MY UTILA LIFE: April 2012

Friday, April 27, 2012

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

FLATS FISHING AT TREASURE BEACH

Wonderful flats fishing is literally a few hundred feet from the shore at Treasure Beach. Tarpon, Bonefish and Snook are the usual suspects but be prepared for a major fight in this catch and release game of cat and mouse. Wade in the warm gin clear waters or get a clearer view of your prey from a boat. Go it alone or allow us to arrange a local fishing guide to show you the ropes (and the fish).

Thursday, April 19, 2012

A WONDERFUL WINTER/SPRING SEASON AT TREASURE BEACH

This is the beginning of our second full year of offering vacation rentals at Treasure Beach and bookings have certainly sky rocketed. We were completely booked at Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year and when the Pineapple house became fully booked February through early May we decided to bring the Coral House into the rental pool. Within days of making the Coral House available we had received multiple reservations, all without using any of the big online rental services such as VRBO or FLIPKEY. It just goes to show the power of positive guest referrals. This year we have seen a number of return guests and a healthy dose of friends and acquaintances of previous guests
However what's even more exciting are all the positive comments we've been getting from our guests this season and the marvelous reviews they've been leaving online. Here's a sample from TRIPADVISOR:-

Our rental agents Dave and Trisha have decided to move full time to Treasure Beach (I knew they'd get hooked), so now they'll be handling not only the online reservations but also the day to day operations and guest services. Trisha will also continue with her role as director of BICA (Bay Islands Conservation Association).

Sunday, April 8, 2012

BEAUTIFUL ISLAND FACES

Treasure beach recently played host to world renowned underwater film maker Annie Crawley. Annie was under the water filming for most of her trip but generously took time to help me improve my basic video skills. On her last afternoon I took her to visit the nearby cays and she snapped these beautiful shots of the locals.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

COMING IN AUGUST, THE UTILA DIVE FESTIVAL

This is the first year of the UTILA DIVE FESTIVAL sponsored by Padi and various dive centers on the island. A full schedule of events are planned, let's all participate and make this a resounding success.

http://utiladivefestival.com/

UTILA : MY TOP TEN PICKS FOR FOOD & DRINKS

DRIFTWOOD INN - great for a cool breezy lunch on the dock, bruce on the b.b.q. at night (his brisket is famous on the island but i like the beer battered snapper). a favorite amongst the expats, horse shoes on the sand & u.s. sports on t.v. sunday afternoons.
LUNCH AT THE CAYS- wether you choose beau's "fishburger" or mr. hermans "cay view", no trip to utila is complete without lunch on the cays. everyone goes for the fish burgers but i prefer the chicken or lobster (in season). great places to spend a surface interval, bring your camera.
MANGO INN-best pizza on the island, authentic thin crust italian style from the brick oven. beautiful gardens, watch the hummingbirds feed by day, bats at night.
THE INDIAN WOK- consistently good indian/asian cuisine, a welcome new addition to utila.
THE PURPLE PELICAN-my new favourite place for lunch. located at pine point one of utilas prettiest beaches. nice food, beach chairs and lovely water (i've never seen so many starfish). stay for a couple of hours, eat, drink, swim and relax.
THOMPSONS BAKERY- the place to stop on your way to that first dive of the day. great coconut bread and cinnamon rolls.
TRANQUILLA BAR- a favorite of backpackers and locals, great place to sit on the water and watch the sun go down. an eclectic music selection fuels the party as the evening progress', an institution on utila.
TREETANIC BAR- located in a treehouse on the grounds of the jade seahorse. atmospheric , hip bar thats a favorite of the divemasters and younger expats. things usually get going around 10pm,. nice crowd, good vibe.
ULTRA LIGHT - great falafel sandwiches and chicken schwarma . very reasonably priced, quality middle eastern food.
UTOPIA RESORT- for a special evening out of town, chef hugh prepares the best food on the island (probably honduras), his menu changes daily . try the blackfin tuna if its available, amazing ! accessible only by boat from town, contact the hotel to make reservations and transportation arrangements.