Roatan

[Bevo 13601]

Any of you all been to Roatan, Utilia, etc? Did you like it? Did it feel safe? Could you see yourself going back there frequently? How does it compare to Belize and Cozumel, and Bocas del Toro (if you've been there)?

[4th&Five 41590]

Loved Roatan but it was 20 years ago so I doubt my opinion is relevant. Beautiful beaches though. 

[staboner 4987]

kinda same at 4th and 5 (as i was there in 2005). easily one of the most beautiful beaches i have ever been to thats for sure. felt safe. just do the usual common sense stuff and you should be fine. 

it certainly has a similar feel to bocas, however much more beautiful IMO. i remember roatan as being more pristine beaches and bocas being more about fishing and water sport kinda of stuff

do you dive? i don't and it was fine but certainly roatan is a good place to do it if you are into it

[A-Tex Devil 2462]

1 hour ago, Bevo said:

Any of you all been to Roatan, Utilia, etc? Did you like it? Did it feel safe? Could you see yourself going back there frequently? How does it compare to Belize and Cozumel, and Bocas del Toro (if you've been there)?

I went to Roatan by myself in 2008.  Had a blast despite the Germans.  Stayed in West End area near north of Cannibal Cafe and just hung out, dove and drank.  I have to believe that area is built up now with cruise ships coming through and whatnot.  But it was a blast.  Felt safe the whole time.  Again 14 years ago.  
 

Took a two day trip to La Ceiba and then the rainforest while there.  It was worth it to white water raft and hike up there.  But La Ceiba was not a place I felt safe the night I spent there.  

Roatan felt so small compared to Belize or any place in Mexico which made it cool because you got to know people over a number of days there, tourists and locals, as you couldn’t help but run into them.  

[rage-a-holic 4473]

Roatan and Utila have great, reasonably priced shore diving. Not cheap/easy to fly to. Wouldn't ever go except to dive.

[BabaYaga 15320]

17 hours ago, Bevo said:

Any of you all been to Roatan, Utilia, etc? Did you like it? Did it feel safe? Could you see yourself going back there frequently? How does it compare to Belize and Cozumel, and Bocas del Toro (if you've been there)?

Little French Key was fun.  Great day trip.  If you dive, it's phenomenal.  

[LonghornJones 837]

We went for our honeymoon. Stayed at Mayoka lodge and got scuba certified just for this trip. The diving was spectacular drift diving. We spent one day just bar hopping down the beach. This was in 2015, and the cruise ships had just started stopping there. We did not really notice many tourists. Lots of Honduran mainlanders as it was a Hunduran holiday.
 

It was NOT a nice island. Infrastructure was poor, but we wanted an off-the-beating-path location, and we got just that.

[4th&Five 41590]

I went there on a cruise in 2000.

[VABuckeye 2472]

18 hours ago, Bevo said:

Any of you all been to Roatan, Utilia, etc? Did you like it? Did it feel safe? Could you see yourself going back there frequently? How does it compare to Belize and Cozumel, and Bocas del Toro (if you've been there)?

We've stayed on Roatan twice and rented a villa on West Bay Beach.

The bad.  Coxen Hole is a shithole.  Avoid it at all costs.

The good.  The rest of the island for the most part is awesome.  West Bay Beach is a pretty beach with tons of restaurants on it.  Accommodations range from not so cheap to a cheap diving hotel right on the beach.  If you are a diver it's much cheaper to stay on the island and book your dives.  A different eating spot is Cal's Temporary Cantina.  What Cal lacks in personality he makes up in cooking chops.  A day trip to the east end (undeveloped) side of the island makes for a nice day.

[LonghornJones 837]

6 minutes ago, 4th&Five said:

I went there on a cruise in 2000.

Pretty close to 2015 in the grand scheme of things.

[TexasGrunt 72]

I spent about a month there last year. Few weeks on Roatan and a week on Utilia.  Roatan I stayed in West End and West Bay.  I went for the diving.  West End is town, more shops and resturants.  West Bay for the beach, most resturants were Hotel resturants.  But there is a water taxi, think it was 3 US 1 way that you can get to between the 2 locations.  Utilia is  much smaller, golf cart to ge around, lots of backpackers working on scuba certs to become instructors.   If going hire a driver on Roatan and go check out the island, also mangrove tour was pretty cool.

[hornbri 1407]

Here now, I really like this place. Staying in west bay, it’s a chill diving community. 
 

I didn’t realize until I got here that most people from the island grow up speaking English so it’s pretty much everywhere making it a really easy place to travel too.

[VABuckeye 2472]

Just stay the hell away from Coxen Hole.  If you get a chance go as far east as you can on the island. You’ll find a little dive bar named La Sirena.  It’s a nice little place to chill for a while and it’s away from the crowd.  All the way away. 
 

If Iron Shore Grill is still around it’s at the end of the beach you’re staying on and serves really good food.  Damn,the internet says it’s temporarily closed.