Page 1 of 19 1234511 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 182

Thread: Caribb-LEM Mark II: March 7th-17th 2015 - details here!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Charleston, SC
    Posts
    2,147,489,446

    Lightbulb Caribb-LEM Mark II: March 7th-14th 2015 - details here!

    Caribbean Laser Enthusiast’s Meeting, Mark II

    March 7th through March 14th, 2015 on the island of Utila, off the east coast of Honduras in Central America.

    NOTE: optional 10-Night package has been eliminated. Event will end on the 14th, not the 17th as originally planned.

    8 days, 7 nights in a tropical paradise!
    Snorkeling, SCUBA diving, beach fun and lots of other vacation activities by day, and laser fun at night!
    Bring the whole family and combine a great vacation with a laser meet, all for a price that can’t be beat.

    This will be the second Caribb-LEM that Rich (Neutrino) will be hosting. The first one in 2013 was a real blast, and this next one promises to be even better. The first event was only 7 nights long, which wasn’t enough, so this time around we’ve extended it to 10 nights. EDIT: scratch that - we will only be doing 7 nights! Rich has also organized a lot of extra activities for the daytime hours to make the trip more attractive for spouses and families. Plus we’ve eliminated the long car ride and ferry trip from the mainland to the island. This time we’ll be flying!

    As before, SCUBA diving will be one of the main daytime attractions. If you’ve read any of the posts about the last Caribb-LEM, you’ll know all about the incredible dive sites around the island. Seriously, Utila offers some of the best SCUBA diving in the world. (Check out the reviews on TripAdvisor.com for more info about just how popular Utila is for diving.)

    However, for those people who don’t want to go diving, we’ve also got things like horseback riding, kayaking, hiking, fishing, cave exploration, tubing (behind a boat), and even “movie nights” planned for the kids. See below for pricing info and more details on these activities.

    There are lots of shops to explore in town, plus you’ve always got your typical beach activities that you’d expect on any tropical island. (Volleyball anyone?) There is a large dock at the resort with a bar at the end that has an upper observation deck which overlooks the reef. You can step off the dock and just a few feet beyond that point the reef starts. Snorkeling is free anytime from the dock, and you can grab a drink when you’re done and sit up top and watch the sun go down.

    Prices are still very affordable. Cost is per person for 7 nights stay at the resort, including breakfast and lunch (dinner is on you), plus it also includes the cost of the transfer flights from the mainland to the island and back again. (For dinner we typically went out as a group to one of the many restaurants in town, but you can also order dinner at the resort if you want.) Note that the 10-night package has been eliminated for this event, in part due to lack of interest and also due to a scheduling conflict.

    Code:
    Number in room    7 nights     
    
    Single occupancy    $609          
    Double occupancy    $539         
    Triple occupancy    $515          
    Quad occupancy      $489
    Children under 10   $369
    We have two large public laser events planned: An outdoor dance party on the beach with a DJ and lots of lasers (just like last time) for all the islanders, and an indoor laser show at one of the local nightclubs in town. And of course we will be geeking out with lasers every night at the resort too.

    Some of you have already been discussing this event in private, and at the moment we have ~ 10 rooms that are tentatively spoken for. The resort only has 27 rooms, so don’t wait too long to register. Unlike last year, I believe this time we will sell out. Note that there is a $500 deposit required to reserve your room. The resort has been turning away customers to keep rooms open for us, but after January 15th they will not be able to hold any rooms without a deposit. So book early!

    You can fly into the San Pedro Sula airport on the mainland (airport code SAP), or you can fly into the airport on the island of Roatan (Juan Manuel Galvez International Airport, airport code RTB). Rich will arrange the flight from either airport direct to Utila and back again. Of course, this means you need to get your travel information to Rich as soon as possible so he can get the flights worked out well in advance.

    For more info about flights and connection times, you can contact Rich directly via e-mail at rich@coralviewutila.com, or you can send a PM to him here (PL username: Neutrino). Also, if you have questions or comments, please post them below and we'll do our best to get things answered.

    Mark your calenders folks! This one is going to be great!

    Adam

    PS: Here is a .pdf of all the prices for the rooms and the daytime activities. (Lots of good info on the extra activities!) Remember to ignore the 10-night pricing, as this is no longer an option.

    http://photonlexicon.com/gallery/d/1...b+LEM+2015.pdf
    Last edited by buffo; 12-11-2014 at 10:46.

  2. #2
    soforene's Avatar
    soforene is offline The Troll formerly known as Herbert Von Poople-Futtocks
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Posts
    2,928

    Default

    This sounded jolly good fun.

    Until I googled San Pedro Sula.

    Now my bottom's a bit twitchy .......

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Charleston, SC
    Posts
    2,147,489,446

    Smile

    Quote Originally Posted by soforene View Post
    This sounded jolly good fun.
    Trust me - it will be. Last year we had a great time. (Just ask Daniel Briggs!)

