Arial view of Infinity Bay Spa & Beach Resort in West Bay, Roatan

Located on one of the best beaches on the island of Roatan in the Bay Islands of the Western Caribbean just east of Honduras, Infinity Bay Spa & Beach Resort is a gorgeous place for families looking for a tropical paradise vacation. The white sandy beaches and warm jewel-toned waters of the Caribbean are perfect for swimming, snorkeling or just soaking up the sun like an iguana.

Accommodations & Location

The suites come with spacious kitchens, living rooms and verandas

The resort includes 115 spacious air-conditioned fully furnished 1, 2 and 3 bedroom condos and studio suites with large verandas that make the most of the breathtaking views. Amenities include free broadband internet connection, flat screen TV, and stainless steel appliances like the refrigerator, microwave, stove and dishwasher. This is luxury at its finest with native Honduran mahogany cabinets, granite counters and travertine tile floors.  And best of all, it is comfortable and convenient for families who want to feel at home while away from home.

The plantation-themed island decor is handsomely appointed and comfortable

The resort sits right on the beach with a huge infinity pool that has three waterfalls and a bridge with manicured landscaping that blends invitingly with the lush surroundings. The pool has a maximum depth of about 4 feet. It also has a swim-up palapa bar that makes delicious tropical drinks to cool you off under the hot sun. Currently there is one onsite restaurant with relaxed, casual dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner that is kid-friendly. It is located right on the beach by the pool under a large palapa where the tables and chairs are set on the soft sand. How nice to sink your toes in the powdery sand while sipping a pina colada or eating fresh fish.

The warm pool is an oasis in itself

Soon to open in 2012 is a new state-of-the-art spa and fitness center with indoor restaurant that will complete this resort’s fantastic amenities. Water taxis are available right in front of the resort on the beach, waiting to take guests to the West End area where shops, restaurants and other sightseeing await.

The long stretch of white sandy beach has several open air restaurants for casual dining that offer fresh locally caught and grown island cuisine. Occasionally venders walk the shores selling their wares to tourists and can include items such as handmade jewelry, to beautiful conch shells, mahogany objects like bowls, boxes and decorative articles, sarongs and dresses, sunglasses, ice cream and more. Most evenings a man strolls along the beach selling warm, fresh-baked banana donuts. What a delicious treat! These soft sugar-coated delights taste just like sugar donuts with a hint of banana. Yummy!

Activities & Recreation

The clear water and coral reef make for fantastic snorkeling

Some of the island’s best snorkeling is found right in front of the hotel with its variety of fish gliding through the coral reef. This reef also happens to be the second largest in the world, after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. It is the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, and draws diving enthusiasts from far and wide who enjoy exploring its natural treasures.

This floating water park is great fun

An inflatable water playground – called an AquaGlide waterpark – floats on the sea in front of the hotel, for guests to pay and then play on the slides, trampoline and obstacle course structure that sits like an island off the shore.

For those who like to do a bit of everything or nothing at all, this is the place to be.  Any island activity can be arranged through the hotel, from diving and snorkeling, to nature and zip-lining tours, to water sports like kayaking, paddle-boarding, parasailing, or exciting banana boat rides, to just relaxing under a beach or poolside umbrella or lounging with a good book under the brilliant Caribbean sun.

Below are a few recommended activities that we did:

Roatan Butterfly Garden

This gorgeous toucan lives at the Butterfly Garden

One of the local activities worth doing in nearby West End is visiting the Roatan Butterfuly Garden. This lovely place offers lush walking tours of the tropical birds, exotic plants and colorful butterflies that live there. The shaded pathways have benches for pausing to relax and are cool and comfortable. We saw several varieties of toucans, amazon parrots, conures, macaws, other parrots, hummingbirds, lizards, and even agouti and white-tailed deer – which is the Honduran national deer.

Delicate winged jewels of nature…

The butterflies are in a protected pavilion and amazing to observe. Some live as little as a few days after emerging from their chrysalises, while others live up to a few weeks. Monarch butterflies have the longest survival rate at about eight months. Feeding on milkweed makes the monarch bitter-tasting and acts as a natural defense against would-be predators, thus ensuring their longevity.

This garden also afforded a close-up encounter with some of the island’s lush vegetation. We saw almond, cashew and fig trees, tamarind, mango and avocado trees, oleander and crab apple trees, bread fruit trees with their moss-covered trunks, coconut trees, assorted palm trees, eucalyptus trees, and colorful flowers galore. This is a place that conjures images of the biblical  Garden of Eden in all its glory.

