Roatan - single female looking for a safe place

I'm heading to Fantasy Island for a week shortly. (They are closing after I leave.)

But I wanted to extend my stay for a few nights at a place that:

1) Is safe for a single female

2) Is on or close to the beach as I want to walk a long beach

3) Not too expensive

4) And of course has access to more diving

5) Ideally, I'd like a place that has communal eating opportunities for those of us that travel alone.

Suggestions?

Thanks in advance

---------- Post added July 19th, 2013 at 07:47 PM ----------

Oh, yeah, snorkeling would be great.

I recommend dropping by Cocoview, the resort across the channel from FI while you are staying there and check it out. Also, look into Reef House Resort. It satisfies 1,3,4 and especially 5 quite well as seating at meals is family style. The downside is no long beach walks possible.

Good luck wherever you go & welcome to the board!

Hey there! I'm going next year, female, alone, and although I haven't been there yet....I have asked a lot of questions on scubaboard and have decided to stay at Chillies. The same owners have the dive shop Native Sons, on the same property. I'm staying in a private cabin for $32/night but you can get rooms much cheaper than that if you want. The diving is $30/dive....and any time I email the owner Michelle with questions she answers the very next day. I'm also told they have the fastest dive boats in West End. Maybe take a look! Chillies: Best Budget Hotel on Roatan Island and Native Sons Dive Shop - Roatan, Honduras - Dive Tours and Certification

---------- Post added July 20th, 2013 at 12:13 AM ----------

oh yeah, some of the kitchens are shared between some of the cabins/rooms....depending on which you want to stay in.

The beach requirement rules out Cocoview also most likely as there's not much of one there. You can see the entire thing to the left of the resort in their photo gallery. Anthony's Key also - the beach on the Key is tiny. I think the beach on the other Key is bigger but IDK how often you can get over there. The mainland side of the resort is mostly their dock and ironshore.

Half Moon Bay Beach in the West End is fairly nice but ends in ironshore on either end so it's pretty limited. Also some of it you're more walking along the road than the water - a couple places there's shops/docks to contend with also. A lot of the accommodations in that area are across the road from the water.

From the safety standpoint, if you don't mind a little noise, I could make a case for Posada Arco Iris. Argentinean Grille is right in front of it and Sundowners Beach Bar is practically across the street so there's usually some activity till about 11 or so. Many of the rooms are upstairs also. Another option might be the cabins directly behind Coconut Tree Divers building. There's a gate to one side for access (although it's always open) the main entrance to town is right there and the restaurant upstairs looks down from the back onto the cabin entrances.

Sueno Del Mar and the property next to it slightly farther west are beachfront. IDK much about it.

The area around Half Moon Resort is one of the better known snorkeling spots in the area - we always saw people out there as we rode by on the dive boat. HMR is on ironshore on the east end of Half Moon Beach. To get to it at night you have to walk down a pretty dark road so maybe not the best idea.

Sundowners Beach Bar is a pretty amenable place to hang out also. Chairs in the sand 10' from the water and divers frequent it.

West Bay Beach is one of the nicest in the area - 2 miles further west. Bananarama looked pretty nice. There can also be cruise traffic on the beach during the day. There's supposed to be good snorkeling there off one point also.

Luna Beach Resort also has a decent beach and I've read you can walk 10 minutes along it to the West End - IDK whether that's all beachfront though - it seems to me that part of that might be ironshore. It's an AI and they have smaller rooms oceanfront. It's a little isolated so meals are probably communal. It's probably a little safer also - the drive in is about a mile. They have a snorkel trail detailed on their website. And a pool.

From any of these you'll get to do north side diving which is quite different from the south.

West of FIBR near French Harbor - Barefoot Cay has a pretty nice beach also. They even suppress the Sand Flies. The Cay itself is fairly isolated since you have to use their boat to cross over. For a single traveler the affordable option would be the lofts on the mainland side, they're nice. Good dive operation but you'll do some of the same dives from FIBR.

There's a natural reef break so the water off the beach only gets to about 15' deep. They snorkel off the palapa there. It may not be very "communal" though since there's only about 5-6 villas and several 1BR lofts. We ate there one morning - just us and another couple. I didn't see a lot of guests during the morning either - my group was their dive traffic that morning.

Diving2512:

I'm heading to Fantasy Island for a week shortly. (They are closing after I leave.)

