I just had the pleasure of spending a week on a breathtakingly beautiful island at a wonderful oceanfront resort. I want to share my experience and encourage anyone looking for an unforgettable getaway to consider this island and resort. I'm talking about the Coral View Beach Resort on the island of Utila. Utila is part of the bay islands off the coast of Honduras. Utila is not like anywhere that I have ever been. The best comparison that I could make is to compare it to Key West. Not modern-day Key West though. More like the Key West in the era of Ernest Hemingway, or the old Key West immortalized in Jimmy Buffet’s 1970s hits. Corporate tourism has not spoiled Utila, a little island of just over 4000 residents. In fact, the only national franchise on the island is one gas station. Everything else is privately owned. The island is very clean and safe. I have traveled through many places in the Caribbean that had a sort of "seedy" aspect to them. You won't find that in Utila. The locals consist of a mix between natives and transplants from the States. English is spoken fluently by nearly every single person I met on my trip. The island has a small downtown full of boutique restaurants, shops, and bars. The bars have specific events on certain nights, so there is always something exciting to do. Most of the bars are on docks overlooking the beautiful ocean. Not far down the road, in an area called Blue Bayou, is The Coral View Beach Resort. The Coral View has undergone a major renovation including a new pool to complement the existing one (which is the largest on the island) They have their own dive center and offer scuba certifications and fun dives. The hotel is quaint. The rooms are simple but clean and have good air-conditioning, showers with good water pressure and temperature as well as fast wifi. They have an indoor restaurant and also a huge deck overlooking the ocean and a private beach. The deck has a bar that serves the same menu as the restaurant as well as probably the best Pina Coladas you will ever have. If you are looking for a break from over-commercialized vacation spots, Utila, and specifically the Coral View is a must. The local people are very friendly. The staff at the hotel will not only guide you to the best nightspots but probably will take you there, hang out there with you, and introduce you to more people! Lastly, everything on the island is very affordable. My estimate is approximately 1/3 of the prices of a comparable US vacation. Hotel rooms are generally under $100, bar drinks range from around $2 to $4, and meals around $8-$12. Scuba Diving is also very affordable. Many people (like me) have Scuba Diving on their “bucket list” but never end up doing it because of the high cost in many other places. The Coral View Resort solves that problem by not only providing diving in one of the top-rated reefs in the world but also making it extremely affordable. If you don’t want to dive, you can snorkel through the reef. Snorkel equipment is included with the room as well as breakfast. As far as travel, there are flights from many US destinations to the island of Roatan, which is a short 45-minute ferry to Utila. The flight from Florida was just under 2 hrs. The ferry boat is reminiscent of the ferries on the Hudson River to NYC and costs around $30. I'm excited to share this experience because I feel like there are a lot of people looking for something different than a typical Bahamas or Mexico vacation. If that sounds like you, The Coral View Resort Utila is the place for you.