• 1. Where to Stay
• 2. Where to Eat
• 3. What to Do
• 4. Insider’s Tip
• 5. An Oddball Day

Camp Bay Beach, located just past the local village of Diamond Rock on the island's far north coast, is completely undeveloped—a postcard-perfect, two-mile-long strand of deserted beach. To get there, rent a four-wheel-drive Geo Tracker at Best Car Rental at the airport or from Sandy Bay Rent-a-Car (504-445-1925) in the West End, and head down the dirt road past the local village of Diamond Rock on the island’s far north coast (if you get lost, just ask a local). Pick up picnic fare at the tiny Woody’s grocery in West End or at the larger Eldon’s in French Harbour and lunch under the shady coconut palms.

Copán, on the Honduran mainland, has some of the world’s oldest Mayan ruins (less trafficked than the ones you’ve seen in Mexico). To see them, carry some well-concealed cash to pay off local guides, and take a flight to the industrial city of San Pedro Sula. From there, hire a driver to take you along the winding, two-and-a-half-hour drive up the mountains. At the ruins, hire a guide to hear history and legend alike, and pay an extra fee to go through the tunnels. Make a day of it by taking a tuk-tuk from the ruins to Macaw Mountain, where rescued parrots and other exotic birds are kept at a serene nature park. Then tuk-tuk over to the town of Copán Ruinas, where a local market sells traditional black and beige pottery made by the Cuenca Indians as well as hand-embroidered shirts. Stay the night at the ecofriendly, solar-powered Hacienda San Lucas, just above town—you can watch the sun set behind the mountains of Guatemala while dining on local fare at the hotel restaurant.

Get tips on dive spots and deals at Scubaboard.com's forums.

Learn travel and diving safety tips from other travelers on Scubatoy's forum.

Caribbean Travel Forum's Roatan page has a helpful compilation of links to other tourism Websites and forums.

For the inside track, read the Honduras Newspaper and Magazine Directory, which links to local news sources.

Related:

• Archive: “Weekend Travel”
• Articles by Melissa Burdick Harmon