Roatan Basics

First Impressions

Roatan is a narrow coastal island 30 miles off the northern coast of Honduras. The island has a mountainous spine and is totally surrounded by coral reefs, offering superb diving as well as excellent fishing. A paved road will take you from the West Bay, where several of the island's higher-end hotels are located, to Punta Gorda, on the north side of the island. Cruise ships dock at one of the two cruise ship terminals that are located a short distance from the town of Coxen Hole. Coxen Hole is the largest settlement on the island, but is otherwise a place with little to no touristic interest.

Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and NCL ships dock at the Coxen Hole cruise ship dock and mall complex, opened in late 2008. Here you'll find a bank with an ATM, a large Diamonds International shop, a couple of restaurants and a smattering of other shops, including a pharmacy and a liquor store. (With the success of the initial development, the local authorities are now building a Phase II recreational complex adjacent to the current mall shops.)

Carnival, Princess, Costa, Holland America and Regent ships dock at the new Mahogany Bay Cruise Center, which is located in Dixon Cove east of Coxen Hole. This complex, which offcially opened in February 2010, includes a Duty Free store, several jewelers (including a Diamonds International shop and a Tanzanite International shop), several restaurants and bars, snack bars, a pharmacy, and a number of souvenir and other tourist-related shops. Adjacent to the Cruise Center is the white sand 10-acre Mahogany Beach, which can be reached on foot or via the "Magic Flying Beach Chair" (unlimited rides for $5/ day).

At each cruise ship terminal, taxis are plentiful, and minivans and busses are positioned nearby to take shore excursion patrons to their destinations. Shore excursions depart from each of the two cruise ship terminals.

There are basically three things to do on your visit to Roatan. Scuba diving and snorkeling are what brings most folks to the island, owing to the large number of excellent reef sites that are situated around the island. You can also do some fishing in the waters surrounding Roatan, where the local catch includes marlin, tuna and wahoo. And lastly, the watersports on Roatan include kayaking and sailing. Then again, you can just hang out on the bucolic beaches.

Small towns dot the landscape as you make your way from west to east. The West Bay and West End areas are said to have Roatan's best beaches, good restaurants and varied watersports-related activities--but it is considered "touristy." Sandy Bay is where you'll find the Roatan Institute of Marine Sciences with its dolphin encounter shows, the Roatan Museum and Carambola Gardens. The area is known for world-class scuba diving.

Coxen Hole has some souvenir shops, while French Harbor is home to a new megamall, some nearby high end resorts, as well as an iguana farm. French Harbor and points east are considered "not touristy." Oakridge is a small picturesque town connected to the villages of Jonesville and Calabash Cay by a series of canals through the mangroves. And Punta Gorda is home to the only Garifuna community on Roatan and the first Garifuna settlement in Central America.

Reef off of Roatan

Time Zone

Roatan is on Central Time, six hours earlier than Greenwich Mean Time during Standard Time. Roatan does not observe Daylight Savings Time.

Language

Although Spanish is the national language of Honduras, English is spoken by most people in Roatan.

Currency

Currency

The Lempira is the official currency of Honduras. It is subdivided into 100 centavos. The exchange rate is currently around 18.9 Lempira per US dollar. The Lempira has been tied to the US dollar since January 2006.

Banks and ATMs

ATM machines as we know them are scarce in Roatan, due to the fairly primitive banking system in Honduras. Instead, all ATM transactions have you taking a cash advance against your Visa card (most widely accepted) or MasterCard. The banks are generally open on weekdays from 8:00 am to 11:30 am, and from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. The following banks provide cash advances on your Visa or MasterCard, and can also cash travelers' checks:

• Banco Ficohsa: A branch of this bank, as well as an ATM machine, is located in the Town Center Mall, which is adjacent to the Coxen Hole Cruise Ship Terminal.
• Banco BAC-Credomatic: A branch is located in Coxen Hole; they've also got a 24-hour ATM machine at their bank branch that lets you withdraw cash from your Visa card. Another branch is located in French Harbour, in the El Faro building.
• Banco Atlantida: Branches located in Coxen Hole and French Harbour that let you make cash advances on your Visa card.
• Banco BGA: Branches located in Coxen Hole and French Harbour that let you make cash advances on your Visa card.
• Banco Lafise: Branch located in French Harbour.

You can also find an ATM machine in the West End at the Coconut Tree Hotel. In West Bay, an ATM is located in the Mayan Princess Beach Resort. As above, you'll be taking a cash advance against your Visa or MasterCard.

To see the locations of Roatan's ATMs, see our Roatan ATM map.

Using US Dollars in Roatan

US dollars are widely accepted in Roatan, so you don't have to change your dollars into Lempiras. If you're using dollars alone, make sure to bring smaller denominations to pay for incidentals and taxi rides. Change will be given to you in Lempiras.

Most of the shops and restaurants accept major credit cards.

Weather

Keeping In Touch

Internet Cafes

You can find several internet cafes in Roatan, with fairly reasonable rates and international telephone connections (Roatan has no pay phones). His is a list of some of the internet cafes on Roatan::

• Paradise Computers operate four internet cafes on Roatan: at the Coxen Hole Cruise Ship Dock, located in one of the first buildings you will see after you disembark, you'll find a small, funky hut offering 3 computer terminals; in Coxen Hole, located on the main road of the island, in the Mango Center; at the Roatan airport; and in the West End, located in the West End Divers building, with 8 computers terminals.
• The Internet Cafe, located at the entrance of Coxen Hole on the right side of Thicket Mouth Road, in the blue building on the second floor. Open Monday through Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
• Que Tal Cafe, located on the highway at the entrance to Coxen Hole in Lawson Rock. The cafe is open for breakfast and lunch and shares space with a bookstore, the Libreria Casi Todo. Open Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm, and on Saturday from 7:30 am to 2:00 pm.
• Hondusoft Internet Cafe Roatan, located in the Foster's Cabins, in West End. Open daily from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.
• Travelers' Internet Cafe, located in Coxen Hole at the Welcome Plaza.

To see the locations of Roatan's Internet Cafes, see our Map of Roatan Internet Cafes.

Finding US Newspapers.

You won't find US newspapers in Roatan.

Kindle Connectivity

Local Holidays & Festivals

Cruise Lines Making Port

Roatan is a popular destination for Western Caribbean cruises embarking primarily from Miami, Tampa, Galveston and Ft. Lauderdale, and to a lesser extent from Port Canaveral, New York and New Orleans. In 2009, the port of Roatan hosted over 160 cruise ship visits carrying over 475,000 passengers. Here is a month-by-month schedule of cruise ship arrivals at the new Mahogany Bay Cruise Center.

The following cruise lines make port in Roatan:

	Carnival		Royal Caribbean
	Celebrity Cruises		Princess Cruises
	Holland America		NCL
	Regent Cruises		Costa Cruises