what does a 72 year old do in Roatan and Belize

[MurfAtHome]

My parents are going to Belize and Roatan. I have been to both and am concerned what they might do while there. Cave tubing and any kind of long walking would be a problem as my father uses a cain:rolleyes: . I know in Roatan unless you are charterd thru the ship then you have to walk a ways outside of the fence to meet your excursion. Also outside of the fenced area there is nothing to do except walk quite a ways to find the outdoor market.

Belize I know has a nicer port area and shopping, but other than the jungle excursions/tubing etc. what do people do while there?

thanks so much!!:D

[Van's Dream]

I agree that there is nothing to see where the ship docks on Roatan. The municipality of Coxen Hole is NOT a showcase community. I get my customers away from there as quick as possible.

 

In addition to 2-wheel rentals, I also do guided island tours in taxis or vans....

You get picked up outside the main gate, and they whisk you away to see all that is beautiful about the island...

 

I say get as far away as possible from Coxen Hole.

See me offline for specifics about what to do, and what to see for your parents....;)

 

Thanks!

[samtig]

We went to Roatan on our 12/11/05 cruise & arranged a car & driver with Victor Bodden on-line prior to our cruise & didn't pay them until our tour was over. I found Victor from recommendations on Cruise Critic. Victor met us right outside the gate at the port & introduced us to our driver, Ali. They will take you anywhere you want to go or will make suggestions. We went on an island tour, to the iguana farm, to a restaurant & shopping. It was a great day & Ali was a really nice guy. The iguana farm was really interesting & not much walking. The first time we went to Roatan we booked a beach day through the ship. It was fun but didn't get to see much of the island. Will definitely book with Victor and request Ali again next trip. Have a great trip.

[MurfAtHome]

We went to Roatan on our 12/11/05 cruise & arranged a car & driver with Victor Bodden on-line prior to our cruise & didn't pay them until our tour was over. I found Victor from recommendations on Cruise Critic. Victor met us right outside the gate at the port & introduced us to our driver, Ali. They will take you anywhere you want to go or will make suggestions. We went on an island tour, to the iguana farm, to a restaurant & shopping. It was a great day & Ali was a really nice guy. The iguana farm was really interesting & not much walking. The first time we went to Roatan we booked a beach day through the ship. It was fun but didn't get to see much of the island. Will definitely book with Victor and request Ali again next trip. Have a great trip.

 

this sounds like a good idea. What was the approx. cost to have your own guide and driver?:D

[MurfAtHome]

I am hoping to move this up to get some more ideas for my parents. Any input would be appreciated:D

[petguy]

My DW and I visited Roatan on Dec. 13th. The highlight of our entire cruise was a visit to the orphanage in Roatan. We brought gifts from home and met up with a woman in Miami from "CaringCruisers" and brought some things from them as well. Perhaps not the type of thing EVERYONE might enjoy, but DW and I are mid 30's and loved just hanging with the kids. We did make a trip to the iguana farm and went snorkeling as well, but almost wish we had spent more of our time at CSI.

[MurfAtHome]

What a generous thing to do. I bet it was rewarding and tough on the heart at the same time. What type of things did you bring for the children?:rolleyes:

[LVMarc]

I would have your 72 yo father do the following:

 

get oof ship in roatan

 

go north from fence 50 feet

 

purcahse a hand carved wooden cane fro CSI charity

 

go back on ship

 

enjoy himself

 

marco

[LVMarc]

PS for the rest I would go to a day resort like cocov iew or bay island beach resort, and scuba snorkel and mingle...but that me

 

Marco

[singbluesilver1]

i have been wondering myself what would be good to do...

 

i will be there with my dad and 7 year old son and i am trying to find stuff they both would like

 

what are these resorts like?? can we just take a cab to them??? or do we need to take an excursion??

how much do they charge??? to get onto the beach???

