kenny and he was the best!! He was very informative and answered all of our questions!! We got to interact with white face monkeys, parrots, and macaws!! And the beach was fantastic!! All this for a very reasonable price than the cruise line had!! Hope to go back!!!

[lovevacadays]

Another vote for Tex! Private tour (ziplining, monkeys, sightseeing, beach, etc) was highlight of our cruise.

 

Ted is wonderful. Our tour with him was one of the best port days I've had.

 

We did the Bodden tour just last week (July 2015) and Tex was our driver. He did a great job and I thought the tour was terrific. We brought a huge duffle with school supplies and Tex took us tone off the schools which, for me, the highlight of the tour.

 

But! Be prepared to tip everyone! We did the zipline and had two assistants each of whom expected a tip. There was a photographer with us and there was a bit of a full court press to buy the pictures. We then did the monkey exhibit and was expected to tip that guide (there's a big old sign telling you when to tip). You even have to tip the monkeys but they will accept sunflower seeds.

 

 

 

We also gave Tex a very generous tip which he deserved. It was about $100 in gratuities by the end of the day. They have learned well from the cruise ships and are maximizing their income streams.

 

In any event just be prepared and make sure you have enough cash on you - that became a bit of a concern for me as the day progressed. I thoroughly enjoyed the day but felt a bit roughed up financially as I walked back to Navigator to have some idiot photographer want to take my picture for the 300th time.

 

Wow! That's crazy! You must be very generous tippers. We toured with Tex and didn't find that we tipped 100.00 for the day. We did tip but a total of 40.00. We never felt any pressure to tip and probably could have tipped 20.00 total and been just fine.

[_Gazpar_]

We had never been to Roatan before, so We have nothing to compare the tour to, but Bodden and Big Al (the driver) were amazing.

 

In Roatan, we went with a private tour group (Victor Bodeen). It was the best choice possible. We choose to see some animal rescue sites which included the Butterfly conservatory, Iguana rescue and Monkeys at Bodden’s home. Our driver (Big Al) was well spoken, informed and extremely personable, also took us for a wonderful tour of the city and had some authentic Honduran food. Overall we had a great time, in what would have been an otherwise boring port.

[united1889]

We had never been to Roatan before, so We have nothing to compare the tour to, but Bodden and Big Al (the driver) were amazing.

 

In Roatan, we went with a private tour group (Victor Bodeen). It was the best choice possible. We choose to see some animal rescue sites which included the Butterfly conservatory, Iguana rescue and Monkeys at Bodden’s home. Our driver (Big Al) was well spoken, informed and extremely personable, also took us for a wonderful tour of the city and had some authentic Honduran food. Overall we had a great time, in what would have been an otherwise boring port.

Roatan is one of the most beautiful places in the world, but you must get away from the Port.

[simmycon]

Lionel was our tour guide and did an excellent job, this was our favorite excursion off carnival valor, thanks!

[simmycon]

:):)Lionel was our tour guide and did an excellent job, this was our favorite excursion off carnival valor, thanks!

[booksjm]

Does anyone know how long of a taxi ride it will be from Coxen Hole port to the West End Beaches. If you know the cost it would help also.

[Guest 2000]

Does anyone know how long of a taxi ride it will be from Coxen Hole port to the West End Beaches. If you know the cost it would help also.

 

This is not the best place for the question, it is all about private tours, not random taxi. I have answered your proper thread. Cheers!

[PonderIt]

We were leery about booking an independent tour. We had always booked our shore excursions through the ship, but we read the great reviews on Bodden Tours and decided to go for it. We did the Fun & Sun Tour and it was great. We had a wonderful guide (Leona) and everyone was very helpful and friendly. We felt safe and taken care of the entire time. Also, we didn't have to deal with meeting on the boat, filling out 9,000 forms and then being herded around like cattle on a large group excursion. This just felt more relaxed, more efficient and more "customized". PS. The monkey farm was great fun!

