Roatan Trip in Feb 2024 with young child and grandparents.

[sportyluis]

Hi Everyone,

My wife and I are starting to think about where we'd like to travel to next and Roatan has always been high on our list. We'd like to get advice on which side of the island to stay on, potential accommodation sand beaches to visit.

Travellers would be my wife and I (divers), 3 year old (loves swimming pools but is starting to enjoy the ocean) and grandparents (LOVE snorkelling). I realize Roatan may not be the best place to go as a group but my wife and I have always wanted to go and don't want to wait too long! We are flexible in most things but would prefer to be close to the beach. I'll rent a car so we can travel around and do groceries if needed. We don't want a 5 star hotel but we also want someplace clean and well maintained. My wife and I will probably only dive 2-3 days and then snorkel the rest of the days.

Any suggestions are appreciated! I realize this may be a tough ask but hoping it'll work out!

 

[scrane]

The Beach House Hotel – Boutique Hotel in Roatán, Honduras

I bought my son, his wife and two kids a week stay here a year ago. Very nice place. My wife and I stayed across the street at Hotel Chillies (a LOT cheaper). So the grand kids could stay on the beach or in the mini jungle on our side. We booked our diving with Native Sons. The local supermarket (small s) is a half block away.

 

[Doc]

Look at “the West End” zone. Like the Beach House among dozens of others.

Roatan isn’t legitimately known for much (other than SCUBA), but if you need a beach, West End is about your only real choice.

Don’t fret over bring sequestered in any 5* property on Roatan. The Michelin system aside, if you rated all Roatan offerings (even on a curve!) there isn’t a 5*

The words “boutique” being used to describe a lodging or a dive operation on Roatan? Politely: a real stretch. The Roatan experience is generally not known for any consistency or high-end anything.

Statements about “six divers” at a time are largely a factor of a tiny boat. On the opposite end of the BS Meter from “boutique” is “cattle boat”, an equally non-defined term.

I rarely send people to Trip Advisor, but that might be your best source. Very few actual SCUBA nuts there, but a lot of visitors that fit your profile and sources for knowledge base.

I tend to lend more cred to operations that have their own .Com website. As to dive ops, flowery prose describing what they’ve seen yesterday aside… show me detailed pictures of your dive boats. Either you got something to brag about- or you do not.

Caveat: Very few people, on any message board, know more than one place. A lot of TA posters are hawking a product. Do a lot of reading and thinking. Then… ask specifics.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Some friends and their young kids recently returned from Anthony's Key Resort, and while I haven't spoken to them yet, from what I saw on my own trip there, I would guess it fit their diverse needs very well. It's small compared with what some of us think of as "resorts," but it has a pool and some activities for non-diving folks. However, it is lacking in beach. The people in the group who enjoy some beach time could easily get a ride to West End, though. My wife and I are divers through and through, but we still went over to West End on our last day.

 

[Hugh2004a]

I think you’ll find West Bay or West End most likely to have what you need. I prefer West End and my last 7 trips have been there. Someone above mentioned The Beach House. I’ve never stayed there, but it is right on the beach and looks nice and clean. Great snorkeling right from the beach and a few dive shops nearby (nearby as in less than a minute’s walk). It’s also on the less busy end of the street, which I think is a plus. I always dive with Moana Divers, which is right next to the Argentine Grill, about a two minute walk down the street.

There are many dive shop choices and everyone has their favorite - they all seem friendly and safe to me. Moana and the others on that end of the street are convenient for my family since not all of us dive. The snorkelers can be in the water or on the beach talking to you in the boat when you come in/out. Or sitting in Sundowners or the AG watching for you.

I don’t know too much about the east end of the island. I’ve dove there and definitely want to do more. What little time I spent on land there, I really liked. It seems even more laid back that the west end. But I don’t know about beaches and snorkeling.

 

[KatieMac]

Another vote for West End - or even West Bay. Given a lot of non-divers, I hesitate to recommend Anthony's Key which is about 4 miles from West End and is primarily focused on diving.

There is a great range of accommodations in both West End and West Bay.

I haven't stayed there but have been walking by Luna Beach resort for ages. It's a nice property and has recently been renovated, is right on the beach in an area where the boat traffic is quieter so safer snorkeling, and has a pool and a couple of restaurants. It's a short walk past the end of West End so a bit quieter on cruise ship days. I have no idea what the rates are or if there is availability, but I believe their website is lunabeach.net

 

[dulinor]

My wife and I had a great stay at Luna Beach back when we were dating. Just off the beach and far from the cruise ship port. It was my first post OW trip (her second) so our diving needs were not too extreme. Their dive shop / operation was very nice and my dive log notes are all extremely positive. I got my Nitrox cert through them and the head divemaster took one look at my crap-ass buoyancy and took me under his wing. One of the quieter operations I've ever seen, now that I've been to many others. That all may have changed in the 17 years since then (gah!!) but the location should still be good. Only downsides were really a ton of no-see-um bugs in the "beach" area. For non-divers there's snorkeling and a pool and of course stuff like the nature park on the island itself.

 

[KatieMac]

My wife and I had a great stay at Luna Beach back when we were dating. Just off the beach and far from the cruise ship port. It was my first post OW trip (her second) so our diving needs were not too extreme. Their dive shop / operation was very nice and my dive log notes are all extremely positive. I got my Nitrox cert through them and the head divemaster took one look at my crap-ass buoyancy and took me under his wing. One of the quieter operations I've ever seen, now that I've been to many others. That all may have changed in the 14 years since then (gah!!) but the location should still be good. Only downsides were really a ton of no-see-um bugs in the "beach" area. For non-divers there's snorkeling and a pool and of course stuff like the nature park on the island itself.

It sat unused for several years and it was sad to see because the property is gorgeous and the location spectacular. But it has since been purchased and renovated. The pics look amazing. Local friends eat there a fair amount and say the food is great.

Wondering @Doc's opinion about the property. Have you eaten there? Are people happy with it?

 

[dulinor]

That tracks with how few other divers we saw at the time! (I think we shared a boat occasionally with another couple and their teen kid. Otherwise it was like a private charter.)

 

[FezUSA]

Beach House and Sundowners both had significant upgrades in the past few years. We use both every year and my family practically live on the beach and in the water outside of Sundowners during the day. My wife and I eat at Beach House usually once a week as it is on the more expensive side of eating options for that area. That being said, the Sunday brunch is still an absolute steal in our opinion, with excellent food and service. We've been in a couple of the room when friends stayed there (since the renovations) and they are very nice.

Sundowners and the beach/water in front of them is a great place to chill when not diving or doing anything else. They also have good (bar) food and great service. They have live music too at night if that's your thing.

We have a place at Cocolobo, a 5-10 minute walk from West End. The lodges are great for families, and the front studios are great for couples. Very low key, 2 nice pools (1 overlooking the water), and breakfast included. You're on your own for lunch and dinner.

Moana and Sundivers are great dive ops, but there are others that seem to be highly recommended too.

If you have more specific questions, let us know!