Victor Bodden guide/driver recommendations? (MERGED THREADS)

[gypsyrose]

Lanny was our driver 2 weeks ago and he was fantastic as I am sure most of them are. It doesn't matter if you don't know what you want to do, he will give you suggestions, and you can even change from what you tell Victor you want to do. He took us all over the island pointing out various things and answering questions. I know it sounds freaky, but we went to the iguana farm and it was definitely worth $8. they are so big!!! We went to Fosters resort and had a wonderful lunch, very inexpensive and asked Lanny to join us for lunch, which apparently not many people do. We learned so much more about their way of living during our meal that I am so glad he agreed to eat with us. I would highly recommend Lanny if you book Victor.

[Desilin]

We signed up with Victor Bodden and our tour guide was Barney he had his own airconditioned van. He was great and the tours were amazing he new alot about his island and told us about it was nice to learn a bit about where we were. When we mentioned we had never been to the beach except for a few days ago he took us to a beach and we just drove along the beach for a few miles. He stopped when I asked so we could get out and take pictures.He also waited at Victors and the beach for us keeping a eye on our things if needed.

We went to the iguana farm first and then to some sight seeing on the way to victors house to play with the monkeys and other animals (this was a great experience) our guide at victors was Michael a helpful smart young man. Then on to west bay for some time at the beach. This was the most beautiful place I have ever been the water was amazing and I must say that Roatan was our favorite port.

[FAD]

wow i can't believe the number of replies to this question. i suspect on one will even read my email because they'll never get that far.

 

Our guide, sorry i don't know his name. was a very nice man and he answered our questions but i suspect that he was aware that gas is $ 5 a gallon. He did not want to take us to the iguana farm which was the opposite end of the island (45 mins. one way he said) from the West End we also wanted to visit. I can understand that but he took us to the nearest end of West End beach and i later realized i would like to have gone in father to the Half Moon Resort side.

 

Also his idea of a site to take pictures of the beautiful island was a place near the airport overlooking a hill with buildings and the ocean with a ship which wasn't our cruise ship. We didn't even bother taking pictures. But it was on the way to the West End and hence he choice that spot.

 

The thing that disappointed me about this was that i meet someone on the cruise who said she took Richard's Tour and he drove them all over the island for the same $ 40 we paid Victor.

 

p.s. I must admit that i might not have enjoyed Victor's house except for a baby monkey who really enjoyed us. He thought my mess water shoes were either gorgeous or eatable.

[Lainetique]

Our guide/driver last friday was Derrick. We couldn't have asked for a more friendly, informative, insightful & fun person. He took us everywhere we wanted, all the time enthusiastically answering all our many questions. (there were 6 of us). He drove us thru many charming villages & told us fascinating tidbits on each one. Derrick even stopped mid morning at a little roadside bakery & bought delicious homemade muffins for us. Per our request, we went to several high points on the island, to take photos.

Spent a lot of time at Victor Bodden's house - the monkeys are adorable & we couldn't stop playing with them. We had lunch at a beautiful peaceful resort on the beach. Dh & I spent our time having a wonderful conversation with Derrick, while the other 4 snorkled.

No problem getting back to the ship on time, & Derrick drove as close as possible so we wouldn't have to walk far. We exchanged email addresses with him & will definitely keep in touch. This tour was the highlight of our cruise.

[The Klev]

We had Leonel on April 20th of this year and he was fantastic!

 

He had a comfortable Toyota Sienne, drove us around the island, and allowed us to stop at a school where we did some things we had planned for a year which brought smiles to the kids and teachers' faces and warmth to our hearts.

 

We then did the ziplining at Victor's place, played with the monkeys, and took off for the West End to hang on the beach and do some snorkeling.

 

All this in a day!

 

I am looking forward to returning and using Victor again.

