FAQ

We know you have questions about traveling to Roatan and diving at CoCo View.

From questions about accommodations at CoCo View Resort to scuba diving in on Roatan with us, please read below for answers to frequently asked questions.

The information on this page may change, so please call us for the latest information before you travel to Roatan, and report any errors to info@cocoviewresort.com

If your question/answer isn’t listed below please contact dro@cocoviewresort.com OR hear from the folks who know and been to CCV on the CoCo View Divers Facebook Fan Page. They are a friendly group of CCV guests who are happy to answer your questions about travel, diving and staying at CoCo View Resort!

Here are some of the commonly asked questions!

Travel Questions

Yes! When traveling to Honduras, visitors will need a passport with a minimum of 6 months validity remaining before the passport expires, subject to change. Please double check requirements with an appropriate government source prior to travel. Non-U.S. citizens should check with their airline or Honduran Consulate for visa requirements.

CoCo View Resort provides free ground transportation from the airport to the resort for guests staying 5 nights or longer. To ensure transportation is available, flight arrival information must be provided to our reservation office.

You will be required to clear customs and immigration on Roatan or at the mainland city where you change air carriers.

Since we cannot be responsible for airlines, weather, sudden illness, and accidents that can adversely affect your Roatan travel plans, we highly recommend that you purchase travel insurance.

Pack a regulator and mask (especially prescription lenses), swim suit, change of clothing, medications, contact lens supplies, and anything important to your well-being in carry-on baggage in the event your luggage is delayed. Place tickets, passports, and medications in a Ziploc bag, and you’ll be able to have all of your documentation and critical medications in one grab. Hint: some airlines ‘Valet Check’ your carry-on at the gate.

Insect repellent
Medications & toiletries (including shampoo, toothpaste)
Small bills (ones, fives, & tens)
Rain jacket

We ask that all guests bring their tickets for departing flights to the main office well in advance of their departure so we can reconfirm flight times. For those guests booked on weekend flights back to the US, we’ll also obtain boarding passes, when possible.

  • Scuba Diving – Roatan has a competent medical staff, with chamber and hospital services on the island. We have emergency supplies, O2, and an AED unit. Thus, we are able to handle most emergencies on the spot, while arranging for continued care or evacuation. There is no ‘organized’ 911 system, but we do have our own island version and have more than one contact method for all critical medical personnel and services.
  • Medication – There are several pharmacies on the island. Critical medications should be carried on your person, rather than in a checked bag, which an airline might delay or lose. While most medicines are available, anything new on the market or used for rare disorders might be hard to come by. All medications require a prescription for refill, though a copy of your current label’s information will usually serve as proof of prescription and refill status.
  • Fire – There is a small fire department on Roatan, however due to our position away from the main body of the island, CoCo View Resort has its own hose and pump system.
  • Police – There are two offices for our police (Focep). One is in French Harbor (the town next to us), and the second is in the main town of Coxen Hole.
  • Dentist – There are dentists on the island should you need emergency services, appointments and transportation can be arranged through the resort office.

You may keep your passport in the lock box in your room, or if you prefer, in the office safe.

Sure! And you can download them here, complete them at home, and bring them down with you.

Resort Questions

When you make your reservation you will select a specific room type (over-water or ocean front) and our office staff will assign room numbers on the date of arrival. You may request a specific room number; however we cannot guarantee specific room assignments. Specific room requests are handled on a first-come, first-serve basis, so make your reservation and request early.

Yes, we do! CoCo View has a full service bar located in the Clubhouse. Alcoholic drinks are not included in the meal plan, and your bar tab will be put on your final bill, to be paid the day before your departure.

Please refer to the terms on your statement regarding cancellations. Deposit and cancellation policies, like rates, are subject to change. The current policy is located on our resort’s rates page. Unused portions of land packages are not refundable for any reason, including airline delays, cancellations, weather, or acts of God. If you are due a refund for any services not delivered, please make the arrangements on site. DO NOT wait until you return home to file a claim.

Unused portions of land packages are not refundable for any reason, including airline delays, cancellations, weather, or acts of God. If you are due a refund for any services not delivered, please make the arrangements on site. DO NOT wait until you return home to file a claim.

We ask that CoCo View guests check-out of their accommodations by 11 a.m.  Guests with late flights are welcome to remain at the resort, and additional meals, dives, and services can be arranged at the office.

Children 10 and older are welcome at CoCo View Resort, but must be under parental supervision at all times. Children are not permitted at the bar, but are welcome in outdoor bar seating areas.

