US$10–25

Cooper’s Inn (tel. 504/425-3184, www.coopers-inn.com [1], US$10 s, US$13 d), past Rubi’s [2] on the other side of the road, has clean, well-maintained rooms with fans and mosquito nets, shared bathroom (cold-water only), and access to a shared kitchen, though guests are likely to be tempted by the excellent dinners served in front at Delany’s Island Kitchen [3]. The inn is conveniently close to several of the dive shops [4], for those out-of-bed-into-the-dive-boat mornings. Owner Carissa Cooper is a native Utilian, and a good source of information about the island.

Freddy’s Place (tel. 504/425-3819, FreddysPlace [at] gmail [dot] com, US$16 s/d, US$35 with a/c), just over the bridge going toward Bando Beach from downtown, rents the rooms in four two-bedroom apartments with fans. If you rent only one bedroom, you may share the rest of the apartment with another guest; a group that rents both bedrooms will obviously have the whole apartment for themselves. The owner, Fred, a retired fisherman who lived for years in Alaska, is a genial character. Low-season and long-term rates are available. The building is in a quiet part of town, with a wraparound deck facing the canal.

Located above the owner’s home, the rooms at Hotel Bavaria (tel. 504/425-3809, petrawhitefield3 [at] hotmail [dot] com, US$13 s, US$16 d) are simple and clean, and just a short walk up Cola de Mico Road. Each has a fan and private bath (cold water only), and they share a porch.

If you want to stay closer to the beach, consider Margaritaville (tel. 504/425-3366, US$20 s/d with fan, or US$40 with a/c), opposite Driftwood Café [5]. The 16 breezy, spacious rooms are fairly basic, but each has a clean, tile-floor bathroom, and some have a kitchenette. The hotel’s deck affords views of both the harbor and lagoon.

Next to the Utila Lodge [6], near the Bay Island College of Diving [4], is the motel-style Hotel Utila (tel. 504/425-3340, US$17–58), with rooms varying in price depending on the room size and whether it has air-conditioning or a fan. The whole place is a bit dreary. If you’re considering springing for air-conditioning, you can get better value rooms elsewhere.