Welcome
Quick Tips, is a document that we have always left in our rooms to familiarize guests with the Mariposa, West End and Roatan. As the island becomes better known and busier, prices are climbing at ridiculous rates. Taxi rates doubled last year, electrical rates are up 50% this year and even grocery price hikes are being blamed on fuel price increases. Quite preposterous of course but what can a small business person do? Lodge rates have gone up a meager 20% over a 4 year period while our service continues to grow. We will continue to offer the best value we can, but we can’t compete on price with someone that only offers you a straw mat and no window screens! Sorry, no discounts.
Vegetables are available from trucks that park along the beach, shrimp & lobster can also be purchased from one or two trucks but locations and times are completely random! Fish is far less plentiful and the restaurants get first dibs on it. There are three convenience stores in West End, Jackson’s beside the Baptist Church, TropiMart across the street from them and Woody’s Grocery a bit further along the beach past the intersection. Both offer as much variety these days as the bigger grocery store in Coxen Hole, with only marginally higher prices. You can walk to West Bay Beach along the water front. In the morning the walk is shaded and more pleasant than in the afternoon sun. Water taxies will do the trip for L50 per person. Regular cabs will take you there for $10.
What exactly is a Mariposa?
Canadian author Stephen Leacock created the town of Mariposa in his book “Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town” back in 1931. While believed to be based loosely on the town of Orillia, Ontario. The book is a snapshot of a Canadian summer tourist town and its characters. Mariposa is the epitome of a small town. We could not help but borrow the name for our lodge situated in West End, Roatan. From the first chapter:
"Of course if you come to the place fresh from New York, you are deceived. Your Standard of vision is all-astray. You do think the place Quiet. You do think that Mr. Smith is asleep merely because he closes his eyes as he stands. But live in Mariposa for six months or a year and then you will begin to understand it better; the buildings get higher and higher; the Mariposa House grows more and more luxurious; the traffic multiplies and the people move faster and faster. Why, after a few months residence you begin to realize the place is a mere mad round of gaiety. "
Ask to borrow a copy.
Travel Tip
Planes will be late, service slow, luggage gets lost and tropical islands are not always sunny. The worst of holidays can make the most memorable stories. Relax and enjoy. Visit your doctor before you leave home and carry preventative medicines with you. Imodium, Tylenol and antihistamines should be standard in any travel kit. Be careful with alcohol, it’s cheaper than soda in the islands and gets mixed accordingly.
Mariposa Guests
What we provide our guests
Light housekeeping daily between 9:00 and noon
Make the beds
Take out the garbage
Sweep the floor and change the towels
Replace drinking water
Change bedding once a week
What we expect from our guests
Turn off fans or air-conditioners when you go out
Clean all dishes and pots and put away after each use
Lock the doors
Please don’t take our towels to the dive shops or beech!
If we feel the need to wash your dirty dishes we will add a $5 charge to your account.
Cleanliness is our best defense against unwelcome critters, and is healthier for everyone than lethal chemicals.
Security
We do everything in our power to keep you safe. Please remember that this is a third world country and crime is always lurking in the shadows. In West End opportunistic theft is still our biggest concern. If you leave doors unlocked or items unattended, someone will assume it is because you don’t want them!
Noise
In a community without windows, sound travels far more than you can imagine. We ask that you be conscious of your neighbours rights to quiet and they will respect yours. -- Please keep TV and music volume low.
Hotel facilities are for the exclusive use of our paying Guests. Absolutely no parties, No noise and No guests. Party all you want in the bars, that’s what they are there for.
Check out time is 10:00 AM
Check out procedure
Please advise us the day before your departure. Pay any outstanding balances before 6 PM.
Please lock door and turn off the lights on your way out.
Put key in the key drop hole, at the Reception Hut under the pay phone.
Bags may be stored in the Reception Hut if need be.
Payment
Please advise us and settle all accounts, before 6 PM, the day before your departure. Don’t wait till the last minute to look for cash and never assume an ATM or bank will meet your needs when you actually need them to! In Coxen Hole, banks are open 9:00 am to 4:00 pm weekdays and 9:00 am to noon on Saturdays. There is normally at least a one hour wait. CC Payments are processed in Lempira. Credit card payments are subject to all applicable local taxes. 12% sales tax and a 4% tourist tax.
We do not charge the additional 4% processing fee. Of course we do also accept US Cash, US Travelers checks and Lempira. We are now delighted to accept room payments using PayPal. But the process must be completed two days before checkout Save ATM Fee, Save Local Taxes of 16%, Save Credit Card Fee 4% Save your banks “Foreign Currency” Fee.
Stay Healthy
At the first onset of diarrhea or vomiting, be sure to start re-hydration fluids. Dehydration weakens you immune response and slows natural healing. If symptoms persist more than 6 – 10 hours, see a doctor. A fifteen dollar Doctor visit can save you enumerable suffering and discomfort. Tropical bugs need to be treated quickly and early, they seldom go away on their own!
