Wow- I was just reviewing the website, and realized how very long it's been since I did a blog post.
The hostel has now been running for 13 years- so incredible!  We haven't added any new accommodations in the last few years, just polishing what we have.  The top bunks in the dorm have all been eliminated, so it's single beds only, as no one ever wants to be on the top bunk.  We've added more solar energy to the 2nd side of the property.
The biggest change coming is that I'm going to go wander the world again :)  My boys are now adults, and Deo is stepping in to my shoes, taking charge of the hostel for the year, so that I can travel. I'll leave mid-August, come back for Christmas and to celebrate my 50th (Deo's gift to me is giving me the freedom to go), and then travel more in the new year.  I'm so excited to spread my wings!  

Roatan Backpackers' Hostel is about a 3-5 min walk to the ocean.  Though the beach closest to us isn't very esthetically appealing (I've affectionately named it 'the ugly beach'), what it does have going for it is absolutely amazing snorkeling.
The reef is a few hundred meters out- it's normally very calm and not a hard swim, but as it's a fair distance, it's easiest to put on a pair of fins.  If you don't have your own snorkel gear, we have sets at the hostel for $5/day.  The entry from the beach is a bit goopy (mud mixed with turtle grass), so as soon as you're in knee deep water, you'll want to put your fins on and start swimming from there. You can go in right next to the dock (if the dock gate is unlocked, then just jump off the end of there rather than wading in the goop).  As you look out to sea, off to the left, you'll see the cay belonging to Anthony's Key Resort, with their over-the-water bungalows.  If you look straight ahead, there's a little rock island- that's the direction you should head.  Initially the water is murky, but as you get out further from shore, it clears up.  Around the rock island, the coral starts in, and gets very shallow.  There are some parts that it's too shallow to pass overtop (be especially careful if there's some water movement, as you don't want to brush up against any), but there are deeper sections, so you can kind of weave your way through, and then about 50 meters or so past the rock island, the coral starts dropping off to a wall.  Beautiful crevices, huge parrot fish, schools of blue tangs, lobsters hiding under coral, sometimes turtles, eagle rays, schools of squid, barracuda, eels... so much to see!
You can head either to the left or to the right- there's generally not much current, but if there is a bit of current, it's always better to go against it to start, so that you can get a ride back with it at the end of the snorkel, rather than struggling when you're tired.
You could head out to the same spot every day and see something different each time, but there are also other spots that you can hop in to snorkel.  About a 15 min walk east along the beach, many of our hostel guests like to get in to snorkel by the site called 'Spooky Channel'.  Or you could walk down to the other beach east of Anthony's Key (to get there, go left on the main road once leaving the hostel, then go down the Anthony's Key drive way, at the bottom, make a left, and walk about 10 min through the little neighbourhood until you get to the beach).  If you're going to that beach, you can leave your clothes/shoes by the Beach Grill, and there are several docks along the beach that you can hop off of.  That beach is also very close to the dolphin enclosure, so you can swim to the outside of their netting for a little look (the dolphins are very curious, so they'll usually swim up to say hi), and then swim onwards out to the reef.
On your way to and from the reef, don't forget to look down as you pass over the turtle grass- there's lots of great life hiding away in this area!

