Very nice location

Everything was good, the location is amazing. The only minus -sand flies whose very itchy bites (hundreds of them covered my and my friends' body), we had to treat for three weeks following our vacation. Although there was a person spraying some chemical around the beach at 7 am every morning, it didn't seem to be effective enough. It would be great if the management decided to do something about it. Otherwise, I'd recommend this resort.It's a true paradise for snorkeling lovers and diver [... read more]s.

Wonderfull place to go !

Such a nice island, resort was great, room was big, clean, looked out on the water, resort people where courteous, never was disappointed, met lot's of great people. food was very good, had nightly entertainment, always something different. beach and water was fantastic. and the price was so reasonable as compared to other places we considered to go, would definitely go back. we told lot's of our friends about how nice it was.

My new favorite Resort!

Fantasy Island Beach Resort & Dive Marina Roatan, Honduras I have to say after travelling to numerous islands and locations within the Caribbean, that Fantasy Island Beach Resort & Dive Marina in Roatan, Honduras is now my ultimate favorite location. My son & I met many friendly individuals who had nothing but nice comments to say regarding this resort. Many of whom were returning guests for many years. I am pleased to say that I will definitely be adding to that list of returning guests [... read more] :-) The staff is extremely friendly and accommodating. I have to give Kudos to the Animacion staff who seem to work many hours with a continuous smile on their faces. Obviously they love and appreciate their jobs which show in their demeanor. The rooms could be updated but not really a necessity as in reality, we are really in the rooms only to sleep. All rooms have a beautiful ocean view. Above all...this is an extremely safe resort. I never had to worry about anything. Most importantly, one could relax without being harassed on the beach by vendors. This is a private beach. The grounds are well maintained and the beach is a painters dream! Absolutely gorgeous with an array of blue colors teal to turquoise. Jaw dropping views. It was my sons first tropical experience & he absolutely loved it. This is a diver's and snorkelers dream as this is the second largest reef besides the great barrier. All kinds of ocean life was seen. Super safe to swim, snorkel & Dive. The food is quite good. Buffet style but with quite a good selection and variety. The only suggestion I would make is to have a snack shack & bar (hamburgers/hot dogs etc.) no $ on the beach. This is a very relaxed resort. There is no need for fancy clothing. The highlight was our little monkey friends (4) that roam the little island at their will. They come at various times of the day to play with you. They literally hop on to your shoulders. Hold on to your shades and cups as they do tend to run off with them...quite amusing monkeys. My experience at Fantasy Island was fantastic. I'll rate this as a 9 out of 10 in my books for a 3 star resort. I will definitely be promoting Fantasy Island Beach Resort & Dive Marina to all my friends...In fact 2 are going in December 2017 thanks to my feedback :-) Looking forward to my return in October!

Great location

an older but friendly resort without the crowds .price is reasonable , great beach and full dive center on site .fun nightly activities . don t miss out on taking a boat to Frenches . mind blowingly cool !

Great resort

The grounds were immaculate - swimming was good. The room could have had some shelves for storing clothes - we had to leave everything in the suitcases. Dining was good. Snorkeling on the adjacent reef was excellent.

Snorkling excellent resort poor

Very rundown resort. Looks like it was good long ago but it needs many repairs and cleanup. On the pool deck there was the same animal feces beside a chair all week. The pool was not clean nor the grounds around it. The food was very limited and not hot. Coffee was not hot and tea rarely available even when i asked for it every meal. Although I advised of my food allergy every day and every meal they never made any attempt to help me. I couldn't have dairy and they put cheese on everything. Inbe [... read more]tween meals no food was available. There was nothing to do if you were not snorkling or diving. No activities available during the day and very little animation at night. There were 6 kayaks but 5 had holes and would sink when out in the ocean. Our rep said she would arrange lunch for us before leaving for our return flight but it didn't happen. The resort was far from full- maybe about 30 people tops and the lunch would have to be ready 30 minutes earlier. Lunch was scheduled for 12:30 and we got picked up at 12:15. I know this was a 3 star resort but I have been to many 3 star resorts and never was disappointed. I've paid less money for 4 and 5 star dive resorts this year and in the past and been very happy. This resort didn't deserve a 3.Maybe a 2 I will say the other travellers were great and most of the staff very friendly. Judy from amination did try her best to get people involved at night when she had planned an activity and she was very sweet. Room cleaning ladies were quick and efficient, always smiling. The snorkling from the beach was excellent!! The people we met and our experiences off the resort were great and therefore I will visit Roatan again but not Fantasy Island.

