Easy Dream Vacations

Upon waking and stepping out on our balcony we could see land, a tropical looking land, was it Isla Roatan?   We sailed for quite a while passing  numerous hilly islands before coming near what looked like a port so I am assuming we sailed along the coast of mainland Honduras before coming upon the Isla of Roatan.  The pier and port area looks brand new and from what I heard many of the buildings in the shopping area have been there less than a year.  There was the predictable Diamonds International shop as well as a few gifts shops in the commercial pier area.  Many shops were still being finished and had yet to be occupied. 

Walking out of the pier area we were met by a small army of taxis, mostly mini vans and some of the most congested traffic I have seen in a port.  We found a driver we liked, he led us down the side of the road to his van and with remarkable skill maneuvered that van out of its very tight parking spot and into traffic.  We were headed away from town  so the traffic cleared up quickly.  Our driver had actually been a cab driver in New York City so it’s no wonder he was able to navigate us out of that congestion in no time.  We had told him we wanted a nice place with a beach, some refreshments and snorkeling.  We headed off to a small cove on the opposite side of the island.  The trip there took us along some curvy roads and through some beautiful tropical hills.  Upon arriving on the  other side of the island we quickly came upon a road with some of the biggest pot holes you could imagine. Our driver was careful not to hit them so to keep his van in working order.  The road became narrow and we started wondering were we were going, a quick left and we were in a small parking lot of Half Moon Resort. The area we were in is known as West End Village and is located on Half Moon Bay.  The resort had a few simple bungalow cottages with rooms for rent, a bar and an open air dining area, a few beach chairs, a pier for access to the water and we were all set. It was no 4 star resort, probably wouldn’t even rate as a 1 star but it was simple, clean and just so relaxing.  We toured the rooms, they were simple, a little musty smelling and reminded me of a motel in northern Wisconsin.  They had porches with very inviting hammocks. I don’t have many pictures of the resort but I know I took some videos.  Once I get a chance to review the video I should be able to post some of it as well as some still shots form the video. So look for a separate entry blog entry on the Half Moon Resort. We had great service from the bar waiter,  we kicked back relaxed and watch the waves roll in. 

The water was a bit rough and too cloudy for any good snorkeling but I ventured out to check out the corral.  I found more grass than corral but again it was a bit rough and I was snorkeling alone so I took the side of caution and kept my adventures to a minimum. 

There were a few local children selling bracelets. Their eyes lit up when I started handing out some treats. They ran back to their mother smiling from ear to ear showing off the candy and they were even more excited when I gave them the single serving boxes of cereal.

The resort even had a spa, well sort of.  We had one of the best massages ever from some local woman.  They stacked up a few beach chairs on top of each other to make their massage table, covered them with a clean sheet and for a dollar a minute massaged some wonderful oils deep into our backs.  Laying there in the shade, with the cool ocean breeze listening to the waves was wonderful.  Life was good, my only wish was that I had that $20 I had wasted in the casino the night before. It could have been used to prolong that heavenly massage for another 20 minutes.

Well our little trip to paradise came to and end all too soon, as promised our driver came back for us right on time.  We were off to town to check out the local shopping.  There were kids all over and they quickly found us and offered to be our guides.  I had one little guy who was maybe 8 years old helping me.  He was the greatest, he even watched out and reminded us to be careful and not trip over some of the curbs.  These kids were just adorable. I only wish I could remember his name.  We went from shop to shop and he was there to help out all the way.  Of course they were hoping to make some money for their services and I have to say they really were very polite, not pushy and not begging.  We made sure our young man and his cousins were properly rewarded for their services.  Sad to say when we asked him where his parents were he told us his mother was at home just down the road but his father was buried in the cemetery just behind us. 

At the resort we visited they served us some very good local beer, Port Royal Export. So before getting back on the ship we stopped at a small open air establishment to have one last cold beer.  Our young guide waited just outside the entrance as we sat on the deck over looking the water and our ship, enjoying a cold refreshing drink.  Before heading back to the ship we also picked up some Diet Pepsi  (Pepsi Light as they called it and the bottles were marked) to take back on the ship.  I really wished we had more time to explore the island.  It was primitive but had a beauty of its own and we really enjoyed the Honduran people.  Maybe someday we can go back for a longer stay.  There is an international airport on the island so I will have to look into the lodging and dining for clients and hopefully for future personal trips as well.