Isla Roatan, Honduras

My friends and I are gearing up for our cruise on the Canival Valor in June and we're looking for a fun place to go drink in Isla Roatan being as none of us have been there before. We're big fans of Margaritaville and Carlos n' Charlies if that tells you anything.

The only reservation I've got about Honduras is I've heard that it's not exactly safe. Can anyone recommend some good places? I'm the only girl in the group so I'll have a lot of guys around me if something happens but I've just heard some unsettling stories about fences and guards with machine guns (I'm pretty sure it was Honduras and not Belize, I can't remember!) and I want to make sure I'm not wigging out half the time I'm there :)

Thanks in advance!

wow! maybe you should stay on the boat if you're that paranoid and all you want to do is party with fellow cruisers.

the cruiseline isn't going to stop anywhere that is dangerous. stupid americans are a danger to themselves. instead of getting drunk each day why don't you open your eyes and enjoy the natural beauty of where you are. and then get drunk at night.

btw - the machine guns are in mexico.

I'm aware of the machine guns in Mexico, thank for that reminder though.

I appreciate your honest response however I found it unecessary. All I did was ask a question that warranted no reason for a rude reply. My friends wanted to find out some places for them to go and my boyfriend and I to meet them after we are done with an excursion we're thinking of doing and also, I wanted to know about the country based on what I had heard and whether or not it was true - if you know the answer reply, if you want to be a jerk then please don't bother because it really is a waste of your time and mine.

Best wishes to you and happy cruising!

I read the same review you must have read, concerning the military trucks full of machine gun weilding police, was it? if you can find it again, you will see that an American businessman who lives there made a retort to that comment. Said it is a very peaceful, laid back place and made recommendations as to where you might have the best time.

He recommended getting out of the port town pronto and heading for I think it was West End? It was West something.

I am going to Roatan in november and am wondering what to do since I can't lie in the sun. If you find a good place, please post back here for me and give me your impression of the island. This is not mainland Honduras where there might be more danger in the big cities. I don't think there is any big city here. Thanks.

I read the same review you must have read, concerning the military trucks full of machine gun weilding police, was it? if you can find it again, you will see that an American businessman who lives there made a retort to that comment. Said it is a very peaceful, laid back place and made recommendations as to where you might have the best time.

 

He recommended getting out of the port town pronto and heading for I think it was West End? It was West something.

 

I am going to Roatan in november and am wondering what to do since I can't lie in the sun. If you find a good place, please post back here for me and give me your impression of the island. This is not mainland Honduras where there might be more danger in the big cities. I don't think there is any big city here. Thanks.

Thank you so much. Actually my boyfriend's mom told me when they were there they couldn't get off the ship because there was an uprising that day. I wasn't sure it was always the same which is why I posted this.

When we find something I'll be sure to reply to you :) Stay subscribed to this thread, haha!

Roatan, although part of Hondorus doesn't have alot of the problems of the mainland. Roatan seems to be a laid back island. As far as machine guns, most countries have cops / military carrying machine guns. They have them at the Mexican ports, Belize, Spain, USA etc. I wouldn't worry about seeing an armed cop / military guy at the port.

Cool, thanks sportserjohn I appreciate the reassurance.

I wouldn't worry about safety in Roatan. The area around the dock in Coxon Hole is run down and not too inviting, but you shouldn't hang out there. Roatan is very laid back and does not have a huge party scene such as you would find at Carlos and Charlies or Senior Frogs. The closest thing you will find would be in West End, but it is really pretty sleepy. Also, don't expect sun in November as it is the rainy season and when it rains in Roatan - it really can rain. You might want to check out some Roatan pictures on my website at http://www.pbase.com/2112 in the Central America section. Have fun in Roatan. IF you like to snorkel or dive, Roatan is a great place to do it.

Great, thanks 2112! My BF and I actually were talking about this at dinner and we're planning on going on an excursion - perhaps the cavetubing (he read we can do it there as well as Belize). Yikes about November, glad we're going in June! We're hoping for a lot of fun in the sun.

