West End Beach

[booksjm]

Does anyone know which is the best way to get to the West End Beach?

How far is it from Coxen Hole?

Are there Facilities and Resturants there?

[Guest 2000]

Does anyone know which is the best way to get to the West End Beach?

How far is it from Coxen Hole?

Are there Facilities and Resturants there?

 

 

Best is subjective, answering is difficult. What does best mean to you?

 

West End is a small village with Half Moon Bay Beach, there are restaurants, accommodation, markets and dive shops aplenty. It is about 20 mins from Coxen Hole

 

West Bay Beach is the premiere beach on the island, it is more resorts with restaurants. It is between 25/30 min from Coxen Hole.

[crewsweeper]

And "best" way to get there ( or to West Bay, as Guest2000 suggests) for cruisers is via a taxi.

 

Cheapest way is via the local "jitney" mini-buses. But can be confusing on which, where, and when to catch one.

[lovetexas]

Are there resorts on west bay you can book before arriving ?

[crewsweeper]

Are there resorts on west bay you can book before arriving ?

BananRama has a cruiser day package. Infinity Bay may have one too(check their website to see if there's advance reservation or first come-first served and limit on day passes. Maya Princess has day passes, first come first served, no advanced reservations.

[Guest 2000]

Are there resorts on west bay you can book before arriving ?

 

 

Tabyana is booked thru the cruise line, it is on West Bay Beach.

I have heard whispers of Paradise Beach Club offering day passes as well.

[alexmom]

Are there resorts on west bay you can book before arriving ?

 

Someone on our role call suggested a day pass to the Parrot Tree Beach Resort. Does anyone have any information on this resort ??

[Guest 2000]

Parrot Tree is not on West Bay Beach. It is on the other side of the island.. If snorkeling is the goal Parrot Tree is not a good choice.. The beach is a man made lagoon.. They have a web site with heaps of pics..

 

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[alexmom]

Parrot Tree is not on West Bay Beach. It is on the other side of the island.. If snorkeling is the goal Parrot Tree is not a good choice.. The beach is a man made lagoon.. They have a web site with heaps of pics..

 

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Thanks for the heads up on Parrot Tree, my son would enjoy snorkeling, so it would be a bad choice. Is the snorkeling good at the West End beaches ?? I'm wondering about Bananarama. They have a day pass for cruisers that includes transportation to and from the ship. They also have a snorkeling add on, but if the snorkeling sucks, there's no point to the add on.

 

Thanks again for your help,

Kristine

[Guest 2000]

Thanks for the heads up on Parrot Tree, my son would enjoy snorkeling, so it would be a bad choice. Is the snorkeling good at the West End beaches ?? I'm wondering about Bananarama. They have a day pass for cruisers that includes transportation to and from the ship. They also have a snorkeling add on, but if the snorkeling sucks, there's no point to the add on.

 

Thanks again for your help,

Kristine

 

AS I said in mt first post on this thread WEST END is a small village with Half Moon Bay Beach. WEST BAY is some distance from WEST END. I know it is confusing.

 

Bananarama is on WEST BAY BEACH. The snorkeling right at the resort is not worth getting wet for, never mind ya gotta dodge boats. The good news is if you walk down the beach past Infinity's L shaped dock the snorkeling is grand and boat free. This thread has everything you ever wanted to know about snorkeling WEST BAY.

 

 

An added thought, if what you seek is easy access, safe from boats, reef snorkeling steps from you lounger Tabyana is the answer, not Bananarama.

 

edit ~ what is Bananarama charging an add on for?

Edited October 1, 2015 by Guest 2000

[alexmom]

AS I said in mt first post on this thread WEST END is a small village with Half Moon Bay Beach. WEST BAY is some distance from WEST END. I know it is confusing.

 

Bananarama is on WEST BAY BEACH. The snorkeling right at the resort is not worth getting wet for, never mind ya gotta dodge boats. The good news is if you walk down the beach past Infinity's L shaped dock the snorkeling is grand and boat free. This thread has everything you ever wanted to know about snorkeling WEST BAY.

 

 

An added thought, if what you seek is easy access, safe from boats, reef snorkeling steps from you lounger Tabyana is the answer, not Bananarama.

 

edit ~ what is Bananarama charging an add on for?

I'm only 1/2 way through the thread you directed me to and I am hanging on every word !! I "know" mitsugirly from the Sapphire Beach forum and loved her photos. Now yours too! All of you are awesome ! This is wonderful, but we will be in Roatan December 16th on the Caribbean Princess and I'm hoping the weather is calm before we get there and while we're there.

