Little French Key vs. Maya Key

Just got back from Little French Key again. It is still beautiful!!!! There are less animals but if you are going just to see animals you are going to the wrong place. There are two 6 month old lion cubs,the adult lion, monkeys, deer, birds, etc.

The tax that everyone was worried about them adding to the package price was nothing but a bunch of panic and rumor. The tax is added into the package price and you pay nothing extra than the listed package price. (we paid in cash and received a 10% discount for being return visitors)

The trip to LFK from the Mahogany Bay port took about 15 to 20 minutes. It is not required to reserve on the LFK site as we met some people on the ship that wanted to go with us to LFK and we emailed LFK while on the ship and they said we could just show up with as many people we wanted to reservations required. If you want to just show up all you have to do is walk to the top of the hill outside the Mahogany Bay port and look for or ask for the LFK shuttle. The shuttle guys will be wearing a polo shirt with Frenchy's on the front and Little French Key on the back.

The staff asks right from the beginning what time we needed to be back to the port and also told us that we could leave at anytime we liked.

LFK is a amazing place that everyone should try atlas once!

Thanks for the info we will be there next week.

I reserved LFK, and am not reading more threads about it. Why are some saying snorkel is extra? I reserved the $88 package and it says:

I am trying to understand all of what we are getting in our purchase. We have never snorkeled before, but I think DH and the older kids will want to try it. Isn't it included?

You can snorkel around the island, but there's not a whole lot to see. I mean you will see stuff, but it's not a reef. If you want them to take you out to the reef on the boat, it's an extra $10, I believe. That's the package above the $88 I think. You can always decide once you get there and add on the snorkeling out to the reef if you want. :)

You can snorkel around the island, but there's not a whole lot to see. I mean you will see stuff, but it's not a reef. If you want them to take you out to the reef on the boat, it's an extra $10, I believe. That's the package above the $88 I think. You can always decide once you get there and add on the snorkeling out to the reef if you want. :)

Awesome. Thank you for explaining.

I am so excited.

I can't tell you how much your reports have helped me in making decisions for our family trip. I sincerely appreciate you answering questions, too.

Awesome. Thank you for explaining.

I am so excited.

 

I can't tell you how much your reports have helped me in making decisions for our family trip. I sincerely appreciate you answering questions' date=' too.[/quote']

 

You are very welcome. I hope you have a wonderful time.

 

LFK Owner just announced they have also built a beach house, 3 bedrooms, that people can vacation there. I can't wait to get back there and check it out. I would LOVE to actually go there and STAY for awhile. :D

I am assuming another plus to LFK is no beach vendors since it is privately owned? Reading other reviews for ship and non-ship booked excursions and the common complaint is the vendors that don't understand the words "no" or "not interested".

Is there more than one cruise port that could change the total length of time it would take to get to LFK? We will be on Liberty of the Seas.

Lastly, should we book directly with the owners or one of the excursion companies?

I am assuming another plus to LFK is no beach vendors since it is privately owned? Reading other reviews for ship and non-ship booked excursions and the common complaint is the vendors that don't understand the words "no" or "not interested".

 

Is there more than one cruise port that could change the total length of time it would take to get to LFK? We will be on Liberty of the Seas.

 

Lastly, should we book directly with the owners or one of the excursion companies?

Correct. You won't find any vendors on LFK. :)

Yes, there are 2 cruise ports in Roatan.

NCL uses Coxenhole, which is the furthest away.

Carnival uses Mahogany Bay, which is closer and it's their private cruise port.

I'm honestly not sure what Liberty would use. I would assume Coxenhole since it's not part of the Carnival owned fleet.

Thank you for the reply mitsugirly. Who do you make LFK reservations through? If allowed, link?

Thank you for the reply mitsugirly. Who do you make LFK reservations through? If allowed, link?

Go directly to their website and make it. http://www.littlefrenchkey.com/

Go directly to their website and make it. http://www.littlefrenchkey.com/

Again, much appreciated. I never could not get the site to open using IE, but worked perfectly on my iPad.

Probably going with the VIP package. :D

We just got back from a cruise on the NCL Jade (1/30-2/6/16) and we went to Maya Key on an excursion though NCL. It was $75 pp and well worth it in my opinion. I haven't been to LFK but might try it sometime.

