travel Roatan

How Much Does It Cost to Stay in West End, Roatan for a Week?

How Much Does It Cost to Stay in West End, Roatan for a Week?

So you're coming to visit Roatan for a week or so, fantastic! When it comes to travel expenses like food, transport, lodging and activities, many travelers want to have an idea of how much to budget. One thing to note: costs here on Roatan might not be what you expect.

5 Great Reasons to go Scuba Diving on Roatan

5 Great Reasons to go Scuba Diving on Roatan

Roatan is often called the jewel of the Caribbean because of its many amazing features - its lush, hilly landscape, azure waters, the friendly people and diverse and rich culture. With direct international flights from Houston, Miami, Atlanta, Cayman and San Salvador, it’s also never been easier to get to paradise. Here are 5 great reasons we think you should go scuba diving on Roatan!

5 Important Packing Tips for Roatan

Ever gotten back from a trip and felt like you’ve only used 10% of what you brought? Overpacking is easy to do, especially when you’re going to hot, tropical climates. Roatan has a very laidback vibe and casual clothing requirements, so to help you out before your trip we’ve put together our 5 most important packing trips for Roatan. Some of these tips will apply to packing in general and some apply to Roatan specifically, so check out our Top Five Tips and get packing!

Tip 1. Lay everything out

Before you start throwing things indiscriminately into your bag, lay everything out so you can see exactly what you're bringing. Making a checklist, preferably in writing, so you can note exactly what you will need for your trip. Packing 20 shirts, a pair of heels and just one pair of shorts may not be ideal for a 7 day trip to a beachy island, but you may not even know that you've packed all that if you're not keeping track.

Once you've laid everything out and made a plan, roll everything up and put it in your bag. Low on space? Head to Tip 2 for what to do next!

Tip 2. Need vs Want

There's a lot of stuff that we want to take on vacation, but how much of that do we really need? If you're visiting Roatan, you don't really need a pair of heels or hiking boots, just a pair of flip flops and maybe sneakers if you like to work out will do. Do you really need a fancy dress if you're staying in a hostel, or four pairs of long pants when the humidity is 90%? If you really want to bring those heels or those fancy dresses, go for it, but make sure that you've taken care of all your needs and that you have adequate space before you start packing your wants.

Tip 3. No shoes, still service!

On Roatan, shoes are a recommendation, not a requirement. Even at the fancier restaurants, like Roatan Oasis or Ibagari, you'll see at least one local sitting there barefoot. Now, your visiting city feet are probably not strong enough for you to wander around barefoot all the time here, but you also don't need to adhere to any strict dress codes here, either.

While this tip applies to everyone visiting Roatan for an extended period of time, it doesn't apply to people traveling on cruise ships. Most cruise ships have a fancy dress night, and we’re pretty sure you can't walk into the cruise ship restaurants without at least a pair of flip flops on, so make sure you pack at least one pair of nice shoes if you're cruise shipping.

Tip 4. Laundry is cheap on Roatan

If you're coming to Roatan for two weeks, you don't have to pack two weeks' worth of clothing. We have laundry shops all over the island, where you drop your clothes off and they'll have them washed, dried and folded by the next day. And we promise, no one around here will notice that you've worn the same shirt twice in *gasp* the same week, so save yourself the heavy lifting and pack light.

As a word of warning, your laundry is charged per pound. It normally runs about 45 lempiras, or $2.00-2.50 per pound, so make sure that you don't bring in sopping wet clothing or else the bill will be way higher. Also, dry cleaning is not an option here, so don't bother bringing down fancy silks. Cotton is the fabric of our lives.

Tip 5. Leave room for souvenirs

Anywhere you go, you're going to want to bring home souvenirs, either as a memento for yourself or as presents for family and friends.

To get some special, not run of the mill souvenirs, you can check out Rusty Fish, where they train locals to take locally sourced materials from the dump, like Texaco oil drums, and turn them into cool wall ornaments and magnets. The Roatan Marine Park stores sell Roatan Marine Park branded t-shirts and sweatshirts and locally made honey, jewelry, vinegars and jams, all benefiting the marine park and local communities. Rusty Fish and the Roatan Marine Park have stores in West End and both cruise ships ports, so whether you're visiting for a day or a week, you'll find an awesome memento of Roatan without being kitschy.

And if you want your friends to really love you, pick up some good ol' Caribbean rum!


So there you have it, our Top Five Tips for packing for Roatan! Happy packing and we'll see you all soon!

5 Survival Tips You Need for Layovers

Layovers suck. Short or long, it doesn't matter, layovers are not fun. And even if you think that a layover will be short, there's a good chance that your transport will be delayed or cancelled, so it's important to be prepared for any transportation crisis.