La Ceiba

[Maltrufio]

Harmless,

Condoms are everywhere in La Ceiba. Didn't see Trojan, but Durex is in every gas station, convenience store, etc. And you have to have your own, none of the girls carry them.

[Harmless]

How easy - or difficult - is it to find brand-name condoms (i.e., Trojan, Durex, etc.) in La Ceiba? At night? Any good late-night pharmacies?

I suppose I could buy them before leaving, but then I run the risk of my significant other finding them on my luggage, which would lead to "oh, I thought you were going to be alone on this trip???" -you get the idea.

If buying them in La Ceiba is too much trouble, does anyone know if it's possible to find them at Miami International, before my flight?

Thanks guys!

[Generous Gent]

Long time lurker, first post - Zona Viva seems to have quieted down (February 04) compared to a year ago. Plenty of abandoned property - but something must be happening - there are hotels going up everywhere, from the Zona Viva to Naranjal.

Women are everywhere - if you can't get laid in Ceiba, you're not really trying. Cheap too, average about 200-300 Liem unless they figure you for more. And that's desperation, there is an abundance of free stuff out there. Try a little conversation with the ex-pat's who live there and see the difference. At least you'll know what it is you're getting into.

Four trips for me in the last year and another in May, I'm looking forward to carnaval. Being from New Orleans, I've about 100 lbs. of collectable type Mardi Gras beads (not float stuff) which will hopefully pay my bar tab, among other things.

[Michael1967]

wow. that's horrible. i knew la ceiba was going downhill, but that sounds terrible. flamingos is about 1.5 miles down the road from the partenon. it's by cherries discoteca. there is an outdoor hamburger place about 1/4 of a block away. don't eat there, it's the only time i've gotten sick from the food in la ceiba. i guess i won't be going back there soon. i wanted to go next month but i think i'll go to south america instead.

the partenon being for sale is not a surprise. i'm surprised the owner hasn't burned it down. he's burned down the other enterprises that he's had that were unprofitable (allegedly). my last trip there he had just burned down a section of the older part of the hotel, the section that had the strip club (allegedly) . i usually pay about 17 or 18 us a night at the partenon (with a discount), if they gave you the room for $14, they must really be doing poorly.

if you are in the new section, be concerned about people climbing over to your balcony and getting into your room through the back door. the last room i had, had a locking iron gate as a balcony door. they charged me $5 for the key to this door. if you're in the old section, there are ducts that people can club through to go from one room to the other to get into your room.

none of this matters, because i believe (actually, i know) that the staff is part of the theft problem at the partenon...and they have keys. lastly, at night, sometimes women will go knocking on doors, looking for guys to screw them. i believe that security tells them where the single americans are and lets them in for a percentage of the take. this has happened several times, but though it's a blessing...sometimes, you also need to remember that there are no peep holes in the door and there could be a guy with a gun waiting for you when you open the door.

good luck and keep me posted on how it goes. la ceiba used to be a fantastic town to monger in and i've watched it slowly dwindle away to nothing. don't forget to hit the megaplaza and flirt with all the hot, young women. remember, most of them want to marry someone and get out of the country and sex on the first date (sometimes the only date) is not a problem in honduras.

[Zork]

On the hotels: Every taxi driver knew Partenon and La Quinta.
I was not able to find Flamingos or Caribbean Queen.
Found a small hotel named "Caribe" in a side street (3 Av. near 14 de Julio), 5 US$, did not look nice enough to try it.

[Zork]

Update about a night in La Ceiba last week:

Stayed at Partenon which is a steal at 250 Lps/14 US$ with a/c, swimming pool and cable tv. Had no problems with staff. When bringing girls did not go through reception, the guard on the parking lot just waved me ok.
Some rooms are in bad condition, doors show signs of attempts to break in. Chose a room with intact door near the central area. There are two 24h armed guards on duty. There was a sign saying the whole property is for sale.

The area around the hotel is mostly closed restaurants and other properties in disuse. Walking outwards you come past several nightclubs and discotheques, the ones I checked charge high bar fines (1000 Lps) for taking girls out.

Went hunting for street girls. On a wednesday night, found almost nothing. Walked up and down 5-6 blocks each way, streets almost empty at 8-10 pm. Finally met two girls on their way to a club and got a 2 hour deal with one for 400 Lps. Sex was unhurried and not bad.