[B&B Chic]

We arrived on Roatan in January 2010 via the Crown Princess. We just can’t say enough about our wonderful day on Roatan touring the beautiful island with our Bodden Tour guide, Lanny. Lanny was polite, friendly, a very good driver, full of information about the island, which is his home, and took us anywhere we wanted to go. He spoke excellent English. The air-conditioned van was immaculate and very comfortable. We brought in school supplies for the Roatan Children’s Fund schools, and since the schools were in recess while we were there, Lanny took us to the office of a resort to drop off the supplies for the children. We requested Lanny take us to gift shops which sold only native-made items. We were not interested in Chinese made souvenirs. We did a lot of Christmas shopping and came back with beautiful handmade chests, puzzles, and a lovely cameo. Yes there is a cameo factory on Roatan and you need to stop and see their jewelry. We visited the butterfly farm and the monkeys at Victor’s place. The monkeys were an absolute riot! One in particular loved my husband’s hair and searched through it, presumably looking for lunch! Too funny! Lanny took us to a wonderful café for lunch. We sat on a covered deck overlooking the beach and waves. So pleasant and relaxing. The food was excellent! Since it was just the two of us, we could spend as much time at each stop as we liked. So we had a tour of the southern part of the island and learned a lot about Roatan from our knowledgeable guide. Well worth the money! You can book with Bodden Tours without worry. And ask for Lanny to be your driver! We hope to come back to Roatan some day and spend more time on this beautiful island!

[Holly2]

Does Victor offer tours himself?

[LDandJT]

Our tour with Ali the first of July was great! We had a glass bottom boat/ snorkel trip just for the 4 of us, what more coul you ask for? Great time.

[sscottcruiser]

We were just in Roatan last Wednesday and did the Best of Roatan Tour with Danny as our guide. He was great. We went to Victor's house and did the zip-line there. Really had a great time. Well worth the money to see the island and do the zip-lining.

[drumline]

In Roatan last Friday with Celebrity. Not sure if Victor does tours himself but we did meet him when we went to see the monkeys. Our driver was Ben and our tour guide was Kim, we loved them both. It was Kim's last day before maternity leave. Best day of the entire cruise. We laughed so much with the monkeys and got some great pictures.

[dodgemarine]

Has anyone eles tried the glass bottom boat/snorkeling tour through Victor?

Edited July 14, 2010 by dodgemarine
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[dodgemarine]

Our tour with Ali the first of July was great! We had a glass bottom boat/ snorkel trip just for the 4 of us, what more coul you ask for? Great time.

 

How was this tour? We are thinking about booking it, but wanted to make sure the boat is in good condition and that it is not overcrowded. How many were onboard, besides your group of 4?

[MDSue]

Has anyone eles tried the glass bottom boat/snorkeling tour through Victor?

Yes, We did the glass bottom/snorkel tour as part of our day with Victor [actually, one of his guides] last year. We hired a guide to tour the island for the whole day and we added the snorkel part as an addition to the rest of our day. Our guide took us to Half Moon Bay, where we met up with Richard, our guide on the glass bottom boat. It cost us an additional $15 dollars to go. He took us out for about an hour and a half total. He took us to the Blue Channel area of the barrier reef that borders Roatan and Belize. The snorkelling was fabulous. Richard was very knowledgable and swam along with us while we were snorkelling, pointing out different fish and sites along the way. We had a toal of about 8-10 people in our group. He had snorkel equipment available on the boat. I really enjoyed the tour, as well as the rest of the day with out guide. There is also snorkelling available for free at Half Moon Bay and other beaches in Roatan, but I liked the snorkelling on the reef better. However, Half Moon Bay was a nice stopping point with free beach chairs and a nice open air restaurant that served a decent lunch.

[dodgemarine]

Yes, We did the glass bottom/snorkel tour as part of our day with Victor [actually, one of his guides] last year. We hired a guide to tour the island for the whole day and we added the snorkel part as an addition to the rest of our day. Our guide took us to Half Moon Bay, where we met up with Richard, our guide on the glass bottom boat. It cost us an additional $15 dollars to go. He took us out for about an hour and a half total. He took us to the Blue Channel area of the barrier reef that borders Roatan and Belize. The snorkelling was fabulous. Richard was very knowledgable and swam along with us while we were snorkelling, pointing out different fish and sites along the way. We had a toal of about 8-10 people in our group. He had snorkel equipment available on the boat. I really enjoyed the tour, as well as the rest of the day with out guide. There is also snorkelling available for free at Half Moon Bay and other beaches in Roatan, but I liked the snorkelling on the reef better. However, Half Moon Bay was a nice stopping point with free beach chairs and a nice open air restaurant that served a decent lunch.

 

Thanks for the info! Sounds like it will be a great tour!

[LDandJT]

How was this tour? We are thinking about booking it, but wanted to make sure the boat is in good condition and that it is not overcrowded. How many were onboard, besides your group of 4?

