CITIES (but really islands) VISITED:
- Utila
- Roatan
PRO TIPS:
- Bring crisp, “perfect” USD to exchange or use as most places will accept it and then you will get change in Lempira. This helps avoid ATM fees.
- Utila has a pretty cash centric economy but some places accept credit cards with a 4% processing fee (so I avoided that at all costs)
- Roatan is more built up so I found that I could use my credit card at most places (with no processing fee!)
- English is widely spoken on both islands!
- Both islands are filled with tourists, with an emphasis on first time divers as the Bay Islands are known as the cheapest place in the world to get certified. These are well trodden spots 🙂
- If you don’t mind a dorm sleeping situation a lot of dive shops offer free or discounted accommodation.
CITY: UTILA
HOW LONG: 4 NIGHTS
ACCOMMODATION:
I stayed at the Mango Inn as it was free through the UDC dive shop. There were 4 bed dorm rooms, which was nice as they were pretty quiet. Room was clean & bathrooms were always available with hot showers (although I preferred a cold shower as it was HOT in Utila). The only downside was that it was a 15 min walk to the dive shop, which for early morning dives wasn’t ideal.
WHERE TO EAT:
- Josie’s is the cutest little cafe right at the pier. It’s only open until 2pm but I went three days in a row after diving for breakfast/lunch (I don’t like eating before morning dives). Each day I had an everything bagel with eggs, bacon, avocado & caramelized onions – YUM
- The Local & the Gringa is another popular eatery. I had breakfast there my last day on the island.
- Baleadas Mama Rosa – I had my first baleada here which is a local Honduran dish made of a big flour tortilla filled with a refried bean paste and fillings of your choosing. I liked the egg & avocado one!
- Che Pancho made a great smoothie.
- Gaga’s Grab & Go Restaurant is tucked away from the main road and has fabulous food with large portions. They also do free delivery so it’s a great option on a rainy day.
WHAT TO DO:
The main thing to do here is diving! Either for fun dives or to get certified. The Bay Islands are known as one of the cheapest places in the world to get certified so prospective divers flock here! I chose to do my fun dives with Utila Dive Center (UDC). Overall I had a positive experience but it also wasn’t the most amazing experience. It was probably the biggest dive shop I’ve ever dove with and it was run efficiently & professionally. However, it was a little impersonal. That being said, they have a morning boat dedicated to fun divers so you aren’t stuck with newbies 🙂 I appreciated this. There’s nothing worse than having to end a dive early because someone new is sucking through their air super quickly. Additionally, it was great that my accommodation was included in my dive package. I paid $255 for 6 dives in May 2025.
Beyond diving, I made time to walk around with my camera, especially at sunset. There’s a great spot at Underwater Vision Dive Center to catch the sunset. I also had a massage with Nora, who I just found because she has signs up on the street. It was a pretty basic setup in her house but the massage was awesome! It was $50 for an hour.
Lastly, randomly there was a fishing competition while I was on the island so I joined some new friends to go to part of the final weigh in, which was silly and different.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
I would say I enjoyed Utila but it wasn’t my favorite stop. The diving definitely didn’t blow me away. We didn’t really see anything particularly spectacular. There haven’t been whale shark sightings in over a year. I didn’t see any dolphins between dives. It was a cute island, but I much preferred the Corn Islands for diving and for vibes.
CITY: ROATAN
HOW LONG: 3 NIGHTS
ACCOMMODATION:
I stayed at Hotel Chillies in West End. I snagged a private room for $34 per night and I literally booked it the day before arriving as I last minute decided to leave Utila to spend my last 3 nights in Honduras in Roatan. The hotel is very basic (more like a homestay) but the room and shared bathroom was very clean & comfortable. There’s a tiny shared kitchen and wifi worked. No hot shower in the part of the hotel I stayed in, but I craved cold showers at all times of the day since it was so hot so that didn’t bother me at all. The location is perfect as it’s in the center of town and is across the street from the beach. I would definitely stay here again. There’s also a dive shop as part of the hotel so that was incredibly convenient!
WHERE TO EAT:
- The Shack makes fabulous burgers but they are really known for their onion rings. Def worth a visit!
- Crisp is a cute little cafe with YUMMY smoothies and smoothie bowls. Obviously I went a few times 🙂
- Sandy Buns was sadly closed while I was here (owners were on vacation in Italy at the time), but this is a famous bakery in town. DON’T SKIP coming here.
- Sundowners is a beach bar that was packed every night. They seemed to have live music every night and I also attended a Trivia Night.
- Yahongreh? – Very conveniently located on the hotel property. Yummy breakfast & smoothie options.
WHAT TO DO:
Once again, diving is a big driver of tourism in Roatan. Snorkeling, lying on the beach and drinking yourself silly are also popular pastimes 🙂 Once again, I honestly wasn’t overly impressed with the diving so I opted to skip more diving after I did one dive.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
I think I liked Roatan more than Utila but I still am not feeling like I will return to the Bay Islands anytime soon. There are other islands in the world I have enjoyed more 🙂
BUDGET FOR 7 DAYS IN HONDURAS:
If you aren’t a diver, then a visit to the Bay Islands will be quite affordable. But if you are going to the Bay Islands, you are probably a diver, or learning to become one 🙂
- Accommodation: $102 ($14.5 per night) – spent 3 nights in a private room in Roatan ($32 per night), but my accommodation in Utila was free because it was included in my dive package!
- Food: $140
- Activities: $350 (7 dives + 1 massage)
- Local Transportation: $90 (2 ferry rides + a few taxis)
- Miscellaneous: $45
Total: $727 (Daily average: $104)
Transportation to next destination: $230 (Flight to Belize City)
The Pursuit Of Travel