I'll let the others in our group know about the party scene, perhaps we can convince them to go with us instead :) Doubtful, but worth a shot.

Take a taxi to West End--there are several great restaurants/bars (Not in the C&C vein, however, but good food and cheap drinks-much less manic, just relaxed, island style). You will love it! We were there for a week a couple years ago--lots of snorkeling and trying different restaurants. Didn't see any machine guns! Enjoy!

I must have spent an hour viewing your photos. Wow is all I can say. question: Are the photos you have of Casca

Antigua in Panama City from a tour from a cruise ship? If so, I'm booking immediately.

I was very pleased to see that you were able to view the Arenal volcano in November. Did you do that from a cruise ship tour also? there is one offered and I'm having trouble deciding if I want to go there or to San Jose. Thanks.

I must have spent an hour viewing your photos. Wow is all I can say. question: Are the photos you have of Casca

Antigua in Panama City from a tour from a cruise ship? If so, I'm booking immediately.

 

I was very pleased to see that you were able to view the Arenal volcano in November. Did you do that from a cruise ship tour also? there is one offered and I'm having trouble deciding if I want to go there or to San Jose. Thanks.

Thanks for the nice comments on my photos flashdog! I visited both Panama and Costa Rica as land based vacations and not on a cruise. If you were on a ship that stopped in Amador, you could certainly visit Panama City. If you were on a cruise that stopped in Colon, you could still visit Panama City, but it would take an hour to get there. I think Panama is the most underrated destination in the Americas (although I haven't visited Colombia yet). Panama has an interesting colonial section in Panama City, islands, indiginous populations, spanish forts, rainforests, wildlife, and even a dig ditch that connect two oceans.

As far as Costa Rica, don't waste a day going to San Jose! San Jose is ok as a base or to spend a day if you are already there, but really the beauty in Costa Rica is in the nature and not in the cities. Arenal would make a nice trip if you can get there. One of the most memorable moments in my life was spent soaking in a hot spring, drinking a Pina Colada and watching lava roll down the sides of Arenal. You should be aware that Arenal is often in the clouds and we only got to see the summit briefly during both the day and night for the two days I was there.

With the exception of Panama City, I think the capitol cities in Central America are best avoided (including San Jose). ALthough there are things to see there, there are much better things to see in Costa Rica.

Thanks for the clarification. There is a tour offered from our ship Zenith to go to Panama city and the old city with lunch in a nice restaurant, so think that's what we'll do.

I was also advised by a friend who was in the foreign service and stationed in San Jose. He said to skip San Jose and go to the volcano. The ship also offers this excursion, but most of the day is spent enroute (although there must be lovely things to see enroute) I have not heard back from the resort at Arenal about whether cruise ship passngers can use the hot springs as well as the llunch that is provided by the ship there.

There is another tour that sounds okay, to a coffee plantation with lunch, and another that lets you see the Rio revolucion I think. Haven't decided for sure. There's been no response to my questions about the Arenal shore excursion and I wonder if no one is interested and therefore it would be cancelled for lack of interest! We will be arriving on the atlantic side, so any trip will be lengthy.

I'll put in my .02 about Costa Rica even though this isn't quite the right thread. We spent two weeks there in 2004. Ditto--do not bother with San Jose, but Arenal is beautiful (depending on where you're docking, it could be a long trip, but you'll decide.) We spent four days there and were lucky that the volcano was crystal clear on 3 of them (even the waiters at the hotel were taking photos.) On the fourth day we wondered where the volcano went! You can also see the lava at night. We stayed nearby, not at the fancy resort, Tabacon, but anyone can go there for the day, and we spent one day there. I think it was $25 or $30 pp, and well worth it for the natural beauty, hot water spas, pools etc. Again, it may be a long trip from the coast. Enjoy the beautiful country!

That poster was rude that said that you should just stay on the ship. Some people... I tell ya.:rolleyes:

Anyways, Roatan is BEAUTIFUL! Probably my favorite spot on my cruise on the Valor back in October.

