Caribbean Beaches, In General ... The Best For Our Itinerary

[ajtraveler66]

We are planning a Norwegian cruise for January of next year.  We pretty much know what we are going to do in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.  However, we will have four other ports of call.  At one of those four ports of call, we would like to have a top-notch beach day (no snorkeling...just beautiful beach, WHITE sand, and decent waves).  Here are those other four ports:  Costa Maya; Roatan (Bay Islands, Honduras); Harvest Caye in Belize; and Georgetown, Cayman Islands. [The more quiet the beach--if that's possible--the better)  Other suggestions for any of these ports of call are welcome....especially for Roatan since this is where I am posting.  Would also like to include a decent Maya ruins site at one of these ports of call.  Thank you so very, very much.

[brookeq]

costa maya will have the ruins.  I would do that there.

 

Grand Cayman has 7 mile beach which would fit your beach description.  Just try to avoid the main areas if you want quiet.  Cemetery beach is a quieter part.   

 

On roatan west bay beach is the beach with nice blue water.   But it is small and busy usually when cruise ships are there.   The vendors make this not a "quiet" beach.  We used a tour company and went to bananarama resort.  You get a chair included per person.  The vendors aren't allowed up by your chairs.   

 

 

 

[crewsweeper]

The West End and Sandy Bay are a couple of other options.  Your ship may run an excursion to Sol y Mer resort, which will be quieter.  Or you can possibly book with them on your own.

 

Agree with brookeq on Costa Maya fro ruins.  Use Native Choice for that not your ship excursion.

 

Harvest Caye is a separate island for NCL.  So you can stay there if you like.  But, IMO, take a ferry to Placencia and do a snorkeling excursion off shore.  Couple of sites to look at:  https://www.placenciasnorkeling.com/  or https://belizescuba.com/diving-snorkeling/

 

 

[Guest 2000]

no snorkeling...just beautiful beach, WHITE sand, and decent waves

 

If I am reading this correctly you want Waves to play in.  Unless there is a northern storm there are very few waves on the beaches of Roatan, one side of the island is surrounded by reef and the other is iron shore.  The far east end of the island has a constant breeze but even those waves I would not call decent. 

 

Mostly West Bay and Half Moon Bay are bathtub calm. Sandy Bay is even calmer due to the shallows for some distance. I have seen the waves as high as six feet in West Bay but that was a nasty storm and I doubt the sea was safe. The reason I know the waves were six feet is cause some guy he came in from the water panting and screaming  "The waves are higher than me and I am six feet."  He didn't go back out. 

[PlanoDebbie]

We were just at West Bay beach in Roatan last week.  Absolutely beautiful!  Here are a few pictures from March 13, 2019.