[Michael1967]

My first year there, Dieter's was the place to hang out. La Ceiba was an amazing city. I would walk from the Partenon to Dieter's or over to Cherries and I was propositioned probably about every 20 feet. The main drag was always packed and I never worried about crime (because I was never alone). I never, ever, took a taxi because the streets were so busy that it would be impossible for someone to rob me.

I could choose and always chose the hottest and then I wouldn't pay more than 250 Lemps (back then it was 9 to 1?). I triple shifted several times and double shifting was normal. Now (and I still plan to be there in April) it's hard to find a extremely hot chick. I'll do much more moving around this time and hit Tegus and other cities.

[Corndog]

"La Quinta has a back/side entrance off of the parking lot. You don't even have to walk by the front desk, so theres nobody to give you shit. There are a couple of guards that wander around the lot. They were pretty cool and used to give me the thumbs up every time I'd bring in a new girl. "

Next time I am down there I will check out the La Quinta. Its hard to find a all around hotel. You know the one where you can bring women back, safe and not get shaked down by either the clerks or the people hanging out front.

"Regarding La Ceiba and Honduras in general, I figured more Americans would have moved in after Maduro became Pres. I guess its not happening. "

The first time I went to La Ceiba was in 96 and the café Verde was still open. It was wild. There was hookers every where. When the café was open, there were hookers in there. Thursday night was the best. The café would be filled and outside there were tons of women that for some odd reason they wouldn’t let them in. of course at that time there was tons of middle age gringos there. Then the woman who owned the gran hotel Ceiba had the café shut down. Also she had a law passed that you cant have a bar within so many feet of a church. Well the French Canadian owners screwed up let their license expire and when they went to renew it they found out they couldn’t. After that I noticed that there was less hookers and less gringos went there. It used to be that 99% of the hookers were Latinas but now it mostly cribs. The whole town has taken a turn. It used to be that Easter was a wild party. Now its still a party but not as wild as before. Everyone has a theory of what happened but I think it was the closing of the café verde that did it. The bia-yich who owns the gran hotel cant live forever. I talked to her once and boy she is nasty.

"Puerto Cortes - I wasn't impressed. I don't think its wilder at all, except on weekends, when everybody from San Pedro Sula escapes the city. Its dead mid-week and it is a little pricier."

One day I was hanging out in Gordos and talking to a ex-pat and he was telling me about Puerto Cortes. He said it was too wild for him and it’s basically a sailor town. What goes with sailors with money to burn, hookers. So everything I know is second hand info. From others they said its ok. The only problem is getting there from La Ceiba. Not a quick ride.

Still all and all, La Ceiba is still a decent town to get laid in. Its nice and laid back.

[Maltrufio]

Corny,

La Quinta has a back/side entrance off of the parking lot. You don't even have to walk by the front desk, so theres nobody to give you shit. There are a couple of guards that wander around the lot. They were pretty cool and used to give me the thumbs up every time I'd bring in a new girl.

Regarding La Ceiba and Honduras in general, I figured more Americans would have moved in after Maduro became Pres. I guess its not happening.

Puerto Cortes - I wasn't impressed. I don't think its wilder at all, except on weekends, when everybody from San Pedro Sula escapes the city. Its dead mid-week and it is a little pricier.

[Corndog]

So I take it the La Quinta doesn’t shake you down when you bring women back. Do they give you the hairy eye ball on some of them?

Now at the Flamingo they have a sign (something like this) that says they don’t allow prostitutes back to the room but if you have a female visitor then the fee is 100 lemps. One time there was this holier then god clerk and he hit me up for some money for his church. I paid him just to get rid of him. Some times the clerks let hookers in and usually wait in the lobby or go around knocking on doors. It wild to get a knock on the door and find some lovely there.

Now there is a hotel near the Parthenon. As you get to the Parthenon, you make a right and then a left. They had one clerk that wanted me to pay full hotel fee to have a woman come back to my room. My answer, screw you I will get a short term room at the Caribbean queen. I never stay there again. Too bad it’s a nice hotel.

