Having just returned home from our weeklong sojourn on Roatan, and memories and thoughts still fresh in our minds, we wanted to share this week's experiences and observations, including culinary and animal encounters. Located on its own 23 acre island, The Fantasy Island Dive Resort and Marina was our home base, and ideal for the die-hard diver, but as we found upon check-in there are some glitches in its armor. Most of the rooms need some serious Extreme Make-overs, including the initial room we were assigned to. At first glance the ocean front balcony room seemed okay, but when we spied the 2 twin beds (instead of the King we had requested), we looked a bit closer. An outdated rust stained bathroom, bathtub and shower, warped wooden floors, non closing sliding glass doors and the clincher was an overhead fan which only worked with the lights on....so in the middle of the night, you had a choice of no fan or the cooling breeze of the fan and the bright glow of its 4 lights, making us feel as if we were being interrogated by Jack Bauer. After speaking with the manager, she advised us that the resort was fully booked that night but that she would switch out our accommodations the next day, and true to her word, we received a newly remodeled King bedded room with marble bathroom, European shower and more, a 360 degree difference. Although the resort's package included all meals, we went off-premise a number of times to research some of the local fare and libations, propelled by the fact that the food at the resort, all served buffet style was far from epicurean, more sustenance than substance, albeit palatable. Wednesday night's lobster fest was the highlight, while most other nights the mundane grilled, bbq'd or baked chicken, fish and pork vied for our tepid attention, but after a day of diving, we were so famished that we made do with the simple fare. A couple of interesting sauces served on the side could have brought most dishes a notch up. As a pastry chef I was looking forward to tasting and possibly duplicating some island desserts, but the ever present flan, bread pudding and custard did nothing to tingle my tastebuds.
We rented a car and attempted to reconnoiter most of the island's 34 miles' length, and 3 mile width, which we accomplished in 1 day. Leaving the resort we drove west to its nearest neighbour French Harbour, where we encountered only a handful of restaurants including Romeo's and Gio's, both focused on seafood with a sprinkling of Italian, and the Lusty Lizard, serving both hamburgers and island cuisine (nice conch chowder and mango bread). Coxen Hole, a 20 minute drive from Fantasy Island, is not yet known for any culinary standouts and features a handful of fastfood restaurants, including Pizza Hut and Bojangles. It is also where you find the island's International Airport, and the Cruise Ship Pier which is getting a total redo. Roatan's new cruise ship pier facility should be finished by February 2008, with the expectation of at least one cruise ship a day, which should be a shot in the arm for the island, with the average cruise ship passenger spending as much as $100 for souvenirs, shore excursions, food and drink, and with this in mind the area should start sprouting some more diverse eating destinations.
Driving north towards Sandy Bay a 3 mile, S curved, hilly ride we passed the Blue Parrot and Rick's American Bar and Grill, the perfect abode for a Sunset drink, but since it was only 10AM we had other fish to fry.
Entering the West End, a laid back 70's kind of place, with dirt roads, backpackers and wannabe rastafarians, we could see the appeal of the place where "manana" definitely was the motto and the clean, white, although small beach, attracted both local families and vacationers. We stopped at Patricia's Place, a distinct hole in the wall, with an almost non- existent kitchen, but delectable smells coming from its smoking barbecue, strategically placed out front to attract the starving pedestrians. The smoker produced pound after pound of succulent, moist chicken, served with rice, beans and home made tortillas. Small menu and small kitchen, but a bargain at $6, and enough to share. I sampled a concoction called Zac's Attack at the Sundowner, Monkey Lala at the over the water Eagle Ray Bar and the ubiquitous Cuba Libre at Fosters made with local Flor de Cana rum, while most most people around us spent the day enjoying the local Salva Vida Beer. This area is home to a dozen other laid back restaurants and bars, all within a 5 block waterfront space, including the meat heavy Argentinean Grill (Arco Iris), Pura Vida featuring a blend of Italian and local seafood, Oolonthoo, specializing in Indian, the Bistro in Vietnamese and Dragonfly focusing on Thai, emphasizing this melting pot of cultures that makes West End attractive to all who visit.