For more information on this activity visit www.roatanbutterfly.com

Gumbalimba Park

Meandering paths over cool streams, lush vegetation and tropical wildlife give guests a taste of Roatan’s natural splendor

Gumbalimba Park is a lush rain forest in the jungles of West Bay, Roatan. In addition to zip-lining tours through the verdant canopy, a beach and an onsite swimming pool, the animal sanctuary has many species of parrots and friendly inquisitive white-faced capuchin monkeys that interact with the guests. A pirate museum captivates visitors with the history of the island’s buccaneering days as well. This park is a must-see in Roatan.

Read a detailed account about our experience at this exotic park by visiting: Gumbalimba Park – Roatan, Bay Islands

SNUBA Diving

SNUBA diving is another exciting activity

Another fun activity great for school-aged children and adults is SNUBA diving. This is similar to SCUBA diving but the air tank remains on a raft, with a long breathing tube attached to it that stretches about 25 feet. No need for any certification or handling of the air tanks, so it’s easy and liberating. What a wonderful way to explore the water world while breathing! My eight year old son loved this and wanted to go again. Clint Roberts was a wonderful guide and made the whole experience easy, safe and very enjoyable.  He also offers clear bottom kayaking, motorized kayaks, sea trekking, and other tours among the exciting things to do. For more information visit www.aquaroatan.com

Dolphin Encounter

One learns so much and gains a deeper appreciation for these amazing creatures at the Dolphin Encounter

Atlantic Bottlenose dolphins are amazing animals and wonderful to watch. And a great place to get up close and personal with these beautiful creatures is at Anthony’s Key Resort through the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences. Their Dolphin Beach Encounter gives guests the opportunity to learn and interact with the dolphins, even touching and playing with them.  Other dolphin encounter programs are also offered, such as the Dolphin Dive and Dolphin Snorkel. This is a great learning experience that helps children and adults gain tremendous insight and appreciation for these sleek, majestic animals. For more information on this and other dolphin activities visit www.anthonyskey.com/en/dolphins

Tips for Parents

A late afternoon sun ignites a passionate sky

Because Roatan is a tropical island averaging 77-84 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, make sure to bring plenty of sunblock – the higher the SPF the better. Swim shirts are also recommended to protect against sunburn. Another suggestion is insect repellant because when the sun sets, those biting bugs awaken with an appetite. A little bug spray goes a long way in warding off bites and keeping you comfortable.

Try to pack any medicines you may require because there aren’t many places to shop. Include such things as pain relievers (Tylenol, ibuprofen), stomach or digestion remedies like Pepto Bismol, itch and burn relief lotion, etc. The old “ounce of prevention” adage applies well here, and saves unnecessary worry and time-wasting. Come to paradise, but come prepared.

For more information on this fantastic resort visit www.infinitybay.com

Entrance to Gumbalimba Park

Found in the West Bay area of the Island of Roatan, Gumbalimba Park is a 20-acre nature lover’s delight where visitors feel as though they have been transported back to a prehistoric time like that in the film Jurassic Park with its dense vegetation and sultry atmosphere filled with the haunting sounds of animal cries throughout the jungle. The park is named for the gumbalimba tree, a hardy and resilient species native to the island with the ability to sprout a new tree from a cut branch. This is survival of the fittest at its finest!

Rainforest Retreat

This rope "Pirate Bridge" stretches 237 feet across an emerald lake below

A stroll through the park’s rainforest is an invigorating experience drenched in the sights, sounds and smells of a moist, oxygen-rich environment, leaving one feeling intensely alive. Visitors meander on rustic paths through forested hills, gullies, flat expanses, and over several bridges of varying sizes and lengths that cross trickling streams and melodic brooks.

The white-faced capuchin monkeys are so cute

It offers guided tours through a jungle complete with dramatic foliage and exotic plants, waterfalls, tropical wildlife, and a suspended swinging rope bridge 237 feet long that hangs over an enchanting emerald lake, and is reminiscent of something out of an Indiana Jones movie.  Only five brave souls are permitted to cross this rickety bridge at once, for safety reasons, but the views are simply splendid, even if your knees are trembling a bit.

This black iguana is endemic to the island, as it is not found anywhere else in the world

On our guided tour we saw parrots, iguanas, guinea hens, agouti, spider monkeys and white-faced capuchin monkeys, where we got up close and personal to interact and handle some of the animals like the parrots and monkeys. We took turns posing for photos with the white-faced capuchin monkeys as they hopped on our shoulders and sat with their soft tails wrapped about our necks for balance.  How fascinating to observe their fine delicate features and mannerisms.

