Mayan Princess vs. Foster's West Bay Beach

[mt4463]

Hello! My husband, son and I will be going to Roatan on the Norwegian Seas in a couple of weeks. We want to hire a taxi for the day, go to the canopy tour, have lunch and then spend the rest of the day at the beach. Can't decide between Mayan Princess and Foster's West Bay Beach. Has anyone gone to both and can give me some feedback? I'm assuming I have to pay a fee to use their facilities (how much?). Also, are sand-fleas pretty much a nuisance at all the beaches in Roatan?

 

Finally, do you recommend lunch at Half Moon Bay or just eat at the resorts? Many thanks for your feedback!

[MSUSigmaK]

We were there last November and loved the Mayan Princess. There is only a charge for chairs. I didn't notice sand fleas. There is another post from someone who has recently returned from Roatan that provides a lot of information. Snorkeling is fantastic. There are also fishing boats that can be hired. My husband went out with 2 other men on our cruise. One of them caught a fish but before they could get it to the boat something larger ate it. Our cab driver was wonderful. He brought a young man with us who was studying English in high school. They stayed with us while we were at the beach and watched over our things.

 

I would love to go back to Roatan. When you arrive at the pier, don't be discouraged with what you'll see. It is not very developed and maybe that's a good thing.

 

Enjoy!

[mt4463]

Many thanks for the reply! I think we'll settle on Mayan Princess.

[cruiserkathi]

Please report back. How were the facilities? How far from the pier? Cost of taxis, etc. We aren't going to Roatan until next June, but are seriously considering the Mayan Princess Resort. They promptly replied to our inquiries -- $15.00/person for chairs, use of showers, changing rooms, pool, restaurant, etc. Have a great cruise.

[ljrfrm]

Mayan Princess is awesome - you can't go wrong there....great pool, fun beach and good, well priced food! Can't tell you the price of taxis, someone else will have to chime in there.....but I can promise you that you will love it.....the pool is total paradise! You can take a water taxi to West End and wander around after (can't remember, think it's $2 per person). Have fun!

[mt4463]

THanks for the info!! I'll report back once I get home. Wish me luck avoiding any other storms!!!

[mizzy76218]

My wife and I will be in Roatan for the first time when we sale with Horizon's March 25, 2005 cruise. Our children are 11, 8 and 6 and enjoy the beach near a pool. Should we grab a taxi and go to the Mayan Princes or somewhere else? What is the canapy tour? Anyother sugestions? I am also nervous abot the sand flies.

[ljrfrm]

I wouldn't worry too much about the sand fleas. I'll be honest, they were a big pain in the rear. I got eaten up and so did my middle son. But, my friend who lives there told me if you don't touch the bites, they go away in an hour or so....she was right.....by the time we were back on the ship, they were almost all gone, and a bit later, they were completely gone. It wasn't a big deal. We used deet but it didn't seem to work, but again, they went away so quickly it didn't bother us.

 

Your children would love Mayan Princess. I have three boys, ages 3, 9 and 11, and the Mayan Princess was a huge hit. The pool is great, and parts were shallow enough for my 3 year old to play too. The beach there is wonderful and the food was yummy. As I mentioned above - you can take the water taxi to West End...the boys loved the boat ride, it was one of their favorite parts. They have a restaurant (the Argentinian one, can't remember the name) that has monkeys. Two are in a cage but one is out and you can hold it, pet it and get pictures....the boys loved that too.

 

You can't go wrong doing this and it makes for a pretty cheap day at the beach! Have fun!

[Jem4life]

Is there a web site for Mayan Princess? We are going to Roatan in March and looking for something to do there. We have a group of 15 and want to find something reasonably priced and something for us over 40's and the kids. (Kids age 6-19)

[Jem4life]

Never mind... found it!!!

[envirolawyer]

Is anyone else annoyed by the term "sand fleas" being used to describe the "sand flies" in Roatan? Sand fleas actually dig in the sand - they are about half an inch long, they don't bite, and they live by the ocean's edge. Fishermen sometimes use them as bait. Anyway, going to Roatan in December, does anyone have advice about a place that offers horseback riding on the beach? :)

[cruzfool]

Just returned from the Norwegian Sea and another awesome day in Roatan. We hired audry Cooper from the dock (English speaking taxi driver) who for $60 ferried the 3 of us around all day, first we went to the west end shopping, then to Las Palmas for the beach. Audry can be booked in advance via email to ogicooper@yahoo.com

She was excellent and I highly reccommend her services.

I also like to reccommend a trip down to the East End for those who want to get a way from it all and the crowds too. Paya Bay resort offers an amazing alternative to the crowds at Mayan Princess and Tabyana. http://www.paybay.com

Enjoy all that Roatan has to offer, and yes, you'll need bug spray, its just better that way!