Often when planning our holidays, we don’t have much of a choice as to how long a break we can take. Usually, it’s a week or two – maybe more if you’ve been working at the same company for several years. So how many days should you spend in Roatan? Whether you’re only there for a few hours after getting off a cruise ship, have a long weekend to spend at the beach or are lucky enough to use up the entire tourist visa of four months, there will be something to keep you occupied on this tropical island.
For The Cruise Ship Daytripper
If you’ve hopped off the cruise ship and only have a few hours in Roatan, there’s nothing like local food and drink on one of the island’s numerous white sand beaches to give you an authentic taste of island life. Grab a baleada – a tortilla filled with refried beans, queso (crumbly white cheese) and crema/cream with options such as meat, avocado, plantain, scrambled eggs, peppers and more. For a tasty, local alcoholic drink, try the Monkey Lala. It consists of rum, vodka, Kahlua, Baileys and coconut cream. Rich and sweet enough to act as dessert!
The Long Weekender
Almost more than anything, Roatan is world famous for its scuba diving. Being situated on the edge of the second largest barrier reef system in the world will do that! Even if you’re not certified for scuba diving, the reef’s proximity gives snorkelers just as much opportunity to interact with the local marine life. Once you’ve experienced the waters off Roatan, you’ll find it difficult to resist spending the rest of your time there.
The Week (Or Two!) Long Vacation
This is where you can really allow yourself to let down your hair and relax. You’ll have time to take in the various beaches and the ocean activities, eat the local foods, drink the local drinks and get a good feeling for the life of an islander. If you’d rather accomplish something, Roatan features some of the cheapest diving certification courses in the world. And there’s no shortage of dive shops as you’ll quickly discover. West End and West Bay are two of the most popular areas for visitors and will provide you with everything you need in the way of food, drink, entertainment, shopping and beach/ocean life. If you want to learn more about the indigenous culture, take a trip to Punta Gorda’s Garifuna Village. You’ll learn about their history, language, arts and crafts, song and dance and get to experience their cuisine.
The Extended Stay
If you’re one of the lucky ones who can stay for more than a week or two, you’ll be able to get into the true rhythm of island life. It’s best to situate yourself with a long term vacation home rental to help reduce some of your food costs. This will allow you to travel the island at a relaxed pace and “see how the real people live” – something that most experienced travelers are always in search of. Nothing is out of reach when you have several weeks or months to spend on this 35 mile long island. You’ll have the ability to compare the bustling West End with the more reserved East End, eat ALL of the freshly caught seafood and explore several different dive sites. If you’re lucky, you may even be able to swim with whale sharks – the largest fish in the world.