Western Caribbean with Mexico

From soft sandy beaches to famous 19th century architecture, experience a taste of Texas history in a Victorian setting. Galveston Island is Texas’ top historic resort destination, offering 32 miles of beaches, fine hotel accommodations, superb restaurants, shopping, art galleries, a championship golf course and more.

The sleepy fishing village of Mahahual is your gateway to Costa Maya. Here in the dense tropical forest and mangrove thickets of the southern Yucatan flourished the great Mayan civilization. During the Classic Period (200 – 1000 B.C.), the Maya erected elaborate stone cities of stepped pyramids, plazas, and palaces. Keen astronomers, they also developed a sophisticated mathematics, a highly accurate calendar, and a complex system of writing. Then, this fascinating culture literally disappeared as the Maya deserted their city complexes for the jungle interior. Today, visitors to Costa Maya can explore the ruins of the once great cities of Kohunlich, Dzibanché, and Chacchoben.

Roatan, the largest of the Bay Islands of Honduras, is noted for its pristine coral reefs, beautiful beaches, lush tropical foliage, and friendly people. Christopher Columbus discovered the islands in 1502 while on his fourth voyage and over the years it has been controlled by both the British and Spanish, as well as pirates and traders. The first permanent population of Roatan originated from the Cayman Islands, arriving in the 1830s shortly after the end of slavery in British colonies. Today, the population is about 30,000. The main town and capital of the municipality is Coxen Hole. Roatan is a long, narrow island measuring 37 miles in length, located about 30 miles from the northern Honduran mainland. The island has a mountainous backbone that provides for some excellent hiking opportunities, panoramas and lush scenery. Surrounded by warm Caribbean waters, this hilly island (frequented by diving enthusiasts) is picturesque, unspoiled and can take claim to being one of the region’s fastest developing destinations.

Located at the base of the Yucatan Peninsula, Belize offers travelers a wealth of attractions. The country’s dense rain forest is dotted with Mayan ruins. The forest is also home to a wide range of tropical wildlife, ranging from jaguars and ocelots to keel-boated macaws and howler monkeys. Offshore, the world’s second largest barrier reef offers some of the finest diving in the world. And Belize’s easygoing ways, a legacy of its past as a British colony, feels far more akin to a small Caribbean island than a Central American republic.

Mayan myth claims that Cozumel was home to the gods. Truly Cozumel is a place fit for the gods, with its dazzling white-sand beaches, ruined Mayan temples, exotic jungle wildlife, and crystalline waters teeming with tropical fish. Just offshore lay Palancar Reef, considered one of the most spectacular coral formations in all the Caribbean. Of course, the gods weren’t the only individuals attracted to this terrestrial paradise: during its long and colorful history, Cozumel has been home to pirates, buccaneers, and freebooters, including Sir Henry Morgan and Jean Lafitte. Today’s traveler will discover the same ravishing beauty and relaxation that entertained gods and pirates alike.

From soft sandy beaches to famous 19th century architecture, experience a taste of Texas history in a Victorian setting. Galveston Island is Texas’ top historic resort destination, offering 32 miles of beaches, fine hotel accommodations, superb restaurants, shopping, art galleries, a championship golf course and more.