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Snorkel, Sun and Fun at West Bay Beach

Roatan is in the largest and most popular of the three Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras and surrounded by the second largest barrier reef in the world: The Mesoamerican Reef that stems all the way down to Belize making it a diver’s paradise. Roatan is more touristy and developed than its neighbors Utila and Guanaja, yet this long narrow island of 50 km long has a little something special for everyone.

I opted to spend my first day and night in the lovely West Bay, located at the southern tip of the island and awash in picture perfect white sandy beaches and amazing snorkeling just steps away from the beach. It was a wonderful welcoming to such an amazing place!

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This short path lead directly to the beach. It was less than five minutes from my hotel.

Adventure Travel Honduras TRAVEL TRAVEL BY REGION
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A perfect escape: West Bay Bed and Breakfast

Author’s note: This is the fourth post in my series on my recent trip to Honduras. To read more, click here.

My volunteer work in Honduras was based in La Ceiba, the third largest city in the country, a port town located only an hour and a half ferry ride from Roatan. While researching my trip, I had read that Roatan was a beautiful place and since my flight to Honduras landed there, I thought it would be a good idea to check it out before heading over to the mainland. My plans were to spend a night and morning in Roatan in West Bay and spend another two nights on the island at the other end before my return home to the States.

I did my research and discovered that West Bay has the most spectacular beaches on the island with excellent snorkeling, restaurants and bars right at my fingertips. I didn’t want to spend much so I used TripAdvisor and found the perfect place, West Bay B&B. It was affordable and the location was perfect: Only one short block to the beach!

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West Bay B&B, a great find for economically-minded tourists.

Honduras TRAVEL BY REGION
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Welcome to Honduras

IMG_2022_SnapseedAuthor’s note: This is the second post in my series on my recent trip to Honduras. To read more, click here.

As I walked down the stairs off the plane and entered the steamy, humid air of Honduras I felt an instant shock at the thickness and warmth of the air. After a dry cold December in Minnesota, the tropical heat and humidity of Roatan felt like I had entered a sauna fully dressed.

The second reminder that I had arrived in Honduras was Customs. I have traveled abroad many times and had never seen a Customs area and process quite like the one I found in the tiny airport of Roatan. There was no rhyme or reason to the queue. It was just a random, push and shove line and somehow I ended up at the back with a group of energetic scuba instructors. At least we got a few laughs at the craziness of customs on a small foreign island!

Honduras TRAVEL BY REGION