Page 46 - Central America
P. 46
VILLAGES French Harbor - has some good restaurants and resorts and most
French Harbor, RoatanWest Bay - is the furthest-west area of the is- tourists do not venture further east than French Harbor, which is at
land, has some good restaurants and places to stay, and several large roughly the mid point of the island. Past this point are a few new-
resorts have been built on the beach. It’s arguably the best stretch of er beach resorts, resort communities, and some private towns with
beach in the western portion of the island - powder-white sand that beaches and resorts. Many of the resorts, restaurants and bars on this
is very well maintained. The reef is a short swim away for excellent part of the island were in the past a secret of locals and expats but
snorkeling, especially near the west-most tip, also known as Tabyana with the west end becoming more crowded the secret is out and more
Beach. West Bay is also home to some of the best sunsets. It is recom- tourist are finding their way to the east end of the island. One point of
mended to spend beach time in the West Bay and bar time in the West interest would be Jonesville and the infamous Hole in the Wall restau-
End. rant reached by taking a small water taxi from Jonesville to reach it.
West End - has some good restaurants and places to stay, and it is defi- Another is Camp Bay Beach Adventure Lodge and the Tasty Tarpon
nitely the most fun town on the island. There are bars, restaurants, live Restaurant located on Camp Bay Beach the largest of all the beaches
music, right on the Caribbean. The are also a multitude of dive shops, of the Bay Islands and can be accessed by car or boat.
if you are interested in learning to dive, or would like to do some fun Punta Gorda - Fishing community of the Garifuna.
dives as a certified diver. Oak Ridge Fishing community with few roads, and buildings on stilts
Sandy Bay- a mostly residential area, Sandy Bay also has a few resorts, over the water.
such as Anthony’s Key Resort, where you can swim with dolphins, as Camp Bay - is a further on from Oak Ridge about 4.5 miles and home
well as a hostel, Roatan Backpackers’ Hostel. There are also a few res- to the largest natural beach on all the Bay Islands - Camp Bay Beach,
taurants such as The Blue Parrot, The Beach Grill at Blue Bahia, and which you can gain free access to at a couple different locations and
Tranquil Seas. Octopus Divers is in Sandy Bay, if you’re staying in the has a small beachfront resort and restaurant: Camp Bay Beach Adven-
area and would like to do diving. The Carambola Gardens is located in ture Lodge. Camp Bay is about the furthest you can go in a car. Past
Sandy Bay as well. If you are interested in doing volunteer work on the Camp Bay are the mangroves which are quite beautiful when navigat-
island, there are several non-profits in Sandy Bay, such as Clinica Es- ed by boat and kayak. There are many tours through the mangroves
peranza, Care4Communities, and the SandCastle Library. The Sandy which can be chartered from various points on the island.
Bay beach gives easy access to beautiful snorkeling, which is about a Port Royal Small community, originally founded by English pirates
200 meter swim from shore.
Coxen Hole - is where the airport is located, and most of life’s necessi-
ties can be found here, including stores, restaurants, and banks.