The covid rules keep changing, and sometimes it's hard to navigate what is required when traveling, but travel is definitely resuming again!  While covid is still around, numbers seem to be substantially lower pretty much everywhere, and many countries are removing/loosening their restrictions.  
 In Roatan, masks are still required inside of enclosed areas such as bank, grocery stores, and the airport, and we're still waiting on the government to ease their restrictions on shared space that required us to close up our dorms.  But for the most-part, day to day living is back to normal, and travelers are enjoying all the great activities that Roatan has to offer. 
I just made the trip from Roatan to Canada via the US. To prepare for my trip, I needed to get a rapid test (Canada no longer requires any testing to enter, but the US requires one, even if just in transit).  The cheapest option was at Island Med in Coxen Hole across from Petrosun.  $20 for a couple minutes of someone's time to do the swab, and then get the lab work done, which was back about 1 1/2 hours later.  The US uses an app Verifly, but it wouldn't work for me- I don't know if it would have made any difference, I think it just meant I had to show someone my test paper at the airport when I checked in. Canada uses an app called  ArriveCAN, which I downloaded and completed (Canada requires that travelers be vaccinated to enter, so I had to upload my proof of vaccination.
Getting checked in at the airport in Roatan for the flight was fairly straightforward.  I went a few hours early, and everything went smoothly.  Had time to enjoy a mochaccino at Espresso Americano before I went through immigration.  Once I boarded the flight, I could take my mask off.  The plan was probably around half full, so my seat row companions moved off and I had the row to myself.  In Miami, the initial going through immigration wasn't bad (fortunately as a Canadian, I can go in the same lines as US citizens, which is way, way faster than the section for travelers from other countries).  After clearing immigration, if you have a connecting flight, you need to go back through security again (and pick up your bags and recheck them if you have any, but I just had carryon).  It was a bit chaotic, there were pretty long lines to get checked back in, but I had lots of time between flights.
My flight to Toronto ended up being full, so I got offered a travel voucher and hotel night to get bumped to the next day, which was a huge bonus!  The following day, coming back to the airport, again there were huge lines to check in to security, and this time, they pulled aside my carryon, opened it up, and swabbed my bags of coffee.  That completed, I gathered up all my stuff again (the day before, I didn't have to take out liquids, laptop or take off shoes, but this time I had to do all 3), and made my way to the gate.
The flight to Toronto, we didn't have to wear masks, but it was announced that a mask would be required once getting off the plane.  I had thought Canada had dropped the mask rule, but apparently not in the airport.  We arrived on time, but then spent 2 hours sitting in the airport, as immigration was too backlogged (apparently this has been a huge issue at the Toronto airport for the last couple weeks).  We finally could disembark in groups of 50, with our masks on, and then it was another hour to get through the lines in immigration.  Once I finally got to my turn in immigration, that was super quick, and no testing was required (I don't know if they are still randomly testing some people).  
Now that I'm back in Canada, it seems like things are pretty much back to normal- no masks required to go in to any shops, nothing special asked when entering a restaurant.  
Got a story about your recent travel experience?  Feel free to share!

Roatan has so many fun activities to offer!  Beaches and diving are the most popular ones, but there are lot of great things to do away from the water too.  If you're up for some adventure, you should try an ATV tour.  Even if it's raining, the tours still go, and part of the fun is getting all messed up in the mud :)

ATV Jungle Tours are located just west of Los Fuertes, so about a 30-40 min drive from the hostel (you can take 2 buses, or work out a rate with a taxi, or they can arrange round trip transfers for $10).  They also do buggy tours.  There are lockers to store your things while you're out on your tour, as well as showers, bathrooms, and drinks for sale.  I'd recommend packing a change of clothes- we didn't realize how dirty we were going to get!

I'd never been on an ATV before, so I wasn't sure what to expect.   Being a mom of 2 boys has meant that I've tried a lot of stuff that I wouldn't normally have chosen on my own, and going on ATVs was no exception- Auri had been super excited to try it, so we headed out on this adventure together.  

When we arrived, we got kitted out with bandanas to cover our hair, helmets and goggles (we didn't bother to wear the googles on the ride- Auri got pretty splashed up as he was more adventurous than me, so he probably should have put his down over his eyes).  We went with 2 guides, who went through the basics of how to use the ATVs, and then we were off!

The trails go through a hilly, jungle part of the island, with lots of mud puddles (at least during rainy season!).  Soon my feet and legs were caked in mud.  Auri was pretty much covered in mud from head to tow!  The ATVs were pretty easy to drive, other than a little tricky sometimes to steer (I ran off into the bush once, so did Auri).  I just kept to the course- Auri said he looked back, and I had a look of intense concentration :)   Auri was loving it, doing donut holes and picking up some serious speed.  

