Hey guys! They
say all good things must come to an end, and that’s the case with these series,
this is the final article on the musts about Roatan.
First, let’s
recap; we’ve been in the most renowned area in the island: West Bay, we’ve done
the canopy, grabbed a few bites here and there and had a few cocktails. It’s time
we take a little road trip along the island don’t you think, ready?...
I’m going
to take you on a side to side road trip, making a stop in every little good
spot on the island. Sounds good? Ok!
Let’s start
at our last point of reference: West Bay, we’ve talked about the beauty and
variety of activities to do in this area, its pristine and calm tropical
waters, the many resorts, restaurants and bars to visit. On the end of the road
you’ll find a mini mall, you can also get there from the beach you just have to
walk down an alley that’s right next to Bananarama, you won’t miss it… so you
walk down this alley and you’ll get to this mini mall, there you’ll find
Capitan Morgan’s Rentals, they offer a variety of vehicles, compacts, suvs,
scooters, and bikes if you will. For the journey we are about to take I would
most definitely recommend a car, anything that fits your needs and budget.
Once you
have your rental you are ready to go!
Our first
stop is not that far actually it’s just uphill, it’s called the Gumbalimba Park,
here you can do the canopy, see some wild animals like monkeys and some birds,
at the end of the tour you can lay back on their private beach for a while, but
don’t get to comfy though, we still have a long way to go…
I’m gonna
make a pause here… this little road trip, you may actually wanna split it into
a two or three day activity, since there’s so much to see, and even though the
island is quite small, you won’t be able to make all of this in just one day. I’m
making this just one list of activities because some activities are not for
everyone, so you may choose from the list what you want to do.
That being
said, shall we continue?...
Ok our next
stop is one of my favorite spots on the island, it’s a restaurant/lighthouse, it’s
called: “The View” Lighthouse and you’ll see why…
The food
here is amazing! One of the best restaurant on the island, they have a wide
menu, international and seafood. I recommend you ask for a menu once you get
in, take a look, see what you want and place your order, that way while you
wait for your food to be done, you can go up to the top of the lighthouse end
enjoy the panoramic.
The view up
there is stunning, you get a 360° view of the island (the west area) they give
you binoculars so you can appreciate the view a little better, with those you
can see as far as the Manuel Galvez Airport. You’ll want to be up there for a
while, and in no time your food will be ready and you won’t want to get down
from there, but do not panic, you can actually sit one floor below and still
enjoy a nice view.
Alright it’s
about 1:45 now let’s hit the road.
For our
next stop we must take a turn cause we are going to the sandy bay area, make
sure you have a map with you at all times, the only split on the road is this
one where you can take a turn to the west end area which is the one you wanna
take to get to sandy bay.
We are now
heading to one of the most popular activities on the island, probably the most
visited place on the island, and no wonder why it is definitely a must!
I’m talking
of course about our native friends the dolphins!, they are in the Anthony’s Key
Resort and Marine Research Center. Once there you can choose from several
activities to do with the friendly dolphins, you can just watch the show, see
them jumping around and doing some tricks for about 20 mins or so, after that
show those who choose to are taken on a boat to go and do an encounter, this is
a more interactive activity, you get to go in the water with the dolphins
(waist high) the trainers tell you a few facts about the dolphins and let you
take pictures with the animals which you can later purchase at the gift shop.
There’s also
a little museum here so you can check it out while you wait for the show to
start.
If you want
to take it a little further you can also take a dive or snorkel with the
dolphins, you can also do an active swim in which the dolphins take you for a
ride to say the least.
All right
it should be around 3:30 by now, take your pictures and get ready to hit the
road once again cause we are going to the see the crown jewel now.
I’m talking
about Roatan’s newest attraction, The Black Pearl Golf course at the Pristine
Bay Resort, this golf course was designed by one of the most renown golf course
architects in the world; Pete Dye, this is his latest creation, it’s a 18 holes
golf course with the latest gadgets to ensure a maximum experience, special
grass that can be irrigated with salted water, special greens and amazing
sights of the barrier reef.
Now that
you hit some balls, its time to head back to your hotel, shower off and rest
for the next day.
Day Two
Get up its
time to go!
Just kidding
don’t rush it, we are actually making a late start today, to recover from last
night party :p today we are heading to West End to grab some lunch and the kick
start our day of activities.
I recommend
the lighthouse here for a good tasty lunch, its right behind the church, it’s a
little hard to find the entrance actually so might wanna ask someone for
directions.
Time to see
some fauna don’t you think?
That’s why
we are heading to the Iguana Farm, a protected species among the bay islands, don’t
worry they don’t bite, although they are a bit intimidating at first. But there’s
a lot more then reptiles here, in the “back Yard” you can see some fish too; it’s
quite fun and you can grab a few souvenirs here for the family.
Ok now it’s
time to spend some time with nature, for this activity you can ask at you hotel
or you can just drive to one of the local communities located in the very east
side of the island, here the native take you for a mangrove tour, which is
quite the experience, they take you on a motorboat an stroll you through the
protected mangroves, which btw are forbidden to cut off or do anything with
them for that matter, it takes about an hour or so. Take something to cover up
though.
This will
leave you bit hungry even though you didn’t
do much, so let’s grab a bite at the Parrot Three Resort that’s close by…
Time to
head back and enjothe sunset, the best sunset sights definitely happen over
at West Bay, it’s one of my favorite things to do, sit back on a beach chair,
relax and enjoy the view while the sun hides away for the day.
Additional
Activities
You may
also want to visit the first Garifuna Community and natives from the island
located at the east end of the island over at Punta Gorda, they make shows for
groups, you can enjoy some native cuisine, and see how the natives live.
Caribe Sky
Canopy
I really ca
not get enough of this, you can also try this canopy tour it’s a little higher than
the others, it has certified security measures, and the view is striking
Shopping
If you want
take some cool souvenirs home you might want to check the stores on the town
center. They only open on cruise days though which is usually from Monday through
Thursdays, but you’ll have to check the schedule.
Well it’s a
very long post, and a lot to take in, hope you like it and take some of this
into consideration on your next visit to the island.
See you
around ;)
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