[Cward]

Just got back from our cruise on the Carnival Valor. We took the Best of Roatan Private tour with Victor Bodden this tour was GREAT. This was our 2nd time and wow did not know there was so much we missed our first time. Our guide took us around the Island and showed us so much, the tour was all about us asked what we wanted to see and what we wanted to do. The Stop at VICTOR'S MONKEY BUSINESS was just AWSOME a must when you visit.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g303874-d1098762-r331101494-Bodden_Tours-Sandy_Bay_Roatan_Bay_Islands.html#

[mickeychicky]

Just got back from our December 13th cruise and Victor Bodden's Sun-n-Fun tour was up there as one of the best island tours I have done. Our guide for the day was Francisco, Victor's brother. He was awesome, very knowledgeable, answered all of our questions that we had, and there many. I love learning about the culture and history of the islands we visit since I am interested in retiring outside of the United States when my time comes, which hopefully will be sooner than later. Francisco asked us what we would like for lunch and we all agreed we wanted something local and authentic and somewhere he would eat. He took us to a women's house where she has a patio outside with tables and chairs and cooks right there. No sign out front so you definitely need to know where you are going. This meal was by far the best food of our entire 7-day cruise! Beans and rice, with your choice of chicken, shrimp or fish, fried plantains but not greasy at all, and the best potato salad I have ever had. The grilled shrimp, which I had, was delicious and the chicken my son had, he also said is was really good. Still can't get that lunch out of my head. We ended up on the West End at Bananarama Dive and Beach Resort for almost 2 hours which was a relaxing end to our day.

 

I would definitely do this tour again and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun day away from the ship that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Very reasonably priced tour and well worth it.

 

Go see Victor and his crew, they will take good care of you.

Edited December 22, 2015 by mickeychicky
Posted to the wrong thread....not able to delete this post, sorry.

[moo444]

Our family of four made reservations with Victor Bodden before we left on our vacation. Everything was explained in detail via email and we had no problems meeting up with the tour guide as soon as we got off our Princess ship in Roatan. The hill that you have to walk up and over to meet them is really quite easy after you get off the ship and outside of the terminal.

 

Our tour guide was named Francisco and he made our day a delight. We were in an air conditioned van with a total of #10 other folks from our ship. He gave us lots of history on the tour and we stopped several times along the Island for photo opportunities. We enjoyed the Monkeys and the Parrots which was fun to interact with them. Later in the day, we had a few hours to swim and eat on a gorgeous beach. Everything turned out great and I would absolutely recommend this excursion on Roatan.

[excited cruiser65]

We had read great reviews for the Bodden tours. Our tour was great. Tour personnel met us early at the Bodden center. Wardi was our guide on our 2 person tour. He took us to all the real native sites at our request instead of the touristy areas. We had native bread and homemade coconut candy that was delicious. We went to little fishing villages at the east end as well as the more toursity areas at the West End. Our guide took us by all of the sites listed on Carnival's excursions as well as the monkey and parrots at Victor's. We went by the cameo factory and the gardens as well as the native shopping area. Great time for only $80. Thanks Wardi!

[anteaters]

Hi! I have just spent ages reading on this long strand and everything sounds great...just some questions. We'll be coming off Princess and will be on Victor's private tour (just my husband and me for the $40 each) and would like to know what amount of gratuity would be right to cover the two of us. Along with all the sightseeing and the monkey visit, we would like to spend time on a nice beach for swimming and possibly snorkeling. Is there a beach that we should request that does not have the $10 each resort fee that someone mentioned but would have a bathroom/place to change clothes? Or do most people wear a suit under their clothes and just dry off before putting clothes back on? Is it pretty typical to invite your guide to lunch also when it's just the two people? On the tour, it's only one person in charge who is both driver and guide, correct? Also, I love to walk. Are there any areas where it would be fun to go for easy, safe walks to see things as opposed to driving by and seeing things? We are there for a long day 9-6 so have plenty of time to do everything (but we seem to be in the minority since we do not want to zipline ;) . Thanks for any help with the above questions.