As people have said, it's only about a five minute boat ride from Coxen Hole port. We really enjoyed the snorkeling. You just walk out to the end of a long dock and start snorkeling. They have a rope underwater that marks the path out out to the edge of the reef and a steep drop-off. I couldn't even count all the different fish and sea life we saw.

There was an older woman who was swimming out by the reef in the afternoon when we were just getting out. She started to be in distress and called for help. The two MK staff who were on the dock dove in immediately and one brought her in. I'm not sure what was wrong -- if it was fatigue or cramps or what. She wasn't wearing a life jacket and I don't think she had snorkeling gear, but her brother who was with her did. I saw her later sitting by the gift shop and she seemed fine, but she did say, "Next time I'll wear a life jacket," and her brother joked, "Because you had a heart attack, I got a free t-shirt" (I really don't think it was a heart attack or she wouldn't have just been sitting there).

We spent most of our time snorkeling and eating lunch. They have animals but I just took a quick walk past them.

Lunch was included and good and plentiful.

I would go again if given the chance.

The beach is fine for sunbathing and swimming.

Again, much appreciated. I never could not get the site to open using IE, but worked perfectly on my iPad.

 

Probably going with the VIP package. :D

I'm glad you were able to get it to work (I never use IE due to so many problems with...well...just about everything lol. I always use Firefox or Chrome).

I hope you have a wonderful time. The owner keeps posting updated pictures and the place is even more beautiful than the last time we were there. I can't wait to get back there again.

Does anyone know why some animals were taken away? I am pretty sensitive to animal welfare and typically don't like to see caged animals for our enjoyment. Just wondering what the rumors are in that regard.

Does anyone know why some animals were taken away? I am pretty sensitive to animal welfare and typically don't like to see caged animals for our enjoyment. Just wondering what the rumors are in that regard.

I don't have all the details but they were NOT taken away because of the way they were treated. The animals were well treated.

As I understand it, competitor(s) managed to get the government to come in and seize some animals using some legal/permit/licensing issue.

I too would like to hear the whole story on the situation.

I don't have all the details but they were NOT taken away because of the way they were treated. The animals were well treated.

 

As I understand it, competitor(s) managed to get the government to come in and seize some animals using some legal/permit/licensing issue.

 

I too would like to hear the whole story on the situation.

It is doubtful you will find the truth. Third world country, healthy rumor mill, filter info through perceptions.

Even so this is the story I heard:

I do not believe Simba should have been made to sit with tourists for photos so already I believe they were treating the animals poorly. I was under the impression they had acquired many of their animals illegally. While the animals were taken to Maya Key it was not because Maya ratted LFK out it was because Maya Key has a license to rehabilitate animals.

Additionally, LFK was dumping sand bags in the sea for reasons unknown to me, they were destroying habitat. At the time there were pics on the web from the women who brought it to light about the same time as the animals.

Zoos of any kind make me sad.

A google search may offer you versions of what I heard or something all together different. Truth is tough when emotions run high.

For those who took a boat to Maya Key- are there lift jackets on the boat? Are there life jackets for kids?

I have my own snorkel and mask. Can I rent just flippers and snorkel vest and do they have the short flipper?

Go directly to their website and make it. http://www.littlefrenchkey.com/

Hi mitsugirly, a question for you, or whomever knows,,,

How far is the walk in Carnival's Mohogany Bay port, from the shopping area to the pick up point for the drivers of LFK?

We have someone with us who can't walk far, the walk to the skyride from the ship is tough on them!

We've never left the port, but after last months wall to wall crowded beach experience at Mohogany Bay, we're looking elsewhere!:cool:

Also, where does the boat pick you up in mohogany bay to transport to maya key?

Thank you in advance!:D

It’s through a store and up a hill with shops and a parking lot.

We almost missed our ship in Honduras as we had a problem with our phone resetting the time. Let me tell you... the walk seemed very long as I ran for all I was worth back to the ship.

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Hi mitsugirly, a question for you, or whomever knows,,,

How far is the walk in Carnival's Mohogany Bay port, from the shopping area to the pick up point for the drivers of LFK?

