roatan, HN

Roatan was not for me. I am going to touch on it because it's a very popular destination in the country but I think in general for the sake of this website and the people who will look at it, Roatan is not very important. It's a luxury island that is full of tourists and vacationers from all over the world. The island is chock full of hotels and resorts. Cruise ships make their ways into port daily at least and flood the island with plump afternoon guests. The food is expensive and void of culture. The island itself is expensive in general. It's just not the place for me at all. The distinction between Roatan and Utila is so stark that the two can hardly be compared in any way other than the fact that they are geographically linked. Roatan may be a place that as a backpacker or a budget traveler you will have to go through. But other than that I personally wouldn't recommend spending any time in. I got stuck here for a few days because my transportation off the island was roadblocked, and that's the only real reason I was here. The island however — similar to Utila, has incredible diving. I will also say that the place does have a significant leg-up on Utila in the fact that there are stunning beaches here. Utila's worst trait is its lack of the traditional white sand beach. Roatan certainly has this. So this isn't much more of a call out for Roatan. I am sure you could have fun here as a backpacker or budget traveler if you knew where to look. But I don't know where to look, and I have no care to. Because Utila is just simply better if you are that type of person. A little tip though. The places to stay in Roatan are in two very distinct neighborhoods. West Bay and West End. West End is the very high-end tourist area. The West Bay is more suited to budget travelers, much more low-key and much much superior.

GENERAL OVERVIEW

LOCATION - This is the only section here that will really have anything in it. It will be very similar to the location section for Utila.
- Roatan is an island in the Caribbean off of the coast of Honduras. It's a part of the island chain called the Bay Islands. A little more info on the Bay Islands here. The island is significantly larger than Utila and is home to over 100k people. Compared to Utilas 5,000. Roatan is certainly easier to get to than Utila. Especially if you are flying. If you aren't then it is no easier to get to. It depends on your budget, and style of travel of course. A lot of backpackers coming here will simply choose the bus route. This is obviously going to be longer, harder, but cheaper than the more efficient and convenient, yet expensive route via the air. Below I will get into how to arrive here at Roatan. If you know what you are doing it's pretty simple.

1. BY BUS AND FERRY - You could theoretically take local transport throughout the country to get to La Ceiba by local or chicken bus but I doubt many people are going to try and do that. So for these purposes I will just speak about the journey from a shuttle perspective. The slightly more expensive, yet significantly more efficient method. People typically come from a few places:

- FROM ANTIGUA - Commonly people will come down from Guatemala, and go straight to Roatan. There is a shuttle that will take you directly from Antigua to La Ceiba. The coastal town on the mainland where you will need to catch the ferry. You can book your transportation here for the shuttle. The ride is going to cost $80. It's a lot, but you save a lot of hassle. It includes a border crossing as well. Departure from Antigua Guatemala will be at 1:00 AM. Pickups are available at hotels and hostels in downtown. The estimated drop-off time in La Ceiba is 3:30 PM which can be made at the ferry dock or the hostels in La Ceiba. You will miss the last ferry to Roatan at 1:30. Plan on a night in La Ceiba.

- FROM LEON - People traveling up north will usually come from Leon, Nicaragua. There are shuttles that leave daily. You can book your transport here. The shuttle departs from Leon at 4:00 AM and arrives in La Ceiba at 4:30 PM. Total ride time will be about 12 hours. You will have to stay the night in La Ceiba. Info on the hostel is on the La Ceiba page.

- THE FERRY - Included in any overland trip to Roatan will be the ferry. The ferry is located directly in La Ceiba, here. So when you get there you will just need to get there. You can take a taxi, or it's likely that your shuttle may drop you off there if you arrive in time. If you don't, the hostel you stay at, likely Guacamayos, will provide transport for a small fee. The ferry schedule is here through Dream Ferries. There are 2 ferries each day, 8:30AM and 1:30PM. The journey will take about 45 minutes, and costs about $32, or 800 Lempiras. You can book online or reserve a spot when you get there. Make sure that you remember, there is a small tax you need to pay separately from buying your ticket. It's a few dollars but they won't let you on the ferry, or buy your ticket in person, without paying this. The booth you need to pay that is here.

2. BY AIR - This is the far simpler and faster option. Just fly to Roatan (RTB). Either from a different destination with direct flight to Roatan, or from the nearby larger international airport in San Pedro Sula (SAP).

3. BY CAR - If you are traveling by car, then you will just have to drive to La Ceiba. You'll need to go through San Pedro Sula to get here, and La Ceiba is along CA-13. Its 4 hours from San Pedro Sula. Drive during the day, roads can get interesting here. There is no car ferry to get to Roatan, so you can't bring your rig over there. It's a long drive from pretty much everywhere to get to La Ceiba but there is secure parking here where you can pay to have your car taken care of. You shouldn't really have anything to worry about. Parking is going to cost 180 lempiras per day, and your car will be safe. The Parking lot is right at the ferry terminal here.

ACCOMMODATION - It's mainly hotels here, but if you are a budget traveler, the area that you will want to stay in is called West Bay. Avoid the West End.

EATS - All over the place. Lots of expensive stuff. I didn't eat here at all.

NIGHTLIFE - Not sure.

SIGHTS - The ferry to Utila.

SURFING - Nothing.