A guide to Roatán, that slice of paradise in Honduras

For a short week we stayed along the lovely western shores of Roatán; one of the Bay Islands located 50 km in front of the Caribbean coast of Honduras.

Roatán isn’t the only island one can visit from La Ceiba. Utila, Guanaja and Cayos Cochinos attract visitors too. All four of them are like the quintessential tropical dream.

As we only had a couple of days we knew we couldn’t see all of them and that we had to make a choice which one to visit. Both Guanaja and Cayos Cochinos are difficult to reach. These islands don’t have regular shuttle services. I’m pretty sure that because of this, a stay on one of these islands would be superb. But you also have to bring in a LOT of dough, not only to reach the islands but also to stay there, plus you’re very dependent on the efforts of others. As we’ve once had a very bad experience with a private island hotel in Indonesia, ever since I’ve been very reluctant to rely on private island services. But that’s just personal :).

View from the main street of Roatán

So the choice was narrowed down to Roatán and Utila.

Utila is known as a party island, attracting a lot of early-twenty backpackers. This has to do with the fact that Utila is also the cheapest island to stay at. Roatán attracts a far more midrange crowd than Utila and unfortunately has less budget type of options. The island’s accommodation mostly comes in the form of luxury resort packages, but there are some good budget options and even better; we’ve found them for you! (just keep on reading)

Both Roatán and Utila are known as superb diving destinations. It was the main reason why we wanted to visit this archipelago anyway, as well as doing our fair share or ‘hammocking’.

Because I really wanted to chill out while not being disturbed by late night vomiting vibes, ánd because one of us had to fly to the Bay Islands and Roatán has the best airport, we decided to visit Roatán first and see if we would later make it to Utila as well. However, we liked Roatán and its laid-back vibe so much that we decided to stay over there for the rest of the time.

I did had two concerns before going to Roatán: I was slightly afraid that the island would be absolutely overwhelmed with fellow gringos ánd that we would spend way more than planned. Luckily we found out that it’s possible to stay on a budget on Roatán. Just don’t stay in West Bay, but visit West End which has a more lively traveler’s scene anyway. I think we did spend more than we initially thought, but only because we did so many (magnificent!) dives. Fortunately we managed discounts regarding both the hotel and the dives (more on that later).

Regarding the gringo vibes; yes this is a touristy island, but I was pleasantly surprised to be honest. I was expecting some kind of all-inclusive kind of attitude, but Roatán is much more quaint and laid-back than that. I’m sure the percentage of tourism is about the same as on Utila, although you might even encounter more locals on Roatán. You just have to know where to stay.

We visited the island in the beginning of December 2018 and therefore could enjoy all the Christmas preparations. It’s always a tad weird – as a European – to see Christmas decorations with a hint of tropical vibes. But anyway, just look at that tree below, what a beaut isn’t it? They had fun for sure while (and especially before) decorating this fellow! Recycling at its best – wine not right?

How to get there?

You can enter Roatán either via boat or via plane.

I personally took a very long shuttle from Río Dulce (Guatemala) to La Ceiba in Honduras with Rooney Shuttle Service. Although I wasn’t too pleased about the speed of the ride (I waited for hours that day, both during the early morning pick-up and later on the day when they were switching shuttles), in general I would recommend this shuttle service as it felt safe to me. And that’s rather important when travelling in Honduras.

From La Ceiba I took the ferry ($33,- USD, it goes twice a day; check the schedule in here) to Roatán.

The ferry ride to the island was very choppy. Two staff members were handing out plastic bags and after I couple of minutes I realised what they were for…

My husband on the other hand arrived by plane. From Central America you can fly from both El Salvador and San Pedro Sula to the island. And if you come from the east side of both the USA and Canada you might even be able to fly directly to the island. What a luxury that would be!

Where to stay?

Nearly all backpackers that visit Roatán find their temporary home in West End, where most of the budget options are found.

Here’s the little bay where we stayed at from above:

If you’re looking for a private budget cabin then I’d absolutely recommend Hotel Chillies. Note that I’m not getting paid or anything to write this down. I just really liked the property, especially its location directly at sea and its lovely jungle garden ↓

I you want to book a dorm spot, room or cabin as well in here, try to contact Michele (the owner of Hotel Chillies) directly via Facebook. We stayed for four nights in here and paid $36,- USD per night for a private cabin with a warm shower.

The cabin had a lovely porch with a hammock, a lot of (humming)birds were keeping us company during the day and at night we were surprised by a cute (and very noisy) armadillo!

The only thing I disliked about the cabin was the bathroom: it didn’t have a door! Just a curtain. Not the best if you’re looking for a romantic getaway…

Another reason for you to choose this hotel is because the hotel includes a diving school: Native Sons, run by both Micheles husband and her son. If you stay at Chillies you’ll get a discount for every dive you take with them.

Even though I’ve got my PADI, I was really searching for instructors who would look after me. Now that may sounds like a logical thing, but I’d experienced otherwise as well during my previous dives.

I felt really comfortable at Native Sons. Their equipment was proper, the boat was neat and the instructors (especially Heidi) were very caring. As we had a couple of locals going along who were very experienced (one of them even was a dive master herself), I really had the feeling I was in very good company.

Before joining the group I did a little refreshment course for $20,- USD and it made me feel totally ready again to rock those underwater trips!

Another great reason to stay at Chillies is because the little breakfast shack of Yahongreh? is right in front of the hotel and next to the diving shop.

The portions in here are big, prices are neat and that breakfast yoghurt bowl is a healthy winner for sure. In between the dives we could easily get a break at Yahongreh for a cup of coffee or a baleada (the Honduran version of a burrito).