We rented a car and attempted to reconnoiter most of the island's 34 miles' length, and 3 mile width, which we accomplished in 1 day. Leaving the resort we drove west to its nearest neighbour French Harbour, where we encountered only a handful of restaurants including Romeo's and Gio's, both focused on seafood with a sprinkling of Italian, and the Lusty Lizard, serving both hamburgers and island cuisine (nice conch chowder and mango bread). Coxen Hole, a 20 minute drive from Fantasy Island, is not yet known for any culinary standouts and features a handful of fastfood restaurants, including Pizza Hut and Bojangles. It is also where you find the island's International Airport, and the Cruise Ship Pier which is getting a total redo. Roatan's new cruise ship pier facility should be finished by February 2008, with the expectation of at least one cruise ship a day, which should be a shot in the arm for the island, with the average cruise ship passenger spending as much as $100 for souvenirs, shore excursions, food and drink, and with this in mind the area should start sprouting some more diverse eating destinations.
Driving north towards Sandy Bay a 3 mile, S curved, hilly ride we passed the Blue Parrot and Rick's American Bar and Grill, the perfect abode for a Sunset drink, but since it was only 10AM we had other fish to fry.
Entering the West End, a laid back 70's kind of place, with dirt roads, backpackers and wannabe rastafarians, we could see the appeal of the place where "manana" definitely was the motto and the clean, white, although small beach, attracted both local families and vacationers. We stopped at Patricia's Place, a distinct hole in the wall, with an almost non- existent kitchen, but delectable smells coming from its smoking barbecue, strategically placed out front to attract the starving pedestrians. The smoker produced pound after pound of succulent, moist chicken, served with rice, beans and home made tortillas. Small menu and small kitchen, but a bargain at $6, and enough to share. I sampled a concoction called Zac's Attack at the Sundowner, Monkey Lala at the over the water Eagle Ray Bar and the ubiquitous Cuba Libre at Fosters made with local Flor de Cana rum, while most most people around us spent the day enjoying the local Salva Vida Beer. This area is home to a dozen other laid back restaurants and bars, all within a 5 block waterfront space, including the meat heavy Argentinean Grill (Arco Iris), Pura Vida featuring a blend of Italian and local seafood, Oolonthoo, specializing in Indian, the Bistro in Vietnamese and Dragonfly focusing on Thai, emphasizing this melting pot of cultures that makes West End attractive to all who visit.
Going to the furthest Western part of the island, was like driving the slalom course at Le Mans, and with no speed limit it was a wonder we arrived in one piece at West Bay, having encountered along the way dozens of new projects including condos, real estate developments (like Infinity Bay), time shares and shopping centers. It is at West Bay Beach that we see where the future of Roatan is headed, with its wide beach, newly built condos, hotels, restaurants and bars, many right on the beach, including an upscale gourmet market, predominately catering to the upscale condos. We could sense that West Bay is on the cusp of becoming a mini version of Cozumel or Ambergris Caye, with beach chairs renting for $5 (the daily salary of many Hondurenos), somewhat overpriced drinks and food, locals and hippies hawking "hand-made" blankets and jewelry, but putting it all into perspective we could see the allure of the clean, white sandy beach and baby blue water.
We acknowledge what a small world we live in when on our flight back from Roatan we meet one of the developers of the above mentioned Infinity Bay, a grand project that will allow villa ownership, resort vacations and on premise management of the properties.
We acknowledge what a small world we live in when on our flight back from Roatan we meet one of the developers of the above mentioned Infinity Bay, a grand project that will allow villa ownership, resort vacations and on premise management of the properties.
Pics: Our Dive Group, Jose Luis feeding Banana to Capucin Monkey, Monkey Lala (Iguana family)
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