Wonderful Rental! Wonderful Island!
Guest: Ana O. (San Antonio, TX) | 01/07/14
All I can say is the previous reviews for this home are spot on. Kevin, Clair, and Desiree were extremely helpful and responsive. The house is very comfortable and easily accommodated our family of 10. Snorkeling off the reef in front of house amazing. The first night catered seafood buffet they arranged for us was absolutely delicious and we had enough leftovers for another entire meal. A little island info -- we used bug spray quite a bit as a precaution, but weren't bothered by sand flies or mosquitos at all. All our dining experiences were great: enjoyed Oasis (but be aware, no seafood served there, fabulous ribs!), Celeste's in West Bay for baleadas, Coconut Tree in West End for seafood. Steve at Steve's Paddle Shack in West End was great! Some of us were first-time SUPers & he was an excellent teacher. Lots of local history from him as well. If you have a chance, visit Blue Harbor Arboretum. Tour of local fruits and hydroponic farm really interesting. Tried some very tasty exotic fruits.
Recommended for: Adventure seekers, families with teenagers.
OMG! BEST VACATION EVER
Guest: d-fly; (Wiscasset, ME) | 01/02/14
Talk about service! When they say 24/7, they mean it! We were met at the airport and driven to our house, which was fabulous! It was set on the beach, of course, but also among the locals. What an experience! The people were so friendly and mostly spoke English. It gave you a real sense of the culture in Roatan. Desiree, Claire, and Kevin were fabulous! Not to mention our chef, Robbie! The snorkeling was the best on the island, right off our dock! Spooky Channel!!! My 8 year old son turned into a fish on Roatan! Loved kayaking and we did a night snorkel with Herbert and Tours, Inc! If you get a chance to go to Pigeon Keys, I highly recommend it! Sandblaster (dune buggy ) were amazing. What a great adventure and you got to see a part of the island you wouldn't have, otherwise! Plus they have a sweet monkey pet that loves to pose for a pic! Just watch the tongue. She loves to stick it out!!! :) We can't wait to go again and we will definitely seek out Pirates View again, or maybe something on the East side this time!
Recommended for: Adventure seekers, families with young children, romantic getaway, people with disabilities, sightseeing, families with teenagers.
Pirates View!
Guest: Dave C. (Wiscasset, ME) 01/02/14
Everything you've read in the previous reviews is right on! The house and service were excellent. Even though we were there in the "rainy season" it only rained a couple of times, so no big deal. Desiree is wonderful! Use her (no offense, Dez...) services and expertise about the island to make your stay even more enjoyable. I don't think she had a bad recommendation the whole week. I won't go into a lot of details about the house, except to say that there are a few little things that you need to "adjust" to. For example, the drinkable water comes from 5 gallon bottles, you have to pay attention to small security issues, like closing the gate at night. All in all, nothing was a big deal. I highly recommend getting out and talking to the locals. The house is located right in the community of Sandy Bay. We said Hola, Hello, and/or waved to almost everyone we met, and during the whole week, there were only 2 people that didn't respond with a return greeting and smile. The people are happy on the island, and they openly answered any questions we had. As for services, I would recommend having Chef Robbie come to the house and cook for you at least one night. He's a great guy and a wonderful chef! Also, we used (Desirees advice) Captain Herbert at Roatan Ocean Adventures for a deep sea fishing/Pigeon Cay trip, and then later (Christmas night) for a night time snorkel. Herbert is a nice guy, and very accommodating. Pigeon Cay is a 45 minute trip, but if you want to see, walk on, and snorkel next to one of those tiny, 3 coconut tree islands that you see in magazines, this is it! I've done a lot of snorkeling, and this was some of the best I've seen. The night snorkel was very cool. My eight year old jumped right in and had a blast. Lobsters everywhere, fish, even a couple of squid. A truly unique experience. Dining on any island is expensive, but we found some great places where the owners come out to say hello and talk to their customers. The Beach Grill at the Blue Bahia was right on the beach. Make sure to try the Monkey La La! It's so good we made up a song for it! We also ate Thai in West End at Tongs. The food was awesome, but be careful of the tiny pepper flakes!! Service was also first rate, and fast. Before our night snorkel, we had dinner at Frenchy's 44, and again the owner came out to say hello and talk for a bit. He also owns Little French Key, just off of shore. We didn't get to visit this gem, but we will next time!
