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Dive Review of Anthony’s Key Resort in
Honduras/Roatan

Anthony’s Key Resort, Nov, 2010,

by Henry O Ziller, CO, US (Top Contributor Top Contributor 35 reports with 19 Helpful votes). Report 5853.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 3 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 4 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 4 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments This was our second trip to Rotan. We stayed at Anthony’s Key Resort for the second time. They pick you up at the airport and gather your bags. Be sure to put their tags they sent you on your bags so they can gather them up easily and get them to your room while you are checking in and receive the orientation. We arrived after lunch so we had to go to the pool bar and grill and pay for a meal. We chose a hill standard cabana without A/C but there are rooms with A/C, and some of the premium rooms also have a small refrigerator. The same types of rooms are also available on the key where there is a pool and bar & grill. Happy hour is on the key Saturday and Sunday, and Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in the main bar the Frangipani near the restaurant. Tuesday and Thursday there is no happy hour since these are night dive nights. The bed was a king without mosquito netting. The rooms are basic with louvers of wood to cover the screens for privacy, although some louvers needed to be propped to stay mostly closed. Even with good screens there were mosquitoes in the room. My wife got bit even though she used repellent with 30% diet, but then bugs seem to like her. The water was safe to drink from the tap at the resort. The shower is small. The standard units all have ceiling fans and a portable fan and when the humidity is high you would need both. We were fortunate in that the weather was perfect, not too hot and humidity was low. We turned the ceiling fan to low at night. Meals were all included, and most are served to your table (nice). They offered a good variety for breakfast beyond the fruit, cereal and pastries buffet. Coffee, hot chocolate and tea were always available. For lunch and dinner there was a choice between two entrées usually one fish and one some other kind of meat. Breakfast is supposed to start at 7 AM, but they were always ready by 6:30. That was nice to know since the first day you need to be on the boat for a checkout dive at 7:30. The dive shop opens at 7 AM to get locker assignment (lock provided) and weights (the first day). There are hangers for a wet suit and BC. You are responsible for rinsing your gear and carrying it to and from the boat. You are assigned to a boat and crew for your entire stay; we were on Isamar with dive master Calderon and boat captain Leo who were exceptional. If you arrive before 4 PM you can get your locker and weights and not be so rushed in the morning. After the first day you just need to be on the boat at 8:30 unless you are doing Mary’s Place or the shark dive. You come back to the resort between dives. Dive boats leave for the second dive at 10:30 and third dive is at 2:15 or 2:30. They spread out the third dive so the rinse tank and locker area does not get over crowded. There is a fresh water shower on the dock and that is where we rinsed our gear. We were always the last boat in. The boats are all Pro 42’s or 46’s and well equipped with all the proper safety equipment. Entry is by giant stride off the fantail and there are two ladders for climbing back on the boat after handing up cameras and fins. Most dive sights are reached within five to ten minutes, except Mary’s Place, that one takes about an hour to reach. One day we had lunch on the north side at the Mayan Key, (one hour boat ride) then did our third dive on our way back. Mayan Key has a nice wildlife refuge, a pool and a beach – also the gift shop which is tied in with AKR so purchases can be billed to your room. The reefs seem to be in pretty good shape especially the fans and sponges. There were the typical small reef fish, grouper, several turtles and one eagle ray. Unfortunately we saw lion fish on every dive. The night dive was pretty much a bust with 12 people, a couple large crabs and millions of blood worms so thick they block out your dive light. I turned mine off most of the time and followed my buddy’s light. There were also lots of jelly fish and some people were stung. We wear full skins and were not stung. AKR offers snorkeling packages, free horseback riding, dolphin show, dolphin encounters, and zip line, white water rafting or Mayan ruin tours. We will likely return since the diving as good as most other locations in the Caribbean and it’s hard to beat the two for one deal they offer via their email list.
Websites Anthony’s Key Resort   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Mexico, Belize, Caymans, Florida, Tobago, Curacao, Dominica, Hawaii, Bahamas, Pohnpei and Palau, Micronesia, Indonesia, and Thailand
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, rainy, dry Seas calm, choppy, surge, currents, no currents
Water Temp 79-81°F / 26-27°C Wetsuit Thickness 1
Water Visibility 50-80 Ft/ 15-24 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions The depth and time limits were given in the dive briefing
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 3 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish N/A
Large Pelagics N/A

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 3 stars Boat Facilities 4 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities 4 stars
UW Photo Comments There is a table on the boat for cameras but other items were also placed on it. There is a large tub filled with fresh water daily on the boat. A 5-gallon bucket is provided for mask rinse. We did not use the shore camera facilities but it is available with a computer for viewing.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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