If you like to snorkel, You will love Roatan. Simply take a taxi to Tabayana Beach and there are guides there that can follow you out to the reef and show you the best spots.

Probably one of the most memorable experiences I have ever had.

Oh yeah, and getting to the beach we took a bus with a tour guide who told us all about the history of Roatan. Pretty cool!

Wow, you're a class act...

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wow! maybe you should stay on the boat if you're that paranoid and all you want to do is party with fellow cruisers.

the cruiseline isn't going to stop anywhere that is dangerous. stupid americans are a danger to themselves. instead of getting drunk each day why don't you open your eyes and enjoy the natural beauty of where you are. and then get drunk at night.

btw - the machine guns are in mexico.

I was on the Carnival Valor in Feb 05 and we had a great time in both Belize and Roatan. In Belize, so many people stayed on the ship, but what a mistake. Sure, it may not be a good idea to venture into the city beyond the iron gates that were surely put up by the cruise industry. We took an excursion (not through the cruise) to a gorgeous island -- I think it was called Water Key. It was a great day for relaxing and enjoying the water. No one was trying to sell us anything or even bead our hair.

On Roatan Island, we did something similar -- hooked up with a local tour van that took the 8 of us (2 families) to a gorgeous beach -- right next to where the cruise excursion went (only they paid MUCH more than we did). We had a driver and a local college student from Roatan who gave us all the history. Then we had a great beach day (but there were, admittedly,a lot of people trying to sell us beads and jewelry).

Definitely don't stay on the ship in these two places. You will miss out.

If you are a little nervous about a particular area, what I like to do is book through the ship. This year, I was a bit hesitant about our stops in Costa Rica and Panama. So, I ignored the prices and booked excursions through the ship (aerial tram over the rain forest in Costa Rica and Panama Canal -- both were really great days and I didn't worry for a second).

These are all great places that I may never get back to again, so why stay on the ship! Pick what you want to do and find a way to do it where you are comfortable. That's what's vacation is for!!

Judith, thanks for the info. I'll be on the Valor this May and I'm looking for suggestions of what to do in Honduras since we're not planning to book an excursion with the cruiseline.

Does anyone have suggestions for local excursions we could book? I tried to search online but couldn't find any! We'd be interested in doing something adventurous or just heading to a nice beach. I hear Coral Cay and Tabyana are both nice beaches so we might just try one of those. But I thought maybe there are some excursions we should definitely try while we are there. Thanks in advance for sharing!! :)

Any suggestions for a place to parasail in Honduras? Is that something they would have available right there at one of the beaches? We're thinking of going to Tabyana or Coral Cay and are interested in parasailing! Thanks!

My friends and I are gearing up for our cruise on the Canival Valor in June and we're looking for a fun place to go drink in Isla Roatan being as none of us have been there before. We're big fans of Margaritaville and Carlos n' Charlies if that tells you anything.

 

The only reservation I've got about Honduras is I've heard that it's not exactly safe. Can anyone recommend some good places? I'm the only girl in the group so I'll have a lot of guys around me if something happens but I've just heard some unsettling stories about fences and guards with machine guns (I'm pretty sure it was Honduras and not Belize, I can't remember!) and I want to make sure I'm not wigging out half the time I'm there :)

 

Thanks in advance!

Theres a nice bar half way down mainstreet Coxon Hole on the right. You go upstairs to it and you can look out over the bay and see your ship. Its great for sundowners but when I was there last Nov 30 2005 it was full of local families. It was quiet and 2$ for a beer. On the other side of the road further on the left was a real dive bar and 1$ beer. But still pretty quiet at 5pm. Coxon Hole has great charm and the people are very friendly.

Beachbumcruiser, consider a tour with Victor Bodden. We did this our last visit to Roatan and he is just the nicest man and loves to show people his island. If you have specific sites you want to visit, he can take you to them or he will put together a tour for you. Check out recommendations for Victor on the Ports of Call, Roatan, board.

Also, as mentioned, Tabyana Beach is a nice place to snorkel and beach it.

Becki