Overhead, turkey vultures glided above through the sky with their impressive outstretched wings, while others huddled in brooding clumps, watching us with feigned indifference from their perches. There is something incredibly alluring about nature, and this magnificent rainforest park certainly captures the imagination, stretching it far beyond the canopy’s lofty heights.

Coxen’s Cave – Pirate Museum

This small pirate museum blends with its surroundings, like a real stone cave in the jungle

The park has an intriguing pirate museum called Coxen’s Cave, named after Captain John Coxon – one of Roatan’s famous pirates who mysteriously disappeared along with his ship and entire crew after a scandalous life of raids and looting. Perhaps he met the same fate as the Flying Dutchman – that ghostly derelict ship doomed to sail the seas forever, never to find a moment’s peace…

One of the informative murals in the cave museum - note the rusty cannon below

The museum is cleverly constructed to resemble a rocky cave with several chambers that naturally blend with its lush outdoor surroundings, and boasts fantastic informational displays with interesting trivia, sculptures and murals depicting historical scenes, and real ammunition used in the buccaneers’ heyday.

17th century flintlock pistol

Things like flintlock pistols, muskets with bayonets, cutlasses with scabbards, blunderbusses, and assorted daggers, swords and pistols divert the imagination to times long past when notorious pirates like Sir Henry Morgan (after whom a brand of rum is named), Blackbeard (the much feared Edward Teach himself), Nicholas Van Hoorn and John Coxon set up several pirate colonies on Roatan, from where they could easily ambush, capture and pillage unwary Spanish galleons headed back to Spain from the New World while laden with gold and silver. Aarrgh!!! And treacherous times be those, matey, when ye scarce could sleep a wink for fear of plunderin’ pirates off the wild and primitive shores west of the Greater Antilles! Those were dangerous times indeed, making for fascinating study and numerous Hollywood tales.

Monkey Trail Canopy Zip-Lining Tours

Zip-lining through the canopy is an unforgettable thrill

Imagine flying through a jungle, high over the canopy of a tropical rainforest, swinging down from one treetop platform to another (there are 13 runs in all), surrounded by lush vegetation and glimpses of wildlife that find refuge in the flora, as adrenaline courses through your veins with the thrill of it all. This unforgettable experience is zip-lining through the deep dense jungle of Gumbalimba Park, one of the world’s best sites for enjoying this exhilarating sport. The expert guides are friendly and very experienced, while the double-lined cables, harnesses, helmets and other gear make it safe for adults and school-aged children. Younger children can enjoy zip-lining as well in the safe company of one of the fantastic guides who make it fun and fearless.

Views of the park while zip-lining are beautiful

What a thrill to soar high above the jungle floor like Tarzan himself through vine-draped trees with their moss covered branches, and over the emerald lake with views of the shimmering Caribbean Sea. It’s the kind of experience that makes you scream with excitement.

We began the Monkey Trail Canopy zip-lining tour deep in the rainforest, high on one of its uppermost peaks, then zipped down long stretches (starting about 100 feet, with the longest run stretching about 700 feet), going farther down and finally ending on the sandy shore of the beach.

Other Park Amenities and Activities

Gumbalimba Park is a stunning sanctuary

Visitors at Gumbalimba Park can also partake of additional activities like SNUBA diving (which is similar to SCUBA but simpler and not requiring certification), power snorkeling, Helmet diving tours (known as Sea Trek), sea-scooters, clear kayaking to observe the stunning underwater world, an Insectarium at Fort Gumba with creepy crawlies of the island, a swimming pool and the beach. A poolside cafe serving beverages, snacks and simple meals, a gift shop, and restrooms are also conveniently located under a large palapa by the park’s beach.

For more information on Gumbalimba Park visit their website at www.gumbalimbapark.com

Lagoon-like waters of Roatan vary in stunning shades of pale emerald to turquoise and aquamarine

Legend has it that pirate treasure once buried on the island of Roatan in the 17^th century remains hidden to this very day. At least that is what the locals claim as they speak of the island’s history with a gleam in their eyes. Whether or not there is any truth to this folklore remains to be seen. But regardless, one thing is certain – Roatan itself is a treasure worth discovering.

