Paradise Beach Hotel

Paradise Beach started out in 1995 as a community of private villas. Over time, it evolved into a full-service hotel and officially opened its doors in 2002. The hotel’s grounds are lush and covered in palm trees, tropical hedges, blossoming flowers, and a mix of rustic stone and sand pathways. The wide beach has lots of plastic lounge chairs and thatch cabanas for shade, but get there early. When cruise ships are in port, the hotel welcomes lots of day trippers and beach chairs get snapped up quickly. Paradise Beach’s beautiful freshwater pool stretches half the resort’s length and is complemented with fountains and a big waterfall that resembles a jumble of downed logs. The hotel’s oceanfront restaurant doubles as the entertainment spot and night’s heat up with Garifuna dancing, belly dancers, and live music. Guests at Paradise Beach are a mix of people from Central America, Canada, and Italy, and mostly a mix of older retirees, some younger couples, and lots of groups.

Paradise Beach Hotel has an ideal location on West Bay Beach, a long, golden sand beach lined with resorts on Roatan’s northwest shoreline. From the hotel’s beach, it’s a 15-minute swim to amazing snorkeling on the world’s second largest reef: the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. The beach is the most popular on the island, so expect to encounter cruise ship groups and an army of vendors selling everything from massages to hair braiding to hats to pictures with monkeys. 

A three-minute walk away, there’s a mini-mart, ATM, and a pharmacy. Within a five-minute walk are multiple restaurants and bars serving international cuisines including Italian, sushi, and an Argentinian grill. West End, the island’s center for nightlife that has a ton of restaurant options is a 10-minute taxi ride from Paradise Beach. Anthony’s Key, where guests can swim and interact with dolphins, is a 15-minute drive. A day trip to explore Cayos Cochinos, a small carless island without cars, is an hour boat ride from the hotel. Little French Key, a beautiful island with a private zoo, is an hour drive followed by a five-minute boat ride. The jetty to Utilla is a 10-minute drive followed by a 40-minute boat ride. Getting to La Ceiba on the Honduran mainland requires a 45-minute drive to the jetty followed by an hour-and-15-minute ferry. Juan Manuel Galvez International Airport is about a 28-minute drive from the hotel.

The rooms at Paradise Beach Hotel are a blend of huge suites, villas, and more modest, (and modestly priced) Standard Rooms, all with private balconies or patios. Beds configurations can come in a mix of king, queen, or two double beds with hardwood headboards and mustard-color bed runners and throw pillows. The suite’s and villas have kitchens or kitchenettes with refrigerators (or mini-fridges), microwaves, gas ranges, and coffeemakers. Living rooms -- some with double high ceilings -- are a bit dated with tan, mustard, or brown plush couches and recliners and glass-topped wicker TV stands and tables. The whimsical, palm-tree shaped lamps are a tropical touch. Standard Rooms are pretty simple and their otherwise bare walls are accented with framed paintings of tropical birds. All rooms have air-conditioning, free Wi-Fi (spotty), electronic safe, mini-fridge, and flat-screen TVs with satellite channels, irons, wardrobes, ceiling fans, and purified water.

Bathrooms are a mixed bag. The Honeymoon Suite’s bathroom is the nicest, with recessed floor lighting, a two-person whirlpool tub, a glass-walled standup shower, and tiled walls and floors. All bathrooms have wood-topped vanities, porcelain bowl sinks, and fully tiled walls and stand-up showers. Standard amenities include bar soap, conditioner, shampoo, and lotion. Hairdryers are available to borrow from the front desk. 

Without a doubt, Paradise Beach’s beautiful beach is its biggest draw. It’s a long, sandy stretch with idyllic turquoise water that truly feels like paradise. There’s lots of plastic lounge chairs and thatch huts for shade. The beauty comes with a price though: Paradise Beach welcomes cruise-ship day trippers and when the hulking boats are in town, the beach swarms with people and not enough loungers for both hotel guests and the day trippers. The crowds also attract the sometimes aggressive beach vendors, and the hotel could do a better job keeping them away from guests. Blue Planet Divers, the hotel’s on-site dive shop is a PADI-certified dive shop offering certification courses from Open Water to Rescue Divers and a wide variety of day and night dives.

The hotel’s two pools are a great refuge from the beach bustle. The massive main pool is freshwater and stretches half the resort’s length. There are a ton of lounge chairs, fountains, a waterfall, and a shallow area for kids to swim. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have ocean views. The hotel’s second freshwater pool is atop the Paradise Beach’s sister property, the neighboring Paradise Oceanic Hotel. More of a lap pool than a relaxation pool, the rooftop spot has solid ocean views and a more sophisticated vibe with its wood pergola covering many wood loungers. It’s also next to the hotel’s fully-stocked rooftop gym -- probably West Bay’s best -- with floor-to-ceiling windows.

The hotel’s four restaurants get mostly positive reviews and all-inclusive packages are available. Cayuco Beach Bar and Il Pomoduro share a beachfront thatched roof space. Cayuco serves international and Honduran foods and has themed dinners and entertainment at night. Il Pomoduro is an Italian restaurant that specializes in pizza. Aquarela Pool Bar is located next to the big pool and serves a mix of Asian and Caribbean food. La Mouette is the hotel’s buffet restaurant, where the free included breakfasts are served. It isn’t oceanfront and we wish it took advantage of the hotel’s beautiful views. 

The hotel has a dedicated massage room staffed by a chiropractor who does both relaxation and chiropractic massages. The hotel staff can arrange tours, parasailing, snorkeling trips, canopy tours, and taxis. They also handle arranging the included free round trip airport or ferry jetty transfers. 

There's a gift shop, meeting and event space, laundry service, and also a generator for 24-hour power (just in case). Wi-Fi is also free throughout Paradise Beach.