Visit Date: June 2009

Utopia Lodge is excellent. It provides a unique combination of seclusion, small group diving, high end accommodations, and excellent food. It is not in town (you take a boat to get to the lodge), so if you’re interested in a wild night life, this is not for you (unless you bring your own group, in which case you could certainly create your own at their bar). However, if you would like to be someplace that is quiet, relatively secluded, and provides excellent Caribbean diving for all levels of experience, it is.

The lodge is beautiful, the staff is friendly and accommodating, and the dive sites are relatively close (5 to 20 minutes), variable (each dive was unique) and abundant (we never hit the same site twice). Plus they have an absolutely beautiful section of reef at the resort that provides for great shore dives.

D.M.s Antonio and Oscar were filling in for some dive staff who were on vacation. They were very energetic, enthusiastic and friendly. They took great care of us and our equipment. Boat captain Leonard went out of his way to find dolphins (we swam with wild dolphins twice – they were incredible!) and whale sharks (didn’t find these, but it was late in the season, so we weren’t surprised). We have done 270+ dives in the Caribbean, and this was as good a dive team/experience as we have ever had.

The chef while we were there was John. He is new (it was his first week) to Utopia and he is superb. The food was consistently marvelous, as were the desserts. He really works hard to make sure the meals are delicious and unique (nothing remotely close to the standard meals found throughout the Caribbean – and we’ve been to many resorts).

The only two downs (as you will read in other reviews) are the sand fleas and the local air travel. But the fleas can be controlled with DEET (we used a 35% cream that worked fine) and the air travel wasn’t really different from any other puddle jumper experiences we have had. Neither would prevent us from going back again.

We will return to Utopia and recommend it to all. It was wonderful!

Visit Date: May 2009

I loved Utopia. I spent a week at the end of May and it was, by far, the best dive resort I've visited. I tend to like laid-back non-tourist-y type resorts and Utopia totally fit the bill. The owners and staff were very friendly and welcoming. The dive staff was exceptional (thank you Juan Carlos). The diving was amazing. Juan Carlos and the boat captain, Leonard, went above and beyond to find a whale shark. And the whale shark - WOW! The food was 4-star restaurant quality and the accomondations were definitely upscale. All in all, Utopia is a great place for a dive-eat-relax vacation. I can't wait to go back!

Visit Date: March 2009

My husband and I stayed at Utopia for 7 nights in mid-march. We travel often, and do a lot of off the beaten path itineraries, so we are used to traveling long and far to get to our final destination. Even so, we definitely had a rough start…we found out the day before our trip that the hopper flight Utopia had booked for us, from the mainland in Honduras to Utila, had been cancelled, which meant instead of having a 40 minute flight, our only option was to take a 3 hour charter bus from San Pedro Sula to La Ceiba…from there we took a 45 minute or so ferry ride to Utila…and then the 15-20 minute Utopia boat ride to the resort. Connection times were extremely tight, so we literally ran from one mode of transportation to the next, and the bus driver pretty much floored it the whole way so that we made the last ferry of the day, causing me to get some motion sickness…which I generally don’t have an issue with. I felt horrible, but managed to “keep everything down”, and in the end we made all of our connections and finally arrived at Utopia at about 6pm…it made for a really long, hectic day, with no time to stop for food, etc.

Upon arrival, we were nicely greeted with some welcome beverages at the outdoor Champa bar while Kyle, one of the owners’, gave us a quick introduction to the basics of the resort. Things were starting to look up, and we headed to our rooms to shower up before a long awaited meal…the rooms are nicely designed, very clean and modern, simple and spacious…very cute overall…with a nice size bathroom as well. The rooms are located in 2 separate buildings (shaped in an L), about 8 rooms or so in each. In general, the layout of the resort is nice b/c it blends in with its surroundings, and doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb from the sea. However, our room was situated in the back of the L, so unfortunately there wasn’t much of a view, and there were no ocean breezes to be had, so we definitely needed the AC to be comfortable…other than that, no complaints about the rooms.

After dinner, we met with the Utopia dive masters, Juan Carlos (aka JuCa) and Gina, to go over the diving plan for the week. I actually hadn’t dove in a while, and they immediately made me feel very comfortable. We can’t say enough about how wonderful both JuCa and Gina were...extremely knowledgeable, professional, and also a lot of fun. Additionally, we felt the entire dive operation was well thought out and well run. We handed over our gear upon arrival, and it was stored down at the dive shop throughout our stay. When we arrived at the boat each morning, our gear was there waiting for us, and after each dive the staff brought it back to the dive shop for rinsing and storage until the next dive…it was great! Oh, and the rental equipment was brand new and very nice, and the dive boat was very spacious and well-equipped. I also can’t forget to mention Leonard, the boat captain. He handled the boat well, took us to great dive spots, helped us on and off the boat, and found us whale sharks!!! The diving was very nice, and easy…dive sites were nearby, so no long boat rides, and we even did some of our surface intervals in town, or on the nearby cayes, which was a nice change from being on the boat the whole time, and also allowed us to see more of the area.

