Roatan Report

[newyorklady]

tell me more about roatan. is there much poverty there? what about the neighboring islands?

[poboy]

Friend of mine move to Roatan about 5-6 years ago and really seems to like it.

[Sheryl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl I played with the contrast and noticed something that wasn't apparent originally!

Amazing what a little adjustment can bring out.

[Sheryl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by newyorklady tell me more about roatan. is there much poverty there? what about the neighboring islands?

Well, my experience of Roatan was fairly limited. We did not explore the entire island, and I haven't researched the living stadards there. Most of the tourists and divers stay on the west end, which we did. But yes, there is significant poverty, by our standards. The homes of many residents are more like huts, I would guess some have dirt floors. Many probably don't have any appliances like washing machines or microwaves. I don't think that the island residents are anywhere near the poverty level of many on the mainland however. Roatan is big enough to have several towns - again very small towns by our standards. There is nothing even resembling a well stocked discount/variety store, although there are some supermarkets, I heard (didn't see). There is also a well-off and active ex-pat community, many of whom seem to be involved in the tourist and real estate industry. Condo and vacation lot/home sales seem to be booming.

Roatan is the largest of the Bay Islands, and the most populated. Utila is much smaller, only has one small town, which is very much oriented to the dive industry. There are some nice developments there as well, but services are pretty limited. The other island of any size is Guanaja, the smallest and least populated of the three. I have not been there, but understand that there are fewer commercial activites, fewer residents, etc.

Hope that helps - my experience is fairly limited - maybe some others can comment as well.

[Anansi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by yakers How much of what you saw could be seen snorkeling? DW & I have lowest level PADI cert, need to go with guides and generally we prefer a place where we can do interesting snorkeling. ±±Would that work there?

For a mix of snorkling and diving, you might want to check out Bonaire. Most of the dive sites are so close to shore that most diving is done from a pick up truck, not a boat. Very convienient for snorkling or diving with beautiful coral and a lot of sea life.

[Buckeye]

I am also no-see-um bait. After a trip to St. Pete last summer, I had over 100 bites and my husband had none. To me, the itch from the no-see-ums is longer and stronger than mosquito bites. I finally figured out the bug spray was not working so long pants tucked into my socks was my solution during our last trip in December. Cortisone cream took some of the itch out for me. Hope they clear up soon.

[Sheryl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anansi For a mix of snorkling and diving, you might want to check out Bonaire. Most of the dive sites are so close to shore that most diving is done from a pick up truck, not a boat. Very convienient for snorkling or diving with beautiful coral and a lot of sea life.

My next trip will be either Bonaire or Grand Cayman. The latter only because I'm trying to lure my 80 yr. old Dad and SM to go somewhere for the holidays and that would be fairly easy to get to and possibly more for them to do since they don't dive.

[Sheryl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buckeye I am also no-see-um bait. After a trip to St. Pete last summer, I had over 100 bites and my husband had none. To me, the itch from the no-see-ums is longer and stronger than mosquito bites. I finally figured out the bug spray was not working so long pants tucked into my socks was my solution during our last trip in December. Cortisone cream took some of the itch out for me. Hope they clear up soon.

Oh, yeah, they are way worse than mosquitos for me. I forgot to take the cotrisone cream with me, and none of the stores sold it. Duh! They could have made a good profit on importing a couple cases of the stuff. After two weeks at home I only have a few itchy spots left.

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Does anyone know of an effective repellent?

[Sheryl]

They sell this stuff, and claim it is formulated specifically for the sand fleas. I bought a bottle about 3 days into my visit, but I didn't seem to really even slow them down.

http://www.cactusjuicetm.com/

[Sarah in SC]

Sheryl, your comment about the cortisone cream being unavailable reminded me of one of our trips to Placencia (just up the reef, in Belize)...I got a sunburn on the backs of my legs (yep, way up there) snorkeling one day, and would have paid any sum of money for a can of Solarcaine! Now I never travel without it--but haven't been burned again (I bought cheap sunscreen--ONCE).

Placencia is also a nice destination, not as busy as Ambergris Caye in Belize, and the very nice reef areas just offshore are wonderful for diving/snorkeling. We went to Glover's Reef for a few days and stayed in thatched huts, did our own cooking, boys hunted lobsters on the reef with sticks, etc. Great fun, no showers!

Sarah