The calm waters are crystal clear

Located in the Bay islands off the coast of Honduras in the western Caribbean Sea, Roatan is an elongated 49 square-mile island stretching 28 miles in length, by 1-2 miles wide. Its landscape is marked by wooded peaks and valleys that gently slope down to marshes, mangrove forests, rocky bluffs and white sandy beaches met by the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea. This lush paradise is surrounded by jewel-toned waters lapping the shore in a hypnotic lullaby that soothes the soul and rejuvenates the senses. It is home to the second largest barrier reef in the world – the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef – drawing diving aficionados who enjoy exploring the vast underwater world with its stunning coral formations and wildlife that glitter beneath the filtered rays of the Caribbean sun, as well as the sunken ships that lay in their final resting places, providing refuge to the many scaled, finned, crustaceous and gilled occupants that lurk and glide through their eerie remains.

Flora & Fauna

The dense jungle beyond the coast is filled with all sorts of trees including almond trees, palms, oleanders, and tropical fruit trees galore

Roatan’s hot, humid climate ranges from 77-84 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, and receives over 100 inches of rain annually, with refreshingly constant easterly trade winds that are typical to the islands. Its lush tropical forests are rich with a variety of plants and trees including coconut palms, banana palms, almond and cashew trees, mango and papaya trees, crab apple trees, graceful oleanders, fragrant eucalyptus, imposing fig and breadfruit trees, tamarind trees and elephant ears with their huge waxy leaves.

Large hibiscus in bright pinks, oranges, yellows and reds, as well as birds of paradise, orchids, bougainvillea and pride of Barbados with their delicate bunches of flowers and tiny oval leaves in lacy fronds are among the many flowers that stand out in colorful contrast against the greenery. Thick ivy and passion fruit vines creep possessively up many of the moss-covered tree trunks, only to drape from their branches in graceful abandon.

The scarlet macaw is the national bird of Honduras and lives about 100 years

The island is home to white-tailed deer, green and black iguanas, several species of bats, agouti (large brown rodents which look like big rabbits without ears), turtles, frogs, lizards, snakes, monkeys and a variety of birds including toucans, macaws, turkey vultures, herons, hummingbirds, and parrots of many species. Bottle-nose dolphins can be seen frolicking off the coast in playful pods, as well as amazing underwater wildlife from eels to eagle rays and fish galore.

Island homes and Transportation

These stilted structures make the most of the panoramic vistas

A single paved road winds about the island, though water taxis await to transport people by boat along the calm coastal waters. A ride on a water taxi also affords spectacular views of the coastline and its plantation style homes with large wrap-around porches that make the most of the panoramic vistas. The houses are all built on stilts to protect against rising waters and sand flies among other insects.

Homes built on stilts are typical of the island. Note the ever-present jungle looming beyond

Just beyond the coast with its various houses and structures dotting its expanse, looms the jungle – impenetrable and foreboding as it rises above the sea – a constant reminder of nature’s indomitable presence.

The heady scent of dense vegetation, moist and earthy, with the salty sea fills the air. And as a dark orange sun sets beneath a glowing horizon, a wild chorus of frogs, crickets and birds resonates with a primitive splendor that sets fire to the imagination.

Activities, Recreation & Dining

There's nothing like a white sandy beach with warm turquoise water to provide endless diversion

Roatan is much more than a hub for scuba diving. There’s zip-lining through the rainforest canopy, parasailing, swimming and snorkeling, fishing, horseback riding, mangrove tours, scooter rentals, paddle boarding, sunset cruises, various parks with gardens, assorted tours and much more. Its many cays lay like tiny islands off its coast, waiting to be explored.

This restaurant is typical of the open-air dining right on the beach

The island has a very laid-back relaxed feel that is unpretentious and inviting. No shirt, no shoes, no problem! Most dining is al fresco right along the beach, where flip flops and shorts are the norm. Menus consist largely of freshly caught fish and seafood with vegetables and salads, and include such fare as conch ceviche, shrimp cocktails, hearts-of-palm salad, lobster, and a variety of catch-of-the-day specials. The delicious cocktails are fruity as many use fresh juices from fruits grown right on the island.

Sunsets on Roatan are breathtaking

Whether you are off exploring the island on a tour or nature encounter, laying back on the beach under an umbrella, or doing a bit of both, Roatan is a lovely place to visit. As it is still relatively unknown, it remains uncrowded with a very primitive feel – something that awakens one’s passion for nature and allows for peaceful exploration of its lush landscape away from the noise and stress of city life. It is a place for families to reconnect to each other amid stunning surroundings. And although you may not find buried pirate treasure from long ago, you will find peace. And that alone is priceless.