The final verdict?  If you're looking for some action adventure and feeling like a kid again, ATV tours are just the thing!  Even for wimps like me, ATVing can be pretty fun, though if I'm going to do something with mud, a mud wrap and a massage at a spa are more my style :)  

There have been a few new activities that have started up in the last few years, so I thought it was about time to update my list of activities that I send out to guests to include any options that might be interesting.  I prefer to visit a place and see what it's like before suggesting it to anyone, so today I went to check out Manawakie Park.  I recruited  Sylvia to come visit with me.

Manawakie Park (named with the island pronounciation for Man of War Cay, the area near where they're located) is on the island that runs along the north side of the island between Sandy Bay and French Harbour, also known as Mud Hole road. They're open from Mon through Saturday, from 7am to 4pm, and the cost is $35 per person ($18.40 for kids 5-11).  They offer free transportation as long as there are at least 2 people.

Their super friendly staff is headed up by William.  The park offers guided tours through different sections- old school building styles, bush medicine, island history, all with lots of local knowledge provided, as well as an animal section that has macaws, monkeys and sloths.  There's a snack shop and a gift shop on property, and a professional photographer if you'd like to purchase any photos of your experience.

The monkeys are hilarious.  The guide warned us that they're pickpockets, to make sure to take anything out of our pockets, take off sunglasses, leave our purses behind before going in the monkey cage.  I thought I had followed the instructions, but in 2 seconds I realized that I had left a 20 lempira note in my pocket, because that was all the time that it took for Poncho to get over to me and rob me!  He quickly scurried away with his ill-gotten gains, and stubbornly refused to return the money, preferring to rip it to shreds.  The monkeys are also a little cheeky, they stuck their heads down both of our shirts to check out what was down there.

For me, the best part of the tour was hearing our guide explain about how various plants and trees are used medicinally.  I've been on the island for 23 years, and have learned a bit about bush medicine, but I learned some new stuff today.  Did you know that you can boil the leaves from a lemon tree and breathe in the vapour to help with headaches?  I have a little lemon tree growing in our yard, I know what I'm going to try next time, instead of reaching for a bottle of tylenol :)  

It's been a year since the pandemic started, and coming up to a year that I haven't been down to the wonderful island that is normally my home, and to my hostel that fills me with such joy.  I've been up in Canada working another job in order to keep us afloat, and the travel restrictions that Canada imposes makes it pretty much impossible to pop down for a quick visit to check in on things.  I feel very grateful that I have such wonderful staff keeping things maintained and taken care of, but boy, do I ever feel homesick!  I've booked several tickets on flights back down, that were all cancelled, so I'm biding my time, and hoping it will be this summer.
What is it like to have a tourism-based business during a pandemic?  Well, as you can imagine, it's a year of challenges.  The country was completely shut down with borders shut from mid-March 2020 until the end of August.  Once the borders opened, businesses were given an extensive list of biosecurity protocols to follow.  There were several months of no bookings, and now is still a small trickle, not enough to cover our expenses, even with our employees working part-time.  It's our 10 year anniversary this month, but I'm not there to celebrate.  We will weather this storm, even though it's given us a beating.  We look forward to better days ahead when travel becomes easier again, to welcoming back return guests, and to meeting new guests.  I'm so looking forward to hanging out on the front porch with a mix of people of all generations from all over the world!  And the pool, definitely looking forward to being back at our wonderful pool, basking in the warm Caribbean sunshine.

Don't forget about our magical little spot!  Put us on your calendar as soon as you're able to come down for a visit!  

Honduras opened its air borders for international flights near the end of August, and its land borders in October.  International arrivals must have gotten a negative Covid test taken within 72 hours prior of their arrival (test must say 'negative'- if it says 'not detected', you'll be denied boarding), as well as completing an on-line precheck-in form.  
The government sent out a lengthy document of all the protocols that need to be followed by businesses, including temperature reading of all guests on arrival, as well as daily temperature taking of staff, hand sanitizing stations, mask wearing, physical distancing markers, and cleaning and sanitizing protocols for accommodations.  
Unfortunately, flights from various airlines have been changed and cancelled, which makes the logistics of trip planning pretty difficult.  All the Canadian airlines that normally have direct flights to Roatan during the winter months cancelled their flights, and the two week quarantine that Canadians need to do when returning to Canada creates some pretty big obstacles.
If you have a month or more to come down, it makes it easier to work around the various obstacles.  Roatan is a beautiful spot to spend the winter, and the island is sorely in need of some tourism.  The hostel has economical rates- the longer you stay, the better rates we can work out for you, so just send us a message and let us know your plans.  

