Cooper’s Inn (tel. 504/425-3184, www.coopers-inn.com, US$10 s, US$13 d), past Rubi’s 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. The inn is conveniently close to several of the dive shops, 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. 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, near the Bay Island College of Diving, 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.