Roatan!

I haven't talked to you guys too much about Roatan, Honduras.  I know I say this about a lot of places, but it really is one of my favorite places to visit.  I guess if I had to rank my favorite spots in the Caribbean that I have been to (and there are a lot of terrific places in the Caribbean that I haven't been to) Roatan would be my favorite so far. I have just sat here and made up a list to be sure that I really feel this way and there is no doubt about it, Roatan is my number one.  In fact, I like it so much that I almost don't want to tell you all about it because it would be kinda nice if it just stayed like it is.

I was going to present you today with a Top 10 List concerning Roatan, but as I delve into this, I discover that it is not possible.  You see, unless you are traveling on a cruise ship, it isn't the easiest place in the world to visit.  So it can cost you a little more to get there.  It has been open to cruise ships for about 7 years.  Delta and United both fly into Roatan, but the number of flights are somewhat limited and therefore a little expensive.  I don't have any all-inclusive resorts in my inventory that I can put you in there.  It is a place where you sort of have to piece together a trip.  But that is sort of what's great about it.  It means that it isn't packed with thousands of self entitled American tourists who think the world revolves around them.  If you are a scuba diver, you simply MUST go to Roatan.

To me, what makes Roatan so great is the reef.  It is home to the second largest barrier reef in the world with the first obviously being the Great Barrier Reef off of Australia.  Now, I'm not a scuba diver.... YET.  But nothing in the world makes me happier than a day spent snorkeling in Roatan and it is so easy to do there.  You don't need to hire a boat to get you out to the snorkeling spots.  You walk down the beach, put your fins, mask and snorkel on and swim out to the most amazing reef you will ever see.  Not a strong swimmer?  That's ok, I was at a beach in Roatan once and put on my fins and went maybe 10 feet and found myself in the midst of the most beautiful reef I had ever been on.  Of course, it all depends on where you are.  Sometimes the reef is a couple hundred yards off shore.  But it is always swimmable depending on your swimming ability.

My first time there, in July of 2007, we were on the beach at Fantasy Island Resort and they rounded us up for our snorkel.  They took us all over to this gazebo and had us grab gear.  My nephew Matt was with me.  Matt is a very strong swimmer.  Matt and I were the last to get to those stupid life preservers that blow up and they make you wear when you snorkel in a group.  So, they only had ski vests left.  I pleaded with the instructor to let me and Matt go without the vests, he agreed to let us do so.  It was so great snorkeling without that dumb life preserver getting in the way.

Anyway, once we were all geared up, they took us out to the reef in this old wooden boat that was really deep.  It was only a few hundred yards away from the gazebo and once we were there, they had us jump over the side.  As I jumped over the side, I remember wondering how we were going to get back on the boat since I didn't see a ladder or anything and the sides of the boat were really high.  It turns out that following the reef, we just sort of snorkeled our way back to shore after an hour or so of swimming in what seemed like the cleanest, largest, most perfect salt water fish tank in the world.

In some areas the reef came up so that there was only a foot or two of clearance to swim by.  In other areas, the reef was 40 to 60 feet below us.  There were scuba divers below us in those deeper areas on a ship wreck.  The variety of fish there was unlike any I have ever seen anywhere else.  Matt was in heaven and so was I!  On that trip we didn't get to go anywhere else in Roatan.

I went back to Roatan in February of 2010 on a cruise with my friend Jenny who I travel with a lot.  We agreed to go on this eco-hike excursion that had you hiking up a "mountain", it was a small mountain, but bigger than any I have ever wanted to hike up.  After that you were supposed to have free time for snorkeling near the West End which is the area that all of the divers frequent.  The hike was fun and I'm glad I did it although, at the time, I thought it might kill me.  But I am not going to rehash that event now.  I'll just refer you back to a previous entry written last year on my other blog.  I think it is strange that I have now referred back to this entry in two blogs.  This is the only one that I keep going back to.  What does that say about that eco-hike?  Anyway, we got stuck in traffic in the West End and never got to snorkel that day.  Although the excursion was great, being in Roatan and not being able to get in the water may have made it one of the most disappointing experiences I have ever had while on a cruise.

I was in Roatan again in July of 2011 with my nephew Chris.  On this day we did one of those beach snorkel breaks.  I forget the name of the resort they took us to but on this trip, you basically followed a guy into the water, found the reef an then you were on your own.  We snorkeled for about an hour initially and then ate a little then snorkeled for another hour or so.  This was the occasion when the reef was only a few feet from shore.  Chris and I had a great day of snorkeling there.

As you drive through the West End and West Bay area of Roatan, the thing that sticks out to me is the number of scuba divers you see walking down the street carrying their gear, half-way in or out of a wetsuit.  They are everywhere.  Since you don't need a boat to get to and from the diving sights, divers basically walk out of the water, take their fins off and walk over to one of the bars in the West End, order a beer and discuss the days dive.  It's that kind of place!  I understand that it is filling up quickly with ex-pats who do nothing but dive on a daily basis.

On Sunday, out of curiosity, I priced a trip there.  Again, it isn't cheap just because of the limited number of flights in and out.  But two people can do 7 days at the Palmetto Bay Resort which is a 4 star with roundtrip air on United, a rental car for the week and travel protection for just under $4,500.  If you cut out the rental car it drops it to under $4,000.  I personally would rent scooters instead on a day to day basis.  They are more fun anyway.  Plus Barefoot Divers of Roatan works out of Palmetto Bay and can take care of all of your diving needs.  Give me a yell if this sounds like the trip of a lifetime and I'll hook you up.  Have a great Wednesday!