It's all about the location......

Beautiful beach! Great for divers and snorkelers. We stayed two weeks in room 217. Very clean large room, King size bed, large shower, in room combination safe. Beautiful ocean view! Good food but not elaborate. The main building reminded me of a grand southern plantation. Lots of charm! I would recommend this destination to friends who love nature and aren't hung up on luxury accommodations.

I almost want to keep this place a secret!

This was our second trip to Fantasy Island and we are already looking forward to trip #3. If you are looking for a 5 star luxury resort with night life and partying then this place is not for you. But if you want to relax and enjoy the peaceful, beautiful beaches and natural surroundings then you will love it here. It is a small resort with approx 100 rooms, all with ocean view. Yes, the rooms are dated but they are clean. In my opinion, the food is plentiful and great. Drinks are ok. Staff is f [... read more]riendly and helpful. Snorkelling and diving is amazing - like nothing I've seen else where. I almost hesitate to tell anyone how great this place is - I want to keep it to myself.

Fantasy Island Beach & Dive Resort

Dates: Feb 16 - Mar 1 2015 The Positives: - Spacious room, comfortable bed, large safe, good sized closet and bureau - location was great, for an quiet, beach/dive vacation. Nice water access, and the natural reef kept the surf away. We didn't do any snorkeling, but others we met did, and said it was good. and I saw some great pics from those folks. - Diving is the real reason to go to Fantasy Island. Onsite dive shop was top notch; friendly, spacious boats, qualified staff. We loved the all  [... read more]inclusive dive option, as that gave us the flexibility to dive when we wanted, without any fuss (just be on time for the boat departure, and you're in ) - tasty food, but as others mentioned, fewer choices than what you'd see at a 5 Star resort. Since this isn't a 5 Star, we were not disappointed. We were well fed. - smaller resort, means fewer guests, which is a bonus for us. The ability to catch up with the same folks over the two weeks we were there meant we made some new friends, and had lots of laughs. It also means there was never a shortage of chairs on the beach, and we were always able to finds sun/shade depending on our desires; even on the days some cruise guests came to enjoy the beach/snorkelling. - Friendly serving staff, and front desk was efficient. The grounds crew worked like mad men, to keep the beach clean and raked. With several days of very significant sargassum deposits blowing it, that was no small feat! sargassum Room for improvement/other things to note: - I never have 'tummy' troubles when on vacation, but on this trip I had some. Nothing that held me down long, but my partner did on a couple of days, and others we spoke to also had some days of discomfort. I narrowed my trouble down to the salad bar. My guess is it was the creamy salad dressings, rather than the veggies. Although it's hard to say. We are not big drinkers, as we dove most days, so it wasn't alcohol related, to be sure. We heard that there had been a considerable amount of staff turnover at this resort in the recent weeks, so I speculate it's a lack of training on safe food-handling somewhere in the kitchen staff. - If you are sensitive to bug bites, be sure to bring bug spray for the sand fleas on the beach, and something for the itch (antihistamine) , because you will likely get bitten some. Mosquitos don't bother me much (hey, I'm a Manitoban!) but the sand fleas did catch me. - There is little entertainment in the evening, so you need to make your own fun (see small resort above) There were a few bonfires in the early evening, and some cultural dancing, plus recorded music or Karaoke in the snack bar most evenings for those who are inclined. Not our thing, so can't comment much. - Although the locals from the Island all pretty much speak English (this is a former British colony, after all), many of the hotel staff come from the mainland, where English is not as widely spoken. Expect some occasions when having some Spanish will facilitate your communication with staff. Everyone works very hard to be pleasant, and fulfill your wishes, so this isn't really a problem, but is just something to know. Overall, we had read the reviews before we booked, and as usual tossed out the really bad, and had a good idea what sort of property we had booked. We were not disappointed, at all. I loved the 'cottagey' feel of the place,with the wood floors on the open air verandah, and the white painted railings. There is sea view from pretty much anywhere you park yourself, and cool breezes. If you book this resort expecting a 3 star, low-key, quiet place, you will not be disappointed.

