Honduras for a bargain
 

If you are looking for a really good Latin American trip with great views go to Honduras. The country is very, very poor which means if you want a great hotel, don't go. But if you can deal with a C+ to a B- hotel, you will find fantastic bargains here with fantastic mountains and a couple of FANTASTIC scuba / beach options on the Atlantic coast.

Agree with your posting, ONCE you get there. The airfares are normally very high, however, except for out of Miami because of SolAir competition. Copan and Roatan are great places, however, difficult to get there due to lousy connections out of the mainland to Roatan and the 2 plus hour drive from San Pedro Sula to Copan. ONCE you get to Roatan, the waters and diving are great and ONCE you get to Copan, the Mayan ruins are a spectacular, pristine example of Mayan culture.