information on Roatan | Debbie's Caribbean Resort Reviews Forums

Hi everyone:I have e-mailed Wossa directly but thought I would ask some questions here as well. We are lovers of San Andres Island but are looking for something similar with respect to pristine waters, friendly and safe atmosphere due to the fact that San Andres is not being offered from TO this year.I am considering the Paradise Beach-I understand that there is a package where by you can enjoy the restaurants at all Henry Morgan Resorts. Any one experienced this?Currency? Are the ATMs reliable? What currency do they give out US or Honduras$$$?Safety for walking, taxiing around the island? What about walking on the beach for great distances? Renting a car and exploring on your own, special license required? Is it safe?Shops and business’ in the West End? What is available? Recommendations for visits to other towns.Are there snorkeling tours offered from dive shops? Who is reputable?Weather in late March? How far is the trip from the airport to the West End?Is there a police presence on the island like there is in other Caribbean destinations?

Any info that anyone can share would be so appreciated. You can post here or e-mail me directly. Thanx so much in advance. W.

wossa Guest

Hi pwcaseI have sent you a mail to the addy you provided me within your PM.

Wossa….. ;D

	Hi Wossa, Just booked the Henry Morgan for the end of March 2010. Have all of the same questions as pwcase, as well as what are the drinks you can get for free at the resort. Any chance you can answer these questions on the post? Thanks LS

	Hi all. I too am thinking of Henry Morgan especially after reading Wossa’s review. Wossa can you post here the answers to the above post for all to read, and anything else you can think of . Thanks Terry

We have booked at the Mayan Princess this year instead of the Henry Morgan just to give something else a try. We loved West Bay and just thought we would step up the accomodations a little. I understand that all the West Bay AI arrangements are being managed by the Henry Morgan admin team and the food offered is prepared for all by Henry Morgan kitchen (although I think the HM has the largest selection). There is a dine around option this year as well so we could still eat at the HM some nights. We thought this year that we would try a few more of the local restaurants. We will probably still dive with TGI located at the HM.

On my first trip to Roatan I had a heck of a time finding out where to stay, what to do and what the different dive shops had to offer. That was in April 2010 but this time when I started planning my trip I discovered a new website, tourismroatan.com and it has a lot of travel information about where to stay, places to eat, nightlife, diving and other activities. It sure made my trip a lot easier this time. You can even book your flights directly from the main page through a Continental Airlines’ link. Thought I’d share it with others. Cheers, Daniel

we’re at loss where to go this winter (I know, luxury problem)

Hubby and I have been looking at Roatan lately (besides Panama, Costa Rica, Samana and a few more place we haven’t been yet! )

There are no direct flights out of Calgary, as far as we know, so we’ll either have a stop over in Toronto or in Houston.

I’m kind of curious about the answers to all the questions that Pwcase asked in the first post, so if somebody can help me out, it’s very much appreciated! BTW, we will be travelling with another couple, none of us are divers (besides diving, are there any other activities to do on and around the island?), we prefer NOT to be in an All Inclusive, but would like to be on or very close to the beach. Thanks in advance!

wossa Guest

Hi TraveljunkyI have tried to respond to the questions below, it’s been a couple of years since I was in Roatan and my memory is not the best…. ;DI enjoyed Roatan, but it was mainly the diving I went for so the majority of the time I was out on a boat. There are ziplines and good day tours you can take, an Iquana park and other places etc. It is a good place to visit, my favourite place in the Caribbean I have been too so far….much better than the DR for instance.I guess it depends what you are looking for. I wouldn’t recommend going off the beaten track on your own as it does have a dodgy reputation in parts, and can feel a little edgy at times. Stayed at the Henry Morgan resort (AI) which was nice and relaxed, so not sure about non AI.I hope some of this helps, let me know if you need any other info and I will see if I can dig anything out.

Currency? Are the ATMs reliable? What currency do they give out US or Honduras$$$? Never used ATM’s, always took US $’s.

Safety for walking, taxiing around the island? What about walking on the beach for great distances? Renting a car and exploring on your own, special license required? Is it safe? Walking around the main shopping and beach areas etc felt reasonably safe, off track, probably not a good idea. I had no need to rent a car, lots of taxis around, barter for the fair before getting in and don’t be surprised if they pick a local up on route

Shops and business’ in the West End? What is available? Recommendations for visits to other towns. West End is OK, dive shops, a few bars and touristy shops selling the usual tat you get in the Caribbean.

