The rest of the west is nice too. The main cities are Santa Rosa, Gracias and La Esperanza. You can find a mix of safe party atmosphere, chill nature and quaint cultural city in the western cities.
Santa Rosa is a nice town with shoe shines, good pizza, a cigar festival worth seeing and some decent cafes in the park. Coffee from San Juan is sold there and it is coffee for export and tastier/costly. The best part of it is the park with café, a pool at the top of a hotel, so it should only serve for a quick stay over, rather than a long stay. Still, if you want night life, there are two clubs, rodeos always ahs live music, while flamingos has big name groups often. There are two pubs and one roof top club for the early morning chilling. The best part of this city, is that everything is a 5 minute walk, so taxis and crime is not a problem. It is also not too hot, nor cold, so in my opinion it is one of the best cities to go out on the town eat, drink and enjoy a Honduran Thursday night, as everything is half price.
Gracias would be my next stop with celaque right behind it, la campa with is magnificent church and clay craftsmen, and two hot springs. The city has little to offer, minus the park and a market. The café in the park is not quality, yet the view is. There is a famous jelly lady 4 blocks up from the park on the right. The best cheap hotel is Erik, not cheap but 200+, while Don juan is your luxury hotel with a decent restaurant. The best mix of quality with price ($25 lps500) is Guancasco on the hill. It has good food and the best view, while being knowledgeable on both hikes/guides and being informed on much. It lies right below the castle, which is a nice sun set spot for couples and a good view.
Celaque can be climbed after an hour taxi ride or hitchhike. The ride can cost as low as 120 and go to 200. I usually pay around 160. The hike takes some time, with the easiest being the stroll along the waterfalls and back, while the shortest is the view of the waterfall, which is not always visible. The most rewarding is at least a climb to the orange camp, as that is where the growth reaches its peak and moss, trees and everything is most impressive. The summit leaves much to be desired, as you can see nothing due to clouds and fog, while the accent is lovely. The first camp site near the old farmstead is the largest and best suited for camping, while the higher orange camp is small and fits at most 3 people and the site gets very cold near freezing. The best accent is a two day hike from Belen, which takes you by a lake, along more of the impressive 2,000m+ cloud forest. The entire hike is tiring and takes some 9 hours up and some 4-5 hours down. The best view and a shorter hike follows the ridge of the gallo or rooster, which gives views of gracias and the top, while not being as far and densely covered with clouds and trees.
After the long hike, the best thing to do is relax at the hot springs with a cabin to make it fun without any annoyance from cell phone calls. The hot springs are great; the two together are nice, only pay for the one, despite the bottom one being different. The bottom one is cheaper, so if you want to save money go through it, if you are a foreigner, while locals pay less for the one above, as it is state run and pc created. The water is not that hot, minus one pool, and usually is packed with locals drinking and splashing around. There are some cabins above these hot springs, which are ideal for a get away and relaxing weekend or trip. The other hot spring is half way to santa rosa and harder to get to, as well as being more costly. It is hotter and emptier, yet I have never been there.
La Esperanza is the capital of the Lencas or the largest historical ethnic group of Honduras. It is the coolest city with a definite Native American feel, noticeable in the faces of the locals. The best hotel is ipsahna, while there are plenty of cheap varieties around 10, the ipsahna makes your 25 go a long way for comfort and a good experience. The park and mayor’s office has some nice things to see, along with the church and castle like falling apart police headquarters. Otherwise, the Gruta or the holy shrine, where lempira hid and the Catholics converted a tribal holy site into their own, is impressive to see at night or during the day, as it provides a great view of the city, a small walk up and a place to view the entire city. The baths are nothing special, while the holes are not very easy to find, ie the locals do not know where they are. (Good luck at finding them) The market is the best part of la Esperanza, as it stretches many blocks and is not the one near any bus stop, which has better produce, albeit for those rich and quickly grabbing something before leaving. They both have good produce and are interesting to see. The best restaurants are el fuegon a more expensive very American Honduran bar with dancing and decent food; and Hacienda Lenca, which is behind the church at the back of the park in a bit out of the way door, has a nice patio great food, decent prices, free chips and dip (Honduran style beans/cheese) and locals love it. The city is safe, cool, with umil a great souvenir shop of local poor ladies making and selling their own products. This is near the market heading south and most know of its location. Otherwise, it is best to get away from the heat, relax and see how Honduras was or a look back at the Indian way of life.
I would recommend at least 1 day in Gracias or up to 3. You must climb the mountain and perhaps sleep there, while the springs and a walk through the park are necessary, when not a trip to la Campa. Santa Rosa could be a nice night out for fun and La Esperanza need not be a full day either. Still, you can always take a day to visit coffee farms in San Juan or its famous waterfalls and PCVs knowledgeable on all things Honduras. Gracias alone would be a two day three night stay. The rest are not musts, yet obviously worth a visit.
What have I missed or would you recommend? Did you find a better place to stay, eat or visit? Do know anything about the other hot spring…?
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