Is Roatan really safe? (freaking out a bit)

[CamaroChick]

I'm starting to have some second thoughts about going to Roatan... hopefully my online scuba family can ease my fears.
I read some pretty scary stuff on the U.S. Customs/State Dept website about Honduras and Roatan. I thought the violent crimes would be confined to mainland Honduras, but then I read about murders in Roatan. I know everywhere will have some crime, but I don't want to spend my vacation in fear of being robbed or attacked.

I have traveled to St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Provo in the Turks & Caicos, and the BVIs via St. Thomas. I never felt unsafe at any of these places, and never read any warnings about crime other than maybe petty theft.

My other vacation choices so far were Little Cayman or Belize - would I be better off at either of those places? Or maybe ever Bonaire or Curacao? I like to stay at very small secluded kinds of places and explore the mainland for a few days in addition to diving. Doing that in Roatan is seeming kinda scary.

So am I just being paranoid, or should I reconsider my choice?

[hoobascooba]

this might be helpful, but then again, it might not... (saying that just to eliminate liability from myself, lol)

Travel Guide to Roatan, Honduras

[MSilvia]

I wouldn't lose any sleep over it... just use common sense and don't make yourself a target. I didn't have any bad experiences when I was there.

[Defman]

I was not aware of that, or the little AIDS problem they have, when I went a year ago. Maybe another reason to think about CoCo View is that you can only get to it by boat??? Obviously you're probably secure on most resorts and traveling with a group off the resort is always a good idea....

[WestTnDiver]

If you want small and secluded, check out Cocoview. It's on a spit of land on Roatan. You get to it by boat(a one minute trip). Guests are safe and most don't lock their rooms up at all. We've been there three times and I feel safer there than in Bonaire(where we lock the doors all the time) or in Curacao. Cuaracao has a lot more crime and drug problems. There's a good size town in Curacao( over 100k people).
I don't know much about exploring Roatan. The times we've been out and about, friends on the island have taken us. They didn't indicate that it was any more unsafe than anywhere else and they've lives on many of the islands. The resort can set up several events on the island - dolphin encounter, shark dive, canopy tour, eco tour, etc.

[dallasdivergirl]

I went there several times in 2006 and the only crime that I heard about was some one walking on the beaches after dark & after drinking. They do have watchmen at almost every resort.

You just need to use common sense and be cautious and I think you will be fine.

My second & third trips were not at a resort and I never felt in any kind of danger.

[CODMAN]

Absolutely! Roatan is "tougher and poorer" than other caribean destinations. But the people are very kind and friendly! You need to use common sense to not make yourself a target (like getting drunk and going for a walk from West end to Coxen hole at 2:00 am!!! Or renting an isolated cabana in the woods outside town. But there is relatively little to worry about if you take basic precautions. When I went out to west end, there were policemen everywhere. They want to make sure it's safe for tourists.

Obviously, if you want really really safe, you can cut yourself off from the locals by going to a resort like Cocoview or Fantassy island. But that didn't seem like what you were looking for...

Originally Posted by dallasdivergirl

I went there several times in 2006 and the only crime that I heard about was some one walking on the beaches after dark & after drinking. They do have watchmen at almost every resort.

You just need to use common sense and be cautious and I think you will be fine.

My second & third trips were not at a resort and I never felt in any kind of danger.

[Suther2136]

I'm going in May with my local DM who has been there a bunch without issue. He did warn that the mainland is a bit dicey but Roatan itself is pretty laid back.

[setesh]

My wife used to live there. She suggested staying at a nice resort, like Anthony's Key, or Parrot Tree, or Cocoview. In town (like Coxen Hole) you should be fine, just don't stay out after dark by yourself anywhere that is secluded. And like anywhere, if you can travel in a pack you are probably going to be safe even after dark. She says, in general, if you stick to the nicer resorts you should be fine.

As far as things to do, she suggests Rudy's Smoothies (in West End) for a good smoothie, and for lunch she loves Half Moon Bay (in West End), where the coconut shrimp is EXCELLENT! There is also a neat restaurant called Bite on the Beach at the north end of West Bay. You can take a water taxi right to it as they have a dock at the front of the restaurant. We snorkeled out in the bay and then had lunch there, it was great!

[RECDiver]

I have not been to Roatan since 1989, but one of my divemasters stayed at Bay Island Beach Resort last February and enjoyed the trip other than the noseeums. I have another friend who runs technical diving courses at the same resort several times a year and has not had any problems.
My suggestion is stay at the resort you choose. Sometimes they will take a group into town to shop, but stay with the group and leader.
BTW, Little Cayman is outstanding, IMHO.