A simplified map of the island, courtesy of travel-roatan.com
Before you get to a place, it's hard to know what it will be like. Roatan is long and thin, with several different communities on the island. On the west side, there's West Bay, which has one of the most beautiful beaches on the island: lovely white sand and turquoise blue water. Unfortunately, West Bay is pretty developed, so there's also tons of lounge chairs lining the beach, filled with lots of tourists (including tons of cruise ship guests during the week), and beach vendors, plying their bracelets, sunglasses and massages- they're very persistent. Many inclusive resorts are along this stretch of beach. It's worth a visit, especially on the weekend, when the cruise ships aren't in, but might not be your scene if you're looking for 'the real Roatan'.
Join the crowds and enjoy the beautiful turquoise water of the Caribbean at West Bay beach. This area can be pricey, but Beachers has some good options for food and drinks (and they let you use their lounge chairs at no charge), and there's a local food stand on the back road behind Bananarama that also has good prices. Stay down on Sun nights to watch the fire dancers.
The next area along is West End. Many travelers love West End. It's a short street that's lined with bars, restaurants, dive shops and gift shops, and has a mix of budget to mid-range accommodations. It is a very touristy area as well, but also has residential areas. Friday night is 'the' night to go out in West End, staying lively until about 2am. West End is more budget friendly than West Bay, but several of the restaurants will still put a considerable dent in your wallet. If you're looking for economical eats, try Rotisserie Chicken, El Boske, Cannibal Cafe, or one of the street vendors. West End also has a beach, Half Moon Bay, which is smaller than West Bay, but is a very nice beach, with some areas of sandy bottom, and others with turtle grass.
Browse the souvenir shops in West End, or head out for a night of drinks and dancing. Popular watering holes include Sundowners, Blue Marlin and Barefeet Bar, and Blue Marlin, Nova and El Boske all have dancing, especially Friday nights. Next, we arrive to Sandy Bay, home sweet home. Sandy Bay is a spread-out neighbourhood, which is mainly residential, but also has a few resorts, such as Tranquil Seas, Blue Bahia, Anthony's Key (with dolphin experiences), as well as the botanical gardens, a few restaurants, and several non-profits. If you're looking for an area where there are more locals than tourists, where you'll get to feel the real pace of life, where you can take a walk on the beach and no one will try to sell you sunglasses or DVDs, Sandy Bay could be the spot for you. A 5 min drive from West End, it's easy enough to get there if you'd like a night out, but far enough away that you won't even notice on the days that a cruise ship is in port. Octopus Divers is located in Sandy Bay, so if you'd like to do some diving, or learn to dive, there's an option in walking distance (and they offer special pricing for hostel guests). There are also several very cheap comedores to sample local food (most of these places look like they're in someone's house, and in many cases, they might be!), as well as restaurants such as Blue Bahia's Beach Grill, The Blue Parrot and the restaurant at Lawson Rock. If you'd like to do volunteering, Care4Communities is a great choice, offering English classes and kids sports in the area called La Colonia, or head a little further east to Partners in Education Roatan, where you can help with homework time, or read to kids in the library. If you've got a medical background, Cinica Esperanza's health care clinic is an amazing place to donate your time.
The Sandy Bay beach is great for taking long walks, and there's amazing snorkeling about a 200 meter swim out. In the shallows, the turtle grass makes wading not quite as enjoyable, but is environmentally important, as it is home to many juvenile fish.
The Sandy Bay beach is great for taking long walks, and there's amazing snorkeling about a 200 meter swim out. In the shallows, the turtle grass makes wading not quite as enjoyable, but is environmentally important, as it is home to many juvenile fish.
Our dog Lily enjoys a Sandy Bay sunset. The beach is just a 3 min walk from the hostel, and is a great spot for taking strolls and discovering all the different fruit trees on the island. The dirt road that runs along the beach will take you past mango trees, cashew trees, seagrape trees and noni trees.
As we journey east, we arrive at Coxen Hole, our 'metropolis'. Coxen Hole is where the municipality is, as well as the post office, several grocery stores, banks, hardware stores, the public hospital, many schools and the market. For most visitors, the market is a bit disappointing- it's not big or colourful like some markets are, and produce can easily be purchased on one of the pick up trucks that drive around selling it from the back, but you might like to wander through town to see what's there. If you'd like to do some clothes shopping, there are many reasonably priced second-hand stores. There is also a cruise ship dock in Coxen Hole, the Port of Roatan, and the airport is located just east of Coxen Hole
On the south side of the island, just before Coxen Hole (Sandy Bay is on the north, so over the hill from it) are the areas of Flowers Bay and Gravel Bay. These areas are mainly residential, and are worth a drive through them.
On the south side of the island, just before Coxen Hole (Sandy Bay is on the north, so over the hill from it) are the areas of Flowers Bay and Gravel Bay. These areas are mainly residential, and are worth a drive through them.
Soak up some local flavour wandering the streets of Coxen Hole.
From Coxen Hole, it's about a 15 min drive to French Harbour. Along the way, you'll pass the dock for the ferry, which runs twice daily between Roatan and La Ceiba, on the mainland of Honduras. Just next to the ferry is the 2nd cruise ship terminal, Mahogany Bay. Past that, you'll go through the area of Los Fuertes, past RECO (the island's power company, which is run on diesel generators), passing by the mall, and then arriving at French Harbour. French Harbour has a grocery store and several banks, and is the main point of departure for fishing, shrimping and lobster boats. A few minutes east of French Harbour is French Cay, home to the iguana farm, a good stop on your tour of the island.
Make friends with these friendly vegetarian reptiles at the Arch Iguana Farm at French Cay.
The paved road continues to just past the community of Oakridge. Oakridge is a picturesque town, with its houses on stilts over the water. It is the departure point if you'd like to do a tour through the mangroves. The mangroves form natural channels, and you can take a scenic boat ride through them.
The twisted, intertwining roots of the mangroves provide a haven for small fish and crabs, and are an important part of our island's ecosystem.
The dirt road can be bumpy and windy as you venture to the east-most point of the road, Camp Bay, but it's worth the drive. By car, it's about a 1 1/2 hour drive to reach Camp Bay from Sandy Bay, so you should plan to make a day of your explorations. Sandy Bay has a beautiful, long beach, and there's very few people ever there, so chances are, you'll have the beach to yourself. There's a cute little bar/restaurant called La Sirena that makes a great stop for lunch, it's right over the water. If you're interested in trying kite surfing, just before Camp Bay, near Paya Bay, kite surfing lessons are offered.
The gorgeous, long, white-sand beach of Camp Bay is one of the least-visited attractions on our beautiful island, and worth the trip out to the east side.
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