Anthony's Key Resort
I spent a week at Anthony’s Key from April 26th – May 3rd of this year – my first trip to Roatan. From arrival to departure, I found the resort team organized and friendly. They clearly cater to divers and have gotten the process down to an art form.
The resort staff greeted us at the airport and loaded all of our luggage into a separate van. The guests boarded an air-conditioned bus and once everyone was accounted for, off we went! Upon arriving to the resort, we proceeded to reception where they collected all of our necessary documents, provided us with wristbands that indicated we were divers (there was a different color for snorkelers) and we all enjoyed a welcome rum punch.
We had a short wait before we could get into our rooms, so we headed down to the dive shop to show our cert cards and get our dive locker/lock assignment. The lockers were plenty spacious and a hanger was provided. I would have appreciated a second hanger, but I made it work with one.
My room was a key superior, so I had to take a small water taxi to get out to the key. It basically runs back and forth constantly throughout the day and we never had to wait more than a couple of minutes. All you had to do was bang on the hanging scuba tank to call it over if it wasn’t already on its way.
When we got into our rooms, our luggage had already been delivered and was waiting outside of our assigned rooms. The room itself was spacious and well-appointed, with A/C (not all rooms have this but it’s a must-have for me personally) a queen bed, small desk, mini refrigerator, an in-room safe and a lovely deck facing the water. There were two hammocks and a lounge chair for relaxing as well as a clothesline to hang wet bathing suits. Free internet was provided to all guests and I never had a problem getting connected.
Meals were delicious and food was plentiful. There was a breakfast buffet but you could also order off of the menu. I highly recommend trying the Honduran breakfast! Lunch and dinner started with soup or salad, your choice of entree and dessert. Be sure to keep track of your servers and bartenders. They suggest tipping at the end of your trip versus at each meal but I lost track of who took care of me and when. If I go again, I will tip as I go because I want to be sure that I am appropriately taking care of the people that are taking care of me.
The dive operation was excellent. I was traveling as a single within a large group. Boats were never overcrowded and our captain and divemaster made great efforts to ensure we had a great time. If there was a particular critter divers wanted to see, they would take you where you had the best chance of a sighting. I was pleasantly surprised with the amount and variety of sea life and the reefs were healthy for the most part. All diving was from their well-maintained fleet of boats. There is one shore dive site located off of Anthony’s Key, but I never made it there as you had to carry your gear over. I just wasn’t that motivated.
I signed up for both the shark dive and the dolphin dive, which were available for an additional charge. The shark dive was fantastic and well-run. There were probably 15 – 18 sharks present and lots of great action. The dolphin dive ended up being cancelled, as the dolphins went AWOL on the previous day. Apparently, it happens from time-to-time, but I was told they usually come back eventually.
All in all, it was a wonderful, rustic resort and a good time was had by all. My only word of caution would be to be sure to apply bug spray (with Deet) often. I thought I had escaped getting bitten by the no-seeums, but I got a little lax with applying bug spray during the last day we were there and a few days after getting home, found myself covered with itchy red bumps.
I would definitely go back again one day!
