Thread: Observations on Roatan

I also noted that most of the responses have been one liners or very short comments. I, too, keep going there and checking out the comments and have seen nothing at all posted.

Thank you for the reminder about Island Time. Those of us in the States quite often have a desire for the immediate response. So many people do not think that way.

tend to agree with neal's comments. the beach at west bay is stunning. the second hand shoes for sale you can see on a lot of the islands dominican republic in particular.

Thanks for sharing your experiences here on Roatan. You are right, there is a severe contrast between rich and poor. Tourism came so quickly the people didn't have a chance to be socialized and prepared for what was coming. There is zero gov't support and the money that is made from ships does not reach the people, unless of course, you book activities through independent sources. The same handful of families make the big grab, while everyone else scrambles for crumbs. The cost of living has exploded due to tourism, yet the wages have not. It is a very sad situation. We have a foundation on the island as well, and the conditions these people live in are devestating. The average family makes enough to feed their families (beans, rice, chicken), and that's it. There is nothing left to repair homes, or buy cars.
We encourage everyone to come to Roatan, and have a real island experience. Eat at a local open air restaurant, buy from local sellers, rather than stores. That is the best way to help locals.
This is a beautiful island with the best snorkeling I've ever seen. Right out front our house is amazing! You get system overload because you don't know where to look next. The food is great. The zipline on the east end is fantastic. There is also a neat underwater museum in Sandy Bay now, that is a huge hit with the kids.

I have heard great things about the zip line. My wife is seriously thinking about trying it. Me, I am afraid of heights but might give it a go.....

Zip lining is so fun here! Depending on your sense of adventure, Pirates of the Carib. have the best "extreme" zip line. You should definitely join her, you'll be so glad you did. You see the jungle from a birds eye view. Pretty neat!

If I get on a zip line I don't think that the chair would move very far. I would have such a death grip on the pulleys that it will not go very far or fast. In fact, I might just break the pulleys from the pressure.....

As for the article and link referenced earlier, that writer hs since died so there will be no more writings for the New Times

A little "ancient history," if you will!

My late wife and I visited Roatan aboard a Regency ship in 1995. At that time, there was virtually no infrastructure on the island. Nevertheless, we enjoyed a delightful trip to the eastern end of the island, where a marvelous lunch was served following an inspection of a new, in development, resort.

At that time, it was our second cruise. Today, some 17 or more years later, that particular experience would have been completely under-rated! I now expect much more up-to-date excursions and an over-all excellence.

SWR

Originally Posted by Just FYI

As for the article and link referenced earlier, that writer hs since died so there will be no more writings for the New Times

Sorry to hear that. Do you know what happened?

Originally Posted by timwilloughby

I'll also add that I think it's sort of lame that the Roatan New Times hasn't allowed Neal's really intelligent response to be posted at their site even after several days waiting for approval.

If you're going to call a message board poster out for his comments, be prepared to engage in some sort of public commentary. It's the right thing to do - or don't post such an article. One or the other.

Just my sidebar two cents. Cheers.

That is because the owner of the newspaper passed away unexpectedly. I'm not sure anyone has taken over the paper.