Located in the western Caribbean off the coasts of Honduras and Belize, the Honduras Bay Islands are one of the few unspoiled tropical paradises left on earth. They consist of the islands of Roatan, Utila, Guanaja and over 60 islets sitting atop the world’s second largest barrier reef.

The Bay Islands have long attracted an eclectic mix of settlers who make up the spicy cultural soup that flavors the Bay Island experience.

While Spanish is spoken on mainland Honduras, the primary language on the Bay Islands is a creole-flavored English that reflects their history as a Caribbean melting pot.

The islands were inhabited by an active indigenous culture when Columbus first set foot on Guanaja during his fourth voyage to the New World. During the 1600s, pirates like Henry Morgan, Coxen, Morris and Van Horn used the island as a base for raiding Spanish ships. They hid their ships in the coves on Roatan, spending time hunting and fishing and lazing about in the tropical sun.

The islands became depopulated after the Spanish arrived, but where re-settled first by the Garifuna, a Caribbean ethic group descended from native Caribbeans and African people. They were followed by British-descended settlers from the Cayman Islands, who set up colonies in Utila, Roatan and Guanaja. At various times in their history, the islands were claimed by Britain, Spain and the Dutch United Provinces.

Today the Bay Islands have become one of the Caribbean's top dive and vacation destinations because of their large reef system and great variety of corals and sponges. The water features good visibility, little current and over 800 species of fish. Diving depths vary from reefs in 15 feet of water to sea mounds that slope down 200 feet.

Dedicated dive resorts on the islands are abundant. Most are designed to blend in with the island environment, and none are built higher than the tallest palm tree.

While diving is the main attraction, there is much more to see and do on the Bay Islands, including horseback riding, sea kayaking, nature parks or just lying on the beach. With all this, the Bay Islands are truly an ideal destination for anyone in search of a complete Caribbean experience.