Anthony Key Clinic hours are 9:00am to 5:00pm
On Water and Electricity
While the electrical situation on Roatan has improved considerably within the past month, we ask for your continued assistance in conserving water. Water is normally pumped from deep wells into cisterns, then either re-pumped, or gravity fed for consumption. During outages the pumps are out of service for long periods, usually while consumption is at its peek.
We are doing everything we can to keep business operations as normal as possible and have recently changed over one hundred light bulbs to CFL's. We have also installed low volume shower heads to reduce water consumption. Please avoid long showers, or leaving faucets running when doing dishes, and we will ensure you have flushable toilets. During outages, water is supplied by gravity from a 200 gallon holding tank on the roof. We can if the need arises, refill his tank using a small 12 volt lift pump from our 3000 gallon cistern. We have also installed 12 Volt emergency lighting on all decks and one in each room. These are armed to go on in the event of an outage during the night. The in-room lights have a toggle switch and can be turned off if they are not needed. We apologize for any inconvenience these lights may cause, but it is the best short term solution we have found.
The Roatan Electrical Co. was one of the most corrupt organizations in the world. Board members consistently took profits, before paying expenses. This coupled with uncollected debt, and a total lack of equipment maintenance brought RECO to the brink of failure by the end of 2007. New owner Kelsey Warren and general manager Matt Harper have done a great job so far, though they do keep saying he can’t repair three years worth of corruption overnight. Outages are dropping from the six hour a day norm we were used to, to a mere hour or so, once in a while.
Travel Information
Ferry from Roatan to La Ceiba
Times: 7:00 AM Economy Class 500L Business Class 600L
2:00 PM Economy Class 500L Business Class 600L
( $27.00 ) ( $32.00 )
It is a 30 minute drive to the dock from West End, the posted taxi rate is 300L. Some are negotiable! Most are not.
Our drivers will pick you up here for $15.00 to the Dock or $10.00 to the Airport. Price is for the bus, not per person. This must be arranged at reception the afternoon before departure.
Water Taxi to West Bay is now 50L per person
Taxi (Colective) to Coxen Hole is now 30L per person
Bus to Coxen Hole is now 18L per person ( No regular Schedual)
Flights from Roatan to:
Islenia / TACA La Ceiba 8:20AM / 1:00PM / 6:00PM $42.00 + Tax
San Pedro Sula 8:20AM / 1:00PM $89.00 + Tax
Tegucigalpa 8:20AM / 1:00PM $102.00 + Tax
Belize City Air Atlantic $165.00 + Departure tax of $34.00
6:15 AM Monday, Wednesday, Friday
These flights can-not be booked on line, and the operators will not take a reservation by phone due to in-country credit card policies. Most will take your name and put you on a list, but it is first come first served at departure time!
Servicing Roatan direct from the US: TACA - Delta - Continental
Sue & Mike
This extremely nice, attractive “young” couple gave up on working for a living, opting instead to play host to a varied assortment of riffraff and vagabonds posing as guests here on the Island of Roatan. Mike, who is fond of writing about himself in the third party, worked diligently but distractedly in the aerospace industry for 24 odd years in Montreal, Canada, dreaming of one day retiring to a tropical paradise. He has taught SCUBA diving and run dive club events for just over fifteen years in his spare time: Sue worked in banking for about the same length of time, But regrettably lacks the sadistic nature required to teach SCUBA. She does however enjoy the sport immensely and is dammed handy with an underwater video camera. She is a registered practitioner of Shiatsu Massage today, just one of the boundless ways she brings joy to the universe.
Together, Sue and Mike have been to dozens of islands traveling and diving extensively. Today as proprietors of the Mariposa Lodge they welcome you to come, share their adventure, and do a whole bunch of diving,
“On the planet earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much – the wheel, New York, Wars and so on – while all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man – for precisely the same reasons.”
Douglas Adams
Restaurants and bars come and go with the seasons so I’ve stopped trying to provide a list. The one constant is that ambiance, presentation and extraordinary service are things you are not likely to encounter here! Wait staff and bar tenders generally work for tips. Many of the restaurants now add a 15% tip automatically to your bill so there is little incentive for anyone to work.
Is there anything other than diving on the island?
Of course there is. With the influx of tourists from the cruise ships, entrepreneurs on the island are getting creative in order to capture those tourist dollars. You will now find snorkeling tours, Kayak lessons and rentals as well as boat rentals on the beach. A little of something for everyone. If you want to take some time off or on your last day before flying out there are many options besides wondering the beaches.
Have a massage with Sue right here at the Mariposa Lodge
Watch the sunset from Eagle Ray’s Bar and Grill
Take the bus into Coxen Hole for 18 limpiras per person. It takes about 20 minutes. Lots of gift shops to browse through.
Take a walk through the Carambola Gardens. Located in Sandy Bay
Tour the Archie’s Iguana Farm Located on French Key
How about swinging through the jungle canopy of West Bay Mountainside.
Horse back riding
Go deep sea fishing
Rent kayaks and go snorkelling with Lighthouse rentals.
Rent a bike, scooter or car to tour the island
Take an organised tour of the east end of the island.
Visit the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences and the Roatan Museum. Located at Anthony’s Key Resort in Sandy Bay.
