Little French Key or Maya Key? Which is better?

We have been to Maya Key and liked it. We have never been to Little French Key. We love good snorkeling. Which is better? How far away from Coxen hole to get to little French Key.

Would love to hear your comparison of the 2 keys and which you prefer and why.

Thanks so much for any info!

Hoping someone that has been to both places will respond. Thanks

Can't really give you a recent head to head comparison. But between DW and I, we have been to both. Last time I was at Maya Key, it was the old Fin and Flippers. Friends have been there a couple of years back and enjoyed it. It is a ship based excursion. DW and SIL were at LFK in 2014 and had a great time. This was shortly before the great "animal heist" by Roatan authorities under the influence and pressure from the family that owns Maya key and other resorts. They booked with the website site had had transportation from Mahogany Bay to LFK provided. I believe, and others can correct me if I'm wrong, that they also provide transportation from Coxen Hole. It is a 25-30 minute drive from Coxen Hole, as opposed to a 15 minute drive from MB.

I have been to both and have been to LFK 3x now...if that tells you anything. The beauty there is just AMAZING!!!

I have reviews in my signature line with tons of pictures :)

Just got back from our cruise on Sunday, and I wanted to share my experience with everyone (I was so thankful to all the pre-cruise information on this forum and wanted to contribute).

I took 6 family members to Little French Key (LFK) last week. We were on the Liberty of the Seas, which docked in Coxen Hole. Unfortunately, there was another ship docked in Mahogany Bay. It was a large Carnival ship...The Carnival Breeze I think? I want to keep my review in perspective...two very big cruise ships on the same day probably caused most of my negative comments.

We left the cruise terminal and found the guys from LFK pretty quickly after passing all the other vendors. There was a big line of people waiting to board a large bus. They all boarded the bus but there wasn't enough room for our group of 6. A small mini van type of vehicle had pulled up in front of the bus, and they directed us to board the van. We waited for a few more people to show up and they packed our mini van full.

The drive was fine and didn't take too long, although we were really pack in that little van. When we arrive at Frenchy's 44 (the place where you pay and catch the ferry ride over to LFK), there was a long line of people spilling into the parking lot. It wasn't quite apparent what this line was for and there were no staff communicating anything. When I say apparent, I mean was the line to pay or was it the line to get on the ferry (turns out it was both)? It was very hot and humid and the line was incredibly slow. I think it took us close to 40 minutes get up to the front where we paid the entry fee. The line behind us kept growing! Maybe this is not a common occurrence, but one of my pet peeve's is when a business does the same thing every day and they aren't efficient with their process. I think the problem with the long entry line (other than 2 ships in port and a large influx of people) is that LFK offers multiple packages, and most people didn't seem prepared and didn't know what package they wanted to buy. Anyway, it was a hot and miserable line to stand in and it was frustrating they didn't have the staffing or facilities to expedite the process.

We opted for the $88 package, which included lunch, two drinks and use of all non motorized equipment (like paddle boards and kayaks). It also included a "tour" of the zoo area, but not sure what that was really (and it seemed unnecessary as the zoo area was self explanatory).

We paid the fee, got wristbands and got on the ferry to LFK. We got to the island and someone was there to meet us and offered to take the group on a tour of the island. We declined the tour, but if this was the included zoo tour, it was offered to everyone, not just those who paid for it (there was no other tour offered any other time that day that we saw, so I assume this was the zoo tour). We looked around a bit and decided on some chairs at the eastern most edge of the island near one of the little beach coves, somewhat far away from main buildings and bars. One of the staff came by a little later and introduced himself and said he would be taking care of us that day for lunch and drinks.

The island got busy really fast. The bar areas were packed with teenage looking kids drinking heavily. Maybe they were older than they looked but it was a pretty crazy sight. Quite a few drunk people around. Later in the day, I saw quite a few younger people passed out and they looked really sick from drinking so heavily. Two of us from our group had tried to get a soft drink and a beer at the bar since our waiter was tough to find. But it took a long time to get the attention of the bar staff as they were pouring shots and making drinks for the younger people perched at the bar.

Many of the kayak's and paddle boards seemed in really poor shape (the kayaks for example had the back rest supports broken and you could not kayak for more than a few minutes without your back hurting). However, even finding a kayak or paddle board that was available was very difficult as kids were hording them or people were just sitting on them and using them as flotation devices (they were just sitting on them and not using them as intended it seemed). Oars were also missing on various "available" kayaks. We did find a couple available ones later on in the day, but it was a bit of a disappointment.

The snorkeling here was really bad, but also really good at the same time. What I mean by that is, the snorkeling that was accessible from the beaches was very poor. But two of us who are strong swimmers decided to access the ocean via the rocky area just past the little wall on the south side of the island. It was very difficult to get past the shallow rocky areas, but when we finally did, the water was full of coral and fish and extremely clear. I am not sure if we were "allowed" to access the reef this way, but I would strongly advise against it for most people, unless you have proper footwear for the sharp rocks, are a strong swimmer, and can keep yourself off the coral while you are rolling with the waves.