 

The boat is in very good condition. There was just the 4 of us on the boat, had it all to ourselves! Richard was great. Snorkel gear onboard if you need it. That drop off on the outside of the reef is unbelievable.

[dodgemarine]

The boat is in very good condition. There was just the 4 of us on the boat, had it all to ourselves! Richard was great. Snorkel gear onboard if you need it. That drop off on the outside of the reef is unbelievable.

 

Thanks! We have reserved with Victor and actually requested Ali or Tex as our guide. They both received so many great reviews on cc. I have heard Roatan has amazing reefs for snorkeling. Can't wait!

[lovevacadays]

Thanks! We have reserved with Victor and actually requested Ali or Tex as our guide. They both received so many great reviews on cc. I have heard Roatan has amazing reefs for snorkeling. Can't wait!

 

 

Lucky you if you get Tex although I hear great things about Ali as well. My friend and I had Tex and had such a wonderful time with him. BTW, he is a native islander but interestingly enough he kind of has an Irish lilt to his voice. We told him that and he said others had said the same thing.

[tx_cruising]

Four of us from the Celebrity Solstice went to the Victor Bodden kiosk on July 9th seeking a private taxi / tour. I was concerned about availability / quality of the tour we might get being walk-ups without a reservation. We were off and running within a few minutes in a comfortable big van for the four of us. We were all quite impressed with Ron our driver / tour guide. He was very engaging, polite, and knowledgable of Roatan, bilingual in English and Spanish. We asked for the island tour, and he took us from east to north to west sides of the island stopping for great photo ops along the way. Played with the monkeys at Victor's house (fun) and ended up at West Bay Beach (at the Bananarama bar); one in our group snorkeled and said it was great. $80 for the four of us, $20 each not bad at all for a quality driver and tour guide for the day.

[Tokyo Mom]

We were supposed to have Ali last Thursday but were told he was in the hospital - no other details. Hope he's up and about soon.

 

Michelle

[lovevacadays]

We were supposed to have Ali last Thursday but were told he was in the hospital - no other details. Hope he's up and about soon.

 

Michelle

 

Sorry to hear Ali might not be well. Who did you end up with and did you enjoy your tour?

[kiraryker]

For those that did the ziplining how was it?? I had read where someone said it didn't look safe?? We are thinking of doing the zip & dip tour

 

Thanks

[lovestocruise325]

For those that did the ziplining how was it?? I had read where someone said it didn't look safe?? We are thinking of doing the zip & dip tour

 

Thanks

SDMike did a great review on the EVERYTHING EPIC thread. We are going to do it.

[cruisemainiac]

For those that did the ziplining how was it?? I had read where someone said it didn't look safe?? We are thinking of doing the zip & dip tour

 

Thanks

 

We've gone with Victor 3 times. Last Dec. we went ziplining at his place. The guides were well trained an put everyone at ease. There is a double pulley/line system which works well and is extremely safe. You'll also have time to have fun with the monkeys and birds. I would also suggest lunch at Half Moon Bay, fantastic fresh red snapper and grouper. This year (Oct on Epic) we'll be doing the glass bottom/snorkle trip.

[conniejb]

I have booked Victor for our cruise in March. We're planning on doing the ziplines, touring the area, and going to his house to see the animals. Though most posts on this board RAVE about Victor and his guides, I have read one post saying they did not like the tour guide they had.

 

If you used Victor, did you love the guide? If so, who did you have? & finally, does anyone know if you can ask for a particular person?

 

My rule of thumb is if 100 people say they are wonderful and one says nothing but bad things, these people are very had to please and look for the worst in everything....Not always but most of the time. We went in June lots of monkeys around 5 or 6 and 4 tiny baby monkeys. Also a few birds. We are going again in Feb. 2011 and plan to do the same thing. (Zip and Dip) BTW It was over 100 degrees out there so it is hard to keep any vehicle really cool. If you get to the van first get in front. This was the most fun we had the whole trip.

[wineandbeach]

We had Derrick last week. A good tour guide could make or break a trip and Derrick was great. His love for the Island was contagious. He gave us a tour of the island and told us many stories. We had a dive scheduled at West bay and he got us there in plenty of time and stayed at the beach with those that didn't do the dive. We stopped at the Cameo factory on the way back to ship. We all were pleasantly surprised by Roatan. It is a beautiful island both on land and in the water. We loved it!