Then there is the no-see-um, or Sand Flea, situation…the first day or so, there was a good breeze kickin’ so this was not an issue, but on day 3 the wind stopped for the rest of our stay…and the no-see-ums were BAD…obviously, there probably isn’t much the resort can do about this (except pray for wind), but it really put a downer on the trip because sitting outside was out of the question. When your on vacation, and on an island surrounded by pretty blue water, you want to be able to sit outside and enjoy your surroundings…lay in a hammock and read your book, or have a drink at the outdoor Champa bar before dinner, but it just wasn’t possible b/c of the bugs. When I had read about these no-see-ums, I thought “how bad could they really be?”…well, we found out…really bad…and bug spray didn’t seem to help. So, the common screened-in sitting area got crowded quickly, and we ended up spending more time in our room than usual…

Overall, we had a nice time…but our diving experience made/saved the trip…everything else was just kind of okay, and the bugs were a big downer!

Visit Date: April 2009

I recently returned from a thrilling week at Utopia Dive Village in Utila. I traveled there with my daughter, aged 15.

The folks at Utopia have built quite a place. The vibe is friendly and relaxed. Several of the owners live at the resort and provide personal attention to each of the guests with travel arrangements and any issues that may arise. For example, an a/c unit that quit was handled directly by Kyle, who determined that it was merely a twitchy circuit breaker. If necessary, she was ready to move us to a different room immediately. The resort is quite isolated, requiring a self-sufficiency not found in less remote areas. There were several power outages on the island during our stay, but Utopia was ready and able to deal with this, engaging their generator as needed and without delay.

The guests during our stay moved several tables together and most took our meals as a group, promoting great conversation and laughter. Chef Hugh never disappointed and served meals that every single guest found to be pleasing and delicious. There were always two choices for lunch and dinner, with fresh seafood usually a good option. The staff inquired at the beginning of our stay as to whether anyone had any special dietary requirements, which they would accommodate. Breakfasts were made to order, and on Thursday the traditional Honduran breakfast fare was loved by nearly everyone. Between time on the dive boat (the MissU) and meals, the camaraderie that developed among the guests was surprising and refreshing. Leisure time spent at the Dive Bar brought more conversation and laughter, and the opportunity to relax and talk with Divemasters Juan Carlos and Gina, along with Chef Hugh and Ryan, the bartender. Owners Kyle and Debby made a point of spending some time with everyone. The staff commented that they enjoy their time best when the guests bond as we did; they indicated that this is not universal but I could see that the layout and routine of the resort encourages the guests to enjoy time spent together.

Physically the resort is solidly built and attractive, with an emphasis on natural woods. The design is attractive and the guest rooms quite roomy and comfortable, with lots of space and outlets for dealing with dive and camera equipment. The a/c is quiet and strong; we had to turn ours way down to be comfortable at night.

Captain Leonard found us whale sharks to snorkel with two days straight, and not just one or two - we observed a minimum of six over two days, including one easily exceeding 40'. One shark was accompanied by a gorgeous Manta ray, a big surprise. With the full moon the whale sharks seemed to melt away, and we found and snorkeled with pods of spinner dolphins and a curious and large wahoo.

The diving was fabulous from our point of view, with great visibility and no strong currents. The dive sites we visited were lush and active. The Halliburton wreck dive was great fun; the ship is intact, sits upright, and the wheelhouse and other areas are accessible. The resident green moray, Lucy, poses for those with cameras. Other dive sites were filled with spotted morays, cleaner shrimp, and lobster. Baby drum fish were found in several hollows, and adults in deeper crevices. Spotted eagle rays and seahorses were found on several dives. Night diving brought out octopus and even more lobster, and hawksbill turtles were observed both day and night. Much of our night diving was focused on the bioluminescence of invertebrates in the area; during a planned 40 minute night dive that stretched to nearly 70 minutes we spend almost half our time with all lights out amazed at the sparkling surrounding us that would appear with every hand or fin movement. As one of the few repetitions from my tripadvisor review, Gina located String of Pearls comb jellies for us to observe; their vertical rhythmic light pulsations were mesmerizing. Both Gina and Juan Carlos were excellent divemasters whose enthusiasm and enjoyment in leading our group was infectious. They were observant of the divers and talented in finding creatures otherwise easily overlooked.

Utila Town was interesting to walk around during our last day before flying. Be sure to visit the Jade Seahorse to see some amazingingly intricate handmade gardens, arches, etc... We also enjoyed a visit to the Whale Shark & Oceanic Research Center. Some relaxation at local watering holes and some purchases from street vendors selling handmade jewelry and trinkets rounded out the day.

My daughter loved her time in Utopia. She was thrilled to be accepted as "just another diver" by staff and guests alike and not treated like a kid. Her good dive skills contributed to her acceptance, and she loved the friendly atmosphere of both the resort and the island generally. She had time to tan and we were only moderately annoyed by the pervasive sand flies. As elsewhere in the Bay islands, prepare for them, especially if the onshore breeze dies.

I've attached several photos here. Please contact me if you have any questions; I'll be pleased to help if I can. My thanks for a great time go to everyone at the resort, and to the other guests with whom we shared fun times and adventure.