Drew Marze "Loved every minute of this vacation."

Theres not one negative I can say about the whole place. From the moment my family arived Guy was right there checking on us. and the staff was simply amazing. I loved the Thirsty Turtle and Steve and Tim were the best bar tenders on the whole Island along with Puma. The diving was unbelievable as well and Marco was an awesome dive instructor, if your a diver this place is not to be misses, Spooky Channel was amazing as well as all the others, but the great thing was that my parents could go snorkling right off the beach and see all kinds of stuff. The food was great as well and the specials each days were awesome. The pork is cooked right in the smoke shack and tasted great.... Bananarama gets two thumbs up from the Marze family and we cant wait to get back."

"The Best Vacation EVER", says two couples from Minnesota!

I've been back for two weeks and I'm still daydreaming about this vacation! When booking, we really didn't know what to expect...but what we found is a place that I pray Hilton never finds! The staff was wonderful! Louis, Guy, and Tina were incredible at the resort. The Bananarama Dive Center staff were so good to us too! I really have to thank Marco, Mel and Sophia! I was a bit nervous to dive and they put me at ease and I now have a new appreciation for this sport. Our rooms were Island Style - rustic, CLEAN, and so charming! Dollar beers were standard. The bar made excellent drinks and wonderful conversations were had by all. The Caribbean sea was beautiful! It was such a great surprise swimming out to the reef which was only a few yards away from the coast. The beautiful coral and wildlife that we saw was such a treat! I'm pretty sure I'll never find a place like this ever again! It is such a bargain and we really felt like our business was appreciated here. This was the best vacation ever!

We are already planning our next trip 4 months from now....it's that good!

"No Stress Vacation at a Perfect Spot", exclaim vacationers from Gulfport, MS!

This was the perfect vacation. No stress, wonderful people, fantastic water, beautiful beach, great food, what more could you ask for? This place is so laid back compared to other places we have been. BananaramaDive Resort is a real gem and the staff is wonderful. We had so much fun talking to them and learning about Roatan and the area. They could not have been nicer. The cabana was so cute and convenient to everything. The food was fantastic. I highly recommend the coconut shrimp, but everything we ate was good. The breakfast was a great way to start the day and there was a different selection everyday. My favorite was the omelet.

We can not say enough about everyone there and how relaxed we felt as soon as we arrived. Snorkeling was great and so close to the resort. The entertainment in the evening at the Thirsty Turtle Beach Front Bar and Grill was really good and the bartenders made it a fun place to be. Hi, Tim and Sabino, you made our vacation special. The front desk people and guest services people were there whenever we needed anything (more towels, help unlocking our door when we left our key inside, answering questions about money conversion and so much more). We can not wait to go back and are already making plans for our next visit.

Fun in the Sun at BananaramaDive Resort!

The Thirsty Turtle Restaurant even cooked the fish we caught deep sea fishing that day! Happy hours were fun with two for one specialty drinks and three for $5 local beer. Be sure to have a Monkey La La...we should have left with that recipe! There was live music several nights. The new Caribbean Creamery on site had coffee, ice cream and baked goods and even made a special birthday cake for us. The beach is beautiful with light colored sand, a slow gradual slope, and no strong current. World class diving and snorkeling is just a few strokes out from the beach just past the resort. They take great care to comb the beach daily so it is always clean. Cruise Ship days weren't as bad as we expected as we were allowed to go next door to the privacy of the Island Pearl. Plus there was more going on around the beach on cruise ship days. Yes, there were sand fleas and mosquitoes but we were just careful to spray repellant each morning and didn't have a problem. They recommend no deet to protect the reef. While a few of us didn't dive, we hiked, zip lined, sea kayaked, deep sea fished, snorkeled and spent some quiet time in the beach chairs reading. Massages were good too. There is something for everyone at BananaramaDive Resort!

