Why Roatan?

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For the majority of residential expats, English is often the only common language.At the Roatan Municipalidad everyone is speaking English.  However, if you are dealing with a Federal Government entity and/or a business which is headquartered on the mainland you may find it difficult to communicate without some basic Spanish.  

Roatan “islanders” are originally from Cayman and they consider English to be their mother tongue. 

The Garifuna people have their own language – a mixture of Arawok, French and West African – but this is slowly dying out and the younger generation no longer learn it. The Garifuna community mostly speak English, Spanish or Garifuna. 

Increasingly Spanish-speaking people from the mainland are migrating to Roatan for the relative prosperity and safety engendered by the tourism economy.  There are now large communities on the island where only Spanish is spoken, but they are very eager to learn English, as it usually results in higher paying jobs in tourism..  

The island rests on an exposed ancient coral reef, rising to about 270 metres (890 ft) above sea level. Because Roatán lies on the southern edge of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, the second-largest barrier reef in the world, many locals as well as visitors seek out Roatan for it's amazing snorkeling and scuba diving. Roatan is also home to 2 cruise ship ports, where daily visitors and locals alike enjoy the warm waters, white sand beaches, hiking, boating, fishing and other water activities. The island is home to many animal rescues, where iguanas, sloths, monkeys, tropical birds, dogs, cats, and other wild and domestic animals are cared for.

The wet season / rainy season takes place in the following months: January, July, August, October, November and December. This is the time of year where the majority of Roatan's annual precipitation occurs.
September has an average maximum temperature of 32°C (90°F) and is the hottest month of the year.
The coolest month is January with an average maximum temperature of 28°C (82°F).

October tops the wettest month list with 440mm (17.3in) of rainfall.
April is the driest month with 56mm (2.2in) of precipitation.

Roatan experiences mild humidity when temperatures reach 90°F. These temperatures are comparable to the southern regions of the United States. The dew point is a better indicator of comfort. Roatan does not have a season of drought, also known as the "dry season." Travelers from the US are usually pleased to learn that weather in Roatan is far more pleasant than you might find during the summer elsewhere. 

Many people who think about a Caribbean Island envision hurricanes, but because of how Roatan is positioned, the island experiences little to no effects of hurricanes. The last real hurricane damage done to Roatan was Hurricane Mitch in 1998. The trajectory of that storm made it's path quite atypical, causing damage to mostly Guanaja and the mainland of Honduras.