Roatan Info                                                                                        Recent News

Roatan is a mountainous ridge of an island located 30 miles off the north coast of Honduras. It is roughly 40 miles long, and about 4 miles at its widest. English and Spanish are both spoken widely across the island. The principal economic activities are tourism and fishing.    Roatan is located along the largest barrier reef in the Caribbean (second worldwide only to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef), providing plentiful  opportunities for marine activities like diving and fishing. Accessible neighboring islands include Utila, Guanaja, and Helene, also known for their excellent diving.

The Honduran currency is called the lempira. Dollars are accepted virtually everywhere on the island. The exchange rate is approximately 18-19 lempiras per dollar.

The temperature on the island is consistently between 76 and 90 degrees F. Water temperature is between 78 and 85 degrees F year round. Roatan is south of the primary Caribbean hurricane belt. Over the last 3 decades, Roatan has averaged one hurricane passing within 60 miles roughly every ten years.

Getting to Roatan

As this was published, the following airlines have direct flights from the US:

TACA flies  to Roatan daily through San Salvador (SAL). Airlines with connections into San Salvador include Taca, American, Continental, Delta, Copa, and Mexicana. An alternative route is through San Pedro Sula (SAP). From SAP, there are multiple flights daily to Roatan on Islena, Sosa, CM, and Lanhsa. (As of this writing, only Islena accepts online bookings, however if you need tickets on one of the other airlines for your stay at Casa Vista Verde, we would be happy to reserve the tickets for you to be picked up upon your arrival at the San Pedro Sula Airport.) TACA, American, Continental, Delta, Spirit Airlines, and Aeromexico fly daily to San Pedro Sula.   In addition to the U.S. flights, Europe Air runs a weekly charter to Roatan from Milan, Italy, and Sunwing runs charter flights from Toronto, Canada. If you are interested in visiting Roatan from La Ceiba (LCE), the Galaxy Wave high speed catamaran ferry may be an attractive option, with two trips daily (in addition to the flights offered by Islena, Sosa, CM, and Lanhsa). Travelers must have a valid passport with at least 6 months to expiration, and $34.00 for the departure tax when leaving Honduras.

Island Activities                                                                                               

Recreational opportunities abound on Roatan. Casa Vista Verde publishes a comprehensive activity guide for Roatan along with a Google Map showing local attractions - please contact us if you would like to see them. Sample activities include:

Scuba Diving and snorkeling - available on both sides of the island, nearest through Subway Watersports

Golf at the Black Pearl, Roatan's new 18-hole Peter Dye design golf course

Seaplane flights with Bay Island Airways (Aerial photos and video on this site were taken with their flights)

Canopy tours with Clip n Zip and Pirates of the Caribbean

Horseback Riding

Massages, facials, and reflexology at Sante Wellness Centre and Spa Baan Suerte

Deep Sea Fishing (Roatan’s fishing tournament, usually held in September, attracts worldwide attention)

Dolphin encounter at Anthony’s Key

Sail with Roatan Sailing and Salty Dog

Deep-sea submarine rides with Stanley Submarines

Glass bottom boat tours with the Coral Reef Explorer

 Iguana farm, Roatan Butterfly Garden,  Carambola Gardens, and Gumbalimba Park

The Bay Islands Triathlon - an ITU-sanctioned event, scheduled for November 2010

Restaurants and Nightlife