~ Vacationing in the Bay Islands! ~

When booking a vacation, there are several things to consider: the time you will spend on vacation, your need for comfort, the activities you enjoy, and so on. This is not a place where there are any standards. Some small hotels don’t even have hot water, let alone the Internet. The main downside is a lack of consistency in the level of service across establishments. Some resorts have better consistency than others.

There are several basic formulas for your vacation:

1) All-inclusive worry-free and more luxurious vacation
2) Large resorts (not all-inclusive)
3) Small hotels and B&Bs
4) Private accomodations, maybe full of thrills with various prices
5) Backpacking, very inexpensive and maybe longer vacation
6) Cruise Ships

All-Inclusive Worry-Free and More Luxurious Vacation

This is the most comfortable and safest way to go. Barefoot Cay and Henry Morgan offer all-inclusive formulas and are at the higher end of the luxury scale. They are very comfortable with an excellent service. These resorts are well equipped and have generators.

Large Resorts (not all-inclusive)

Most of the large resorts are also well equipped and have generators. Some are gated communities of private condos offering vacation packages as well, and some have restaurants on site and others do not. Lawson Rock in Sandy Bay is one of them and there is an on-site restaurant. Some condo owners offer their place for rent privately.

The service level varies from one to the other and there are places where you are more on your own than others. Inquire carefully about what is included in the package. They all offer diving packages and tours, whether the dive shop is on site or they arrange tours with local operators. Infinity Bay on West Bay Beach is very lively and has a full range of services, but no restaurant. Bananarama is specialized in diving packages. Turquoise Bay is more remote and quiet, and so is Palmetto Bay. Cocoview is also specialized in diving packages and located on the south side, mid-island. All the sites have breathtaking views and beaches.

Small Hotels and B&Bs

You can make reservations at a nice little B&B, and have an interesting and more homey experience than in a large hotel, for a better price. There are some truly wonderful little places on Roatán. Fort Saphrey in West End, West Bay B&B and West Bay Lodge in West Bay are little jewels.

Fort Saphrey is a small and clean hotel, operated by Olin L. Saphrey, Captain, US Army, Retired, where you can eat delicious island cuisine. The installations are basic but comfortable in an enchanting setting right on the beach, and the prices can’t be beaten. It is a short walk from the heart of West End, in the west direction. Things are more quiet at that end of West End. You can take part in the lively activities of West End and retire to the calm of Fort Saphrey. And you can walk on the beach all the way to West Bay.

West Bay B&B is a small place in front of the West Bay mall. The place is well organized and convenient, and a 2 minute walk to West Bay Beach. Glen will greet you, make breakfast and make your visit comfortable.

West Bay Lodge is a refined little place just passed the West Bay mall. Celeste and Milo take great care of their guests and Celeste makes a wonderful breakfast with plenty of fresh fruits and many home-made goodies. West Bay Lodge has a generator.

Private accomodations, maybe full of thrills with various prices

You can organize your vacation yourself and rent a place for a more or less cheap price from a private owner. However, this is a more risky proposition and there are no standards and different levels of risks. If you decide to rent something on your own, all bets are off. You could have a wonderful stay or the vacation from hell.

When you decide to rent a private house or condo, make sure you know and can trust the owner. If not, ask people who are knowledgeable about the place. Sometimes, even very expensive condos do not have generators and are badly managed. People have been left standing at the curb when the owners changed their minds after booking rentals. There are also Internet scams with false ads of rental by owners. Which means that unscrupulous people who are not owners are renting places without the real owners’ knowledge.

Some houses have shabby installations such as screens with holes or no screens at all, no air-conditioning, ceiling fans that are not working or no ceiling fans, not enough water, no hot water, water leaks in the roof or a muddy access when it rains and so on. You can encounter a whole gamut of problems but again, you can have the most marvelous vacation. Juts take a few precautions.

Backpacking, very inexpensive and maybe longer vacation

The West End area is famous among the backpacking crowd. This is where the action is and you can find very cheap accommodations (some rooms cost as little as $35 a night). Several bars and many restaurants are located in the West End area. There are some good deals all around.

Cruise Ships

If you arrive on a cruise ship, you will likely arrive in Coxen Hole or Mahogany Bay. Make sure you get out of these areas to see what the island is really like, as neither of these places are really representative of Roatán. Many of the tours are booked ahead of time on the ship and that is a good way to go because of the short stay in port. If you do not book a tour, you can visit things on your own easily. There is so much to see, and there are some nice little stores right downtown Coxen Hole and West End. In Coxen Hole, Yaba-Ding-Ding is located in a small shopping mall close to the grocery store, and Halu-Kiliki is located on the main road in front of the gas station. Walk to the right towards the downtown area when you disembark, all the way to the crossroad. You will be able to get a taxi for less money than at the dock. From there, you can go to West Bay Beach where it will cost you nothing to spend the time on the beach. Be warned that prices go up everywhere when there is a cruise ship in town.

Night Life

Most of the night activity is in West End where there are bars, but there is some action in West Bay beach at times. Some restaurants have live entertainment. Some West End establishments close early because they are in residential areas and must bring the noise level down after 10:00 p.m. In the West Bay area, Cool Beans Café has a bar, and Infinity Bay offers some entertainment near the pool. The Henry Morgan resort has beach parties on some night.