Are there snorkeling tours offered from dive shops? Who is reputable? Lots to choose from, they all seem pretty good. Only dove with the dive op on the Henry Morgan resort.

Weather in late March? Hot and sunny.

How far is the trip from the airport to the West End? From what I remember 25 mins or so.

Is there a police presence on the island like there is in other Caribbean destinations? Police are on the streets in the tourist areas, how effective they are I am unable to verify !

thanks a lot for the info, Wossa!We actually have no idea where to go this winter, as you can tell from my previous posts, so every piece of inormation I can get is very much appreciated!

Can you tell me why you liked it so much better than the DR (beside the diving part, I assume ) We’ve never been to the DR and are considering PC this winter as well, only because it’s reasonably cheap and we can get a direct flight from here.

wossa Guest

I know lots of people love the DR, but IMHO it was too tacky and commercial for me, everyone seemed to be in your face and trying to sell you stuff at every turn. You’re right, it didn’t help that the diving was terrible….lol…..but I didn’t get any kind of feel for the place if you know what I mean

.Roatan has a bit more of a buzz about the place, not so commercial, and seemed to be more natural I guess….I know it’s more expensive, but I wished I’d spent another couple of hundred dollars and went back to Roatan than saving a few bucks and going to the DR.

If your after just chilling out in some winter sunshine then the DR would be ideal, if you want something maybe a little different, give Roatan a shot…honestly I think you’d have a blast ;D

great info again, thank you ! As I mentioned before….we prefer NOT to do the All Inclusive thing and your description of PC is exactly what I don’t like in a holiday LOL.

too bad there’s no direct flight from here to either Roatan or Samana. We’ve been considering Panama and Costa Rica as well, but I think a week is too short for both of those countries.

We’ve never been to the DR and are considering PC this winter as well, only because it’s reasonably cheap and we can get a direct flight from here. We’ve been to Puerto Plata & Punta Cana. Like Wossa, we found that the DR is just not for us! Aside from the points he’s made, which I wholeheartedly agree with, there were a few other things that put us off.One thing we hated about the DR was all the motorized watercraft (parasailing, seadoos, jet boats, etc.). Aside from the noise, the fumes were overwhelming to the point of feeling nausea and having a headache all day long – and I almost never get headaches! Swimming in the ocean was hazardous! It was impossible to snorkel off shore even though we could see the reef formations just beyond the roped off safe swimming areas. Getting out to the reefs in one piece would have been a miracle! We don’t have a death wish!

Generally speaking, DR felt very overcrowded to us.

selectivedi1 Guest

Have to agree with everyone about the DR. So many activities going on and doesn’t have that vacation "feel" to us. We’ve look at Roatan a few times over the years and this year, may check it out. Like the look of the AI, Media Luna although it appears to be far removed from Henry Morgan’s..which is fine with us. Wish they would put SAI back on the radar for us travelling out of Toronto – loved that place ! The other place of interest this year is Costa Rica….seems to have come down in price. Soooooo, who knows where we’ll end up….but it’ll be somewhere hot for sure.

Roatan is also on my radar this year. I love to snorkel and my boyfriend loves diving, so i, sure thats the place to go. I just hope the prices comes down a little so that we can aford the Media luna resort.

I have one question,do we land on the island, or do we take a ferry there ?

wossa Guest	You can do either, it depends on the route you decide to take. We have always flown direct to Roatan which is the best option to take…..I have spoken to people who have come across by ferry, and it wasn’t a very pleasant experience. I believe it can get pretty rough.

We’ve been to the Caribbean ten times now, mostly to the typical AI’s, but on our ninth trip we rented a house on Roatan and just loved it. Our tenth trip was to a rented house in Roatan, and our eleventh trip this February will be another house in Roatan. We enjoy the small town feel of the whole island. the diving is good and relatively inexpensive, the water is clear and warm, and the food is the best we have experienced in the Caribbean. I would caution against the AI’s that Sunwing offers though, their reviews have not fared well on Trip Advisor. Nothing is really set up for AI in Roatan, but Sunwing continues to offer it. Very limited food and drink choices.

My wife and I are looking at renting a house. Can you recommend any houses that you have rented?

thanks

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