confused...need some beach info

About 8 yrs ago, we visited Roatan & spent the day at a resort. We had a great time. The rate has gone up quite a bit & although it's still worth the price, I'm not so sure I want to go ahead yet & make reservations.

I'm sure there must be other options to consider that have sprung up in the last 8 yrs.

I did a little bit of searching & saw through Island Marketing "West Bay Beach Break". I'm not familiar with this excursion or this beach.

Has anyone done this or gone to this beach?

Is West Bay Beach the same as Bananarama?

Do any of the cruise lines use this beach for their excursions?

We are basically looking for a uncrowded clean beach to spend the day with chairs, restrooms, bar & restaurant. Our main priority is privacy. I don't want a beach where we are seated 12" from the next lounge chair.

West Bay beach is where Bananarama is along with all the other resorts. You do not have to pay to use West Bay Beach, anyone can use the beach. Some of the resorts on the beach offer the use of beach chair for $5. You can take any taxi and they will take you to West Bay Beach. If you want something quiet, then don't go to West Bay Beach. It will be crowded with the cruise ship crowd. Pay Bay Beach is a nice beach on the east end of the island but it is pretty far to go and the beach is more pebbly then west bay beach which is sandy. There is a nice resort at Paya Bay though and if you have lunch there, you can use their private beach which is all nice white sand. If you use Google Earth look up Paya Bay Resort and you will see some pictures there that I took. Hope that helps.

West Bay beach is where Bananarama is along with all the other resorts. You do not have to pay to use West Bay Beach, anyone can use the beach. Some of the resorts on the beach offer the use of beach chair for $5. You can take any taxi and they will take you to West Bay Beach. If you want something quiet, then don't go to West Bay Beach. It will be crowded with the cruise ship crowd. Pay Bay Beach is a nice beach on the east end of the island but it is pretty far to go and the beach is more pebbly then west bay beach which is sandy. There is a nice resort at Paya Bay though and if you have lunch there, you can use their private beach which is all nice white sand. If you use Google Earth look up Paya Bay Resort and you will see some pictures there that I took. Hope that helps.

thank you!

Nice to know that 8 yrs later & Paya Bay is still tops!

Bananarama resort is on West Bay Beach, as is "Tabyana beach" which is used by many of the cruise ships for their beach days. I think it's gorgeous, and while cruise days are more crowded than days without ships, you'll only be that "12 inches" away from your neighbor if you buy the cruise tour - as they have quite a few lounge chairs packed into their area of the beach!

I just stayed a week on West Bay beach last month and was pleasantly suprised that cruise days were not as jam-packed as I feared they might be. If you walk down elsewhere on the beach it is by no means isolated, but you can easily find a spot with a good amount of space between you and your nearest neighbor, and have all the conveniences of many eating/drinking options on the beach - and maybe you'll even see the wild macaws!

Whatever you choose, enjoy your day on Roatan!

Is it best to take a taxi to the beach or do something with a company? How much does a taxi cost?