Shopping in Roatan with my parents

We will be in Roatan in April. My parents are both in their 70's and neither one wishes to pursue any adventurous activities although they are fairly fit and active people. They have expressed a simple desire to shop in Roatan. I have read the posts on here about coxen hole and the lack of shops in the vicinity. Are there any other shopping areas within a 1 hour walk from the dock? How safe is a 1 hour walk from the dock?I know of some shops within a cab ride but it hardly seems worthwhile to pay $60 for a cab for the 3 of us just to do some shopping. I personally would like to purchase some liquor (notably Rum). Are there any liquor shops within a decent proximity to the ship? Any info is much appreciated.

Roatan is not the typical cruise shopping port. We were there last month and we found some very interesting things that are indigenous to Roatan in some shops around the port. I did not see any duty-free type liquor stores.

If you are looking for a shopping center like Grand Cayman or Cozumel this is not the port. The shopping more like Limon, Costa Rica or the outside the gates shopping in Belize.

This is a developing area and you can find little shops to the right of the pier gate. There is some walking on uneven and narrow sidewalks.

OK - I have tried a few ways to link a photo from our webshots account - all of which have failed. So if you want to see a photo of downtown Coxen Hole please go to

http://family.webshots.com/album/562534730UAnYJh?start=24

Click on the photo that is in the top right.

We will be in Roatan in April. My parents are both in their 70's and neither one wishes to pursue any adventurous activities although they are fairly fit and active people. They have expressed a simple desire to shop in Roatan. I have read the posts on here about coxen hole and the lack of shops in the vicinity. Are there any other shopping areas within a 1 hour walk from the dock? How safe is a 1 hour walk from the dock?I know of some shops within a cab ride but it hardly seems worthwhile to pay $60 for a cab for the 3 of us just to do some shopping. I personally would like to purchase some liquor (notably Rum). Are there any liquor shops within a decent proximity to the ship? Any info is much appreciated.

They don't have liquor stores like you'd typically see in many other places. The local grocery stores sell various liquors for pretty reasonable prices. There's a store right in the center of town in Coxen Hole that typically has a decent selection - it's called Warrens. Flor de Cana is a very good rum that I'm sure they will have (it's a product of Nicaragua). They have several versions, the Centennario is outstandingly smooth.

Looking at the picture Donmar posted it looks like a very little town and awfully narrow streets. It will be great to experience the culture though. We are always interested in how other countries live. That is part of the experience. my parents are fairly fit so the unpaved, uneven road should not be a problem. Is it safe to walk in to town , and roughly how long to walk?

Sounds like I can at least buy a little liquor. Flor de cana I know quite well. The centenario 15 year is about 20 dollars and the 18 year is about 30 dollars. Maybe I can find a couple of bargains in those.

Although the shopping does not sound like it has a large amount to offer i am sure my parents and I will find it very interesting.

Thanks very much for the info.

As long as you'e reasonably fit, walking from the dock to the other side of town & back will be no problem. It is a small town, with basically one stret running through the center. About everything is on that one street (a couple of very short side roads/alleys/walkways have a few shops, but for the most part the side streets are just dirt roads that go to houses).

I've always felt perfectly safe there, especially during the daytime. The street & sidewalks are definitely bumpy, uneven, etc - like you'd typically find in a 3rd world country. Just watch your step.

I've always found Coxen Hole to be interesting, and definitley a cultural experience. If you're adventurous, the food at the "deli counter" in Warrens is usually pretty good. There is also a little open area "park" adjacent to the store; on some days, local ladies will be there cooking various dishes & selling them. I've had some wonderful lunches that way.