manta resort is an o.k. place to relax and do some scuba diving.

unlike most places to stay on the atolls , its not a terribly pretty resort and could benefit from some help in the landscapping department . for some reason eyesores such as the generator building , sheds and maintanance are all on display with no planting around them, but the view of the water from most of the cabanas has been blocked by the only planting of palm trees on the island. the cabanas are o.k but a little devoid of character and with the view blocked theres not much point in hanging out on the hammock out front .

the resort staff were all nice, as was the management and the great divemasters. food was good and very much in line with similar dive resorts in belize.

we went on what was billed as "whale shark week" and it was a major let down. we only went to the area where the whale sharks gather, for two, half day trips during the whole week and there was no spotter plane which had been promised and advertised by the booking agents. the management and staff had the unenviable task of try to cheer up twenty five divers who had been promised a week of whale shark diving aided by a spotter plane and were faced with the reality of less than four hours looking for whale sharks and no plane. at dinner, the over promising of the booking agents and the reality of our situation was the major topic of discussion for most of the guests and by the end of the week the atmosphere was getting a little tense.

for the money, if you want a pretty island with nice resort diving there are much better options in the area , turneffe island resort is one that comes to mind, but there are several more. for whale sharks try snorkeling with them in utila or better still ningaloo reef (where they really do have spotter planes).