Sparking blue waters line a beautiful wave-free beach of fine white sand. Palm trees sway in a gentle breeze while friendly bartenders offer up as many cool drinks as you want.
It’s the picture that appears in your mind’s eye whenever you think of an idyllic day on a Caribbean beach. That mental ideal seldom lives up to reality in many Caribbean cruise ports, as thousands of cruise passengers flock to the nearest beach at some popular cruise ports.
But the perfect beach day can happen on Roatan, an island off the coast of Honduras that’s become a favorite stop for cruise ships doing a southern Caribbean itinerary. On a recent shore excursion from Sky Princess, I came as close as possible to experiencing that beach dream. It made up for a beach excursion I did on a previous cruise that’s best avoided.
Here’s a look at the options:
There’s something about the water
Even if you’re not going ashore, the view of Roatan’s coast from a cruise ship inspires Caribbean fantasies. The shallow water around the shore reflects an incredible spectrum of blues from deep sapphire to aquamarine.
Many cruises dock in Coxen Hole, the quaint town that’s the biggest on the island, with a permanent population of only 5,000. It was a busier place in history. The bay is named for a pirate, Captain John Coxen, who was one of thousands of pirates who made Roatan their lair in the seventeenth century. Today, the shores are littered with remains of ships that met their fate on the reefs around the island.
If you’re coming in on a Carnival Cruise Line or Princess Cruises ship, you’ll be docked at nearby Mahogany Bay, a newly developed dock managed by Carnival that features its own manicured sand beach you can get to via a cable car called the Magical Flying Chair ride or an easy walk. I’ve visited the beach on past visits and it’s fine for sunning, but can get crowded and busy when thousands of guests from what is often multiple ships in port all arrive at the same time.
On two recent cruises, I was looking to find less busy and more authentic beach experiences and there are several on offer by the cruise lines. On a shore excursion in Roatan from Sky Princess I came as close as I may ever come to that dream beach.
Turquoise Bay, a beach that lives up to its name
Turquoise Bay VIP All-inclusive Beach Escape: I didn’t know which word of the shore excursion’s name appealed to me the most, probably all-inclusive and escape. From the ship it was a 30-minute bus ride to reach the east end of Roatan, but the time went quickly as our chatty guide filled us in on life and culture of a verdant island where everyone knows everyone else.
Arriving at the resort, we were greeted at the edge of a bay whose turquoise water inspired its name. We were whisked to the quiet end of the beach where the guide and attendants set up lounge chairs and umbrellas wherever we wanted. Some of the guests had paid up for thatched roof over water bungalows that included a bottle of sparkling wine on ice.
But the service couldn’t have been better on shore. Waiters were ready to deliver menus and your choice of drinks and there was a canoe filled with ice and a selection of the local beers: Port Royal, Imperial, Barena, and Salva Vida that were all included in the VIP drinks and lunch package. We could order lunch from a menu that included, appetizer, chicken, shrimp, steak or lobster and desert and decide what time to be served.
The soft sand beach made for excellent beachcombing and the snorkeling and kayaking lived up to the inspiring brochure descriptions. Leaving in mid-afternoon after a satisfyingly long stay, it had me thinking of coming back for a week to stay at the beach’s resort with its scuba diving program.
Big French Key falls a little short
The Turquoise Bay experience made up for a beach excursion I had taken on a previous visit to Roatan aboard another ship. Big French Key sounded promising because it’s on an offshore island requires a boat ride from Coxen Hole. Once we got to the dock on the Key, it was already 11 a.m. and the lagoon, which has most of the sand, was already pretty busy, with few chairs available in the shade.
We dragged our lounge chairs further along the shore where there were some palm trees for shade and found the coast there was lined with rocks and shells that can cut your feet if you wade in without wearing beach shoes or flip flops. Across the lagoon is Little French Key, a separate private island with a resort that has a sandier beach with toys and swings and a bar that is only for their guests, but you can swim across the lagoon and snorkel.
My biggest issue was that right at the Big French Key dock is a rather small and dilapidated cage housing two Bengal Tigers and two Siberian tigers didn’t look particularly happy. They’re legacies of a controversial zoo the owner of the island set up that originally held a menagerie including birds and monkeys that are still here even though the zoo was shut down years ago.
The included lunch was adequate, but the boat returning to the port left early in the afternoon before we had really been able to enjoy some chill time. Big French Key gets mixed reviews on the internet and I can see why. While it had some positives, I was quite happy to leave.
Continuing the day into the night
A day in Roatan doesn’t have to be over after the beach. Coxen Hole and Mahogany Bay cater to tourists with shopping and bars with music that lasts into the night. Sky Princess was staying in port past sunset and the sky was ablaze as it hit the horizon.
It’s a sight I’ll look forward to seeing again soon.
Most cruise lines offering southern Caribbean cruises include Roatan in their itineraries. Princess and Carnival cruises visit frequently. The dry season in Roatan runs from February to June, which are almost guaranteed to have sunny weather. February and March are particularly attractive months in Roatan, as the landscape is still at its greenest, whereas by May or June it begins to lose its lushness. While the fall months can see rain, it often falls overnight and clouds part by mid-morning.
Story by Wallace Immen, The Cruisington Times
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