Vintage Pearl Restaurant and Wine Cellar at BananramaDive Resort and Island Pearl Resort

If you are traveling to Roatan Honduras you can NOT skip out on visiting this restaurant. There is nothing else like it on the island!!!
The Vintage Pearl Restaurant is located right on the beach among the Island Villas. There are tiki torches outside of the door with foot baths to dip your feet in. First, you are greeted at the door and asked to remove your shoes. I'd have to say that was a first. Then you walk into one of the most quaint little places I've ever seen. It's decorated with beautiful artwork, wine racks, candles, mahogany wood floors, real table clothes and fanned napkins for all the tables.

We were seated and told that the menu changes daily. So the server described the menu options to us. It is all inclusive, including your choice of soup or salad, an entree and a dessert. There are some appetizer choices as well.

The wine list was quite impressive. They had wines from all around the world and some of Californians finest. I couldn't believe they carried Cakebread and Far Niente.

We started with an appetizer which was a baked brie topped with a guava sauce. For our soup choice we had cream of tomato soup with ginger which was really delicious. For our entrees we decided to have the Filet which had gorgonzola cheese and a sauce that was indescribable. The filet was so tender i could cut it with my fork and the sauce on top was so amazing I could have used my finger to finish it (but didn't of course). Then we also chose the Lobster that was stuffed with Shrimp and King Crab. It had some sauce that resembled a hollandaise. This dish was presented so well it almost looked like art when it was placed in front of me. It was really good. The portions were more than enough and we weren't sure how we were going to have room for dessert but once the server told us what the options were we made room.

There was a banana bread pudding, a raspberry chiffon pie and a chocolate mousse. It was a hard choice so we took the bread pudding and the chocolate mousse and came back the next night to try the raspberry chiffon! The bread pudding was so moist and topped with a sweet sauce on top that was warm and the chocolate mousse....can I use the word succulent? The raspberry chiffon was my favorite..it was really light and refreshing.

The service at Vintage Pearl was impeccable. They knew exactly what you needed before you asked and the aspect I was impressed most with was they were so nice and always smiling. It was almost as if they were hosting a party at their own house. They were very accommodating.

We highly recommend this place. I was really happy we stumbled into this little place. It is a hidden treasure.

"Paradise Found" The people of Roatan were amazing and very welcoming.

We completed our PADI Open Water Dive Certification at the Bananarama Dive Center. Our Instructor, Marco, was extremely professional which made us all feel much safer as first time divers. His love for diving is evident and made the whole experience much more memorable.

When we weren't diving or sleeping, you could find us at the Thirsty Turtle, Bananarama's palapa bar. The staff was great. One of the bartender's, Tim, hosted a karaoke night where patrons took turns singing as they sat around the bar. Edwin, another bartender, would make some stiff drinks that had us sleeping by 6:30pm our first night. Yolanda or "Yo", another staff member, was always cheerful and singing great oldies which made it hard not to partake in. And there was Carolina. She would go above and beyond to make our visit enjoyable. She brought us avocados from home when the restaurant ran out and also organized a surprise birthday breakfast (with balloons, hats, candles, and a "feliz cumpleanos" banner) for my brother-in-law.

Bananarama's upscale restaurant, the Vintage Pearl, is where we had my brother-in-law's birthday dinner. We all had the steak and lobster which was excellent and probably one of the best lobsters I've ever eaten.

The owners/managers of Bananarama, Guy, Tina, & Phil were also great. They were always present and visible to make sure their guests were having a good time.

In conclusion, Roatan and the Bananarama was more beautiful and hospitable than I ever expected. My wife and I have traveled the world and have always been against visiting the same place twice. The people of Roatan and the staff of the Bananarama will make this place the exception. We'll definitely be going back!

