Tela Honduras is justly famous for its beaches, the best in mainland Honduras. Tela vacations provide an opportunity for relaxation and repose in a mellow coastal city.

Spanish conquistadors founded Tela Honduras on May 3, 1524. In the early 1900s, the city became a center for banana farming and a powerbed for both banana industrialists and organized agricultural labor. Today in Tela tourism provides much of the economy.

Many Garifuna communities surround Tela Honduras. The Garifuna people are descended from slaves brought over from Africa, South American Caribs, and indigenous people from the Caribbean Islands. In 1797, the British deported a group of about 5,000 Garifuna to Roatan Island. From here, the Garifuna settled other Bay Islands and coastal areas on the mainland. Today, there are about 300,000 Garifuna scattered across Belize, Honduras, and the United States.

Visits to some of the surviving Garifuna communities make great day trips on Tela vacations. Tornabe and Triunfo de la Cruz (the original name of Tela) are within easy reach. Within the city itself, the Garifuna Museum is one of the best Tela Honduras attractions; its shop sells good examples of Garifuna art and sculpture.

The best of all Tela Honduras attractions are the beaches, which stretch around the town in both directions. The town beach in Tela Veija (old Tela) is a center of Tela tourism, but sometimes gets a little crowded. The beach around the Villas Telemar, a prime Tela hotel in the new city, is one of the best in Central America. Perhaps even better are the white sand beaches just down the coast in the Jeanette Kawas National Park.

The Villas Telemar Tela Hotel is the leading light of Tela tourism. In addition to the superb beach, there are two huge pool complexes, luxury hotel rooms, private villas, tennis courts, a complimentary golf course for guests, and some great restaurants. This megaresort is a great place for Tela vacations.

For a less expensive Tela hotel, look for a place in the old town. Mariscos, Rio Mar, and Sherwood are all reasonably priced Tela hotels right on the old town beach. If you do not mind being a few blocks from the beaches, you can find a cheaper Tela hotel for as little as $20 a night: Hotel Sinai and Hotel Bertha’s are good choices for inexpensive Tela vacations.

One of greatest Tela Honduras attractions is the food. Be sure to try one of the many seafood restaurants in town: the conch soup is a regional specialty. Visit a Garifuna food stall and try some pan de coco, delicious sweet coconut bread.

Tela Honduras is an easy drive or bus ride from La Ceiba and the airport at San Pedro Sula, where many flights to Honduras arrive. Tela is great place to visit in northern Honduras.