CoCo View runs on the same 100volt 60 cycle electricity that North Americans are accustomed to. No special adapters or transformers are required in your accommodation at our resort when you travel to Roatan. Guests from other countries may need to adapt to US style plugs.

A small lock box with padlock is provided in each room for personal valuables.

There are no telephones in our guest rooms, but you may place calls from the phone in the office for a nominal fee. U.S. cell phones do not typically work in Honduras. Please check with your local cell phone provider, regarding the use of your U.S.-based cell phone on Roatan.

There is a TV on the second floor of the Clubhouse. Satellite service and a DVD player are also available.

We don’t supply the little bottles of shampoo and conditioner because of our goal in reducing plastic waste on the island. We recommend you bring your own in environmentally friendly travel containers. We do sell some toiletries in the boutique. We don’t provide hair dryers in the rooms (you don’t need one!). The office has a few upon request.

Our tap water is from a well system and is subject to the elements of nature, so we provide a 5 gallon bottle of commercial bottled drinking water in each room and in the Clubhouse 24 hours per day. We also use bottled water in our kitchen and on our dive boats each day.

Tips are optional and at the discretion of the guest.  We have a general tip pool here at CoCo View. You will find an envelope in your departure packet (additional envelopes are available in the main office) and can place your tip money in the collection box located in the main office. The pool consists of employees from the bar, kitchen, food serving, housekeeping, and maintenance staff. The two dive staff members that fill tanks are also included in this pool.

As for our dive staff, please tip your assigned Dive Master and Boat Captain directly at the end of the week. All of the dive staff is available on Fridays. If, however, you are unable to locate either your dive master or captain, please obtain an envelope from the main office and deposit the envelope in the lock-box. Be sure to write the names of your dive master and captain on the outside of the envelope and instructions as to how you want your tip distributed.

Tips generally run 10-15% of your hotel package price. However, please feel free to leave what you wish. Tipping is based on service. If you feel a particular member of our staff has been more than helpful and would like to designate a portion of the general tip to a certain worker, or leave a special acknowledgment to a certain worker, feel free to either hand them their tip personally, or mark the information on the outside of an envelope, place it in the collection box, and we will see that it’s honored.

For those of our guests who like to leave behind small items for the housekeeper, we ask that you place these items on the pillow so that she can easily see that you intended to leave it to her and that it is not something accidentally left behind.

Note: when you are tipping with cash, please be sure you bring bills without tears, holes or other “imperfections.” The banks won’t accept them. We appreciate your help with this!

You are welcome to bring towels to use on the beach and dive boat, however laundry services are not available at the resort.  We now offer beach towels for your use that can be exchanged as they become soiled.

How Do I Book Activities?
Front office staff will set up your individual and group tours, car rentals, and special arrangements. Tour offerings vary and may depend upon weather conditions, group minimums, etc. Visit our Explore Roatan page for more details about specific excursions.

A few bonefish reside in the flats in front of the beach houses adjacent to the resort, and guests who bring their own equipment have been known to catch a few. If that is not successful, you might take a day off from scuba diving to hook up with a local fishing guide. CoCo View can make the reservation for you; see our Explore Rotan page for more information.

Sales tax on the island is 15%, tax on alcohol is 18% and hotel tax is 19%.

CoCo View is located a short boat ride from the main body of the island, making us only accessible by boat. This provides the resort with an extra measure of security. In addition, we have security staff at the landing, as well as at the resort, to control access and ensure your safety.

Our photo pro, Mickey Charteris, is located on the premises and specializes in personalized underwater photo instruction. The Photo Center also has digital cameras for rent.

You should be prepared for the “no-see-ums” (sand flies) any time of year when you travel to Roatan. There is no particular season when the bugs are better or worse. The “pest factor” is going to depend primarily on the critters’ state of life cycle at the time you visit.

If you are considering a wedding at CoCo View, please understand that the paperwork required has made it very difficult for US citizens to legally marry in Honduras.

Due to the extensive paperwork required, most US citizens prefer to have a legal ceremony in the US prior to coming to Roatan, and then hold an island wedding celebration, eliminating the need for the documents and fees listed below.

The most current documents required are: (subject to change).

  • Copies of birth certificates of contracting parties, including parents’ names
  • Copies of current passports
  • Statement of marital status, signed by a notary
  • Copy of court settlement, if divorced
  • Authorization of parents, if under 21 years of age
  • Copy of HIV test, completed within (6) months prior to marriage date
  • Names of (2) witnesses, foreign or Honduran
  • If foreign, copy of passports and profession of each witness
  • If Honduran, copy of ID card and profession of each witness
  • Professions of the contracting parties
  • If divorced, a letter from your city of birth confirming that you have not been remarried since the date on your divorce decree.

