What to bring with you to Roatan
cbea...@aol.com
What follows is a "cut and paste" from our confirmation and info letter
that goes out to all of our guests.
It should give you some good ideas on what to bring (and what not
to!!!)
As always, we hope this helps!
<<<Thanks for choosing Coral Beach Inn!
If you have ANY special health or dietary needs/wants or allergies
please contact us immediately or you will be expected to eat what is
normally served here. We will gladly send you our menu upon request.
On medication? (Plan to bring it -- even if it's VERY commonplace over
the counter stuff)
Stuff to bring?
Snorkeling?
Neoprene-topped, rubber-soled water shoes or dive boots to go on under
dive fins (half foot with a strap on the back) for snorkeling. About $8
at Wal Mart--easier to find in summer months.
Maybe? A snorkel mask to fit your face. Yes, we have all the snorkel
stuff so it's OK if you forget. But maybe not your exact sizes. Dive
fins to wear with booties are expensive, bulky and may be cheaper to
rent here unless you already have them.
Other stuff to bring?
Film! Bring tons! A disposable underwater camera is also GREAT idea.
Sunscreen!
Bug spray--for jungle exploring--or West End.
Your favorite books, videos, and music (CD or tape)
Driver's license
"C" card (for certified divers--you cannot dive without one)
BC and regulator (for certified divers)
A spare photocopy of your passport photo page--just in case
A Visa credit card (for emergency use only--PLEASE do NOT assume other
cards are OK. Ask us!!)
Dramamine, Tylenol, and ANY over the counter medications you may need.
Clothing?
Shorts, T-shirts, and bathing suits--along with water shoes
(neoprene-topped, rubber-soled shoes to wear under dive fins) or
sandals are all you'll wear. Bring one pair of long pants if you plan
to ride horses. Otherwise, feel free to bring about half of what you
think you'll need,
Don't bring?
Your checkbook! It may end up lost or stolen. Personal checks drawn on
banks outside of Honduras NOT accepted anywhere--including at local
banks. Wait until you arrive here to buy Lempiras at better/bank rates
unless you already have them.
ANY TYPES OF MONEY OTHER THAN USA DOLLARS OR HONDURAN LEMPIRA! No bank
here will accept ANY other sorts of money.
Dressy clothes -There is absolutely no place to wear them on Roatan.
Jewelry--Please consider leaving expensive jewelry at home--fishing it
back out of the ocean doesn't work well. <VERY experienced smile>
Tanks, dive weights & belt--are provided here at reasonable cost.
Roatan Weirdness and Arrival Information
Banking is still done by hand here -- and not very well. Using credit
cards can make you pay much more -- IF anyone will agree to take them
at all! Your Credit Union Travelers checks are worthless? Tipping is a
BY GAWD, done wrong it can leave you with no one willing to take you
fishing!
Sounds crazy? No doubt! But it's all true!
This little (or maybe not so little <chuckles>) E-mail is our attempt
to make the transition into our laid back culture, weirdness and all,
easy for you.
After all, we want your vacation to be perfect!
Airport Info -- Time to check the renewal dates on your passport, eh?
Please remember to reconfirm your flights 48 hours before departure.
Get a name and confirmation number! Flights to Roatan ARE often
oversold. Ask if you have questions, OK?
Carry on Bag!
A carry on bag with expensive/fragile items, a few days clothes and
swimsuit, and toiletries/medication is always a good idea when
traveling, but is a MUST when traveling to Roatan. Bags can come
later--a few days after you arrive. Doesn't happen often, but it COULD
happen to you.
Airport customs officials
When you arrive here you'll have your passport stamped (cost $2 per
person) and your bags must be cleared through customs. Bring an ink pen
for filling out tourist visa forms provided by your airline during the
flight.
Local baggage handlers are paid no salary by the airport and work in a
secure customs area open only to airport authorities. This practice of
not paying baggage handlers a salary has caused trouble for tourists
who often arrive tired and distracted and forget to tip. Mainland
Honduras airports have a sign that says, "Tip a minimum of $1 for each
small bag."
This is simply the way baggage is handled here.
We'll have you met behind customs by an honest baggage handler who will
see your bags through customs. He'll have your name from us and be
looking for you. Tip him immediately. $2 per large bag (including carry
on bags) is standard. Let HIM find and carry them. He will take your
baggage claim checks, locate your bags and see to it that your bags go
through customs.
It IS, of course, your option to decide not to use or tip airport
baggage handlers. But we cannot be responsible for the results when you
enter the customs inspection area.
Medications?
Any medication you bring should be plainly marked (even non
prescription medications) when you go through customs.
