When you're young, you often feel immortal, and don't even think of things like getting travel insurance, what the medical care is like where you're going, what would happen if you were in some kind of an accident.  What should you know about healthcare in Roatan?
There's a wonderful non-profit healthcare clinic very close to the hostel, Clinica Esperanza, which is very inexpensive (it's sustained through donations, and is registered as a non-profit in the States if you'd like to offer any support, and donations of supplies are also welcome, if you're coming down and have room in your bags).  It operates kind of like a walk-in clinic, and is open from Monday to Friday, from about 7am to 6pm.  This is a good place to go if you have something that's not dire that you need to see a doctor about (ie. fever, nausea, severe reaction to bug bites, a cut etc).  Also, if you want your teeth cleaned or have a cavity, they have a dentist (stop by the clinic to check on hours for dentistry), which is also very inexpensive.   The clinic has medication which they distribute when you see the doctor (included in the pricing), they don't have a separate pharmacy for just purchasing medication.  
If you just need a pharmacy (for cough and cold medical, stomach problems etc), there's a small one located at Anthony's Key, where there is also a doctor's office and a recompression chamber for dive accidents, as well as an x-ray machine.  There are several more pharmacies located in Coxen Hole.  Most medication does not require a prescription (including medications that need a prescription in other parts of the world, like antibiotics or birth control pills).
If there is a severe medical problem, the public hospital is located in Coxen Hole, and depending on the problem, sometimes it is necessary for a patient to be sent to the mainland.  The public hospital does not look like hospitals in North America, and facilities are lacking, however the doctors are well-trained.  Getting flown to the mainland is at the patient's expense, and many of the hospitals on the mainland are private, so these are scenarios where insurance will really help.  The medical costs in Honduras are no-where near what they are in the States, but they can still accumulate in a hurry if it's something severe.

Going to a grocery store in a different country is usually an interesting experience, trying to figure out ingredients similar to the ones that you like to use, and seeing all sorts of new produce.  In Roatan, the biggest variety of different fruits aren't in the grocery stores, they're all around you as you take a walk around the neighbourhood.  Many great fruits that are grown on the island aren't sold at the grocery store, you you might need a friendly local to point some out for you.
I think everyone is familiar with bananas, but did you have any idea how many kinds of bananas there are?  Plantains and chatas (a shorter, fatter looking version) are both only used when cooked.  They can either be used when they're green, which makes them starchy tasting, similar to a potato, or when they're ripe- not just yellow, but heavily blackened, which makes them sweet tasting.  They are commonly deep-fried and served as a side with breakfast and with other meals, but the green ones are also often boiled and found in typical local dishes like tapado and mccoy.  
Regular bananas can also be used as cooking bananas when they're green.  Bananas aren't sprayed with ripening agents like they are in North America, so if you'd like to eat your banana as is without cooking it, don't purchase it green at the store, it won't ripen within a few days like you might be used to at home.  There are also small bananas that are very sweet, called apple bananas.
Also familiar to most are mangoes.  Again, there are several varieties, and during mango season (May-June), there are mangoes everywhere!  The kind that are most common are pretty stringy, so it's sometimes worth buying the ones that are being sold that aren't stringy.  Hondurans also love to eat mangoes when they're still green.  They're commonly sold cut up in slices, with a little mix of of vinegar, salt and pepper to dip them in.  Not my thing, but my kids love it.
Before living in Roatan, I never knew how cashews grew.  They grow at the end of the cashew fruit, which is also edible.  I don't like cashew fruit, I find it has a chalky after-taste, but others enjoy them, and they can be crushed to make a juice.  The actual cashew nut needs to be roasted before the shell is tapped off and the nut can be eaten: if you try to bite into the nut before it's roasted, it can make your lips all swell up!
Breadfruit is another great island fruit.  It's starchy, and can be used similar to potatoes.  The huge globe needs to be peeled and cored, and then the fruit can be cooked in several different manners.  
You'll also find guavas, hog plums, papayas, avocadoes, limes and sea grapes on the island. One of my favourite treats, which I think just are grown on the mainland, but are sold all over the island, are ramutan, the little hairy balls that some people call lychees (this is actually incorrect, as lychees don't have all the hairy little pokeys on them).
A fruit that I wouldn't want to bite into is the noni, because the taste and smell is awful, but it is a special fruit.  The noni is known as a healing fruit- the juice is sold to cure a variety of ailments, and even the leaves of the tree can be used by wrapping them around different body parts to reduce fever or to help with arthritis.  
What tropical island would be complete without coconuts?  Many people don't realize what coconuts look like before they're husked.  The liquid often found inside a coconut is coconut water, not to be confused with coconut milk.  To make coconut milk, the ripe coconut meat must be finely grated, and then either put in a sieve or with some kind of porous cloth while water is poured through, running out the other side as coconut milk.  It's a pretty lengthy process, so some people opt to use a blender instead of grating the coconut (https://youtu.be/Bm-gQgnBfx8 ).  

