Grand Roatan Caribbean Resort

Grand Roatan opened in 2013 and melds the polish you’d expect from an upscale hotel with Roatan’s tropical landscape. The resort’s 14 oceanfront acres are hilly and feel like a manicured jungle full of blossoming flowers, plants, trees, and sandy walkways. Near the waterfront, a pathway framed by jagged volcanic rocks leads to a romantic wooden gazebo with phenomenal views of the reef and ocean. There’s also a lot of room for the resort to expand and during our visit in 2016, the footprint for a new building was under construction. 

In general, this is a quiet, laid-back spot. The resort’s beach is long and sandy and ends at a jagged cliff. For better or worse, the hotel feeds fish right offshore so there are always tons of fish to see and a natural reef is a short swim from the beach. Unlike many other West Bay hotels, Grand Roatan doesn’t allow cruise-ship day trippers, which preserves their beach and infinity pool as a relaxing refuge. Beach vendors can still be aggressive though, but much less so along Grand Roatan’s stretch of sand. During the high season, evenings at Grand Roatan pick up with live entertainment and music. Navigating back to rooms after dark can be a challenge at Grand Roatan though, as the grounds are uneven, hilly, and poorly lit. The hotel attracts a mix of couples and families from around the world, especially from Latin America. 

Grand Roatan is the last resort on West Bay Beach’s long, sandy oceanfront framed by the beautiful beach and a jagged, coral-rock cliff. It’s a five-minute swim from the resort to the thriving Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the world’s second longest. Many bars and restaurants serving local and international cuisines are a five-minute walk from the hotel. Within a 10-minute walk are Italian, sushi, and fine-dining restaurants. There’s also an Argentinian steakhouse, a mini market, and pharmacy 10 minutes away on foot. West End -- the island’s nightlife and dining hub -- is a 12-minute drive away. Coxen Hole, Roatan's commercial heart with supermarkets, restaurants, and the cruise-ship terminal is around 30 minutes away by car. A full 18-hole golf course is a 52-minute drive from the hotel. The ferry to Utilla is a 10-minute drive from Grand Roatan followed by a 40-minute boat ride. La Ceiba, in the Honduran mainland, requires a 45-minute drive to the Roatan jetty and an hour-and-15-minute ferry. Budget 30 minutes to reach Juan Manuel Galvez International Airport by car or cab.

Rooms at Grand Roatan are spacious and bright, with contemporary home interiors that have just enough style to make them stand out. Suites up the hill have rustic wood exteriors and lofty interiors with nautical touches like carved wooden sailboats and frigate birds. Walls are white and decorated with modern Honduran folk art and colorful paintings of undersea scenes. A cushy tan couch faces a big patio (some with ocean views) and end tables are topped by glass-bottomed lamps full of sand and shells. Suites also have mini-fridges. Their bathrooms have wood-topped vanities and glass-walled stand-up showers. A big plus are the outdoor, open-air showers. 

The poshest units are the condos, which have one to three bedrooms plus full kitchens with granite counters, stainless-steel refrigerators, electric ranges, microwaves, and dish washers. Blenders and toasters and lots of cooking utensils are also standard. Furniture includes plush tan couches and love seats with turquoise throw pillows, granite-topped dinner tables, and colorful abstract art. Bedrooms include hardwood headboards with either king or full beds, and other pieces have chunky, rustic silhouettes and clean, modern lines. The condos also have huge private balconies with outdoor dining tables and seating for six. Bathrooms have granite counters and soaking tubs with rainfall showerheads. Surrounded by so much granite, the fiberglass drop-in tub seems chintzy and out of place.

All bathrooms include hairdryers, bar soap, shampoo, conditioner, and shower caps. Other standard amenities for all rooms are ceiling fans, big flat-screen TVs with premium movie channels, air-conditioning, coffeemakers and ground coffee, bottled water, irons and ironing boards, and safes. All rooms also have free Wi-Fi. 

Grand Roatan’s beautiful palm-fringed beach has soft yellow sand and lots of lounge chairs. It’s located at the far end of West Bay so it’s one of the least crowded areas of the beach. The freshwater infinity pool overlooks the beach and has a walk-up pool bar and water volleyball court. There’s also a zero-entry area for kids and a hot tub. A tile deck surrounds the pool area with lots of lounge chairs and tables with umbrellas.

Iron Shore Bar and Grill is the hotel’s beachfront restaurant that serves local and international cuisines. The restaurant gets mixed reviews and is also where the free buffet breakfasts – that include a live-cooking station – are served. During the high season, there’s live music on the weekends. The hotel dive shop, Island Diving Center and Scuba School, is a five-star PADI school offering introductory to advanced diving courses and daily dives. They also rent snorkeling equipment, kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, and Zayak sea sleds (for a fee).

A nice plus are the outdoor games, including a life-size chess board, corn hole, horseshoes, a putting green, and a netted-off area to practice golf or baseball swings. The hotel can arrange taxis, car rentals, canopy tours, dolphin encounters, fishing, massage, and babysitters. Grocery provisioning is available as is laundry service. Free yoga, water yoga, and Pilates classes are available during the high season. Other hotel freebies include parking, purified water, and roundtrip airport or ferry jetty transfers. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel.