Victor Bodden guide/driver recommendations? (MERGED THREADS)

[embee22]

Our tour guide with Victor Bodden will be Roland. Ever have him, hear of him? Please give me your thoughts on him. I am a little bit worried only because there are 9 of us from ages 5 up to 80!!!

 

Thnx...

 

My name is Ellaine too! (though spelled with 2 Ls). We were 5 people with Roland on our stop in Roatan with the Carnival Legend. My kids are 13 & 16 & my mom (74) was with us. We found he was very open, informative, reliable & very pleasant! He was waiting for us when we arrived. Before leaving we discussed how we wanted to spend our time to make sure it fit. He showed us around the western end of the island, stopping for pictures here & there, never rushing us. He answered our many questions about the people & lifestyle openly. We visited a school & then met Richard for snorkelling from a glass bottom boat (separate charge). We then went to a beach (can't think of the name right now but the popular one Carnival goes to). We just wanted an hour there so that we'd have a bit of time for shopping near the port & was just where he left us when we were ready to leave. We would higly recommend Roland!

[grey's girl]

 

 

Our lunch and snorkel stop was outstanding; the food delicious and the underwater sites awesome...We never felt rushed, even though we did so many things in just one day, including a stop at a cameo factory.

 

 

Mrs. Piggy...cameo factory?? like in jewelry?? One of my favorite souvenirs :D

[MrsPiggy549]

Things have sure changed at Victor's home since 2007, except the price of admission! We went into a huge cage and had 4 or 5 monkeys jumping all over us...The monkeys are only caged on tour days, otherwise, they roam freely, returning to their cages (on their own) for food and rest. There were many smaller cages with monkeys and beautiful birds. Victor assigns personal guides to explain about the animals and answer all of your questions...This was the best $2.00 we ever spent!

 

Aside from Victor's home, we enjoyed our stop at the Iguana Farm; what a riot to see hundreds of these adorable creatures scurrying about, trying to eat the juicy leafs we were given to feed them.

 

Our lunch and snorkel stop was outstanding; the food delicious and the underwater sites awesome...We never felt rushed, even though we did so many things in just one day, including a stop at a cameo factory.

 

Our tour guide took us to every stop we had requested and explained about the magnificent sites, as we traveled along in A/C comfort. The many stops were very interesting and the tour was very well planned and paced.

 

I would not hesitate to book with Victor on our next trip to Roatan and we cannot wait to return!

 

Forgot to mention...Our wonderful guide was Lionel!

[MrsPiggy549]

Mrs. Piggy...cameo factory?? like in jewelry?? One of my favorite souvenirs :D

 

 

That's right...Pricey but amazing stuff! Enjoy :D

[marym933]

I just got off the Legend this morning. We were in Roatan on Thursday. I am so glad I listened to me CC friends!! I can't say enough about our tour with Victor's guide. His name was Anthony. We felt very safe with him. He watched over our snorkeling stuff in his car. He did not hover over us, but he was never more than 20 feet away from us the whole day. We went to a grocery store to get vanilla and rum (much cheaper than the tourist district for the same stuff). He gave us a complete island tour, went to Half Moon Bay for lunch and snorkeling and to Victor's house to see his animals. He told us all the about his island and his family. It was an experience I will always remember. Don't be afraid to book with Victor's company. You will not be disappointed.

[MDSue]

We also got off the Legend today. We booked Hanno for the second time with Victor Bodden because he did such a great job on our first trip. Once again we had a wonderful day. We went to see the animal's at Victor's house, met Victor's wife and brother and daughter, had a great time with the monkees. Then we went snorkelling off Half Moon Bay and also on a glass bottom boat, all while our stuff was safely locked in Hanno's car. The snorkelling off the glass bottom boat was the best I've done yet. We spent the rest of our day touring the island and shopping.

While there we felt like family and so well looked after.

To Hanno, Victor and all the other wonderful people of Roatan- we love you and think you're greatest. What wonderful memories we have of our visit and hope to return again soon:)

[kmbic]

IF you had your choice what would you suggest doing while taking a tour with Victor? We are doing zip line in Belize so we don't want to do that here. If you snorkle do they have gear you can rent?

[MDSue]

IF you had your choice what would you suggest doing while taking a tour with Victor? We are doing zip line in Belize so we don't want to do that here. If you snorkle do they have gear you can rent?

I would say it depends on what your interests are and the ages of whom you are travelling with. Have you checked out his website for some ideas? The guides are very familiar with the island and will suggest places to see and things to do, but they really want you to tell them what kind of things interest you. If you sign up for the best of Roatan tour, they will take you all around the island, stop at some scenic overlooks and give you some history of the island. There are some nice beach areas and shops on the West End side if you want to spend some time there. We spent some of our day at a small resort called Half Moon Bay. You can snorkel right from there, but I had more fun snorkelling off the glass bottom boat that went out to the reef. The guide hd snorkel gear on the boat. There are beach chairs and an outdoor restaurant, bathrooms etc also. The place is very tropical and the chairs were right at the water but were mostly in the shade [which we wanted as we got too much sun the day before]. There are other beaches in a sunnier location nearby. We also had a great time visiting Victor's home where he has some monkees, parrots and other animals. You can enter the enclosure and play with the monkees which was lots of fun. There is also an iguana sanctuary on the island, where the igaunas live freely and will happily eat leaves from your hand.

Victor is very good at responding to email questions and can also make some suggestions. Our guide, Hanno, was very good at suggesting places, but also trying to make sure we were doing what we wanted to do. If you are snorkelling, hanging out at the beach, they do not hover, but will always be close by if you need something.

Here are some pics from our trip last week.

 

 

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2693979940104390106aJYayc?vhost=travel

 

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2338379320104390106KuQvcP?

vhost=travel

 

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2210642420104390106dtGqaB?vhost=travel

Edited April 15, 2009 by MDSue

[CMM]

MDsue was there additional charge for Half Moon Bay? Looks like a place where teens could swim while others ate?

Also in your photos is a beach with a big clear ball, where was that?

Thanks!

[justbeachy22]

Hello fellow cruisers! I'm hoping someone here can help me figure out the best way to set up my cruise with Victor.

 

There will be 7 of us together. 3 adults want to do the zipline. 2 adults (the grandparents) will be watching the 2 kids (ages 4 and 8) while we do this. Is there a way to spend the day together and just separate while we do the zipline? Maybe the grandparents could take the kids to see the monkeys and/or iguanas? I'm not sure how long the zipline takes and how long we'd have to keep the kids occupied while we are gone. Also, since the grandparents will be watching the kids, it can't be anything that would require a lot of walking/hiking. I'd like to skip the beach since I like to keep a close eye on the kids and would be nervous if they were in the water without me watching (yes, I am a helicopter parent who "hovers" over their kids!!).

 

Anyway, would it be possible to set up our tour this way? I looked at Victor's form and I'm a bit confused as to how to explain what I am looking to do.

 

Also, is there a tour guide in particular that is better with kids than another? Do they all speak English?

 

Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated! Thank you! Oh, FYI, we leave on May 31.

[ockelly]

Hello fellow cruisers! I'm hoping someone here can help me figure out the best way to set up my cruise with Victor.

 

There will be 7 of us together. 3 adults want to do the zipline. 2 adults (the grandparents) will be watching the 2 kids (ages 4 and 8) while we do this. Is there a way to spend the day together and just separate while we do the zipline? Maybe the grandparents could take the kids to see the monkeys and/or iguanas? I'm not sure how long the zipline takes and how long we'd have to keep the kids occupied while we are gone. Also, since the grandparents will be watching the kids, it can't be anything that would require a lot of walking/hiking. I'd like to skip the beach since I like to keep a close eye on the kids and would be nervous if they were in the water without me watching (yes, I am a helicopter parent who "hovers" over their kids!!).

 

Anyway, would it be possible to set up our tour this way? I looked at Victor's form and I'm a bit confused as to how to explain what I am looking to do.

 

Also, is there a tour guide in particular that is better with kids than another? Do they all speak English?

 

Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated! Thank you! Oh, FYI, we leave on May 31.

 

We were there last week. The kids did the zip line with Archie (?) as their guide and we stayed and played with the monkeys and ant eaters. The monkeys will take stuff right out of your beach bags, so be careful. One took my sunscreen up into the trees and it took about 5 minutes of laughing and chasing to get it back. Kids had a blast! We went there early, so the kids got right on the lines with no wait. Took about 45 minutes and we just hung out, no problem. Ann was our guide with Victor. She did a good job, took us to Half Moon Bay after Victors place. No charge for chairs there...good snorkeling and good restraunt. Tried 3 different Honduran beers! Only downer was when we asked to do a little shopping, she took us to some random store where she probably got a cut. Not much there and the prices were higher than the shops by the port. I would definitely use Victor again,(met him while at his house) but perhaps request a different guide. Also, I would have preferred a man as some of the areas are definitely sketchy.

[MDSue]

MDsue was there additional charge for Half Moon Bay? Looks like a place where teens could swim while others ate?

Also in your photos is a beach with a big clear ball, where was that?

Thanks!

Hi CMM, There was no charge to go to Half Moon Bay. There are waiters that will serve you on the beach or in the restaurant area. There is also a little floating dock that some teens were hanging out on close by [within easy swimming distance. It's not a real sandy beach [alot of grasses nearby and the reef close by] but quite a few people were swimming and snorkelling there.

The hamster ball you saw were actually taken in Cozumel at a beach called Mr. Sancho's. That was another stop on our cruise [Carnival Legend]. It looked like alot of fun, plenty of teens trying it. They would start you off at the top of the beach and roll you down into the water.

[MDSue]

Hello fellow cruisers! I'm hoping someone here can help me figure out the best way to set up my cruise with Victor.

 

There will be 7 of us together. 3 adults want to do the zipline. 2 adults (the grandparents) will be watching the 2 kids (ages 4 and 8) while we do this. Is there a way to spend the day together and just separate while we do the zipline? Maybe the grandparents could take the kids to see the monkeys and/or iguanas? I'm not sure how long the zipline takes and how long we'd have to keep the kids occupied while we are gone. Also, since the grandparents will be watching the kids, it can't be anything that would require a lot of walking/hiking. I'd like to skip the beach since I like to keep a close eye on the kids and would be nervous if they were in the water without me watching (yes, I am a helicopter parent who "hovers" over their kids!!).

 

Anyway, would it be possible to set up our tour this way? I looked at Victor's form and I'm a bit confused as to how to explain what I am looking to do.

 

Also, is there a tour guide in particular that is better with kids than another? Do they all speak English?

 

Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated! Thank you! Oh, FYI, we leave on May 31.

Email Victor [if you can't reach him through his website you can email him direct at VictorBodden at yahoo dot com] and tell him what you would like to do. It sounds like if you want to separate, you'd need two separate guides who could meet up. I think you can stay together and do everything that you want. The island is not that big and it doesn't take that long to do the different activities. None of the activities require alot of walking. Victor has a zipline at his house where the monkees are, but i'm not sure it would be as nice as Gumbalina Park. I haven't done the ziplines personally, but have been to the iguana sanctuary and to his house to see the monkees. I think they have monkees at Gumbaline also, so maybe you'd want to go there instead of Victor's house. All of his guides speak perfect English so communication should not be a problem. I've only used Hanno for a guide [both trips] and we didn't have kids with us, but he has two kids ages 6-8, so I'm sure he'd be good. Victor is very good at emailing back and forth so you can work out a good plan for the day. Tell him Susan sent you:)

[PunkinsDad]

We just got off the Legend today. We booked with Victor about a month prior to our cruise. Our guide/driver was Tex and I can't say enough good things about him!! It was a truly wonderful day. Roatan is so beautiful, the people are so open and friendly!!

 

At our request, Tex took us to a school (so the kids could see how school is in other parts of the world), a medical clinic (my DW is an RN) and gave us a great driving tour of the island. Tex has lived on Roatan all his life and gave us a lot of great insight into the island and it's people.

 

We also went to Victor's house, played with the Monkeys and the kiddos went ziplining.

 

We all agreed that this was our favorite cruise port of all time. In fact, I'd very much like to spend an entire "land vacation" on the island.

 

Book with Victor, you will not regret it.

[katf1sh]

thanks to all the positive reviews we booked a tour with victor and had pilo as out guide for the day!

 

i can't say enough good things about the tour!

 

the iguna farm was awesome and the monkeys at victors house was the highlite of the cruise for us!

 

*** TIP*** my wife brought a half empty water bottle in the cage with us...the bottle had all the monkeys trying to unscrew the cap the entire time we were in the cage. bring a bottle with you and you will have the monkeys attention for hours. vistor left us in the cage for at least an hour to play with them! we had to pass the bottle around so others could have a monkey for a few minutes,lol.

 

the tour will take all day and i suggest hitting a beach for a couple hours and relaxing.

 

**tip** if you ask they will stop by a local grocery store..there you will find the cheapest prices on alcahol of any port! a big bottle of JD was 12.00 us!!!

 

book with victor you can't go wrong also ask for pilo he was a carnival employee for 18 years and was born and raised on the island! a can't miss!