We have someone with us who can't walk far, the walk to the skyride from the ship is tough on them!

We've never left the port, but after last months wall to wall crowded beach experience at Mohogany Bay, we're looking elsewhere!:cool:

Also, where does the boat pick you up in mohogany bay to transport to maya key?

Thank you in advance!:D

It's a bit of a walk for someone with mobility issues honestly. If they have a hard time walking from the pier to the skyride, it might not be a good idea to do this walk, which involves not only getting out of the cruise compound, the parking lot and then there's a haul up a hill and back down.

Here is a map that I had pulled off the internet awhile back with instructions on how to get out to the cab area: (you can see the skyride part to the right for comparison of distance).

At some point, (I can't remember if it was a discussion here on the Roatan boards or if it was within one of my reviews) but I showed pictures (taken from the ship docked) of the entire port area and the pathway leading out to the street. From the ship, you could actually see the road on the hill and I had marked it with "pen" on the picture so that people could visualize the distance. For the life of me, I can't find it now and I obviously didn't save it to my pictures.

The only actual picture I have of the hill is the following ....(after coming down on the other side of it). I did notice the last time we were there, they had built a staircase from the parking lot up to the top of the hill (so that pedestrians didn't have to walk in the street like they used to).

We have been to both of these properties -- here is my take on these:

--Distance from Coxen Hole -- LFK is about a 40 minute drive; Maya Key is a 5 minute boat ride.

--Food -- LFK is better.

--Snorkeling -- Maya Key is much better; if you want to spend some quality time, get one of the guides at the end of the dock to show you around. LFK is a boat ride over to an area that's fine, but it can be rough for anyone not experienced. The West End beach area is also excellent snorkeling (Tabyana Beach).

--Price -- Maya Key is a little less. (We have our own snorkel gear so that saves $$)

--Things to do -- LFK may be a little better.

--Drinks -- LFK is better.

All in all, I prefer Maya Key.

Enjoy!

Kel:D

We loved LFK. My daughter still talks about it. They have a platform to jump from or rope swing into the clear blue water. Palapas in the water. We did the snorkel boat and didn’t really like it my daughter was freaked out because it was so deep, darkish and a bit rough. We would go back but not do the snorkel boat. We were so busy hardly had time to eat/drink. Next time I would do the base package and add on as needed. We had a group rate from cruise critic roll call so that saved us $10.

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There's a user on here who's done both (mistygirl or something?) and the pics are very detailed.

 

I'm going to Maya Key next week. I've never been to either, and was torn for a while. But, I think Little French Key has gotten too expensive. Maya Key has snorkeling right off the pier, which is something to consider, and the food was included - $70 pp. LFK was $88 pp for food and 2 drinks per person + $13 of Honduran tax (total $111 or 113 pp) . If you want to snorkel, it's an extra $10 pp. LFK has had a rough year, with their animals being confiscated and now having to charge it's customers 15% tax. Hopefully things turn around for them.

The 15% is only if you use a credit card.

"Payment is ONLY taken once you have arrived at LFK in US Cash or by any major credit/debit card. PLEASE NOTE THAT FOR ANY PAYMENTS MADE WITH CREDIT OR DEBIT CARD IN HONDURAS, AN ADDITIONAL 15% HONDURAN SALES TAX WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE CHARGED BY THE BANK TO YOUR CARD. *$20 PER PERON DEPOSIT IS REQUIRED FOR PARTIES OF 10 OR MORE.* Honduran Banks will not accept severely worn/torn US currency, please be aware when paying cash at LFK"

LFK is great, just returned and had a ball. The only downside was the ride to LFK from Coxen Hole, hold on.

There's a user on here who's done both (mistygirl or something?) and the pics are very detailed.

 

I'm going to Maya Key next week. I've never been to either, and was torn for a while. But, I think Little French Key has gotten too expensive. Maya Key has snorkeling right off the pier, which is something to consider, and the food was included - $70 pp. LFK was $88 pp for food and 2 drinks per person + $13 of Honduran tax (total $111 or 113 pp) . If you want to snorkel, it's an extra $10 pp. LFK has had a rough year, with their animals being confiscated and now having to charge it's customers 15% tax. Hopefully things turn around for them.

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