Esta pagina contiene  una  pequeña introducción de  esta  gran ciudad, simplemente le  da  la  oportunidad a la gente alrededor del mundo de la experiencia que tendrán al visitar esta ciudad.

Si vives en esta ciudad  o tienes alguna conexión aquí, NDN quiere conocer cualquier noticia  de interés y eventos  que estén sucediendo.

También existe la oportunidad  para  las  organizaciones y compañías de anunciarse con NDN, y promoverse internacionalmente no solo  localmente.

No importa cuanto quiere involucrarse, contáctenos lo antes posible, estamos  esperando escuchar  de  usted !

Roatan is a beautiful small island off the north coast of Honduras and is situated in the warm and calm Caribbean Sea. It is classed as a Bay Island of Honduras and not a Caribbean Island, but it obviously is one!

It is only 77 kilometres and 8 kilometres wide, but this is a part of what makes it such an amazing and charming island.

Roatan is located near to the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, which is the second largest on the planet, thus has stunning snorkelling and boat trip experiences. It is also known as the Great Maya Reef and is over 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) long.

It is split into two municipalities, Roatan, which is the busy part of the Island and Jose Santos Guardiola, which is the quieter side.

Coxen Hole is the capital of Roatan, which situated on the west of the island. It is the main port and also close to the airport. When one of the many cruise ships is harboured, is it a busy, colourful and exciting location, with visitors from all around the world exploring capital and the island too. When there are no ships in the harbour it takes on a calmer atmosphere, with the locals going about their normal life, which is just an interesting to see.

Coven Hole was named after a Buccaneer who used this area, as did many, to launch attacks on Spanish Merchants ships and empty them of their bounty (a real life Captain Jack Sparrow).

The Spanish ruled Roatan, along with the British for a period too and both have left their influences on all the Bay Islands and both languages being spoken there. The majority of the population originate from Jamaica, Cayman Islands and St Vincent, plus possibly the UK.

Just off the coastline, and accessed via a free 5 minute boat journey from Coxen Hole, Maya Key (small island) is a like a mini-Roatan. It was created so that Cruise Ship passengers, who only get a limited time on Roatan, can get a taste of a bit of everything the island has to offer. It obviously has access to the Caribbean Sea, for swimming and snorkelling etc, but it also has a beautiful white sand beach, pool, bar, restaurant, and gift shop. Additionally, it has an animal rescue centre and replica Mayan Ruins (original in Copan on the Honduran mainland) plus a museum.

West Bay is definitely the focal point for tourists, as it is a long white sandy beach, the beautiful blue Caribbean Sea and all year round fantastic weather conditions. The whole length of the beach has a vast array of different styles of hotels, plus bars, restaurants and cafes. There are also many activities that guest from the hotels and visitors to the area can take part in; including swimming, snorkelling, water sporting and boat trips.

If West Bay is the ‘place to be’ during the day, then West End is the area to be at night. It has a vast selection of shops, cafes, bars, restaurants and clubs, that all stay open till late. There is virtually every type of food to choose from, plus all types of music to listen and dance too. If visitors want to enjoy evening of fun when on Roatan, there is no better place.

Little and Big French Keys are very popular little islands just off the French Harbour area. They are extremely tranquil and scenic, but have plenty of things for visitors to do. There are the beaches, water sports, bars and restaurants, but also beautiful flora and fauna too. The creatures and indigenous wildlife are extremely interesting, especially the selection of tropical birds that inhabit the island. Dolphin spotting and actually swimming with these beautiful creatures is very popular, along with snorkelling, due to the many of stunningly coloured fish that inhabit these waters.

Whilst in the French Harbour area, seek out Daniel Johnson’s Monkey and Sloth Hangout, as this animal sanctuary is a little gem of a place. There are creatures of all types there, all having been rescued or left at the venue due to ill-treatment or neglect. There are many types of birds, monkeys, and other creatures, but the most popular are the sloths. Many visitors have never even seen a sloth before, never mind having it hanging off your shoulders, as if it is giving you the biggest and heart beating hug ever. If this experience does not make a person appreciate wildlife and understand the importance of animal preservation, then nothing will!! For lizard lovers and also nearby is the Roatan Iguana Preservation Farm. There are many, birds, monkeys, an aquarium, but also many Iguana. They are walking around the venue, laying on the floor, or doing what they do best and hiding (camouflaged) on the branches of the trees.

Magnolia Bay is another port where Cruise Ships visit, but it also a fantastic harbour area, which is literally a mini-town centre. It has shops, bars, restaurants, entertainment, a beach area, taxi rank and a tour pick-up point.

The north east side of the island is a quieter region, but that makes it popular for visitors who want to unwind and relax. Popular locations there are Punta Gorda and Paya Bay, which have the same beautiful beaches, flora and fauna, wildlife and weather conditions, just not so many bars, restaurants and clubs.

Maybe one of the most interesting regions of Roatan is also in the eastern region, but on the opposite coast line of the unique long and thin shaped island. Oak Ridge, Jonesville and Pandy Town are known as the Venice of Roatan, as it is made-up of coastline, bays and connecting Mangrove canals. The houses are built on stilts that raise them up above the waterline or the more expensive ones are built on the side of mountains giving amazing views of the area and sea. The local resident’s main form of transport is a small motorized boat called dory’s, which are also used when going of tours of the area. The locals are mainly Caracol, which means they are descendants of European and Afro-Caribbean communities. This group of people still speaks English and not Spanish, unlike the rest of Roatan and in fact Honduras. This is because they remained loyal to when the island was a British Colony and refused to speak Spanish, when they took over. It is a very interesting dialect and unique to them. A challenge for all visitors to that area is to find lovely Miss Nessi, who has been baking bread to the community for virtually all of her long life. If the search is successful, buy some of her bread, as it is cheap and absolute delicious. NDN is interested in hearing more about the stories that the Caracol’s may have originated from the UK in particular Liverpool?

The Garifuna communities have an unusual history and are in Roatan and other destinations throughout Honduras and Central America. Reading more about these people is very interesting and would enhance any visit to this region.

Roatan is an island that has an amazing reef, fantastic weather, interesting inhabitants, glorious beaches, beautiful flora and fauna, exciting creatures and unbelievable nightlife, so if it is not an ‘Paradise Island’, where is?