Good resort,appears to be trying to improve.

Grounds are spotless,someone is raking nonstop.No shortage of lounges,towels.Only time beech looked busy when cruise ships dock.Very quiet,no sellers bothering anyone.Exellent snorkelling or scuba diving paradise.

No disappointments-

Just got back from Fantasy island on Feb 4/15. Beautiful location, quick check-in, and room was spacious and clean. Stayed in room 222 which had an amazing view and was in reasonable condition, save the shower and bathroom door...they needed work but passable. No worries about salt water showers, actually was very nice on the skin and really liked it. Was short on hot water a few times but just avoid the busy rush after the beach or at 8 ish am. but no big deal really. Staff at the hotel were av [... read more]erage and a few were great like friendly Frank. He always smiled and was helpful behind the bar or as a server...$$ tips didn't seem to encourage the rest however lol. FOOD was always good however not a ton of choice ...but there was always something tasty for everyone (no bacon for you lovers...ever). Beach was really nice, clean and clear water on the main beach. Snorkeling was amazing and lots of water life to enjoy right from the beach, or just jump on a boat going out for a better experience in the reef for a few bucks in tip money. Bottom line...'to avoid disappointment... lower your expectations' and then this is a good choice especially for the $$ if you dive or snorkel. It is 28 years old now, and bit tired and aging, which is a shame. I can only imagine what it would have been like when it was younger. Would have been the most private and wonderful place and BTW the beach/views remains it's strong points. If you want relaxation, privacy, this resort is a good economical choice (3 star) Must do: Would be to go to Gio's restaurant for the seafood feast for $40 an head. It is in Flowers Bay which will cost about 15 bucks ahead for a cabby who will tour you to the West beach area for shopping or a few drinks then to eat while they wait for you an take you to enjoy. Meal consisted of two lobster tails, grilled tiger shrimp and a King Crab with it beautiful long legs and giant claws. Must

Good place to go

We were there with our 2 boy's their wives and 5 grand kids. It was awesome. The staff, food and accommodations were great. We had a slight problem with our air conditioner which was unable to be fixed and since the resort was full we had to stay in that room , but it wasn't the end of the world. The staff were great and really helpful in all ways . They even made a birthday cake for one of our grandkid's birthday. It's a diving resort with awesome snorkeling. Food was great .Monkeys on site and [... read more] fun' and mischeifious. We would go back again

Great place for animal lovers or light sleepers

Fantasy Island is a basic hotel, old but functional. Great place for animal lovers. The grounds are home to peacocks, ducks, iguanas, "rabbits", parrots and capuchins. It's a very quiet secluded location, good for sleeping, but not much else to do in the area but be on the hotel grounds. Good $15 shore dive just meters from the gazebo. Dive shop was nice with big boats. The food was acceptable, breakfast was consistently terrible (think two star in Cuba) but lunch and dinner were good. The house [... read more] wine was not even drinkable so beware-bring your own wine from the town! We found it hard to get small bills to tip people. Wish the front desk (or anyone) would have been able to break twenties so that we could have tipped the friendly staff a little more.

Fantasy Island was great-again!

This cozy, unique resort is a perfect place to relax and unwind. The friendly staff are quick to help out with any request or concern and always with a smile. The food is delicious-even though it was a small selection there was always enough choice and never walked away hungry. The room was spacious-one of the largest that we've ever had. Loved the wildlife that is always present and the views from every corner of the resort was breath taking. The scuba diving was amazing and Ria and her staff w [... read more]ere great! Loved our boat captain Kevin and DM Miguel. This was our 2nd visit to Fantasy Island-our 1st as scuba divers. And after another great week, I suspect we will back in the not too distant future!

Best dive experience

Small, with a great beach and reef! Ideal for the experienced diver or for the begginer. Wonderful dive staff with experience and certification on site. Not frilly or full of extravagance just agreat place to kick back and enjoy! Most of the people I talked to there had the same thought " like going to the cottage, just lots more to see and do!"