 

So nice to know about the boats at Bananarama - that is definitely not what we are looking for. There are 4 ships in port that day, but none of them is the Allure so I'm hoping it won't be too crowded at Tabyana, since that's where the cruise ships dump cruisers.

 

The added charge at Bananrama was for adding snorkeling equipment and it was only $5 more than the $30 charge for transportation, chair and Monkey Lala ; ) This would be my son's 3rd time snorkeling (first was at Sapphire,second was at Princess Cay - does that even count, LOL !) and I thought maybe I could even try it.

 

I love the water but I'm not a strong swimmer. I was sucked under by an undertow the very first time I went in the ocean as a girl, my friend's little brother and I got caught in one of the swirly tornado thingies while swinging out over the Red Cedar River (Mike died, I floated up unconscious but alive) and I was pushed off an olympic diving platform at the age of 10 and did sometime in the bottom of the pool before an adult acted. I try not to panic but I'm too aware of how fast things can go badly. I refuse to NOT go in the water, because I really do love it (and I would like to see pretty fish and interesting sea creatures ) and I guess I was hoping if the snorkeling took place in shallower water, I could keep the fear in check (or even totally tamped down!) Holy crap, it is way too easy to tell strangers stuff you haven't even told your family ! I don't know about you but that's enough for me !

 

Thanks for the info on Roatan

[Guest 2000]

I'm only 1/2 way through the thread you directed me to and I am hanging on every word !! I "know" mitsugirly from the Sapphire Beach forum and loved her photos. Now yours too! All of you are awesome ! This is wonderful, but we will be in Roatan December 16th on the Caribbean Princess and I'm hoping the weather is calm before we get there and while we're there.

 

 

I love the water but I'm not a strong swimmer. I was sucked under by an undertow the very first time I went in the ocean as a girl, my friend's little brother and I got caught in one of the swirly tornado thingies while swinging out over the Red Cedar River (Mike died, I floated up unconscious but alive) and I was pushed off an olympic diving platform at the age of 10 and did sometime in the bottom of the pool before an adult acted. I try not to panic but I'm too aware of how fast things can go badly. I refuse to NOT go in the water, because I really do love it (and I would like to see pretty fish and interesting sea creatures ) and I guess I was hoping if the snorkeling took place in shallower water, I could keep the fear in check (or even totally tamped down!) Holy crap, it is way too easy to tell strangers stuff you haven't even told your family ! I don't know about you but that's enough for me !

 

Thanks for the info on Roatan

 

 

Goodness Me, you did have a water scare, more than one. I have seen people in the water with safety vests they can put as much or as little air in as they wish. There are also locals in the water on kayaks, I think partly to help people understand standing on the reef is bad but also to assist folks if need be. On clear days West Bay is bathtub calm, there is a slight current toward the wall but few notice it. The reef comes almost to the shore line, it is tough to get past in spots but you could gradually work yourself up to going out farther, or not. The bottom can be seen for a far distance out.

 

I hope you have clear skies and calm waters. Dec is raining season so it could go either way.

 

Enjoy your visit!

[alexmom]

Goodness Me, you did have a water scare, more than one. I have seen people in the water with safety vests they can put as much or as little air in as they wish. There are also locals in the water on kayaks, I think partly to help people understand standing on the reef is bad but also to assist folks if need be. On clear days West Bay is bathtub calm, there is a slight current toward the wall but few notice it. The reef comes almost to the shore line, it is tough to get past in spots but you could gradually work yourself up to going out farther, or not. The bottom can be seen for a far distance out.

 

I hope you have clear skies and calm waters. Dec is raining season so it could go either way.

 

Enjoy your visit!

 

Thanks for not pandering to my fears. I never talk about bad stuff because I'm never looking for coddling, I'm always looking for coping mechanisms. People don't usually get that, that's why I can't believe I posted it to you instead of deleting it ! I must have known subconsciously that you would respond differently.

 

I finished the rest of the thread last night and everyone is right ! A handful of CC members, with insight and experience, helped DOZENS of people to maximize their short time in Roatan.

 

I read a lot about the "kayak guys" at the end of the thread and it really helped me see I could be safe. I will also print off the maps. The only downside is having to wait until just before we leave for my Monkey LaLa, since I never consume alcohol at the beach !

 

I'm really excited to try snorkeling, THANK YOU. I bought my son an underwater camera after seeing mitsugirly's Sapphire beach photos. Maybe I'll get to use it too ! Like most people my age, I'm a little technologically impaired, but I will try to post some photos when we get back. Don't expect any lines or arrows ! It will be a miracle if I can just get them posted !