Sometimes, travelers are caught unaware regarding holidays in places that they are visiting, and Semana Santa is a holiday that travelers to Roatan should definitely be aware of.  Semana Santa (Holy Week) is the week leading up to Easter, so the dates change every year: for 2015, it's the dates between March 28th and April 5th, with the busiest dates being the 3rd, 4th and 5th of April.  What does this mean to travelers?  Several things:
1. Transportation to and from Roatan will be busier.  The ferry normally doesn't run on Good Friday (this year, that's April 3rd), and the rest of the week will be very, very busy.  The hours that it runs will probably change so that a 3rd ferry can be offered, and you'll probably need to get there a couple hours ahead of time to get tickets.  Domestic flights will also be busier.
2. Places to stay will be busier.  This is definitely a time of the year that it's good to reserve ahead of time (one year, we had someone pay to sleep in a hammock!).  Most places have a minimum number of nights you need to stay.
3. There will be businesses that are shut.  Banks normally shut by mid-day Wed.  ATMS will be available, and the bank at the airport needs to be open as people have to pay departure taxes.  Schools are off for the week, most government offices are closed for the week too.
4. Holy week isn't very holy in Roatan.  There's not special religious or cultural events, it's more like a week-long party (think Spring Break Florida or Cancun and you'll get the picture).  There is a lot of drinking and partying for these dates: police will be more vigilant, looking for drunk drivers, so if you're renting a vehicle, be prepared for traffic stops (make sure you've got your license and know where the vehicle registration papers are).  West Bay beach gets very, very crowded. 
5. If you hate crowds, there are still places that you can escape to.  It's a bit harder than normal (even Camp Bay is full of people!), but it's possible.  The backyard of the hostel by the pool is actually usually quiet all week, even though the hostel's full, as most guests are out joining the rest of the crowds.

Many people who are researching a Central American trip pause when they consider Honduras.  With its high crime rates and travel warnings, even an adventuresome, experienced traveler might wonder if it's worth venturing to Honduras, or better to skip over and continue on to other countries. Honduras is an incredible country, with so much to offer, it's worth taking the time to discover it.  For a small country, it's blessed with a range of beautiful sites to discover, from mountains and waterfalls to beaches and reefs, to Mayan ruins.  I love this country: its beauty, its people, its pace of life, and of course, the sunny, tropical climate.  

If you're wary of the mainland, hop on a plane and come straight to Roatan.  There are direct flights to Roatan from Belize and El Salvador, as well a from San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa and La Ceiba, so if you're traveling overland through Central America and want to see this beautiful island, it can be an easy inclusion in your itinerary.  Roatan's reef is part of the Meso-American reef system, the 2nd largest living barrier reef in the world.  Dive courses are relatively inexpensive, or just rent a snorkel set and check out the reef that way.  The island also has several beaches, as well as lush tropical vegetation with several zipline companies, and an array of activities, from parasailing to horseback riding.

Is Honduras dangerous?  Ask the question to 5 different people, and you'll probably get 5 different answers.  You'll need to be a cautious traveler, as there is a high crime rate, but very few travelers that I've met in my 16 years of living in Roatan have encountered any kind of problems, and for the few that have, it's been theft of belongings.  A few common sense precautions will help to keep your experience trouble-free. Get insurance for valuable things that you plan to bring with you, don't wander around isolated areas after dark, listen to the advice of locals regarding areas to avoid, don't leave bags unattended on the beach, by your feet at a bus station, hooked on the back of a chair at a bar or restaurant.