If you take a Honduras vacation Puerto Cortes is a place you should visit. Puerto Cortes Honduras is to residents of the small Central American country what Long Island is to New Yorkers or the Cote d'Azur (French Riviera) is to Parisians. Hondurans from San Pedro Sula and other major cities flock here for weekend getaways and a chance to spend some time relaxing on the beach.

For American or European travelers considering a Honduras vacation Puerto Cortes is a town to consider. Situated on the Atlantic coast, near the border with Guatemala, Puerto Cortes Honduras is the nearest beach town to San Pedro Sula, where most flights to Honduras arrive and depart.

Spanish colonists founded Puerto Cortes Honduras in 1524. The deep-water port soon became one of the most important in Central America. Today Puerto Cortes remains one of the busiest ports in the Caribbean; factory and agricultural products from across northern Honduras are shipped from here to the United States and elsewhere.

Puerto Cortes Honduras is in the heart of Garifuna country. The Garifuna people are descended from African slaves and Caribbean islanders. Their ancestors were exiled to Roatan Island by the British in 1797 and settled throughout the Bay Islands and northern Honduras. Several Garifuna towns near Puerto Cortes are worth visiting. Baja Mar to the east is the host of an annual Garifuna festival celebrating the Garifuna culture. Held July 9 through 24, this is one of the most unique Honduras events.

Finding a Honduras Puerto Cortes hotel is easy except during another Honduras event, the holy week (Semana Santa) before Easter. The Hotel Playa is the Honduras Puerto Cortes hotel with the best beach. A longtime favorite, Mr Greers Hotel, is now getting a bit run down, but it's still reasonably priced (it is worth spending a few extra dollars for an air conditioned room). The Buenos Aires is another good Honduras Puerto Cortes hotel, about 10 blocks from the Parque Central. El Centro, its sister hotel near the bus terminal, is also a good bet.

For anyone on a Honduras vacation Puerto Cortes makes a good base. The beaches at Puerto Cortes are quite satisfactory, but there are some better spots just down the coast in Oama (west) and Travesia (east). The larger cities of Tela and La Ceiba are farther to the east. Puerto Cortes is also a good stop on a larger Central American vacation. There are ferry rides to Belize twice a week and the Guatemalan border is 30 miles away.

Puerto Cortes has long been popular with Hondurans. Visitors should also put it on the itinerary for a Honduras vacation.