    Until I googled San Pedro Sula.
    Now my bottom's a bit twitchy .......
    Yup. That's the downside, and it's one reason why we've decided to offer connecting flights right from the airport to the island this time around.

    Last year everyone had to fly to the San Pedro Sula airport on Friday, then take a cab into town, and spend a night at the Hotel Villa Nuria. (You know you're in a rough town when the hotel has a 10 ft concrete wall with razor wire on top, and the front gate has armed guards with AR-15's!)

    Fortunately, security at the hotel was very good, and we didn't have any problems, but the next day (Saturday) we had to go on a 4 hour car ride through the interior of the country to get to the coast. Not exactly a warm fuzzy feeling! Even though everything went well, we realize that it's probably not what most families are up for when considering a vacation, even at a price as low as this.

    So this time around we are eliminating all that. You don't have to ever leave the airport. Once you clear immigration (which doesn't take any time at all), you hang out right in the terminal until it's time to get on a charter flight that takes you straight to Utila. Much, much safer!

    Or, if you'd rather not fly to San Pedro Sula at all, you can fly into the airport on the larger island of Roatan instead, and they will have a charter flight waiting there to take you to Utila.

    Neutrino's sister Sarah is working this all out for us this time around, and she is very good at it.

    Adam

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Springfield, IL
    Posts
    63

    Default

    I highly recommend this trip to anyone who is SCUBA certified or wants to become PADI certified. I recertified last year and had a blast with everyone. It was great meeting Daniel from across the pond and Rich who hosted the event. Oh yeah and Adams ugly mug was there too, lol Sorry Adam couldn't help it. Hopefully I can make it again for round 2

    Mario

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Charleston, SC
    Posts
    2,147,489,446

    Smile

    Hi Mario;

    It's all good! I had a great time too. And you're right, the SCUBA diving is absolutely incredible! Sure hope more people can make it this time. I do know that Picasso has already registered.

    With regard to travel plans, Rich and his sister Sara have worked out a schedule for the transfer flights from the mainland airport (San Pedro Sula, SAP) to the airstrip on Utila and back again. Note that they can also run charter flights from the airport on Roatan (Juan Manuel Galvez International, RTB) to and from Utila, assuming we have enough people to fill up the charter. See below for details:

    Quote Originally Posted by neutrino
    For arrivals in San Pedro Sula:
    We have a scheduled flight that departs San Pedro at 3pm, anyone that arrives in San Pedro Sula by 1:30pm should be able to make this flight. Anyone arriving after 1:30pm we will charter a flight to leave San Pedro Sula at 4pm. This flight takes 7 people and will need all 7 spots filled to run. We can also run a 16 seater at 4pm if necessary but again will need all 16 spots filled.

    If we don’t fill the spots on the charter flights there will be a supplement of $100 per person to cover the flight cost.

    For departures from San Pedro Sula:
    All flights need to depart San Pedro Sula after 11am to enable you to get from Utila in time.

    For arrivals and departures in Roatan:
    We can run charter flights from Roatan throughout the afternoon as long as everyone has arrived by 3pm. Returning we can run charter flights in the morning to Roatan, international flights must depart after 11am.
    So please keep the above times in mind when planning your international flights to Honduras (or to Roatan, if you decide to fly there instead). My experience suggests that it is cheaper to fly to the mainland airport vs the airport on Roatan, and you should also have a greater number of flights to choose from if you fly to the mainland.

    Adam

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    The Woods, CA, USA
    Posts
    534

    Default

    Count me in! Had a great time in Utila .

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    32

    Default

    I'll have to see if I can get platinum to come to this with me. Sounds like a LOT of fun. Much as I'd love to go to Europe a sixth time, I've never been to the Caribbean. Time for a change. Have lasers, will travel. This would be my 3rd LEM. This isn't a "count me in", but hopefully I'll upgrade to that status.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    663

    Default

    Can infants go along for free?

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Charleston, SC
    Posts
    2,147,489,446

    Default

    My guess would be yes, but I'll check with Rich (Neutrino) just to be sure. The only hitch might be the flight from the mainland to the island and back, but assuming the infant was allowed to ride in your lap (I think most airlines allow that, right?) then there shouldn't be an issue.

    I'll check with Rich and have him reply here.

    Adam

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    NorCal / Western Caribbean
    Posts
    710

    Default

    Yes infants will travel and stay for free. What will the age of your child be next March?
    We do not have any cribs or pack 'n' plays at the resort. We may be able to find one from a friend for you to use but it may be worth planning on bringing your own pack 'n' play or have your child sleep with you or use one of the other beds pushed against the wall.

    Please feel free to PM me or email me at info@coralviewutila.com and we can discuss this in more detail.

    Cheers
    Rich

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •