Palmetto Bay, Roatán, Honduras
WHY WE CHOSE IT
We were looking for something a little “off the beaten path” for our Someplace Warm trip, and we had seen some stuff about Roatan on the Caribbean Life tv show on HGTV. It seemed like a nice mix of rustic and developed. We zeroed in on Palmetto Bay, because our research told us most tourists go to West End/West Bay, and we wanted to be elsewhere.
West Bay is a big resort hotspot and very crowded on cruise days. West End was very diver-oriented, and while being an unpretentious area, it just wasn’t what we were looking for. Cant Bay was a little too far off the beaten path for this trip, and Palmetto Bay seemed like the right combination of what we were looking for. We wanted to rent a house of our own, be close to a bar/restaurant, and be within a short drive to the places we wanted to visit in Roatan.
WHAT WE LOVED
As it turned out, Palmetto Bay was exactly what we thought it would be; a good mix of rustic scenery and comfortable, convenient travel destination. The people were very friendly, and we felt very safe everywhere we went—in fact, we had true comfort in the fact that we felt so safe, that we didn’t even really think about our safety. The waters are stunningly blue, and diving and snorkeling are fantastic here.
WHAT WE DIDN’T LOVE
I wouldn’t want to drive a nice car, so consider that if you’re renting a vehicle. Roads are chaotic due to construction (early 2024—this may change by the time you go!), and there was no real guidance about what to do/where to go directionally, there was concrete and other construction materials being dropped off everywhere and no one directing traffic.
The beach at West Bay is absolutely fantastic—and there are a lot of people there to appreciate it on any given day, especially days where cruise ships will be in port. Only 2 of the 14 days we were there did not have cruise ships, and on one of the days, there were 5 ships. There were so many tourists that it honestly felt invasive, and I can’t imagine how it feels to the people who actually live there. The crowds made the beach feel inaccessible.
Something to note is the pervasive sea grass in Palmetto Bay. It’s not ideal, but it’s also not necessarily a hindrance to enjoying the beach. I certainly wouldn’t want the ecosystem damaged to make the beach more palatable.
FOOD + DRINKS
Groceries
The grocery stores we visited were very similar to those in the US. We saw familiar brands and products, wine, cheese, and a smattering of products we weren’t familiar with, but were able to make heads or tails of what was what. There’s no shortage of grocery stores like Eldin’s.
Restaurants
There was surpisingly good food, and a good mix of local cuisine and others, from seafood to Italian to burgers. Surprising to us was a Bojangles (North Carolina folks will recognize this)—it was still great, but they don’t serve biscuits, which is interesting since that’s a big draw at the ones in our neck of the woods.
Palmetto Bay Restaurant & Bar had phenomenal staff. Richard Jr. were over the top easygoing, friendly, and the food was good. There were bats hanging around on the ceiling, which, while alarming to some, ended up being great, because they ate all the bugs and kept them away from us. There’s an easy, short but interesting walk to the beach. We appreciated the nice community feel—there aren’t only tourists or vacationers here, many of the people around lived here. There’s definitely a sense of anchored community.
TRAVEL
Getting there, and getting around
We took a direct flight from Miami, but there are other major hubs that service the Caribbean, so it’s pretty straightforward. You don’t need a car in West End or West Bay there are water taxis and hired rides available. We opted to rent a vehicle for the freedom and flexibility, and it wasn’t very expensive.
Driving
Driving around the island was a lot of fun. It was a little hairy at times, but that didn’t take away from the fun factor. It’s reasonably straightforward to get around, and hard to get lost. We really enjoyed the Punta Gorda in East Bay. Great history!
PRACTICAL STUFF
Communication
English is the first language in Roatan proper, though this isn’t true in the rest of Honduras. Next is Spanish, then local dialect. We didn’t run into any communication issues.
Financial
Many places will accept US currency, but it’s much smarter to exchange and pay in Lempira, because you’ll end up with a wad of cash, and an unfavorable exchange rate. Credit cards are widely accepted, so if you have a card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, this is a good way to go. Make sure you tell your servers in advance if you’d like to leave a tip, because they won’t be able to process it once they’ve charged your card. Tipping in cash with Lempira is your best bet here.
There were plenty of ATMs around, and we never had any issues finding or using one.
Power
Honduras used the same plugs and current as the US: 110 volts.
Safety
We felt very safe and made no additional considerations while traveling. Generally, we play by the rules of paying attention to our surroundings and not wandering around alone at night, but that applies wherever we are.