Walk the beach from West End to West Bay and back, or walk one way and take a water taxi back
Night snorkelling! Borrow a dive light and check out the amazing night life in Half Moon Bay
Don’t forget to plan some time for the beach, and an afternoon of reading in a hammock
The Short History of West End, Roatan & Honduras
Honduras
Bordering on Guatemala to the north, El Salvador to the east, and Nicaragua to the south, Honduras still manages to stretch from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Honduras was a typical banana republic and by 1918, United Fruit Company owned 75% of the nations agricultural land. UFC controlled Honduras for the next four decades, creating tens of thousands of jobs, building schools, hospitals and infrastructure. However, there was little room for democracy. By the 1940’s, disease was ravishing the banana crops and exports were dropping. The days of the banana bosses ended. Today Hondurans have enjoyed democratic government for over 65 years.
Bay Islands
The Bay Islands make up the lower end of the Campechee Reef that stretches all the way down from Cozumel, Mexico. The Isla Bahia’s major islands include Utila, Roatan and Guanaja, with the Cayos Cochinos between the mainland and Roatan, each with its own slightly different Caribbean flavor. The Bay Islands colorful history has left them ethnically and linguistically distinct from the mainland. Originally claimed by Spain in 1502, Puritans from Maryland were the first to colonize the Islands in 1638. Britain and Spain continued to fight over the islands right through the 18th century. In 1852, the British tried to annex the islands to Belize but due to protests by the Americans, the island chain was turned over to Honduras.
Roatan is the largest and most populous (approaching 90 thousand) of the Bay Islands as well as the most developed. Roatan has an International Airport and a thriving fishing fleet in French Harbor. Coxen Hole is the largest town on the island and the capital of the Bay Islands as well as our commercial center. Coxen Hole is also where the cruise ships dock, bringing millions of day visitors to the island every year. Oak Ridge is a town literally on the water, with most homes built on stilts and where everything moves by boat. Be sure to check out the Iguana farm near French Harbor where about 500 green iguanas roam freely protected from poaching.
West End is still the laid back capitol of the islands, few activities involve wearing shoes, and even shirts are usually optional. West End was a happy little fishing village a mere 12 to 15 years back with nary a tourist in site. I don’t remember any cement buildings when I arrived 8 years back and there were less than a dozen trucks then. Whether what has happened to West End is good or bad will be left for future generations to debate. In the past very few years electricity has arrived. Telephones and cable TV were next and the construction has been non stop. West End today is a mixed bag of foreign and local owned business vying to serve your needs. A veritable Club Med full of activities, without the barb wire to keep customers from wandering off.
Myths of Investing and Living on Roatan
I have always viewed investing to be a close cousin to gambling. The same rule applies, don’t bet more than you can afford to lose! Real-estate people are quick to tell you of how fast property values are going up and how wonderful it is to live in paradise. You can never loose money on real-estate! Yeah right!
1) Property values double every year!
If that were true, the lodge would be worth more than fifty million dollars today. Property value on Roatan goes up and down with the seasons just like everywhere else. Values may appear low by some standards, but there are few services and little developed infrastructure.
2) You can live here for next to nothing!
You can live very cheaply here if you work at it and are willing do without a lot of the things you’re used to. Everything from groceries to internet and electricity will cost exponentially more than you are used to. Importing involves shipping costs, duty, customs and a whole lot of waiting around. Low taxes are a nice draw but with extremely limited government services you will likely need a private security service. You will have to travel for medical and dental needs and you will need to radically alter your lifestyle.
3) You can never lose investing in real estate!
Some of the worse case stories we are hearing these days involve property access. Very few secondary roads are owned by the government, they are property in private hands and access can be cut off or restricted in a heart beat. Where does your property value go if you can only reach it by helicopter? The next favorite trick is to sue a property owner when they are off the island. If the bogus case makes it into court before you even hear about it, and are not available to defend the case, you lose by default! Buying and living on Roatan, like anywhere else, involves doing a lot of homework.
4) It is such a simple stress free lifestyle!
Nothing happens fast. It takes huge amounts of patience to stand in line at the bank for a few hours every month to pay bills. There is little in the way of Fire, Police or Medical services available on Roatan. You are on your own here! No 911, no 24 hour plumbers, no Mr. Goodwrench. That is one of the challenges I like, but it’s not for everyone. The government has no resources to enforce laws or regulations, some people view that as a freedom, others have run screaming after a few months. It is definately a hostile business environment.
5) Anyone can move here!
The tourist visa you were issued when you arrived is good for thirty days. It can be renewed twice on the mainland (not possible on the island) but after that you will have to leave Honduras, and its bordering countries, then reenter and start over. Alternatively with a substantial investment or proof of retirement income, you can apply for residency. Work permits are only offered to those possessing extraordinary job skills.
Some Final Words
"As tourists we hope that the quaint anachronism we have discovered will always remain “Unspoiled” as fixed as a museum piece for our inspection. It is perilous, however, to assume that its inhabitants long for the same. Indeed, a kind of imperial arrogance underlies the assumption that the people of a developing world should be happier without the TV’s and motorbikes we find so indispensable.If money does not buy happiness, neither does poverty. "
PICO IYER