RELAX INTO LUXURY AT OUR WEST END BEACHFRONT VILLA—WITH PRIVATE POOL

My wife and I had seen a show on HGTV's International House Hunters that featured Coral Vistas. After our jaws hit the floor, we taped it to show to our usual Mexico travel buddies. The seven of us have been renting houses in Playa del Carmen for 18 years, but it has lost its' luster. Too big, too expensive, and now full of American fast food places. We pined for the old Playa of simpler days with local charm and authenticity. After getting together and watching the tape everyone wanted to go there. So, we looked it up on the internet, and the descriptions and pictures we found, only convinced us more that we needed to make it this winter's escape from Minnesota. The seven of us spent a fabulous week at the Half Moon Bay House, old Playa rediscovered, only better!

We were rewarded by a better than expected experience. Roatan is a beautiful, laid back island with beautiful beaches and extremely friendly people. The house surpassed our highest expectations. It was very clean and wonderfully decorated with fabulous views in all directions. Someone from the agency that manages these properties met us when we arrived and filled us in on all the great things there are to do on the island. Anytime we had a problem or a question, help was just a phone call to the office and a few minutes away. Most everything we wanted to do was literally just steps from the house. Great affordable restaurants, bars and shops, and a spectacular beach. We didn't do as many things as we initially thought we would, because sitting on the front patio by the pool with balmy breezes, great views, a cool drink, conversation or a good book was so relaxing that it was difficult to budge us.

One of the greatest experiences we had was to hire a cook ( Susan ), and have her cook us an island dinner at the house. Indescribable! We can all pack in a good size meal, but we still had enough leftovers for another meal. Another must, is to hire a boat with crew, which is very easy to do, and go by sea around about a third of the island to a wonderful and quirky restaurant called the "Hole in the Wall". Would you enjoy all the Lobster tail and barbeque you can eat for $25.00? We sure did!

Oh, and the best for last. There is not one single American fast food joint in West End!

We are having a Roatan group reunion this weekend, and there is no doubt that we all want to go back next winter, only for two weeks this time.

In January, we stayed a week at the Half Moon Bay House. My wife and I had probably the best vacation we have had in several years. The house, staff and location were incredible. The house was well-kept, offered wonderful views, had a great layout. - Super kitchen! The staff couldn't have been more helpful. Everything was explained in detail when we got there and all arrangements made when we left. We could not have asked for more.
We had stopped in Roatan on a cruise a few years before and loved it so we decide to go back for a week. We wanted to rent a house but were not sure where the best location would be. After roaming around Roatan for a week, we came to the conclusion that there was no other location better suited for us. Everybody talked about West Beach, so we took a water taxi over. After 2 hours and a zillion cruise ship people, we could not wait to get back to the beautiful, quaint, laid-back island style of Half Moon Bay. Snorkeling, relaxing on the beach - right out our door! Walking, shopping, great restaurants - right out our door! We had no need for a taxi. Also, the people of Roatan were wonderful. We felt we could go anywhere at anytime.
In short, we won't hesitate to go back again......hopefully soon.

We stayed at the end of the low season in Nov/Dec and had a great time. What more can you ask for in a property? It had its own private, dipping pool with panoramic ocean bay views. The AC worked great and the cooking facilities were more than adequate. I would recommend either using the free grocery stocking service or have the taxi driver stop at one of the mega supers near the airport to stock up on the way. Taxi rides were pricey at $20 each way, especially if you are only using them for shopping. The climate was very mild, particularly at night. It was not that stuffy Caribbean humidity that we are used to. We took the free kayaks out one morning that required a bit of muscle dropping them into the water and that might have been the most difficult thing we did the whole trip. Snorkeling was okay out front although we heard that there was good stuff to see near the dock of the submarine. We wanted to do the sub, but the gentleman was out of town. We zip lined twice including my 4 year old daughter who was giddy with each line and couldn't wait to go again. The trip to the Cayos Cochinos was bit of a bust as the boat broke down and we were stranded for a while, but my daughter made friends with the locals. The best local snorkeling was at the very south end of West Bay Beach on a day that the cruise ships are not in town. It was an easy H20 taxi ride about $3 one way per person. The Roatan Life management company was great in arranging tours and also being available for any inconveniences. Our car rental broke down and they helped get it fixed fairly quickly. As to the dining, the noodle house was a great deal and we liked the Argentinean restaurant. We also ate at the Lighthouse restaurant, which is literally behind the villa. I loved talking with the owners and family, but I did not love the fact that I got violently ill about 2-3 hours after dining there. Perhaps the worst case of food poisoning that I ever had. All of us ate there, but I was the only one who ate the Conch soup (yes, I have had it several times before across the Caribbean). I was fine in the morning and went to the Cayos without incident, so it was clearly food poisoning. Overall, I thought that Roatan was relatively quiet and cheap compared to much of the Eastern Caribbean that we have visited. Because of the cruise ships, there are tons of things to do. If you avoid the cruise ship crowds, you will be at peace. We can't wait to come back again!