We'll be outside the customs impound area with a sign that says
"Welcome" and your name, cold beers or soft drinks (your choice), and a
big grin.
Flight problems/Early arrivals?
Just call us and we'll be there in a snap. Roatan airport is a safe
place to wait, shop, and have a drink.
TACA airline ticket counters will give you a free phone call to call us
from anywhere if your flight schedule changes for any reason.
How to contact us in Honduras.
You may contact us here by E-mail or call us at:
011 (504) 991-3263. Or 455-5739 Or airport pickup cellphone 966-9426
PLEASE write these numbers on your ticket folder they are NOT listed
anywhere. No phone books. (Or even better, print out this and bring it
to read and refresh yourself on local customs during your flight.)
But never worry!
We'll be at the airport to pick you up--every flight until we hear from
you or you arrive.
Don't take TAXIS!
Only use taxis on Roatan when YOU know the location of your
destination. They do NOT know how to get there. Taxis here are VERY
expensive. Also, the taxi drivers may take you on a long midnight tour
of the island with the meter running and their 3 children and a chicken
in your lap--LOL--IF the taxi doesn't break down first. Again, we'll be
there!
Departure Tax
Departure taxes/fees here are $30 per person. Not our idea--no way
around it -- unless you stay forever.
Tipping IS Cheaper
Tipping is a big issue here on the island--and has led to forced
tipping and added on charges on bills that are VERY high at many
resorts and restaurants. A few dollars placed in the right hands will
greatly improve your vacation experience, and is, in the long run,
cheaper. However, forget to tip and the whole island may be turning
their backs on you. We know you don't want this to happen to you by
accident, right? Ask about this--or just tell us it's OK and we'll auto
add the standard.
Who do we tip?
In Honduras it is standard practice to tip maids, taxi drivers, boat
captains, dive masters, people who translate for you on the street, the
guy who pumps your gas, rental car cleanup folks, waitresses, taxi
drivers and, in short, anyone who does anything for you. Often in
Honduras, this is the only pay these people receive.
PHONES and E-mail
Phone calls from here to the USA can cost $2 per minute! If
international operators are not busy--i.e., rarely. Bring E-mail
addresses if you need to "Phone home." An E-mail runs $1--we send our
e-mail daily. Also be aware that local cellphone calls and 1-800
numbers are long distance here. Feel free to give out our E-mail and/or
phone info for emergency contact--but also be prepared to pay charges
for use of these services. There are NO pay phones here that work
consistently.
MONEY
Local currency is Lempira--exchanges currently at about 18.8 Lempira
for one dollar. We will sell Lempiras for you here at bank rates. FEW
PEOPLE WILL BUY BACK LEMPIRAS FOR DOLLARS--INCLUDING BANKS. Yes, you
can also exchange $$ to Lempiras at the banks, but lines are typically
hours long. Usually $100-$200 in Lempira is enough for most couples to
roam the island for a few days or to grocery shop.
WE BILL ALL CHARGES IN USA DOLLARS
We DO NOT accept credit cards except for room and meal deposits in
advance. Fewer people do. Please don't EVER plan to "charge it" in
Honduras. Honduran banks charge fees for credit card use that YOU will
be forced to pay if/when you try to use one.
We cannot cash travelers checks for USA dollars, but will take Am/Ex
travelers checks (ONLY THIS KIND) on your bill. Given a choice we'd
REALLY prefer cash since it takes 15-45 days to get travelers checks
cleared into USA dollars. Thanks!
We DO have a safe--and it is!
We DO NOT accept personal checks from outside Honduras. NO bank here
will either.
We DO NOT accept foreign currency other than US dollars. NO bank here
will either.
BRING CASH -- in USA dollars. This ALWAYS works!
You CAN prepay here with a credit on your room for your meals,
activities, rental car, and such if you don't feel comfortable bringing
cash. We DO refund any money (beyond room and partial jeep deposit)
that's not used prior to departure -- in USA dollars.
How much money is enough?
FYI Caribbean guide books suggest a minimum of $100 per day PER PERSON
in spending money over and above the cost of a room. That's probably
more than you'll need for food here, but if you plan to dive, fish,
shop, tour, rent a car, etc., it's a pretty good guess. In an emergency
you CAN get a cash advance on a Visa credit card at Credomatic, but
lines can be VERY long.
Way too much said!
Sorry if you knew it all already, but these are things we've discovered
that folks coming here need to know and often don't.
Please feel free to ask questions.
It's, well, our job. Ya know? <smiles>
We really do look forward to meeting you!
We're going to have lots of fun!
__________________
Waylon and Sandy Sims, Coral Beach Inn and Vacation Rentals
Email:cbea...@aol.com
Website: http://www.coralbeachinn.com
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