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Published: June 24th 2009
Utila is a quiet little island just off the carribean coast of Honduras. It is perfect if you are looking for that undiscovered place that is so cool and off the beaten path before the tourist industry takes control and destroys its charm. Part of what keeps the island so peaceful is the relative difficulty of getting here. It's not an easy, packaged travel plan and requires some real intent, but it's worth it. There are really two options for reaching Utila. You can fly into the capital of Honduras, Tegucigalpa, on any major Airline. Tegucigalpa (don't worry, I can't pronounce it either), is a fair reach from the Carribean coast, and I highly recommend making reservations on the regional commuter airline called TACA to the port town of La Ceiba. It's certainly not cheap, but is significantly less painful than the eight hour, non-airconditioned, overly packed bus ride that is otherwise required. Of course, you can charter a nicer bus or van and driver to handle the trip, but by then you may as well take the one hour flight. From the La Ceiba airport, you need a taxi to the ferry landing and then the Utila Princess ferry to
the island. The taxi will be cheap, about $5, but the ferry runs about $40 a head each way. The ferry schedule and information can be found here:
Utila Princess The second option for getting here is to take the direct flight from Houston to the island of Roatan. Roatan is a beautiful place, designed for tourists and really quite expensive. If you are looking for overpriced everything, from drinks to diving, then Roatan is the place for you. It's beautiful and I'll write more about it after our trip there, but for peace, quite, beauty, great diving and an active night life, Utila has it all for half the price and none of the hustlers. Getting from Roatan to Utila requires a sailboat ride that takes about five hours. That makes for a lovely trip if the seas aren't up... Short chartered flights are also available between the two islands, but requires advanced booking.
On the island of Utila, there are a number of hotels, rooms for rent, and even houses for rent if you plan to stay more than a week or two. Housing is not very expensive if you don't mind the lack of room service.
Check online or talk to the locals when you get here. You won't have trouble finding exactly what you need. Food can be expensive relative to the mainland of Honduras, but is still not as bad as most other destinations, and the quality of the food on the island is truly remarkable. There are all kinds of cuisine and some great chefs. I'll write an entire blog on the food in a few days.
There's not much to do on the island other than nap, walk on a beach, eat, and watch sunsets from the deck of your favorite bar. Here are a few images of our trip so far. For those of you who have never seen me shaved, this could come as a shock. I can't dive with a mustache, and leaving only the beard makes me look like an evil villain. But it's worth it for the few weeks we are here. Ahhh... paradise.
Till next time,
Peace.
Greg and Tricia
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Kenna J
non-member comment
Utila creatures
Greg, you look great clean-shaven! That sure is a strange-looking crab, though.