Roatan Splash Inn formerly know as Pura Vida sits right in the very heart of west end. It represents perhaps the best value resort on the island as is a favourite of many guests. It has its own luxury inbuilt PADI 5 star gold plam resort. Sitting pretty on the sea front you have access to its inbuilt restaurant too which you should visit even if you don't stay here as it is one of the best in west end. The do packages for both non divers and divers - for more information and booking please contact us for preferential rates.

Did you know that we have also regular vacation holiday packages to Roatan ? You organise your flight and we find you the all inclusive deal or something in-between. You can stay in the west or the east as you prefer, we know Roatan and will be able to direct you to the best place for your personal taste and budget. It is in our interest to make you a package deal that you will be so happy with you will mention us to your friends. That's how we like business word of mouth. Its how we roll.


[CLICK HERE FOR OUR DIVING PACKAGES AND VACATION RENTAL DEALS]

Situated off the coast of Honduras, Roatan is one of the three Bay Islands, and is the undiscovered secret of vacationers from the colder North and South American locations that are looking for a tropical vacation destination with a variety of water activities, un-crowded white, soft powdered beaches, and inexpensive hotels and restaurants.

Roatan is a long narrow island of almost 40 miles in length. It is a beautiful island with mountains and lush green tropical foliage.

Roatan’s weather is ideal and rarely affects having a good time and has a mild rainy season that occurs from November to the end of January. The northwest side of the island is protected most of the year from the southeast Even then, the West End and northern side may be calm and enjoy excellent diving and beach activities. If wind conditions or weather becomes and issue, the dive operators and resorts will simply move their boats to the "lee side" of the island and calmer waters

The popular tourist spots on Roatan are West End, West Bay, Sandy Beach, and Oak Ridge/Punta Gorda.

Roatan’s two largest cities are Coxen Hole and French Harbor and offer very little for the tourist, both of which are the main concentration of inhabitants living under poverty level conditions. Coxen Hole is the capital and is location of the international airport and the docking terminal for cruise ships. Beyond that, the reason tourists come to Coxen Hole is for the banks and rental cars. French Harbor is home to the largest fishing fleet in the Western Caribbean. The reason most tourists come to French Harbor is for their two popular waterfront restaurants, Gio’s and Casa Romero’s

The main attractions in Roatan are scuba diving, snorkeling, beautiful beaches, a laid back, relaxing way of life. The island is on the world’s second largest barrier reef with a variety of world class dive sites, easily accessible by a short boat ride or as close as 100 feet from the beach.

Oakridge/Punta Gorda

Oakridge is located about one mile past the paved road on the Eastern end of the Island. It is a small picturesque community with a strong afro-Antillean culture. It is only in recent years that access by car to this area has been opened and hasn’t changed much with the passing of time. Tourist services here are scarce. The fishing is excellent, and on Roatan Ranch they offer English speaking horseback riding tours of the area.

Nearby Punta Gorda on the opposite side of the Island was the first Garifuna Settlement in Central America. The Garifuna or Black Caribs were marooned in Roatan by the British in 1796, and every year on April 12th they commemorate their arrival with a carnival. This is also the home of YUBU where you will meet Garifuna people and see their exotic dances and purchase souvenirs made by them.

Sandy Bay

Sandy Bay is considered the cultural center of Roatan and is the location of the Institute of Marine Sciences, the Roatan Museum, the Carambola Gardens, and the Marine Reserve. It is also the location of Anthony’s Key resort one of the first and largest dive resorts on the Island.

West End

Commonly referred to as “Gringo Central”, this little town with a “Jimmy Buffet – Margarita Ville” atmosphere is located on Half Moon Bay. Here you can access all there is with a walk along its un paved sandy main street that rims the bay and is lined with palm trees and rustic, weather beaten wood restaurants, bars, hotels, and t-shirt shops. The prices for food, drinks and hotels are extremely inexpensive. There is a very informal, relaxed -- let it all hang out attitude that can be enjoyed without ever getting out of your sandals, shorts, and t-shirts.

West Bay

West Bay has one of the finest beaches in the world. It’s white, soft, powdery beach is un-crowded, although with development of new hotels and condominiums, this is rapidly changing. This is an excellent location for families and for snorkeling right off the beach. The hotels and restaurants along West Bay are more upscale and expensive than West End.

West Bay is also the home of Gumbalimba Park, a privately owned and managed ecotourism park with lush tropical flowers and forests, exotic birds, monkeys, a hanging bridge, and zip line canopy rides.

Frank Dalotto is a freelance writer and the owner and editor of New Jersey Leisure Guide and a travel consultant for Leisure Travel Mart.

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal named Roatan the Caribbean’s next “it” spot – an underdeveloped island that is poised to become a major tourist destination.

These days there is a definite buzz about this peaceful island lying just 30 miles off the coast of Honduras. No wonder: Roatan features lush tropical forests, warm turquoise water, and sugar white beaches without the crowds.

Continental Airlines now flies directly to the islands from Newark, New Jersey, and Houston, Texas. Delta flies directly from Atlanta, Georgia. Major cruise lines are stopping by more frequently, and both Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean are expanding their ship terminals to bring more passengers. Celebrities including Michael Douglas and Richard Gere have been spotted on the island in recent months.

Roatan has long been famous among scuba diving aficionados. The island sits atop the world’s second-largest barrier reef system and features some of the best diving in the Western Hemisphere. Scuba diving is still the main attraction drawing visitors to the island.

But Roatan offers much more than diving and makes a great family vacation destination.

Whether visiting with your family, making a stop-over on a cruise ship, or taking a break from diving, here are five Roatan adventures you can enjoy.

