Mike and I have visited Roatan twice, in 2014 and 2017. We’ve done a few different activities on our two trips, but haven’t been able to do all of the fun things that the island has to offer.
Snorkeling and Scuba Diving with Turquoise Bay
The main activity we participated in on both of our trips was scuba diving and snorkeling with Turquoise Bay. These folks are top-notch. They have good quality boats and facilities, and great divemasters. The diving is great (check out Parts 3 and 4 of this series on Roatan for photos from the diving).
The snorkeling is wonderful too. Fun fact: I was not a certified scuba diver on our first trip, but I did do quite a bit of snorkeling. In fact the great snorkeling, and hearing about what the divers were seeing underwater was what prompted me to learn how to dive.
West End and West Bay
On both of our trips to Roatan, we also visited West End and West Bay. These are on the complete opposite side of the island from Turquoise Bay Resort, where we stayed. West End is a smaller village, pretty, but not as much to do.
West Bay is a town, with lots of restaurants and shops. You can purchase all of your souvenirs, get a bite to eat and even do some scuba diving. We didn’t dive in West Bay, but it’s on the to do list for a future trip.
My favorite is the ice cream shop is also on the beach at West Bay. It has a giant swing outside right in the sand; and has the best coconut ice cream. So refreshing on a hot afternoon!
Kayaking
Pretty much anytime you have water, you can kayak. I definitely kayaked around Turquoise Bay during our stay there. It was great fun to take a kayak out to the mangroves and just enjoy a peaceful morning on the water.
Mahogany Bay
Mahogany Bay is a planned “town” where the cruise ships dock. It has shops and restaurants, and is fun to walk around for a short while. But it’s very planned, and looks like any other cruise ship area on any other island.
Pirates of the Caribbean Zipline
A bunch of people of in our group went ziplining on our second trip, including Mike. They had a great time. I’m not a fan of ziplining, so I skipped it. But they said it was a good time.
Gio’s on the Beach
Some of the world’s best seafood in the world, Mike and I first ate at this great restaurant for lunch in 2014, and then took a group of friends back with us in 2017. I’m allergic to shellfish, but they have wonderful marinated fish. But for shellfish eaters, the portions are huge, and (according to Mike, who loves the stuff) it is top-notch.
Beach Time
You simply can’t go to a Caribbean island and not spend some time laying on the beach soaking up the sunshine and reading a book or taking a nap. And Roatan is no exception to that rule. In fact, because Turquoise Bay Resort has a private beach, this is one of my very favorite things to do.
For next time:
Like I said, there are more things that I’d like to do when we visit Roatan again. I’d like to scuba dive in the West Bay/West End area. Anthony’s Key is quite popular, and we didn’t get to visit. And in 2017, we heard that there are dune buggies on Roatan. I think it’d be so, so fun to ride in dune buggies on vacation.
If you’d like to read more about Roatan, check out the other portions of the series, where we are breaking Roatan down as follows:
Part 1: Travel and General Information
Part 2: Accommodations
Part 3: Scuba Diving
Part 4: Wreck Diving
Part 5: Things to Do