Everyone in our group had a pretty good time for the most part. My son enjoyed jumping off the 2nd deck areas and the island was very scenic and pretty. My daughter enjoyed looking at all the animals. However, the party atmosphere and the crowd was not ideal. Also, if I were to do it again, I would not pay for the "extra" package. Nobody ever checked wristbands for the kayak and paddle board use, and that was really the only reason I even got the "extra" cost package. The included food and drinks were just ok and it was very difficult to get drinks either on our own or with our waiter. I would have rather just bought a pizza for lunch and bought a few soft drinks. The snorkeling was great, but only two of us in our group could enjoy it, and there were challenges getting out to the reef.

Last year, we visited Roatan for the first time and spent $25 a person at Infinity Bay resort. Food and drinks were not included in that price but we simply bought a few drinks and had a pizza for minimal additional cost at the resort. The snorkeling was just as good and actually better since there was no difficulty in getting out to the reef. Infinity Bay resort had a lovely fresh water pool and very few people compared to LFK (they limit the number of day passes). While Little French Key was pretty and a decent experience, it was not worth the cost (we paid $528 for our group of 6!). However, most of this could be due to there being two ships in port that day. If and when I go back to Roatan, I think we'll head back to the resort day passes instead of LFK.

On the ferry ride back, one young girl had to literally be carried by her boyfriend/brother because she was so drunk. I've got nothing against having a good time and a few drinks but LFK seemed like a big drunken party. Kind of like cruising on a Carnival ship :) (that seems to suit many people, so maybe it's just a personal preference thing)

We did have a nice day in general, and once we got to the reef, it was fantastic snorkeling, but just not something I think I'll do again.

Let me know if you have any questions that I can answer. If you are planning to go to LFK, check the cruise port calendar for Roatan, and just expect heavier crowds if there are more ships in port.

Thank you for your review, I thought about booking the VIP experience at LFK (I went as far as reserving two spots but it doesn't seem like that would make a difference) but after reading a few so-so reviews, I decided to hold off and keep my options open. I was looking for a relaxing day and it doesn't seem like that would be a guarantee at LFK (not knowing how many people they will be entertaining on that day).

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Thank you for your review! We have been to Roatan several times and have done many excursions. We have never been to Little French Key and I have been doing some research into doing something different on this cruise. This review helps in making some decisions.

Yeah, the VIP option is a little curious. I think I had read a review of someone who did get it, but it was kind of confusing once they were on the island as to where and what they should receive with the package. I am not sure what the VIP "area" is though. If anything, I would just book the snorkel tour, but the horseback riding seemed really worthless (from what we saw at least). The whole thing just seemed a little unorganized to me, and after reading more reviews about people paying for the snorkel tour and then not knowing when it left or where to go to get it, I can see why.

It was an ok place to visit, and I would think with only one ship in port, it would be much better (I would hope). But, I personally would not do it again. I am glad I went at least once though.

Went last year when a couple of ships were in and I agree about the long line to pay and ride ferry. The island got packed to the point, when I talked to the owner he actually was turning people away. He told us he does not like more the 400 on island. We were lucky to get a spot over by cove where they cook and a nice bar is set up, downside was we could see the people over at big French and we had it nicer then them, I even wondered if it was possible for them to cross lagoon and crowd the island even more. And I guess I was loud enough never had an issue getting what I wanted. Going back in July only because we are the only ship and they offer a return guest discount.

I 100% agree with the original poster here. We went to LFK and only stayed for 2 hours. We didn't care for it. It was nice... but not what we wanted. West Bay Beach is a lot better for snorkeling and actual beach time. Plus, the food is better from the restaurants there. We usually get a private driver for the day and he takes us to West Bay Beach and West End Village. $90 for 4 people and then pay small fee for one of the resorts... cheap eats. Best way to spend the day in Roatan for us. Doing it again in Sept. Can't wait!

Thanks for the review. We are going to be in Roatan this month and were thinking about LFK, but Infinity Bay sounds awesome. How did you go about purchasing the day passes?

We have two western Caribbean cruise booked and I've been research the ports and shore excursions.

I'm so glad I found your review. We have two young kids and this is definitely not for us.

Thank you for sharing your experience. :)

thank you to everyone who has posted all of this! I was at LFK three years ago and it was super quiet ....only about 40 people!!! Was an awesome day! Now it sounds soooooo busy and crowded, that scares me! We are booked to go there this October but will check cruise ship schedule first.....maybe re-think our plans! I have been to both places mentioned here and liked them both!!!

Leah

how did you get to and make reservations for infinity bay resort?

thank you john

Have been to Little French Key twice and was very pleased both times. If you worried about bad reviews go check Tripadvisor and see LFK gets some top reviews. Spring break and certain other times of year are tough on any spot geared to less than huge crowds so kind of take that into account regardless of where you pick. Many things depend on time of year. Part of reason we very careful to pick when we cruise to the Caribbean.