I think it would be hard to be in the world right now and not have felt some kind of impact from the Corona pandemic.  Countries around the world are imposing restrictions to halt the spread and protect the health of their residents.  In Honduras, there is a complete shutdown of travel in and out (air and sea) with the exception of a few planned Canadian flights that will be coming empty to take Canadians from Roatan back to Toronto and to Montreal.  The governor is working hard to coordinate with anyone who isn't on one of these flights, to arrange other flights to pick up foreigners who are trying to get back to their home country.  We don't yet have any reported cases of Corona on the island, but as it can take awhile for symptoms to present, there is a shut down of all non-essential businesses (so only supermarkets, banks, hospitals, gas stations hotels/hostels and restaurants for take out are allowed to be open), a curfew has been imposed and people are encouraged to stay in their homes/hotels and not travel around the island unless they're going for groceries or something essential.
How does this affect me as a business?  Well, I'm not empty yet- there are guests here that had planned to leave that can't, and others that were going to be here for a long stay that are still here.  

Planning to visit our beautiful island?  If you're going to be flying in, our Roatan airport, Juan Manuel Galvez International Airport, RTB as the letters to represent it, has domestic as well as international flights.
For Canadians (and Americans who might find it worthwhile to cross the border for their flight), in the winter months, there are direct flights offered from both Toronto and Montreal.  Canadian airlines that offer flights to Roatan are the charter companies Air Transat and Sunwing (though they promote packages, it's also possible to just book the flight, Mon and Thurs flights only), and now West Jet is also starting to fly to Roatan for high season, on Sundays.  You can sometimes find excellent deals.  I find the Skyscanner site is a good way to search for best pricing- instead of plugging in specific dates, you can opt to search for through by month, which will come up with all the different pricing options.  Travelers coming from the west side of Canada might find it more advantageous to fly with West Jet through Belize, catching a TropicAir flight from Belize straight to Roatan, or a red-eye with Avianca through El Salvador, then getting the direct flight from El Salvador to Roatan.
From the States, there are direct flights with Delta (from Atlanta) on Saturdays, United (through Houston) several days of the week, and American from both Dallas and Miami on select days.  
If you're not finding good enough pricing, another option is to look for flights to San Pedro Sula.  There are more airlines that fly to San Pedro Sula, including Spirit from Houston and from Fort Lauderdale, so sometimes it can work out cheaper going that route.  You'll need to factor in the cost/time to get to Roatan from San Pedro Sula, to make sure it's worth your while.  The domestic flights between these 2 spots takes about 40 minutes and costs around $115 each way (sometimes you can find one a bit cheaper), with CM usually being the most reliable, and SOSA and Avianca also offering options.   If you'd rather take a bus to La Ceiba (3 1/2 hrs, $5-20 depending on the bus) and then catch the ferry from there (1 1/2 hrs, around $33), it does save you some money, but ties up quite a bit of time.  Lanhsa also offers flights from La Ceiba that are almost the same cost as the ferry, if you wanted to bus and then fly from there.
Traveling through Central America and want to come over?  Direct flights from Belize are daily with Tropic Air, and from El Salvador with Avianca.  If you'd rather bus/boat your way, for ferries, there are 2 ferry companies.  The Utila Dream has a daily ferry from the neighbouring island of Utila to Roatan (as well as ferries between Utila and La Ceiba), and the Galaxy Wave has twice-daily trips from la Ceiba to Roatan.  There are no regularly scheduled boats or ferries between Belize and Roatan, though sometimes private boats make the trip.
​Need some help?  Send us a message and tell us what you're looking for, and we'll see if we can help you with finding the best route.