[mickeychicky]

Hi! I have just spent ages reading on this long strand and everything sounds great...just some questions. We'll be coming off Princess and will be on Victor's private tour (just my husband and me for the $40 each) and would like to know what amount of gratuity would be right to cover the two of us. Along with all the sightseeing and the monkey visit, we would like to spend time on a nice beach for swimming and possibly snorkeling. Is there a beach that we should request that does not have the $10 each resort fee that someone mentioned but would have a bathroom/place to change clothes? Or do most people wear a suit under their clothes and just dry off before putting clothes back on? Is it pretty typical to invite your guide to lunch also when it's just the two people? On the tour, it's only one person in charge who is both driver and guide, correct? Also, I love to walk. Are there any areas where it would be fun to go for easy, safe walks to see things as opposed to driving by and seeing things? We are there for a long day 9-6 so have plenty of time to do everything (but we seem to be in the minority since we do not want to zipline ;) . Thanks for any help with the above questions.

 

 

It was just the two of us on the tour and I tipped $30. I look at this way: our guide spent the whole day being tied up or taken away from another job if they have one, so if they are just getting paid tips for their daily earnings then I will tip well. We had Victor's brother, Francisco, who doesn't have another job so I don't know if he is even part owner of the business or gets a percentage of the tours he does. Either way, $20-$30 for two of us is usually what I give.

 

We wore bathing suits under our clothes, but that's up to you. If you don't plan on visiting a beach then no need for that.

 

We did invite Francisco to eat lunch with us since he recommended the place and there were 6 of us on that tour. Again, it might be customary to invite them along, not sure. But we learned a lot about his family and local living, which I always enjoy.

 

We only had one person guiding us, he was the driver and the guide, which has been the case on most private (away from the boat) tours we have done.

 

Not sure about the walking thing. There was a nice area on the beach down at the West End Village, lots of places to eat and shop. Reminded me of a small fishing village but very "Americanized" unlike the rest of the island we saw. Google "West End Village, Roatan" and see if that is something that might interest you.

[jennybaby74]

Hi there I was wondering if you think we will have enough time to combine a private tour and the little French key. I would really like to learn about the culture, visit the mommies and see the school. But I don't want to miss LFK. I have heard such nice things about it!

[mickeychicky]

Hi there I was wondering if you think we will have enough time to combine a private tour and the little French key. I would really like to learn about the culture, visit the mommies and see the school. But I don't want to miss LFK. I have heard such nice things about it!

 

I wouldn't think so. Little French looks like it will best be enjoyed as an all day excursion. And I know for a fact, the tour with Victor Bodden took all day with little or no time left to shop when we got to the port.

 

You really don't want to rush through your paid excursions; it's time you get to yourself away from all the folks you've been stuck on a boat with for who knows how long (that's not always a bad thing). Enjoy that time. Whatever you don't get to do at one port, make plans to go back! After our trip to Roatan, I would considered going back for about 5 days and stay in the West End Village.

[Cardencrew2015]

We had a blast in Roatan and it was everyone’s favorite port of the entire cruise. The island is beautiful and I must say our driver was wonderful. He was so accommodating and took great care of us while a wealth of information that we found very interesting. Since he grew up on the island he was able to share so much with us! The van was clean and air conditioned (which was great because it was HOT the day we were there). We are used to cold in December and the beautiful tropical weather was a wonderful treat! My only wish is that we could have stayed longer. I do want to mention that I was worried from the reviews about the “long walk” over the “steep hill” that reviews had referred to from the ship to the tour guide parking lot and let me just say unless you are physically disabled, this is a piece of cake!!! Actually a very pretty walk and not long at all!! You guys were so easy to locate and waiting for us when we walked thru the gate.

 

WE loved the beach time and my family said the snorkeling in Roatan was better than in Belize or Cozumel!!! Many more fish to view. My daughters and I did the horseback riding excursion with Barrios Dorcas Ranch that you took us to and it was AWESOME! We were able to RUN on the horses a lot which is a great experience! I will definitely recommend this to anyone. The breed of horses that Shirkie has are small compared to our American Quarter Horses but man could they run and their gait was so smooth. I want a Paso Fino at my barn now! LOL

 

A highlight of the trip was Victor’s Monkey Park! We are still talking about that and will DEFINITELY go back there again when we come back to Roatan. The facility was SUPER clean and everyone was really friendly from the humans to the monkeys to the parrots. We loved them all!

 

Thanks Bodden Tours for making this trip so wonderful and EASY for us! We will definitely call you when we come back to Roatan! The Carden Crew from NC/VA