As in La Ceiba coming back to what it once was. That is a hard one. I have asked where have all the gringos gone. All I can find out is, some have died, some have moved on. There is not a whole lot of gringos moving in there. Granted its still a fun town with tons of women but not like it was when the cafe verde was open.

Now I have heard that Puerto Cortes is a wild town. Much like La Ceiba was. The only thing is the prices for the women are a little higher.

[Maltrufio]

I stayed in several hotels in La Ceiba while I was looking for an apt and after my lease expired and La Quinta was the best by far. It was the cleanest, safest, and nicest. There is also a guarded back entrance, so getting girls by the front desk is not an issue. Security never once gave me shit or asked for a tip (I gave them some beer a couple of times anyway). The only downside is that the location is not walking distance from the zona. I had a car so this was no problem and there are taxis available, but its nice to walk sometimes.

Also, I had an issue with the Partenon. I chose to stay there for close proximity to Rey de Paella restaurant (is it still there?) I always make my own bed at cheesy hotels when I will be returning for another night. I noticed that the bed would be remade upon return. At first I thought that the maid remade the bed for the hell of it, but after pulling back the sheets and seeing the pubes and cum stains (not mine), it was obvious somebody was using my room while I was at work. Needless to say, I changed hotels.

[Michael1967]

The main reason that I have chosen the Partenon is because I've been there many times and I'm comfortable with it. Also they know me and always give me the same room. One time I was there and I saw a girl that I hadn't seen in a couple of visits, she had considered herself my girlfriend. She acted like she was happy to see me and asked me what room I was in at the Partenon and I told her the same one that I'm always in. Come see me. She had no clue. I told her if I was so special, she'd remember it.

When I first started going to Honduras in 1998(?). The Partenon allowed the public to swim in their pool. The pool had nothing but hookers in bikinis hanging out (except for Sundays when mainly families would show up). I would see someone I like and just give her my room number and 10 minutes later she would be in my room. There would also be school girls that would rent rooms and screw the gringos to get the money to pay for them (yes, I contributed to the cause).

I keep going back to the hotel and La Ceiba because I think that one day everything will return to the pre Hurricane Mitch days. My next trip I will stay at the La Quinta.

[Corndog]

Michael1967,

You got a point there. A few things I have heard about the Partenon.

One guy gave the front desk a few hundred to put in the safe. A few days later he ask for it and it is missing and nobody knows where it is.

Another guy is sleeping in his room and he hears some jiggling at his door. He gets up and opens the door and there is some guy on his knees trying to pick the lock. Of course when he sees my bud, he takes off.

One night I tried to bring two women back to my room and the security guard tried to shake me down.

One time just before Easter I got a room there and they wanted to charge me Easter rate for the whole week (post Easter).

So I never stay there.

Now I stay at the flamingo. Never had a problem or heard of a problem there (so far). Well the only thing I heard of is. Someone had a room that faced the ocean and they didn’t lock that door and someone came in while they were sleeping. I have one of those door alarms. It’s a wedge thing that fits under the door and when someone tries to open the door it goes off.

I do travelers checks and I have the numbers listed on a separate piece of paper and scratch them off as I cash them.

I was thinking of buying one of those locking cables for a bike and locking my luggage to something. Thieves go for something they can steal fast.

[Michael1967]

Corndog,

My first year there, I got my suitcase stolen at the Partenon (has anybody not had something stolen at the Partenon?). It had a fake bottom. I only had about $50 in it and a few cheap pairs of pants so I don't bother with the suitcase anymore.

Michael

[Corndog]

What I do is put everything in my suit case and it is always locked with a combo lock. Usually when we get back to the hotel room she uses the bathroom and that’s my chance to open up the suit case and grab the money and condoms.

I used to leave a couple of condoms next to the bed. But afterwards she usually grabs the unused ones. It is unreal how fast they can steal things. Anything I leave out is usually at the far end of the room, away from the bed, door and bathroom. Like my pants, when I take them off I toss them into the corner. When I go to the bath room I don’t shut the door. If she spends a lot of time in the bathroom, I go in and inspect to see she didn’t steal anything.

I was thinking of buying a bible and hollowing it out and putting my condoms in there. I like to have two or three condoms around just in case. Even if I did that, I still wouldn’t put much in there. These girls talk with each other.