The Bay Islands are located in Central America, Honduras country. Wonderful place to visit and spend quality time. This
paradise is new in the tourism industry. You can be a tourist
visitor, investor or just looking for a peaceful place to spend the rest
of your life. In this Islands you will encounter friendly natives,
settler from the time of the conquistador, English colonies etc.
The bay Islands are 4 main Islands: Roatan , Guanaja , Utila and Hog Island.
History. On
Columbus’s fourth voyage to the New World in 1502 he discovered the
Bay. inhabited by friendly natives which they named the "Porras"
Columbus named the island "Isla de Pinos" for the tall pine forests on
the island.
The Bay Islands were particularly strategic and attractive from the raiders viewpoint.
Buccaneer
Henry Morgan was based for a time at Port Royal, Roatan which was then
one of the best harbors in the Western Caribbean. Pirate John Coxen used
the harbor near the town that now bears his name "Coxe Hole.
The
first English attempt to permanently settle in the Bay Islands was by
the Puritan Party under the auspices of the Providence Company in 1639
after an attempt to colonize Providence Island (now Santa Catalina) off
the coast of Nicaragua was terminated by Spanish occupation. The
Puritans renamed Roatan "Rich Island"in honor of Lord Henry Rich. These
Puritan settlers set up a small town above Old Port Royal on 100 acres
of relatively flat land. On June 23, 1742 the first English forces
disembarked at New Port Royal.
Garifunas ln The Bay Islands. In
1797, approximately 5000 Black Carib Indians staged an uprising against
the British authorities on St. Vincent Island in the Eastern Caribbean.
The British authorities forcibly removed the Caribs to Roatan and
landed them at Port Royal. The Garifuna moved to the North shore and
established the town of Punta Gorda. It is the oldest continuously
inhabited community on Roatan
West Bay. West
Bay boasts one of the most beautiful white sand beaches in the
Caribbean. Idyllic turquoise water and soft sand is a sure sign you have
arrived in paradise. A leading attraction is the Henry Morgan Beach
Resort an all inclusive Italian resort. They fly 200 lucky Italians in
from Europe every week, and recently it has been opened to the all
visitors. It has 85 rooms and is the largest vacation facility on the
island. Tabyana Beach is a rustic tropical island resort with the
beautiful reef offshore.
West End. The
West End offers a variety of activities. Many small shops, restaurants,
and hotels. The ambiance is decidedly "Laid Back"and budget conscious
folks find this area to their liking. Cabins and small rooms are
available at less than $30 per night so this is a haven for the less
affluent crowd. Just walking the bumpy sand road with all the busy be
hive of tropical dive shops, restaurants and bars, some out over the
water, is great fun for everybody. Water taxis are available to and from
West Bay. The diving on the reef a few hundred yards off shore is
spectacular! The tone of West End is definitely, international, as you
will meet people from all over the world here and everybody always seems
to be in a party mood. The bars are very busy after the sun goes down!
Enjoy a "Monkey LaLa" a favorite island drink and a conversation with a
new found friend. Many are from Europe and other countries you may wish
to hear more about. Full dive facilities , dive boats, instructors and
everything you need for a great dive vacation. The bars and restaurants
is excellent with family style meals which change daily. The service is
very friendly and everyone bubbles over with island warmth.
There are no less than 24 Hotels and B&B’s located at West End to match your taste and pocketbook.
Cost Of Living. the
beautiful turquoise Caribbean. Property prices in the Bay Islands is a
bargain when compared with most other areas in the Caribbean. It is
still possible to buy a tropical home
Another
factor which has given a boost to the islands economy is the lower cost
of living here provides a higher standard of living. Imagine living on a tropical island with swaying palm trees, balmy trade breezes overlooking e for close to $100,000 U.S. Dollars!
Many
vacationers and tourists are coming to visit these lush tropical
islands. The infrastructure is improving on a day to day basis as new
hotels, roads and tourist facilities are constructed.
Today
nearly 100 hotels are in service catering to every taste and need.
Importantly, the Honduran Government is strongly in support of tourism
and offers attractive tax incentives to those who capitalize tourist
related business. Tourism will soon be the leading source of income. At
the West End you see sunburned tourists walking the sandy strip lured
by shops that peddle colorful sarongs, fluorescent bikinis, straw hats
and Central American handicrafts.
What makes Roatan so wonderful ? is
it’s living cultural and historic mosaic. Bay Islanders take pride in
the variegated skin colors and hair textures, but even more important
they hold the coral reefs and marine life as priceless jointly owned
treasures. A dory trip through the labyrinth of reefs and mangrove
tunnels to clear turquoise lagoons and up from the shore to jungle
covered slopes of undulating hills displays the tremendous natural
beauty of the island. Given all that the Bay Islands have to offer, a
boom in development and business seems imminent. Roatan is a lovely
tropical island and the largest and most developed of the Bay Islands
that covers 35 miles North of the mainland of Honduras. Roatan has a
mountainous backbone that extends down most of the 40 miles length and
is surrounded by beautiful coral reefs. To simplify things, you might
consider Roatan as being made up of 3 regions. -- Western, Central and
Eastern. Each region has it’s own special personality and attractions to suit your tastes:
Western Roatan. The
Western region covers the area West of the Roatan International
Airport. It includes the older developed areas, such as the town of
Coxen Hole where the municipal and governmental offices are located, the
expanded Cruise Ship Dock, and many stores and markets. Further West
and on the North shore are Sandy Bay, West End and finally West Bay at
the end of the island. These areas cater to the tourists and dive
visitors. Here you will find many hotels and dive facilities of great
variety. The following are more detailed descriptions of each area:
Coxen Hole
Coxen
Hole is the largest town and is the Port of Entry to the Bay Islands.
Customs and Immigration are in a white building at dock side, the post
office is in the same building away from the water on the road. The tiny
town square adjoins immediately to the West. There are 3 Banks, a
Hondutel telephone office, the Municipal offices, the large H. B. Warren
Supermarket, Hardware and Appliance stores and an array of tourist gift
shops. There are also local island style restaurants and
over-the-counter Honduran foods.
Sandy Bay. The Institute of Marine Sciences is located here, Dolphin shows, and is a very beautiful place.
Access To The Island.
Honduras international airports, ports of entrance:
Honduras international airports, ports of entrance:
Tegucigalpa the capital of Honduras country.
San Pedro Sula Industrial capital of Honduras country.
La Ceiba city port.
Roatan Island.
Now frequent airline services comes to the islands in a quick 2 hour trip from the United State.