Years ago, Mr. Family Trip and I were able to sneak away for a long weekend (thanks to the grandparents!). But we were stumped on where to go.
We yearned for some place with a new-to-us culture; a new stamp for our passport; warm, tropical breezes; and also feasible to get to from the East Coast in order for a four night trip to be enjoyable. And, of course, we needed to make sure it fit in our budget.
We debated, heavily, between Belize and Roatan. But ultimately decided that the Honduran island would get us this trip. Of course, true to form, we were going to do it our way though.
Here is how our trip to Roatan, Honduras went, and why this island has something for everyone…
We elected to stay in West End, Roatan, not the cruise ship port/luxury hotel area of West Bay. When we travel, we really enjoy being part of the local culture, being able to engage with a community that knows and loves the place. Yet for this vacation we also wanted a relaxing and beach-centric spot.
We stayed at Land’s End resort – a little B&B type place run by an expat. This place was small, intimate, and perfect for us. For cocktail hour, we drank with the chef and we grew to know almost everyone who was staying there. We enjoyed some incredible tales about life on the island from the innkeeper. Small elk walked through everyday and ate right out of our hands. It wasn’t luxury and our A/C broke day one of our stay but they made up for it with cool cross breezes off the sea, a hammock that swung from our balcony, and amazing Coco Lobo drinks.
West End is a colorful, vibrant a town that spills out onto a beach (it reminded me of Manuel Antonio in Costa Rica). Locals lived right against tourists. Restaurants stretched out on piers over the water. I loved it.
The coast of the island is actually quite craggy in most parts.
Thus, you have to find your beach, although there are plenty. Most resorts in West End do not have their own beaches, while West Bay all-inclusives do, but our hotel was a very short walk to the town and beach. Here we were able to mingle, meet new people, sit at Sundowners for cocktails, and take it all in.
We watched magnificent, lazy sunsets (fun note: the boat in the background below was left by someone who wanted to create a playground for children…so they swim out and swing off the mast).
The thing we loved most about West End was the community. Many Canadians and Americans come to Roatan after deciding to leave the corporate world and find a different pace of life. This is the town they find themselves in. They are there for a good time, a break, and they are friendly and want to talk. Each one was so passionate about the amazing new life they had made for themselves on this Caribbean island. Those conversations are what we love (the reason I was a journalist for a long time). They help us feel connected to the larger human collective, they are interesting, and we get true insight into the country.
After getting our fill of food and laziness for a few days, we rented a Jeep and decided to see what other riches the island had to offer.
A 4×4 vehicle is a must to get around Roatan. There is one paved road that doesn’t even stretch the entire distance of the island, the rest looks like this or much worse…
On a recommendation we stopped at Cal’s Cantina (for Google purposes, the official name is Temporary Cal’s Cantina). This is not near much, up on a hill, right off the main road, and delicious. The best part was certainly the views, though! If you are in Roatan, driving around, stop by for a cold beer to shake off the dust-battered legs.
Honestly, from here, I have to say driving out to East End was not the highlight of the trip. The roads were terrible, irritating a cough I had been trying to suppress. The villages we drove through were poor, awkwardly emphasizing our privilege. We stuck out like a sore thumb and bore some seemingly unkind stares. This was the first time in all of my travels I had experienced this feeling – not just of the privileged life I had but that, just for having it, I was somehow a target. I have traveled alone to many countries, including a trip around Costa Rica, but this was the first I felt I understood how violence against tourists is a real thing. To be fair, I was primed to be nervous as we heard stories of tourists being robbed out on the East End: the roads are terrible, remote, and there is only one way in and one way out. Mr. Family Trip believes that I was over-reacting and being dramatic (it happens more than I care to admit, so perhaps he has a point). I also am not sure how much things may have changed in the few years since we were there. So I would recommend using your judgement and doing your research before doing what we did. Our foray, though, did not diminish our love for Roatan.
Plus, our excursion allowed us to see beaches like this…
We didn’t stop in any of the other little villages. West End was clearly the place of most comfort to tourists, like us. But it was eye-opening and a stark reminder as to how much of the world is still behind the U.S. and how many people live without the usual creature comforts we come to take for granted here. It’s why I believe that every American should travel overseas in high school, why we need foreign exchange programs. Seeing how others in the world live (that there are different ways of creating home and culture, that where you are born and the repercussions of that is just sheer uncontrollable fact, that where you do end up might be full of blessings you may be blind to, that you can also take the best of other lifestyles and make choices to embrace them where you are), is one of the best educations we can give the next generation.
Back “home” we showered off and decided to take our Jeep to the other side of the island: West Bay. Yes, in one day we would see the ENTIRE island of Roatan (it is only 48 miles long total and 5 miles wide at its widest point). Plus, what can we say: Mr. Family Trip is an Eagle Scout and I have incurable wanderlust.
West Bay was stark in its differences to East End. It is hard to believe these two areas exist on the same tiny island.
West Bay is full of beautiful beaches and all-inclusive resorts. This is where tourists come to enjoy the pleasures of being waited on, watching gorgeous sunsets over beautiful water, and it doesn’t really seem to matter what island they are on or country they are in (note: we did that in the Dominican Republic and it is a totally legitimate way to vacation, but it is very different than what the other areas of Roatan have to offer).
We had a few rum punches while we walked the beach, talking about how different this island is from tip to toe…and how if we had children with us we would certainly stay in West Bay but, given all things considered, we were pleased with our lodging in West End as it offered the all-around experience we were looking for.
I can’t close this article, though, without discussing the real draw to Roatan, the biggest reason most tourists make their way here. For the love of diving.
I am a certified diver. I even received college credit for it. But, alas, one, shall we say “not successful” diving episode in Mallorca, Spain ruined my already bad ears. In fact, if you hang out with me know that I yell a little and listen to my music really loud, and talk on the phone as though the person on the other end were in Hawaii, because I have slight hearing loss at one of the frequencies. So no diving for me anymore.
But Mr. Family Trip swears that Roatan is the best place to dive – and he has been to the Great Barrier Reef, Spain, Florida, St. Lucia & who knows where else he goes in his spare time that I don’t know about. The abundance of wildlife combined with the ease of access to beautiful spots is unparalleled. Thus, many people come here to dive.
I snorkeled and loved that! It always takes me some time to get used to seeing all those things underneath me while 93% of my body is bare in a swimsuit, but it was really beautiful.
Know that beyond diving there isn’t much recreation on the island, unless you are crazy enough to drive a Jeep all over.
But there is certainly a way of life, a culture, and a magnificent sea to enjoy. So go, get lazy, and find a different pace to life. We really enjoyed the time (and stories) from our time in Roatan and are so glad we discovered it the special way we did.
Last Updated on April 20, 2021 by Mrs. Family Trip