But I wanted to extend my stay for a few nights at a place that:

1) Is safe for a single female

2) Is on or close to the beach as I want to walk a long beach

3) Not too expensive

4) And of course has access to more diving

5) Ideally, I'd like a place that has communal eating opportunities for those of us that travel alone.

Suggestions?

Thanks in advance

---------- Post added July 19th, 2013 at 07:47 PM ----------

Oh, yeah, snorkeling would be great.

Click to expand...

Mayan Princess is a great spot right in the middle of beautiful West Bay with great snorkeling just down the beach at the iron shore. Check-out some photos at the link below:

mayan princess west bay roatan - Bing Images

In my opinion, Luna Beach resort is not a good nor safe spot for a single woman. No problem in the daylight but a bit too isolated in the evening.

Snorkeling, diving, communal food, and security--Cocoview right across from Fantasy Island--but the beach is not much of a beach. You can walk on the beach out towards Playa Miguel, but it's really walking on sand (and probably dried parrotfish digestive products). The transition-to-water is rocky, and the sand midges will eat your ankles. (Well, they ate my ankles).

But the snorkeling, diving, food, & security are all there. They will accommodate guests by the night, room permitting. Summer is reputedly low season.

I'm waiting for Doc (aka Roatanman) to weigh in.

Best of luck!

After spending a week at a resort on the south side, I recommend trying out the north side with a dive shop.

I think all of West End is pretty safe. There's a couple of nice beaches the north side and great snorkelling in Half Moon Bay and West Bay.

There's tons of dive shops in West End. Maybe while you are at FI get a ride into West End and have a look around, check out some rooms, talk to some dive shops, etc. It's not high season so you don't need to book ahead.

Go to Sundowner or Blue Marlin for pre-dinner drinks. The meal part usually gets solved pleasantly without much thinking.

hdtran:

I'm waiting for Doc (aka Roatanman) to weigh in.

Click to expand...

I read the first post yesterday. Besides answering the basic geographic questions as to beach availability, I looked at another aspect of the inquiry.

"Safe for a single female". Twenty five years ago, no single female was safe if I was there, but that was then, this is now.

The question might be in reaction to the internet's ability to distort issues. Honduras also has the notable historical and inaccurate legacy of being a current (or past) war zone. Something about Gorillas, but alas- on the Bay Islands all you get is a pesty monkey.

To date, in terms of "safety", the crime that has been perpetrated on tourists has been extremely limited. Most crimes beset longer term guests. Property crime does exist, so don't leave your I-Pad unattended, but personal crime... assaults? That's a rarity.

This advice may change in the future, but staying at an established resort/guest house, staying within tourist zones during "appropriate" hours... I really wouldn't be too concerned. Note that I did not say, "walking along a desolate beach", "driving across the island", "walking back from the bar at 2 a.m.", stuff like that.

Roatan and the Bay Islands are no different than anywhere else. If you tempt fate, if you stop acting like a good little tourist, if you seek out trouble... you are more likely to find it.

If you have to have a beach, the one at FIBR is about as safe as it gets. Lots of "nieces" being observed there topless sunbathing. Not a high threat level (best of luck on being their "Omega Test", during their last week of operation). CCV is even substantially more insulated, but alas... crap for a beach. The nicest beach is at Alligator Nose, but absolutely dismal resort options.

After a week in the isolation of FIBR, you might enjoy West End. Just use your own brain- I'd worry more about trouble from the guy from Ohio who's there for a week- and that can happen anywhere.

It's funny- people often fret and ask about crime- yet they pay money to expose themselves to monkeys of dubious health and deportment... like the ones they have at Fantasy Island

Wow, you guys are a wealth of information, thanks. (Thanks for the welcome to this board. I've been on it in the past, but not for a year. And for some reason I couldn't sign in.)

I've travelled the world, mostly solo, so I'm pretty experienced when it comes to being aware of safety. I'm no longer a partier, so bar scenes aren't for me. That's not ruling out a beer or two after a dive, of course.

The main thing I was looking for is some place where I can take long walks on the beach in the mornings and snorkel in the afternoons. So CCV and AKR are out. I'll look at some of your suggestions as they sound great.

Thanks!

---------- Post added July 20th, 2013 at 07:12 PM ----------

Last question for you experts---one of the friends staying at FI with me doesn't have equipment. Do you think he can rent equipment at FI and feel safe about it?