Whilst you’re enjoying that coffee, you might also get some company from one of the dogs or cats that belong to the hotel. All of them are constantly looking for cuddles and they won’t stop harassing you until you scratch those fluffy ears.

Give them a hug from me!

All in all you barely need to leave the hotel if you want to enjoy the max out of this island.

I also heard good stories about nearby low-budget Georphi’s. We visited the property too, just to see if we were missing out, and the places looked neat indeed.

If had to stay again and with a bit of a bigger budget I’d opt for nearby Cocolobo. This property is a short hike from the main center of West End, but the area seemed very peaceful and the view on the ocean was stunning.

What to do?

Diving / snorkelling

If you can only do one thing on Roatán make sure to hit the water. Diving in here is absolutely stunning and suitable for rookies (such as myself) as you’ll barely experience currents. Floating in the crystal clear waters is purely a magical experience.

Divers are often so impressed by the visibility of Honduras’ waters, the vast marine life and corals that they often return again and again. We met a diving enthusiast (an amateur just like ourselves, I mean, he wasn’t a diving master or anything) who’d experienced the majority of his 800 dives around Roatán!

Apart from the experienced folks, this is also if a great spot if you want to obtain your PADI. Apart from the lack of currents and the clear waters, the prices are quite cheap too in here (that is, compared to other Central American countries).

For people looking for more exotic experiences, Roatán also offers offbeat dives. Think of tunnel dives and wreck diving. We made ourselves 7 excellent dives with Native Sons. Here some shots and a clip of what we saw! ↓

More clips are coming up, so brace yourself for spotted eagle rays, turtles, lobster and a shipwreck!

That yellow submarine of ‘Go Deeper!’

In this bay I discovered again that there’s a fine line between madness and brilliance. Right in front of Hotel Chillies there’s a dock where a submarine is stationed. Yes you’re reading it correctly; a submarine! Explorer Karl Stanley built this thing all by himself (and it’s yellow too)! If you want to, you can even join Karl on one of his underwater adventures.

A trip to the deeper parts of our ocean comes with a price tag though. $1000,- USD is a lot of money for one adventure, but I’m also certain you’ll be having the trip of a lifetime with Karl!

I really wanted to see this submarine, but it unfortunately was floating in that famous big, blue hole in Belize at the time of our visit. Like Jacques Cousteau in 1971, Stanley was about to explore this 410-foot-deep ocean sink hole in Belize to see if he could reveal some mysteries. Karl didn’t went all by himself; Cousteau’s grandson Fabien and Sir Richard Branson were joining the ride as well. Watch “Into the Blue Hole” on Discovery Channel if you want to know more about this mysterious trip.

And this is the pier where the submarine is usually docked. ↓

Swing it!

Karl, the owner of Go Deeper, also bought this old boat for 100 bucks and turned it into a giant swing. The (big) children in here love it!

You can reach the boat from the pier of the submarine after a little swim.

Visit West Bay

If you need a break from West End then the beaches of West Bay are only a short (10 minutes) boat ride away.

Note that West Bay is a lot more crowded. I personally was happy to return to our little bay in West End after a couple of hours of strolling on the western side of the island.

Don’t go to West Bay when the big cruise ships arrive by the way! ↓ Not only will the entire vibe of the town change (just like in West End), but prices will also suddenly increase. Think of more expensive souvenirs & coconuts.

Stay right where you are and brace yourself :). The big influx of tourists will be over in a couple of hours. Hopefully you’ll be in the water during these hours.

Rent a scooter

Although we haven’t done this ourselves (we devoted all our time to diving), renting a scooter on the island seemed like great fun!

For $25,- USD a day you can explore some other parts of the island, such as the less traveled east side of Roatán, with its thick mangrove and deserted beaches. This area used to be a place for pirates to hide centuries ago. Check in advance with a local what places are safe to go and what spots need to be avoided. Robberies unfortunately do still occur on the island.

Take a walk on the wild side

At the southern end of the village (at the start of Villas del Playa) you’ll find a long and sandy beach. I really liked this area as it was totally deserted. There were a couple of empty docks in here (great if you want to take a dip in the sea in between) and we saw – and mostly heard – a couple of very boisterous parrots flying over.

You can even walk all the way to West Bay along this coast if you want to from here. This will take an hour or so. As this road leads along rocky coral grounds, don’t forget to bring some sturdy shoes.

Enjoy those gorgeous sunsets

The best things in life come free to us. Or, at least they do on Roatán.

Sit down at the end of the day for a sunset of a lifetime. You may be on the east coast, but these blue and orange hues striking the sky are magnificent for sure on this island.

Where to eat?

Although diving might be relatively cheap on Roatán (compared to other spots in Central America) and sunsets are free to enjoy to all, the island can unfortunately be a tad expensive when it comes to dining out. You really have to search a little in here to get a lovely and cheap meal.

Luckily for you, we tried it all in West End. So here are our biggest budget friendly recommendations for you on the island!

Especially don’t miss out on those yummy baleadas (flour wraps with a spread of cheese, black beans and all types of fillings), our absolute typical Honduran favourite food!

And the lobsters are pretty tasty too ↓

Some last tips

Bring enough cash. Cash is king on Roatán
Bring a decent snorkel set. Since you can enjoy marine life anywhere around the island you’ll be thanking yourself for this afterwards.
Bring some “get through the day snacks”, like a proper bag of nuts or some granola bars. I couldn’t find normal yoghurt either on the island, so if you like to add that to your breakfast bring some along.
Bring a GoPro! Because the most beautiful snaps of this island may be underwater!
Although there are some shops on the island, just think twice before you bring your bag. It would be rotten if you need to waste a lot of time on searching a bikini.

Here’s where to find the spots mentioned in this article! ↓