1) Zip Through the Rain Forest. Roatan features lush tropical forests where wild parrots and monkeys roam freely. A canopy tour is a great way to get close to nature while having some exhilarating fun. Guests climb to a tree-top platform, and then move among the trees by gliding on zip lines or walking over swinging bridges. It’s a thrilling ride.

Roatan has several canopy tours from which you can chose. Palmetto Bay features a 20 platform tour that includes a climbing wall and swinging bridges. The West Bay also features a 16 platform tour including two bridges. Please keep in mind that canopy tours require children to be at least four feet tall.

2) Swim with the Dolphins. The Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences on the island’s north shore features several dolphin encounter programs that are open to the public.

One of the most popular tours on the island is their dolphin swim. Guests are taken to Bailey’s Key, a white-sand island frequented by schools of dolphin. During an initial 20-minute beach encounter, trainers coax the dolphin to join your group, giving you a chance to pet them.

Guests can then snorkel and swim freely with the dolphins in 20 feet of water. Guests are accompanied by a dolphin behaviorist and videographer and photographer to capture the memories. The dolphin swim requires children to be at least 13 years old.

Divers can also chose the institute’s Dolphin Dive program, which lets you interact with dolphins off a reef wall in 60 feet of water. This dive lasts approximately 45 minutes. Participants in the Dolphin Dive must be certified scuba divers.

Not enough for you? The institute also offers a Trainer for a Day program, which gives you the chance go behind the scenes and work with the staff as they feed and care for the dolphins. Participants will learn dolphin training techniques during a hands-on session with the dolphins.

3) See Coral While Staying Dry. Even if you are not a diver, you can get a glimpse of Roatan’s gorgeous reef formations with a ride on the Coral Reef Explorer. This glass-bottomed boat seats 25 persons below the water line in air conditioned comfort. Passengers look through windows at multi-colored coral, tropical fish and graceful Spotted Eagle Rays.

The Coral Reef Explorer departs daily from West Bay Beach and you can expect the tour to last approximately 50 minutes.

4) Horseback Tours. What could be more romantic than a horseback ride along Roatan’s pristine white beaches? Guided horseback tours start in West End, passing through some of Roatan’s best scenery before ending at the West Bay, where you can take a quick swim.

Tours last approximately 90 minutes and are suitable for beginners as well as experienced riders.

5) Pet an Iguana. Perhaps the most unusual attraction on Roatan is Sherman Arch’s Iguana Farm. This private preserve is real treasure and a real treat for kids.

Over 2,700 of the big, spiny lizards roam freely on its grounds, which are located just east of French Harbor. The iguanas are tame, having been raised in cages until old enough to fend for themselves. Come during the early afternoon feeding for the best chance to hold and pet an iguana.

Don't forget that we are working hard when you contact us to get you the best rates in Roatan. Certainly this will be hard to beat going direct but we do have some agreements in place to enable this for you. But what service we offer beyond getting the best deal is that you will get the best advice on where to go and who to do what with. You can't trust a salesman so you need an unbiased service agent to do the work for you.

We take into consideration your dates - search against our package providers AND independents this gives you the best of both worlds.

Don't consider taking your vacation or holiday so lightly, after all its so hard to get time off of work.

Arriving by cruise ship ? You could still use our advice - ask us who would suit your style of diving best. We NEED AND WANT you to have the best time on Roatan.

Just contact us Roatan Vacation Deals

A once in a lifetime experience of getting close and touching Dolphins. The Atlantic Bottle nose Dolphins are penned up here and can choose to leave if they like. Its all the clapping and compliments that keep them coming back for more. Or its the fish ! This tour is split into 2 parts and you can do the following

Dolphin Encounter

Dolphin Encounter and Snorkel

This is no dolphin show, here you are in the water with them for both types of tour. The trainer gets you an introduction and some rules of the road which are minimal and ensure your safety and the welfare of the Dolphin.

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Dolphin Questions and Answers

It raises a great question how do Dolphins sleep ? Dolphins have the ability to switch one half of their brains off in a kind of sleep mode while the other half maintains enough conciousness to rest at the surface. Then it swaps.

How long can a Dolphin hold its breath for ? Dolphins can hold their breath for around 10 minutes. The musculature must take an awful lot of Oxygen for them to function otherwise they may be able like turtles to stay underwater for hours.

You can find this activity all over Roatan. Half moon bay is a great spot for this with an interesting calm bay. The more adventurous can venture around into the west end bay, this is hard to appreciate otherwise spots like the Blue Marlin you can catch a drink from and see the diving goings on for example.

This sport is sweeping the world and it hasn't missed Roatan. Available at several places like just next to sundowners in Half Moon Bay - Steve's Paddle Shack. Watch out for the coral and the winds some people have gotten stuck the author towed (at great damage to the reef) some unlucky tourists !

Pete Dye Designed the golf course - probably the best in Central America. It forms a part of the pristine bay resort. Features a green surrounded by water ! An island on an island.

If you dock at the Port of Roatan just east of Coxen Hole you will have a great shopping and dinning experience.

Monday thru Saturday, 8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M

"" Fun for all ages, right at the cruise ship dock
The Port of Roatan is home to a modern cruise ship dock capable of hosting the world's most advanced cruise vessels. The Town Center is a safe and high quality shopping and entertainment experience available to all visitors to Roatan. Just ask your tour guide to take you to the Town Center. We are open every day. Check our Mall Hours for hours of operation.

The center of Roatan's shopping, dining and entertainment, the Town Center at the Port of Roatan features international brands, fine jewelry, designer boutiques, Duty Free Shops, and gift shops-- as well as themed restaurants, fun waterfront bars, and live entertainment! The variety of shops offers local souvenirs, gifts and other items, all the way to fine international and Mayan jewelry and accessories which will provide a lifetime of memories. ""

http://www.portofroatan.com/town_center.html