Luxury holidays in Roatán
Long, slender Roatán lies 65 kilometers north of mainland Honduras, and is a Caribbean-lapped island of white beaches, colourful reefs and fragrant pine forests. Most of the locals live on the west of the island, home to its largest town, Coxen Hole; the east is more wild and remote, swathed with mangrove forests and peppered with hidden coves. This side of Roatán was once a haven for pirates, who set up camp here in their thousands, laying low between raids on Spanish treasure ships coming from the New World. Nowadays, treasure-seekers are better off diving among the vibrant reefs, which are teeming with marine life and home to the occasional historic wreck.
When to go
Roatán is coolest from November to April, when the temperature usually bobs around the mid-20s. Things get hotter from May to October, when there’s usually more rain.