Havelock Island . Which is better? Please help me decide :-)

Please, please help me decide between two lodgings/dive companies (or suggest better if there is another option!)

My husband (who is working in Bangalore at the mo, whilst I'm in the UK) and I want to do a Padi open water course and stay somewhere really nice on Havelock Island. For once we're not worried about price as we are seeing this as a one off treat for us and would rather have a bit of a splurge and stay somewhere really nice.

Have had a look and can find the two following lodgings with diving schools attached:
1. Wild Orchid plus Dive India
2. Jungle resort plus Barefoot diving

Which is better?

Please help, it's doing my head in!

PS we are planning on spending a week there. Is it also worth staying one night in Port Blair?

Have finally decided on and booked Wild Orchid. I'll write a report once I've been

I haven't been to the Barefoot Jungle Resort, but Wild Orchid is really nice and the owners are super-friendly. I didn't stay there, but I did have dinner there one night -- quite lovely! If you want to try a different place for dinner one night, you should take a stroll up the road (or up the beach, if the tide's low) to Pristine Beach Resort (this is where I stayed for a week) -- the food there is fantastic, in fact some of the best meals I had in almost three months of travel in India.

Oh, and about Port Blair ... if you want to do a full day of sightseeing there, it might be worth staying a night, but if you're mainly interested in a delicious tropical beach vacation, you can skip the night in Port Blair.

Thank you aterciopelada, that's good to hear about Wild Orchid an we'll definately check out Pristine Beach Resort for dinner one or two nights

Have just come back from the serene and baeutiful Andaman Islands

Checked in to the Wild Orchid and then promptly checked out again!

If we (the husband and I) were'nt looking for a tropical paradise of a place then it would've been fine but considering he lives in India for the moment and his company flys me over for free we had a bit of spare cash and really wanted a lovely place to stay.

The Wild Orchid was OK but:
1. the rooms were terribly dark
2. they smelt incredibly musty and damp. Almost stiffling
3. the grounds were really untidy. There was rubbish strewn everywhere
4. looked like it might've been a nice place a few years ago but was now starting to show signs of neglect

So, we went to Barefoot, which was just glorious Fantastically clean and private cottages with gorgeous furnishings and lovely balconies. The setting was right in the jungle, really atmospheric, and just off the shores of the famous beach no. 7. So quiet unlike, Wild Orchid which fronts a road.

We did have lunch twice at the Wild Orchid, which I have to say was very good and definately worth doing.

Barefoot cost us $10 more a night. So not an insignificant amount but in our opinion for the location, accomodation and wonderful staff who could'nt have been more helpful, was worth every penny

Barefoot is deff the way to go. I got my certification there earliar this year and it was great. It wasnt too costly and the dive instructors were great and really take you to some beautiful areas to dive in. The only problem is the local fishing vessels is all they have as boats so it can be quite uncomfortable sometimes. I'm prob just biased because i took one from Port Blair to Havelock, over 7 hours in a tiny boat and i was suffering by the time i got there. Other than that they were very professional and helped me out alot.

Barefoot sounds good. How much shall one expect to pay for a non-AC cottage?

When i stayed there i was with 5 of my friends and 4 of us including myself slept in the luxury rooms there. These being on stilts w/ two single beds and mosquito netting w/ cieling fan. These were very nice and i think we payed 200-300 rupees a night. The single "backpacker" beds with mosquito netting right on the ground were a lot cheaper, if i remember they were less than 50 rupees a night. It's been over a year now and i want to go back sometime if i can get the free time and the money again to spend another 4 months trekking across southern India and the Andamans.

Are you sure about the price? In the mean time, I checked their website, and the range is around 3000 a night (non-AC).

ya i'm very sure. Although you may be looking at thier establishments at Beach No. 7. We were staying at thier other resort area that is not as fancy but on the same island only 30 mins road drive away. I ate several times at Barefoot place at beach No. 7 and found the food overpriced for what you get. Other than that huts there are 2000-3000 a night.

OK, I see...

BTW, from what I hear, Beach no7 is the most beautiful there. So, are there other possibilities for cheaper accommodation there, or these will only be available in other beaches?

I'm not an expert on the lodgings in the Andamans i only spent a week and a half there but i'm pretty sure the only place i saw to stay on beach No. 7 was at barefoot but i could be wrong. The beach is free and the trip only take 20-30 mins from where i stayed so it was worth it to just stay at a cheaper loding area and travel there. There is a restaurant and bar at beach No. 7 so you would be able to get a meal or something to drink there. While we were there we also hired a local fishermen to take us around all the various coves and the mangrove forests close to beach No. 7. Saw so me beautiful stuff. If you want the name of the place i stayed in let me know and i can get you there information and possible number/website. But ya its deff possible to stay at a much cheaper area and see the same sites you would be paying for at beach No. 7. Some say its the most beautiful and there prob right but the beach we were on was almost just as nice minus some elephants.

Was there last week on Havelock beach No. 7, also called Radhanagar beach. Besides Barefoot, which has expensive accomodation, there is another place right on the beach where tents are available for Rs.500/-(large), Rs.300/-(medium) and Rs.150/-(small). There are a number of small "resorts" on beaches 1 to 5 having beach huts from Rs.250/- to Rs.500/-. The Govt. owned Dolphin Resort on beach 5 has non A/C Rooms with attached bathrooms for Rs.500/- which are absolute value for money. A/C accomodation in Dolphin resort ranges from Rs.1500/- to Rs.2000/-. Bookings for the Dolphin resort are done in Port Blair.

I'd like to hit Havelock in Jan 2008. Is the info in this thread still current now, or does anyone have some fresh info to add. I'm looking for low-priced accomodation because I prefer to use cash for scuba diving (if anyone has info on this too) while there.
Thanks.