roatan. nyt says it is one of the 53 places to visit is 2008. i have questions!
 

hi. i found an oceanfront villa to die for in roatan but can't find out much about it. we have a 4 and 6 year old and wanted to take them there. water looks calm and lovely, i hear you can swim w/ dolphins, villa comes w/ private pool, can walk to town and restaurants. however i hear the noseeums (sand fleas) are awful and my son has an allergic reaction to them. can anyone fill me in on the island, the climate, when to go and the bug situation. thanks

Lots of mosquitos. I understand malaria precautions are recommended.

We just got home from two weeks in Roatan. There's not much variation in the weather, outside of tropical storms/ hurricane season, it's very moderate. There's a big difference between the clean modern resorts and the towns. You will probably find that the little towns aren't places to wander and shop, like more developed islands. There are sometimes power and water supply issues, and routine power outages overnights are common, to save on the fuel that runs the power plant, most resorts have their own generators. West Bay is the one small village that would be my idea of touristy/little shops, bars and restaurants along the beach. There's an iguana farm and monkey park, but not a lot of off-resort activities for smaller kids. Sand-flies are bad, mosquitos are bad. You HAVE to use a DEET bug repellent. What side of the island is the place you're looking at? Which town is is near? If you're planning on spending most of your time in the pool/water, it is a beautiful island and the people are wonderfully friendly.

Half Moon Bay house. 2 br option. The house is right on the beach in the west end area and has its own pool. here is the link.

http://www.roatanlifevacationrentals...b15d7176d7d914

I believe the house has a generator for power issues and there is a caretaker. I didn't know about water shortages-is that for drinking as well as bathing? Also, when you say mosquitos and sandflies are bad, are they out all day? On the Carolina coast, you have mosquitos in the summer and sandflies in the fall.
We were told we could walk to stores and restaurants.
Thanks for any more advice.

Having visited Roatan 3 times staying at Anthony's Key Resort, I can in Dec., March and May I can tell you the mosquitos are a problem in the early morning (until maybe 9-9:30 and after 3:30-4 or after a shower anytime. It turns out a brief shower is more common (20-30 minutes) is more common than a longer rain, and just before and for the period until the sun has dried thje palms, plants, and sand you will find mosquitos. Sandflies we found mostly after 4:30-5PM but regular replellent (off) kept them away if sprayed liberally. As for mosquitos you really need to use Ben's 100% DEET all over your body, front and back, face and hair and wear no body lotions, perfume, scented hair spray or after shave. Our immunoligist who treats us prior to trips to Asia (BORNEO, MALAYSIA, THAILAND, CAMBODIA,etc. has confirmed to us as recently as March of this year that DEET, even 100% strength for 2-3 weeks will do not harm if you shower twice a day for 2 days after leaving an area requiring the use of DEET.
It's a lovely island with great snorkeling in most spots but not always right off the beach.

If I'm not mistaken, your villa is sitting right out on a spit of land in the middle of West End. A beautiful little spot just steps to the dirt road village of West End.
Bugs love me, and I found the very best thing to deal with the mosquitos and no-see-ums right on the island.
It's a SPF #20 sunscreen and bug repellent in one, called Cactus Juice. It's made in the U.S. but they sell it in the shops on the island. Skip buying it from the gift shop in town - instead head to the little supermarket just up past Sundowners Restaurant in the north end of West End. It's $7 or $8 there. As well, they sell a spray that does not have the sunscreen. Would not leave the villa in the morning unless fully covered in this. Smells very nice and way nicer on the skin than that OFF or other stuff with DEET.
Another thing to consider is to layer on the Skin So Soft products while you're there. We just spent 2 weeks there (and our second time to this wonderful little island)and I took down my own bottle of Skin So Soft (Original scent from Avon) shower gel. Before even leaving the room and going out to the beach in the mornings, I applied the Cactus Juice all over. Then would reapply as needed. Towards the end of the day, I would use just the Cactus Juice spray repellent all over. And in the evenings for a moisturizer after a day in the sun, I used Skin So Soft Original formula moisterizer. And after two weeks there, I got maybe a handful of bites and usually in those areas where I would keep missing to put Cactus Juice on (elbows, that part under the arm where the bathing suit straps shift about, back of my hands).
Be sure to visit West Bay - terrific beach with the best of snorkelling on the south end of the beach by the "wall". You can take a water taxi from West End to West Bay for about $2 per person. The water taxi guys are usually always hanging around across the road from West End Divers.
Don't bother with the mangrove tour at the other end of the island, but do tour it just to see it.
The ziplining canopy tour at South Shore is fantastic - $35 for about 13 lines and it's an absolute hoot. Just call them and they come pick you up and drive you back!
This is an island for scuba divers - so do your research on those sites and you'll learn lots. This is - as yet - a wonderful still unspoiled place.

Twocats, would you mind if I contacted you off line? I am still really interested in going there but have LOTs of questions. thanks