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San Pedro Sula Honduras-Vacation Begins Here
Map of San Pedro Sula Honduras (off site)
Why San Pedro Sula?
The city of San Pedro Sula
makes for the
best arrival and departure
point,
regardless of destination within Honduras.
Whether traveling to Roatan or the Mosquitia; Copan Ruinas to La Ceiba or La
Esperanza -- San Pedro Sula is both the logical and logistical starting point for Honduras
travel. Why start
there?
● San Pedro Sula offers more flights to Roatan than does Tegucigalpa,
the capital of Honduras.
● San Pedro Sula
sits squarely in the center of the Sula valley. Most of Honduras'
commerce and traffic travel through the Sula valley.
● Land travel within
Honduras is
much easier
if you begin in San Pedro Sula. Tegucigalpa, an option, requires more backtracking if your
final leg of the trip is in the Bay Islands. San Pedro Sula sits equidistant between Copan Ruinas and
La Ceiba (and on to the Bay Islands). This
Honduras map will help
you see the point. From Tegucigalpa to Copan requires a bus trip to San Pedro
Sula and then back up to Copan Ruinas.
(If you are going to travel to Tegucigalpa, Eric Timar's articles on
Tegucigalpa travel on our website will be
helpful. Eric makes some compelling reasons for traveling to
Tegucigalpa).
A tip? How can you grab another night
in Roatan? Easy. Arrange
your return flight home from Honduras
at Noon or later, leaving Roatan on a
morning commuter flight in time to catch your flight out of SPS or Tegus.
● If you begin your
travels in San Pedro Sula, more time
is available to visit and spend quality time at the
Museum of
Anthropology and History. The museum is a must-see for Honduras history
or culture buffs.
Things to Do in San Pedro Sula
Before leaving San Pedro Sula,
consider the following as good
opportunities. Always take a cab after dark:
▪ Restaurants
- Many excellent restaurants in San Pedro Sula, with a variety of ethnic flavors, are located
in the
Zona Viva.
We had conch ceviche and a fish platter at Chef Mariano's, a Garifuna
restaurant. It was superb.
▪ Soccer
(Fútbol). Professional soccer is played in more that one part of San
Pedro Sula. Your front desk can help you locate the closer stadium.
▪ Shopping
for Leather Goods: San Pedro Sula offers several choices but many
recommend Danilo's for
leather goods.
▪ Parque
Central - Central Park, like all Central
American parks, is a wonderful place to find a Pepsi, a bench, and a shade
tree. Take time just to "people watch." Sometimes, marimba bands
will be playing at the noon hour. Downside? Too many gringo-like
cafeterias immediately adjacent to the park. They miss the mark on
Honduran authenticity but yet they remain busy. Go figure.
For an inexpensive lunch, try Antojitos Mexicanos, right above the Expresso
Americano on the square. Cholesterol city.
The cathedral
in San Pedro Sula sits at the east end of the park but isn't all that
architecturally interesting. The front doors were locked at 12.15pm,
so I don't know what the stained glass or interior offer. Not to
worry. You will find many a church open elsewhere, if that is your
interest. (The city of
Gracias, Honduras has as much historical church architecture as any area
in the country).
▪ Handicrafts,
nicknacks, cigars, rum, vanilla -
Guamilito
Market is the largest market for the take-home gifts.
The
Guamilito Market (mercado) offers just about everything under the
sun, including a dozen tortillas to go, made right before your eyes.
If you can't find something,
you just aren't looking.
I personally
would encourage you to shop the Casa del Sol,
immediately south of the market, before buying at Guamilito.
They are a smaller shop and the goods seemed to be a higher quality.
Reasonably priced.
Take time for a latte
under the umbrellas at La Plazita, right next to Casa del Sol. A
cigar and coffee store
with an excellent selection is within the small grouping of shops. The woman owner is a
gracious woman who is willing to share ideas on what to see in Honduras.
Introduce yourself.
▪ Malls
-
Finally,
for those of you who can't do without, there are 3 malls in San Pedro
Sula.
Both
MegaPlaza or
Mulitplaza will provide the 'mall fix' and you can
continue on with your journey. As well, "City Mall" opened in November 2005 in San Pedro Sula and boasts of
225 shops as well as 8 movie theaters, 7 banks,
24 fast-food restaurants
and 4 standard restaurants.
▪ Art -
By all means, look for some. We enjoy
buying one distinct, unique, quality piece of art home from every trip.
One place you might try looking for one is at the
MAYMO Art Gallery (3rd paragraph down in linked article).
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