[MurfAtHome]

I would have your 72 yo father do the following:

 

get oof ship in roatan

 

go north from fence 50 feet

 

purcahse a hand carved wooden cane fro CSI charity

 

go back on ship

 

enjoy himself

 

marco

 

what is the CSI Charity?:rolleyes:

[petguy]

CSI is child sponsorship international (the orphanage). We brought coloring books, crayons, some handheld video games for the older boys, and some hair tie sets for the older girls. We also brought a suitcase filled with clothes.

 

It was not easy leaving because all of the kids were wonderful! They have a website if you are interested www.csiroatan.org. They also have a cab driver, Kevin who will pick you up at the pier and take you there for as long as you wish, then with whatever time you have left he will do whatever you would like on the island. He charged roughly half what the cabs at the pier wanted, and was an island native who spoke very good english. He took very good care of us, and with what we saved on a normal cab we bought extra stuff for the kids.

 

There is a link on their website that says "Cruising to Roatan?" That is a link to "caringcruisers". If you e-mail them, they may have more supplies for CSI. If you have the time to meet them at your US departure point they would love for you to bring that with you. I dealt with Bernadette, who met us at the Miami airport with tons of extra stuff. It is apparently very difficult to ship things to Roatan.

[98Charlie]

what is the CSI Charity?:rolleyes:

 

DH & I traveled with two other couples to CSI orphanage last year on our X Horizon cruise. We delivered two cabs full of needed items to the orphanage, all donated by fellow cruisers on the CC boards.

 

It truly was a rewarding experience and an eye opener for the six of us who spent a morning at the orphanage. It was not ``tough on the heart'' at all but a great, warm fuzzy feeling that we could help play a part in the future of these children who are very well cared for by the CSI staff.

 

The orphanage is located on the top of a hill that looks out into the ocean. Spotlessly clean and filled with children with the most beautiful, friendly smiles you will ever see. The children speak English and love to talk to visitors and show visitors around their digs which include classroom as well as living areas.

 

CSI is a bright ray of sunshine in the midst of poverty on the island. While the westside of Roatan is more financially sound due to tourist trade, the area where ships dock at Coxen Hole is much poorer. CSI is like a piece of tape that holds both cultures together in a liveable situation for children who have no family to care for them but have a huge family of caring cruisers, church groups and great staff to fill in the parental void.

 

DH & I are looking forward to booking another cruise to go to Roatan this year for the express purpose of visitng CSI again and then spending another portion of my travel dollars in Coxen Hole near the docks where the money I spent will be appreciated by those who receive them.

 

Been to Roatan three times in the past 3 years. Visited the west side of the island where most tourists flock but the best times and most memorable times I ever spent there were in the orphanage and in the shopping area of Coxen Hole.

 

Dianne

[cusyl]

What can a 72 year old do in Belize and Roatan?:D

 

Anything they want to! Just because he walks with a cane doesn't mean he's over the hill. Suggest to him that he purchase a rollator. (rolling walker with a seat) If he can't walk long distances without resting he will love it. They are coming out with some now with 8 inch wheels. These are great for the cobblestone and uneven streets in a lot of the islands.

[greeba]

I would have your 72 yo father do the following:

get oof ship in roatan

go north from fence 50 feet

purcahse a hand carved wooden cane fro CSI charity

go back on ship

enjoy himself

marco

 

You can buy things that help the orphanage?

[debkjw]

we had a group of 15 and my parents 70 and 73 went. We booked with victor bodden got 2 vans and we toured the island. My parents had a great time. Did siteseeing, fed the monkeys, went to iguana farm, Part of us went zipling while the others watched and of course shopped in many of the out of the way places. WE also went to a beach for 2 hours. My parents loved the tour and victor.

By the way there are 2 orphanges in rotatan. CSi is the well known one and gets many donations but there is another that people dont go to as much that is very needy too. We stopped there to and brought some stuff clothes, medicine, hair ribbons, and flipflops. If i ever go back i will take more next time. We took some candy there and the children all lined up with such big eyes i almost cried. Makes you appreciate where you live more after seeing the entire island not just the tourist spots.