Roatan is the largest of eight islands that are collectively known as Las Islas de la Bahia. These islands rest upon the Bonacca Ridge, the result of an enormous crack which runs long the ocean floor, about 40 miles northeast of the north coast of Honduras. Lava from the earth's mantle welled up through this crack and formed the Caribbean plate, which buckled and created the Bonacca Ridge. Roatan is 40 miles long and less than 4 miles wide at its widest point.

The islands have many attractions -- brilliant blue and clear water, palm-fringed beaches cooled by constant tradewinds, exotic plants, and nature trails. One of the finest points about Roatan is the extensive fringing reef system that offers the most spectacular diving and snorkelling in the Western Caribbean. Roatan offers the ultimate getaway. Surrounded by warm Caribbean waters, this hilly island is as picturesque as it is unspoiled.

The warm climate, usually in the '80s, is like the warm greeting you will receive from the friendly inhabitants. The people of Roatan, population of about 30,000, have ancestral origins from eight separate cultures -- English, Spanish, Payan Indians, Garifuna, Afro-Antillean, Anglo-Antillean, Spanish Honduran, and North American.