Documents may be emailed directly to the government official at Mdoramelia@yahoo.com.

A flat $200 fee (subject to change) is charged for the following: (Services must be performed by a City Official)

  • Marriage License Fee
  • Matrimonial Edict Fee
  • Mayor’s Fee

NOTE: We recommend that you begin the approval process a minimum of three months prior to travel to ensure that all requirements are met. In addition, all fees will need to be pre-paid.

Island wide, there is a 4% service charge for the use of credit cards where they are accepted. Most island tours do accept credit cards. CoCo View also accepts Visa, Mastercard, and American Express for resort purchases, tabs, and gratuities; Discover is not accepted.

There are some instances in which you may wish to bring money. For example: shopping at our Boutique (t-shirts, snacks, etc.) and buying soda and beer. You may also wish to purchase optional island activities, such as an Island Tour, river rafting, dolphin snorkel or dive, shark dive, or optional 3 tank boat dive to Roatan’s East or West End. Other instances include paying for chamber fees, taxis, and gratuities.

A variety of local vendors visit CoCo View each week selling local crafts, black coral jewelry, embroidered clothing, and more. Small bills are necessary, as most of these vendors do not accept credit cards and we do not keep cash on the premises to make change.

CoCo View Resort accepts traveler’s checks for bills only but does not keep enough cash on hand to cash your traveler’s checks. Some, but not all, local vendors accept traveler’s checks. Local banks will cash traveler’s checks for Lempiras(the local currency), but not dollars. You must have your passport with you when you cash the checks.

There are ATMs located throughout the island, however most of these machines dispense local currency, not US dollars and most US banks will apply a service charge for transactions originating in a foreign country.

Why yes, there is! It’s the perfect place to cool off and relax. Read more

Diving Questions

No dive gloves of any kind are permitted when scuba diving on Roatan with CoCo View Resort. We have been enforcing a “no gloves” policy for over 20 years, and can proudly state that our reefs are much the better for it. Please help preserve our island’s fragile marine environment.

Rebreather divers may bring their equipment to use. As this is a very specialized area of diving, rebreather divers should bring all equipment and supplies necessary to support their system. Please contact us with your gas requirements and we will have that on hand if readily available. Rebreather divers should bring all ancillary equipment necessary to operate, service and support their rebreather. This would include items such as specialized tools, consumables, fill whips, booster pumps, fittings, mounts and rigging.

Your personal gear locker for diving is located on the boat dock a few feet from your dive boat.

Nitrox is available, for an additional fee, for anyone wanting to use it while they are at CoCo View. Guests must be certified. Nitrox certification is available at CoCo View through Dockside Dive Center.

This is the independently owned and operated PADI 5 Star retail store, located on the east end of our resort’s boat dock. The Center offers scuba diving instruction courses, gear rental, batteries, supplies, and photo and video services.

Dive and snorkel gear are offered through Dockside Dive Center, located on CoCo View’s boat dock. Dockside prides themselves on having excellent quality equipment that is replaced regularly. Due to high demand for this rental equipment we strongly recommend that you reserve well in advance of your stay at CCV. DDC can not guarantee equipment will be available if it has not been reserved. Please contact Patty@docksidedivecenter.com directly.

Water temperatures in on Roatan vary between 76-86°F. If you are prepared for 78°F, you should be comfortable.

Due to CoCo View’s unique location, you can enjoy unlimited shore diving (including night dives), to CoCo View Wall, Newman’s Wall or the Wreck of the Prince Albert. When it comes to ease of diving among tremendous reef formations and macro life, you cannot beat the scuba diving right in front of CoCo View Resort. Guests snorkeling in the Front Yard have spotted green morays, spotted and sharp tail and gold chain eels, blennies, grouper, snapper, octopus, squid, lobster and many other species of tropical fish.

Guests must show their scuba certification cards in the main office during registration/check in.

CoCo View is located mid-island on Roatan’s South Shore. The ocean’s bottom on the south shore of Roatan falls off very gently starting at the water’s edge then about 100 yards out from the beach, in 15 to 30 feet of water, the reef drops off into a straight, wall-like structure. There is generally a sandy ledge at around 100 to 150 feet, then the wall becomes vertical again and the bottom is anywhere from 300 to 3000 plus, feet deep. Almost all the dives on the south side are wall dives where you can dive the wall or remain on top of the wall in 15 to 30 feet of water. You will find multiple sand chutes, an abundance of creatures, as well as an assortment of beautiful soft, hard and fan corals. You can dive the south side 365 days a year.