Costa Maya

[xhlowner]

how is Rotan, ive never been there or heard anything about it really?

[98Charlie]

how is Rotan, ive never been there or heard anything about it really?

 

Roatan is an island off the coast of Hondurus and has some beautiful beaches and great reefs if you're in to snorkeling or beaches.

 

Ship will dock in a small town known as Coxen Hole which truly was a hole in the wall until about 3 years ago with dirt roads and small family owned businesses up and down the street. Those are the shops DH & I dearly love for their true flavor of the island and the people who make their living there.

 

For more upscale shopping and more touristy type adventures, head to the West End of the island which is a short taxi ride away from the docks.

 

You can hire a taxi at the docks who will take you a grand tour of the island (which really isn't really very big). The interior of the island is lush tropical area but the roads are mostly dirt roads that get washed away with the tropical rains leaving huge ruts. (That's all part of the splendour of the island's charm.)

 

French Harbor on the east side of the island (a bit north of the dock area) houses the first (and only, I believe) public library on the island.

 

Our American Legion Post helped stock the public library last year with donated books and have taken children's medicines, daily needs and other food supplies to the island in past years.

 

Don't be afraid to hire a taxi at the dock to take you on a trip of the island. We have never heard any horror stories from cruisers who have done this in the past. The average wage of those who live on the island is so low that the amount of money you pay a cab driver plus a small tip will equal a month's pay for the average islander.

 

Last time we were there in late April of this year we hailed a taxi at the dock to take us and another couple to the north side of the island to an orphanage so we could deliver a large supply of items to help the children of the island. We agreed to pay him $20 per couple to take us around the island for the remainder of the day. We stopped at a restaurant to have lunch. He parked his taxi and was about to take off the opposite direction to sit down in the shade to wait on us while we had lunch.

 

We told him he was to go with us and have lunch with us. Told him to order anything on the menu he wanted. His wants from the menu were very basic but the smile on his face to know that we wanted him to join him is a memory I will treasure for the rest of my life.

 

He spoke little English but my husband speaks Spanish well and between the two we were able to learn so much about the island and its people. We discovered over lunch that small fare we were paying him for his day driving us around for a few hours was much more than he normally made for a couple of weeks with his taxi.

 

He was a very honest person who did not try to take us to stores owned by family members or try to get a kick back from a store or restaurant for taking us there.

 

I'm hoping we can find the same cab driver when we go back there this

November.

 

Dianne

[LilRhody]

I love this addition to the Spirit itinerary - it makes the cruise sound that much more exotic!

[mkad1109]

98Charlie

 

Our experience was so similar. All in all we found the people of Honduras to be just lovely, honest people. When approached to see if you want to buy something--unlike Jamaica and other islands--if you say no they take no for an answer and amazing enough so do the other folks selling their wares on the beach.

 

We LOVED our teen guide and tipped him handsomely (along with buying him lunch). There just did not seem enough that the people could do for us.. made me feel really guilty and just made me feel such a love of this place. We didn't get to try the shops due to a medical emergency, but the folks who came back raved about them. I cant wait to hit the shops when we go this time!

[newmexicoNita]

how is Rotan, ive never been there or heard anything about it really?

Roatan is a beautiful island with the best snorkeling anywhere in the western hemosphere or close to it. The people love tourist. They are very poor and many survive on tourism. Until 10 years ago no one had even heard of it. be sure to find time for the little outdoor market near the port.

 

Nita