"What a Great Family Vacation"

Our Californian Family had our First Family Dive Together at BananaramaDive Resort!
My husband and I traveled to the Bananarama two years ago and had a most magical time. It had been our goal to take our children (teenagers) and finally we were able to do it. What a wonderful time we all had. The property was just as we remembered with some improvements (if you could improve on perfection). The new bar and restaurant, The Thirsty Turtle was complete. The food was great. We have a hard time satisfying five different tastes here in the US but we were all happy with the selection and taste. They have a smoker on prem and the meat out of that is delicious (ribs are yummy). And I know I'll never find a whole fish that was as delicious as the one they serve there, a local snapper. Just as before the home made tortillas are wonderful and we ordered them every meal. The staff is so gracious. They made us feel so welcome and comfortable. They go out of their way to accommodate and made the children feel so special. We connected daily with so many of them, Carolina, Tim, Emil, Puma, etc.....too many to list.

The kids are not certified divers and even though we have encouraged them to do so they showed no interest until this trip. The dive staff is wonderful. Cori, one of the instructors at Bananarama took them through the short course and out on their first dive. She was so good with them and now they are hooked. We were actually able to dive with them (Cori led the dive) on a non certified dive and could not believe how comfortable she had them. Kudos to Cori! The kids now want to go back and have Cori certify them.

West Bay Beach is probably one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and we had is right at our feet with our stay at Bananarama. I couldn't have asked for anything more on this trip.

Oh, I forgot to mention the accommodations. At this beautiful place we spent little time in our room but we did have a room to sleep all five of us. The air conditioning is great for a good nights sleep. The room is kept clean and they are prompt with any requests. The kids loved the hammock on the porch and now we have our very own Roatan hammock in our back yard.

"Perfect location, gorgeous beach, friendly staff, what more could you ask for?"

My husband and I had an amazing vacation and will return to Roatan again and again for several reasons:

1. Cheap flights - We flew out of Washington D.C., connected in Atlanta and within 2 1/2 hours we were on Roatan Island in Paradise!

2. Amazing Beach - You have the beach to yourself most of the time. The water is crystal clear. You can see all the way down at 100 ft and the reef is amazing! you can just swim or kayak right off the beach and see beautiful coral, fish, turtles, etc. The water is really calm and beautiful. The staff works really hard raking up seaweed and making sure that the beach has less sand flies. Free chairs are included in your stay and there is always shade available to put your chairs under when you've had enough of the sun.

3. The Lodging is Affordable - We had a Island Style Garden Room that was just perfect for us. The maids even made animals out of the towels. The kitchenette was useful because we stopped at the grocery store and bought some food and snacks to save money. the bathroom we large and spacious. We had the A/C on at night and slept great. You cant beat the location of Bananarama/Island Pearl. we can't wait to go back! The staff is friendly. They included breakfast every morning and was always served with a smile.

4. Great Food - Breakfast was great and ranged from eggs, pancakes, french toast, beleadas, fruit and juice/coffee. Island Pearl is the property next door and they have the best restaurant on the Island! The Vintage Pearl Restaurant and Wine Cellar. They had excellent food and a fantastic atmosphere!

5. Activities - there is always something to do at BananaramaDive Resort. With their 5 Star PADI Diving Center you can enjoy world class diving on the Roatan reef. We also kayaked during the most beautiful sunsets we had ever seen. The Sunday Night activities were amazing and a total surprise to us. They had live music, hermit crab races, fire dancers, and the limbo dance.

6. Bugs - there are bugs, but with some natural bug juice and spray we were not bothered by them. I expected the bugs because it was a tropical, warm, humid place, but found it not as bad as I thought!

7. Weather - the weather was just great except for one day when it rained. We read, relaxed, and went shopping in near by West End. Bananarama had tables that were covered, so we could eat a good meal and visit with other people if we wanted to.

8. Cruise Ship Days - the beach does get a little full, but we staked out our place early and enjoyed watching all the people having a great time in the Caribbean snorkeling, sunning, and swimming along with us. We were not bothered at all, and they are gone in 3 hours.

Overall this was one of the best vacations we had ever taken and we travel a lot. You can't beat the location...in a few short hours you are in paradise, the beach is amazing ...beautiful crystal white sand, and service with a smile. We can't wait to go back!