November 14, 2015

Best of the Bay Islands, getting to La Ceiba La Ceiba to Utila, Utila Dream, Utila ferry service, Utila Princess

Don’t get me wrong with this title! This is not about an actual, physical war, and instead of driving you away from the area, you should take immediate advantage of this “war” and travel to La Ceiba and Utila!

You see, it turns out that a new ferry has begun service between La Ceiba and Utila: The Utila Dream. This new ferry is providing much more comfortable service and a much more pleasant setting. But this new Utila ferry service has brought about a fare war, and getting to Utila has never, I mean, never been cheaper! Take advantage of this great opportunity to visit the island of Utila, a true gem in the Caribbean that will easily be a highlight of your visit to Honduras and Central America!

As I am writing this post, and as a result of the Utila ferry wars, the cost of a passage between the ports of La Ceiba and Utila has dropped to only 99 lempiras, this, in US dollars, is under $4.50 US dollars!

The Utila Princess boat is offering the lowest fare, and although the new Utila Dream is a much bigger and nicer boat, the rock bottom fares have kept much of the local population and domestic tourists using the service of the Utila Princess. Furthermore, the new service provided by the Utila Dream is not yet known by all international tourists, who would gladly pay a much reduced fare of $9.00 US one way to travel between these two ports.

Before the new service came into operation, the cost of the passage between La Ceiba and Utila is approximately $25 US, making it a true bargain to travel in these days while the Utila ferry wars are raging!

My advice is drop what you are doing and hurry to visit Utila and La Ceiba, It will never be more affordable to visit these two destinations! Despite the fact that the Utila Dream is twice as expensive as the Utila Princess, it is still a bargain, so go ahead and travel in the new ferry and treat yourself like a VIP! When in La Ceiba, don’t be silly by staying in town, and stay at the truly unique Cangrejal River Valley, where you will find lovely boutique hotels, such as La Villa de Soledad B&B that offer the perfect spot to relax in nature and also gives you access to a variety of adventure and nature activities to choose from.

November 1, 2015

Best of La Ceiba, Best of the Bay Islands, getting to La Ceiba Utila Dream, Utila Ferry, Utila Princess

Now it is even easier to travel between La Ceiba and Utila!

Over the years, travel between La Ceiba and Utila has gotten easier and easier. Twenty plus years ago, on my first trip to Utila, the only option was to travel by air or take a cargo boat. Air travel in Honduras back in those days was simple and affordable, and the flying time was a rather short 7 minutes! The old Utila runway was located within the area called “The Point” were Bongo Beach is located these days. Over the years, the first ferry service between the mainland and the islands came into service.

The ferry was a modified crew boat, operating under the name of “Tropical” which was running the route of Roatan to La Ceiba, La Ceiba to Utila and back, and then again back to Roatan. This was indeed a game changer, it made it much easier and affordable to get to the islands, and there is no doubt that this service created a boom in visitors traveling between La Ceiba and Utila.

In time, the folks from Utila decided that they were ready to have their own ferry boat to service their island, this with the idea of having two daily departures. An early morning departure from Utila would mean that the islanders could travel to the mainland to get their groceries, visit the doctor, do whatever they needed and still be back on the island by taking the late afternoon departure from La Ceiba to Utila. The original Utila Princess was also a modified crew boat, extremely sea worthy however rather uncomfortable for passengers when the going got rough. Different boats were brought in to replace the original Utila Princess, with the Utila Princess IV being the longest lasting ferry to operate, a catamaran boat that was functional and relatively fast.

Originally, the Utila Princess had a canvas top, and while it was great for traveling in smooth seas and with nice weather, it could get rather wet in rough weather passages. Eventually, the boat was modified and a hard shell rough was put up to replace the old canvas top.

Last week, a new alternative was put in service and will make travel between La Ceiba and Utila even easier! The brand new Utila Dream, a beautiful, modern and comfortable waterjet catamaran that makes the passage between these two ports in only 45 minutes. Truly, it has never been easier and more comfortable to travel between La Ceiba and Utila.

This is truly good news, because both, La Ceiba and Utila offer many different activities that complement each other. This means that travelers will be able to combine the experience of diving in the most bio diverse barrier coral reef in the World and then alternate to some of the most pristine tropical rain forests in Central America with one quick, easy ferry ride.

If you are planning on traveling between La Ceiba and Utila, make sure you check out the Cangrejal River Valley, the most beautiful tropical rain forests in Central America, which offers many different activities and at the same time, has some truly unique lodges, such as the boutique bed and breakfast known as La Villa de Soledad, a pleasant, comfortable, and unique lodge that has been awarded the distinction as the number one bed and breakfast in Honduras by tripadvisor.

Enjoy your travels between La Ceiba and Utila and take full advantage of the new Utila Dream ferry boat!