Recommended for: Tourists without a car, adventure seekers, families with young children, romantic getaway, people with disabilities, age 55+, sightseeing, girls getaway, families with teenagers.
YEP ! This Adventure Needs To Be On Your Must Do List - For Sure.
Guest: Michael S. | 11/07/13
You can see from other reviews and pictures what a great place this is. It's all that - and more. We were met at the airport by the new owner's Junior & Lisa as they were staying on the Island. I was told when entering the terminal to look for someone holding a sign with our name on it. A gentleman named "Orlando" was in fact there waiting for us, took our checked luggage tags and disappeared. No sooner than we got our passports stamped, walked through customs, we see our bags and the owners holding up ice cold beers at the airport bar. I knew right then this was gonna be a fun week. We were taken right to the house, changed into shorts and flip flops and checked out the house. We had the master suit upstairs with full deck over-looking the water...........EXCELLENT ! Also, the walk-in stone shower was awesome, not allot of those here on the East Coast. The entire place from inside to seamless outdoor living at the ocean's edge is spectacular. I enjoyed having hot coffee in the morning relaxing in the plunge pool = nice contrast ! In the evening (if we were home) the sunsets, while sitting on the lower deck (with a cold beverage) are remarkable. We toured some of the Island, i.e., West End, West Bay, Coxen Hole...etc. We did the underwater scuba motorbikes off a brand new 40' boat in West End.....try it, you don't need to be "scuba certified" either. Overall, we meet some great people, made some new friends, and had a blast. All the while staying in 1st Class Accommodations on an Island 40 miles out in the Caribbean Sea surrounded by crystal clear water, white sandy beaches (West Bay - gotta check it out too) and a tropical climate. What's not to like ? Go see for yourself, then write your review. Cheers....
Recommended for: Tourists without a car, adventure seekers, families with young children, romantic getaway, people with disabilities, age 55+, sightseeing, girls getaway, families with teenagers.
Excellent! Perfect High-End Roatan Get-a-Way. Book Without Hesitation.
Guest: TXFlyFishing (Houston, TX) | 08/17/12
When booking vacation rentals from afar, and without intimate knowledge of the destination, it is always hard to know what you are getting into. I can saw without hesitation that the Pirates View property exceeded my expectations in every way. I booked the house for my 40th b-day and hosted my eight best friends. It was perfect. Other reviewers have already focused on how amazing the property is.....and it is all true. However, I want to focus on what a good experience we had with the property managers (Claire and Kevin) and owner (Jeff). All three of them went out of there way to make sure our stay went as planned. I have been to many island destinations and have learned from experience that "don't worry about it" almost always means....well.....that I need to worry about it. Not here. When Claire, Kevin or Jeff say they will take care of it, trust them to take care of it. I dealt with Claire during the booking process and she was amazingly responsive via email....no matter what time of day or night. That was hugely helpful for me as I have precious little time during the busy day. Upon arrival, Claire and Kevin met us at the airport with transportation, got us to the grocery store and helped us move in and get oriented. We had the pleasure of meeting (and getting to know) Jeff the owner, as he arrived on island prior to our departure. Jeff is a gentleman and the kind of guy that anyone would like to know. Although not part of the official "staff", Mike the neighbor was also an important part of our experience. He was extremely helpful orienting us with the island and always helped answer whatever questions we had. I would not hesitate to recommend this property to anyone. Of course the property itself is amazing. Clean. Well appointed. Spacious. There were nine of us and we had plenty of room. The views are great. We did a ton of fishing. Caught bonefish right in front of the house. We also went deep sea fishing and caught 14 blackfin tuna (I recommend Kune as a guide). You can snorkel right off the property out to the reef. It was easy to get to the restaurants in West End and West Bay either with the Nissan that comes with the house or through local taxis. I would recommend that you rely on Claire and Kevin for suggestions re specific taxis drivers, guides, etc. Everyone that they recommended was top quality. Some of the folks we found on our own.....not so much. Thanks Claire, Kevin, Jeff and Mike!
Recommended for: Tourists without a car, adventure seekers, families with young children, romantic getaway, age 55+, sightseeing, girls getaway, families with teenagers.