[addygirl216]

Our tour guide with Victor Bodden will be Roland. Ever have him, hear of him? Please give me your thoughts on him. I am a little bit worried only because there are 9 of us from ages 5 up to 80!!!

 

Thnx...

 

We had Roland in March - and he was fantastic - in fact, going back in May and requested him again - he makes sure you get to do everything you want - very nice, and very informative - he gave us an awesome day in Roatan! :)

[tmmcruiser]

Hi. We just used Victor Bodden Tours this past Friday, April 17, 2009. Everything went very smoothly, just as his e-mail said. We crossed the street, Someone was holding up his sign, they had our name. We were assigned to Laura and she was great. The Iguana Farm is really a sanctuary and very interesting. They have very reasonable souvenirs.

We went to the right of the dock, so you got to see the real Roatan, shops, school children, lots of homeless dogs--sad. The cruise ship tours go left, so they do not see this area. But Laura was great, pointing out areas of interest, mayor's house, shipwrecks, etc., and giving us info about the island. Many people traveling around knew her and would wave, and this made us feel a lot more comfortable.

Then we went to Victor's house. The kids loved the ziplining. It seemed up to date and safe. There are some animals in cages that you can go in with. If you are not ziplining, I don't think it's worth the trip here. Do not stand under the monkeys. My husband got shat on, and my son got peed on. Our guide brought them to a hose. They are WILD animals, what can you do? The guide also showed us a cashew tree. Very interesting.

Then Laura took us to Bananarama Beach, which was just beautiful. Like someone else said, it is walking distance from Tabyana. Signs for one hour massage for $40, but we didn't have time. Bought some beads from tents set up on beach. Much better prices than Belize!

We stopped at the cameo factory on the way back. Very expensive. Laura got us back exactly on time. I would definitely recommend Laura and Bodden Tours.:D

[watchdiva]

We returned last Sunday from our Pearl cruise and based upon recommendations on cruise critic, booked a tour with Victor Bodden and requested Tex as our driver. The day we spent was everything we had hoped it would be and more. Tex answered all of our questions, offered tips and info on the island and even (at our request) introduced us to a Real Estate agent (we're interested in retiring on Roatan). Being in the cage with the monkeys at Victor's house was hilarious and was too cool for words. The monkeys are a riot and I would do this again in a heartbeat. We spent a few hours at the public beach right next to Infinity Bay Resort and as another poster mentioned, Tex never strayed from his spot. We met some of his friends there (he knows everyone it seems) and being on that beach, in that water just made us more determined to search for our home on Roatan.

 

We're going back in December and will book a day or two with Tex again - there's so much more to see........

 

You cannot go wrong with either Bodden Tours or Tex:D.

[sunandfunatsea]

I cannot say how much fun and what a great time we had with Victor at his place ziplining and playing with the monkeys. Ok this might shock you but we had 14 people including my 4 yr old daughter and my 13 month old son. We all ziplined ... yes Victor personally took my son on the first ziplining and then my wife did. My son had a BLAST ..laughing and smiling the whole way, and so did my daughter. She said daddy - I am glad I decided to do this, it way more fun than I thought it would be. The kids loved the monkeys too.. free with $45 zipline.

 

Victor went above and beyond making our day great. Our son feel asleep and Victor walked him back and held him while we finished our last 2 ziplines.

 

I would highly recommend Victor and the ziplines !!!!

[Starbright7966]

Me and my new husband will be visiting roatan for our honeymoon. Victor's tours sound great. But I am a little uneasy about going to a foreign country and getting into some strangers car for all day. How safe is it there. Should we take a tour through the cruise line?

I keep thinking that this is no different than just taking a cab somewhere.

So my question is will we be safe with victor's guides?

Also any recommendations for resorts, if one is even needed? We love to snorkel.

 

Thanks

[MDSue]

Me and my new husband will be visiting roatan for our honeymoon. Victor's tours sound great. But I am a little uneasy about going to a foreign country and getting into some strangers car for all day. How safe is it there. Should we take a tour through the cruise line?

I keep thinking that this is no different than just taking a cab somewhere.

So my question is will we be safe with victor's guides?

Also any recommendations for resorts, if one is even needed? We love to snorkel.

