Roatan's pristine coral reefs turn on scuba divers worldwide
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by KEN ROCKBURN
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ROATAN, Honduras (11 Nov 2005) -- Lying 55 kilometres off the coast of Honduras, Roatan is the largest of the three Bay Islands that are a magnet for snorkellers and scuba divers from around the world. Much of Roatan's north coast is paralleled by a coral reef second only in length to Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The island, which stretches 65 kilometres long and just three kilometres at its widest, is a beautiful place with its stunning coral and thousands of brilliantly coloured fish. For the tourist, the critical issue of course, is beaches. Are they clean? Are they free of crowds? Are there many of them?And is the sand granular and white? The answers are: yes, yes, yes and yes. The best beach is West Bay Beach, which located on the west end of the island and is everything you want to imagine in a beach on pitch-black, frigid mid-February evening. Snorkellers will be enchanted by the coral reef that lies within a few metres of the shore at one end of the bay. Not far from West Bay Beach is West End, a laid-back, Jimmy Buffet-like village where tanned and muscular youngsters from around the world stroll down the main street in various stages of scuba-gear undress. There are many decent restaurants to choose from and the inevitable shops filled with T-shirts and other overpriced bric-a-brac. Special mention should go to Lighthouse Restaurant in West End, which features local dishes and a a wonderful patio that looks out onto the beach. In fact, the restaurant scene in Roatan is surprisingly varied and good. Local rum is about $3 US a bottle and cold beer goes for a buck a bottle. Rick's American Cafe offers tasty seafood and appetizers. The Blue Parrot Bar and Grill in Sandy Bay is another great spot, as is the Argentinian Grill in West End. When you're not noshing, you can check out Sherman Arch's iguana sanctuary. This Roatanian has decided to single-handedly save the local iguana population by providing a home for the listless lizards, as well as for some macaws and monkeys. Admission is $5 and the money goes to feeding the animals. There are canopy tours of the forest, a garden sanctuary with local flowers and plants, and a butterfly garden that features a macaw that yells, "STELLA!!!!!" just like Marlon Brando. To get to any of these places you can choose between water taxis or land taxis. Make sure you negotiate the fare in advance. There are no meters. Roatan is filled with expats, mostly from the U.S. and Italy. Italians like it so much that there is a regular charter flight direct from Milan. A surprising number of Anglos have also moved here full time. Development in Roatan is following the same path that has plagued many other remote, idyllic locations. Investors want to locate here, but there is little in the way of infrastructure. |
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The problems are plentiful. The island has a fresh water aquifer that serves local needs. The aquifer is being drained, however, by the grotesquely huge cruise ships that pull into the pint-sized port at Coxen Hole and suck up thousands of gallons of fresh water. As in many other developing-world vacation spots, the beautiful beaches and tasteful resorts stand in sharp contrast to the poverty. Roatan is dotted with barrios, like El Swampo where ramshackle plywood houses lean against each other for support. Despite its problems, Roatan is an adventure vacation that far outstrips the usual package tours and will leave you with some fine memories to savour on on those cold February nights.
BEST CHOICE IF YOU GO:
SOURCE - The Ed |