9 years
Hi Mel, welcome to the Forum! We're happy to have you here.
Your hostel looks like the kind of place where backpackers come for a weekend and then stay for the summer.
Roatan Backpackers' Hostel, on the island of Roatan, Honduras
Introduce Your Hostel
Hi All,
I discovered this site a few months ago, and have enjoyed reading through a few of the threads, but hadn't yet posted an introduction.
Our hostel, Roatan Backpackers' Hostel, has been open about 3 1/2 years, growing a bit each year. We're located on the beautiful Caribbean island of Roatan, off the coast of Honduras. My name is Mel, I'm the owner, and live on property with my two boys. The hostel has dorms and private loft rooms with a communal kitchen, as well as private apartments, including our one-bedroom cando, which is a converted shipping container. We have a beautiful pool and patio area in the back, surrounded by lush tropical gardens, including banana trees, and have an oceanview deck up top. I've been moving towards sustainability, with installing solar hot water heaters, and a solar energy system as our principal energy source (adding to it as $ allows), and installing a well.
We're about a 3 min walk from the Sandy Bay beach, and 5 min to a botanical gardens, and to the dolphins at Anthony's Key. The closest dive shop is around a 10 min walk away, and West End is a 10 min bus ride.
The hostel is a wonderful place, filled with an interesting mix of people- I love it! The front porch is a great spot for socializing, there are benches lining the porch, and a collection of board games in the kitchen.
I really enjoy projects, so I'm always looking for new ideas on improving the hostel.
Hope some of you will be able to head our way sometime! www.RoatanBackpackers.com
- Comments
9 years
Thanks Brian. You're right, we have some guests who end up staying quite a long time (one started off with a 3 night booking, ended up staying several months, and then bought property and built a house on the island!). It's such a nice atmosphere, kind of like extended family :)
9 years
He bought a property and built his own house? That takes extending his stay to a whole new level.
Did he keep coming around to hang out at the hostel once he had his own place, or did he make his own friends and immerse himself in the local community? I ask because we have a lot of foreign students who stay with us until they find an apartment. After that, a lot of them want to spend their time with us and keep living as if they were still hostel guests instead of branching out on their own. Sometimes they're fine, other times they overstay their welcome very quickly.
9 years
Actually, he's the first of 3 guests that have now brought property (he was about 2 1/2 yrs ago, then the next one was a year and a half ago, and the 3rd one a few months ago- she hasn't moved yet, just bought a piece of land that she eventually wants to build on). The first two developed their own social networks (I hear from the 1st one now and then if he wants some advice on where to find something or a recommendation for a worker). There are also a few past guests that have stayed on the island, found a long-term place etc, and I just hear from them every once in awhile. If we have a party, they get on the invite list :)
Over the last 3 1/2 years that I've been open, I've just had 3 guests that were really horrible (all were around for several months, the first guy was younger, but the other 2 were both in their 40s or maybe early 50s, I think some mental health issues with both- one I had to ask to leave, the other left without telling me, and without settling up on the last week and a half of her stay- went somewhere else on the island and stayed a few more months, and the few times our paths crossed, kept telling me she'd come back to pay me, and of course never did). Fortunately, they are by far the minority, and we've had so many amazing guests, ones that I still keep in touch with.
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