Roatan: Family Fun!
As we walked in, I noticed the Mahogany Bay sign. Colorful and slightly off in the distance, we could take a group shot without others being in our photo! It’s always fun to get a picture with a reminder of where we’ve visited. Usually there are crowds with the same idea. Last time Roxanne and I visited this island, we were on a Norwegian ship which docked on the other side of the island. We met up with a friend of a friend and had a great tour… until the hurricane began moving in. Our weather this time… MUCH better!
From the ship, we walked along a path that opened up into a giant shopping area. Needing nothing and anxious to get down to the water, we headed off toward the right. There we found the area to board the chair lifts. As we walked, Roxanne, Tanner, Tayler and I debated on who would sit together. But as we approached, we realized there was room for four! Brad and Chantel took the lush pathway that headed to the beach.
Gliding above the tree line, our view was beautiful. Of course, I was a bit nervous, but I didn’t say anything to let on. It seemed if I mentioned how fearful I was of heights it might give the kids the idea… we definitely did not want to be high up there with a good distance to travel and have the kids get spooked! Fortunately, both kids ski so this was not foreign to them. Our excursion consisted of unlimited rides up and down on the chairlift. That was just the beginning of what our $42 excursion included…
We found this to be the perfect use of time in Roatan because it accommodated everyone. Actually, Steve took an alternate trip. We booked him on this one but he decided to do something a little more active. Anyway, Brad rolled down the path to the beach. When we got to the opening where we could see them, Chantel was just jumping out of the hammock to take our picture. I was hoping to get a photo of her lounging!
I’ll admit that Roxanne wearing Tanner’s glasses made me chuckle. He was afraid they would fall of and he would lose them, so he asked “Dama” to hold them. She put them on and they fit quite nicely! You can catch a view of our ship off in the distance. The ride down to the shore took approximately ten minutes.
Coming out of the jungly area, the world opened up! Off to the right, we could see our ship at the dock. On the right side, we saw Brad and Chantel crossing the bridge into the beach area. Having been here before, I was surprised to find out how much I didn’t know about Mahogany Bay! Last time, Barry and I booked just the chairlift… once we got to the beach, we realized we could have reserved seats… If I’m not mistaken, we ended up having some nachos and a cocktail. This time, I realized that in addition to the seating, we were offered floaties (included) and access to a nice pool area. It could actually be one of my favorite stops for a beach day!
The kids were trying to spot sharks or fish in the water as we passed by. It was everything I could do not to panic. Imagine… I used to ski every day! Now, I seem to be afraid of the lift. Maybe I’ll never ski again over a fear of heights?!?
Thinking it had taken us too long to get down to the beach, my guess was we would be seated far from the water. As it turned out, we were escorted to the lounge chairs instead of the clamshells. This was preferable for a couple of reasons. First, the clamshells seat two people. They are in the direct sunlight, but the shell keeps the sun off of about half of a body. With the shell pulled open, the breeze is limited. It was sweltering hot. So, thankfully, we were taken to an area just a row back from the shore. The nice gentleman found us a place under the trees… it was absolutely perfect!!!
We loved our location! Comfortable under the trees… a gentle breeze. To top it off, we had a server to bring us food and drink. Thanks, Chantel for buying our cute cups!!! This was the perfect place to read and relax.
All it took was a toe in the water to know that I would be hanging out in the bay for the entire afternoon! Oh my… it was the perfect temperature! It was like a tepid bath. We brought our drinks out and just laughed, talked and laughed some more! The floaties were nice. They had a pillow built in but …despite being slathered with sunblock, I had to be careful of my time in the sun!
Chantel and the kids had a peaceful time floating around in the water. It was a lazy afternoon. Even though there were many people from the ship, it did not seem crowded. The shoreline was so long, that the employees did an excellent job of spreading everyone out. We were not right on top of each other. No one sat near us…
Family time in the beautiful turquoise waters! Even Brad got in and initially sat on the shore. Eventually, he decided to hold on to the floatie and hang out in the water! Such a great afternoon! It was lazy and felt like we were a million miles from our busy lives! At one point, I looked at Tayler and said, “I think I could stay here for forever!!!”
Such a sweetie… Tanner really liked hanging out in the water. He’s quite the fish! It was awesome to see what a solid swimmer he is! He loved being in the water. At times, he would go to shore and rest but soon he’d be back in the water!
Neil and Chantel decided to get a massage. I believe it was $40 for a half body massage that turned into a full body. Word on the street… it was the most amazing massage! I might have to add that to my “to do” list for next time :-)
Walking back quite relaxed, back in the water for the rest of us! It was such an effortless day… Royal Caribbean and NCL go to the other side of the island. This side is so relaxing. We could return to the ship at any time. Also, you can just come and go… that’s a plus!
Family photos on our way out… three generations!
Time for one more photo… behind us was the pool area. Next time, I will spend an hour or so there. It looked nice but there was no resisting the warm waters!!!
Had to have a selfie with Tayler… it distracted me from how high up we were. Last time I was in Roatan… or actually, last time at Mahogany Bay, I saw several iguanas in the trees. Not this time. Still, it was beautiful… very lush. Flowers.
We had not seen Remy all day… until we were headed back to the ship. He wouldn’t have much time on shore. He said he needed a little alone time. Okay… haha