 

Thanks

My sister and I have taken a tour with one of Victor's guides [Hanno] twice now. We have always felt completely safe everywhere we went on the island. I actually felt safer having Hanno for our guide, kind of like our own personal bodyguard [you don't need one really, the people are very nice]. If you take a tour with the cruiseline, you will mostly likely be crammed on a bus with lots of other people. If you book with Victor, you will have your own private tour guide who will cater your tour to meet your needs. In other words, if you are enjoying a particular beach, you can spend as much time as you wish or if you want to spend more time sightseeing then they'll do that instead. There is just so many different options and it's nice to have a say in how you spend your day. This is nothing like just taking a cab, they will give you a wonderful tour of the island and give you lots of options for activities along the way.

Not only do you get the personal attention, but they will meet you at the gates and you will have your guide for the whole day if you want, not just the 3 or 4 hours a ship tour provides.

I've read many great reviews of Victor's guides, but for my sister and I, we will always ask for Hanno, because he has done such a great job.

[Starbright7966]

My sister and I have taken a tour with one of Victor's guides [Hanno] twice now. We have always felt completely safe everywhere we went on the island. I actually felt safer having Hanno for our guide, kind of like our own personal bodyguard [you don't need one really, the people are very nice]. If you take a tour with the cruiseline, you will mostly likely be crammed on a bus with lots of other people. If you book with Victor, you will have your own private tour guide who will cater your tour to meet your needs. In other words, if you are enjoying a particular beach, you can spend as much time as you wish or if you want to spend more time sightseeing then they'll do that instead. There is just so many different options and it's nice to have a say in how you spend your day. This is nothing like just taking a cab, they will give you a wonderful tour of the island and give you lots of options for activities along the way.

Not only do you get the personal attention, but they will meet you at the gates and you will have your guide for the whole day if you want, not just the 3 or 4 hours a ship tour provides.

I've read many great reviews of Victor's guides, but for my sister and I, we will always ask for Hanno, because he has done such a great job.

 

 

Thank you very much. I do feel a little better. I will book with Victor.

Thanks again.

Also which beach did you choose. There are so many options. We like to snorkel.

[MDSue]

Thank you very much. I do feel a little better. I will book with Victor.

Thanks again.

Also which beach did you choose. There are so many options. We like to snorkel.

We went to Half Moon Bay which is very close to the reef and supposed to have excellent snorkelling. The day we were there, the waves were a bit rough by the reef and the water was cloudy, so I didn't care for the snorkelling too much. Right next to Half Moon Bay a guy named Richard can take you out on his glass bottom boat to a place called the Blue Channel. When you book with Victor, just tell him you want to go out on the glass bottom boat also, it is well worth the extra $15 we paid. It was the best snorkelling I've ever done and Richard will swim along with you to point out fish and the reef. You can park your stuff at Half Moon Bay while you are out on the boat and lock any valuables in your guides car [i totally trusted Hanno with our belongings]. When we came back from snorkelling, we spent a few hours at the beach and ordered lunch. The water was much clearer when we got back and lots of people were snorkelling right off the beach. It's a very tropical beach with lots of shade trees. If you want a sunnier location, just tell them and they can take you to a different beach. I'm attaching a few pics for you.

Half Moon Bay

Glass Bottom boat

Scenic view of barrier reef with our guide, Hanno

[Fxmulder]

I did a tour with Victor in 2005 and had the best time. I am going again this year and they were the first people I contacted after booking my cruise. Can't wait to be back.

[Starbright7966]

We went to Half Moon Bay which is very close to the reef and supposed to have excellent snorkelling. The day we were there, the waves were a bit rough by the reef and the water was cloudy, so I didn't care for the snorkelling too much. Right next to Half Moon Bay a guy named Richard can take you out on his glass bottom boat to a place called the Blue Channel. When you book with Victor, just tell him you want to go out on the glass bottom boat also, it is well worth the extra $15 we paid. It was the best snorkelling I've ever done and Richard will swim along with you to point out fish and the reef. You can park your stuff at Half Moon Bay while you are out on the boat and lock any valuables in your guides car [i totally trusted Hanno with our belongings]. When we came back from snorkelling, we spent a few hours at the beach and ordered lunch. The water was much clearer when we got back and lots of people were snorkelling right off the beach. It's a very tropical beach with lots of shade trees. If you want a sunnier location, just tell them and they can take you to a different beach. I'm attaching a few pics for you.

Half Moon Bay

Glass Bottom boat

Scenic view of barrier reef with our guide, Hanno

 

I booked with Victor and asked for Hanno. I will do the offshore snorkling. It sounds great. Thanks again