Utila travel guide

Air

Sosa, T452-3161, http://www.aerolineasosa.com, flies on Mon, Wed and Fri to La Ceiba, US$50. Also to Roatán (US$40), San Pedro (US$51) and Tegucigalpa (US$64). Atlantic Air, have 3 flights a week to La Ceiba. There is local transport between airport and hotels.

Boat

Ferry services on the Princess Utila, La Ceiba- Utila at 0930 and 1600, and Utila-La Ceiba at 0620 and 1400. Automatic ticketing US$21. Dock fee required when leaving Utila (US$1)

Cycling

Bike hire about US$5 per day. Try Delco Bike.

Banks

Dollars are accepted on the island and you can pay for diving courses with dollars, TCs and credit cards, although the latter carry an 8-10% charge. Banco Atlántida Mon-Fri 0830-1530, Sat 0830-1130. HSBC Mon-Fri 0830-1530, Sat 0830-1130, changes dollars and gives cash against a Visa, but not MasterCard. There are now 2 ATM machines on the island. Thompson’s Bakery and Henderson’s Shack (next to La Cueva) will change dollars and TCs. Michel Bessette, owner of Paradise Divers, does Amex, Visa and MasterCard advances plus 8%.

Internet

Annie’s Internet, near the dock, 0800-1730, closed Sat, extortionate at US$0.15 per min. Seaside Internet, next to Seaside Inn, Mon-Fri 0900-1400 and 1600-1800. Also Internet Café on road to Mango Inn, Mon-Sat 0900-1700. Mermaids offers good internet service for reasonable prices.

Language schools

Central American Spanish School, T425-3788, http://www.ca-spanish.com. 20 hrs per week instruction, 4 hrs per day, US$125 for 1st week, US$100 each subsequent week, Accommodation and food US$100 per week, just accommodation US$50 per week. Also have schools on Roatan and La Ceiba.

Medical services

Utila Community Clinic (Mon-Fri 0800-1200), has a resident doctor.

Post

office

At the pier opposite Captain Morgan’s Dive Centre, Mon-Fri 0800-1200, 1400-1600, Sat 0800-1100.

Telephone

Hondutel office, Mon-Fri 0700-1100 and 1400-1700, Sat 0700-1100, is near Utila Lodge. The main service is reported as unreliable. Hondutel sends (and receives) faxes. The REMAX office in the Mango Tree business building offers phone calls and most internet places offer Skype services.