Favorite things to do on a private tour with Rony's ??

We will be in Roatan this May and have booked a private tour with Rony's. We are interested in a good overview of the island, best photo ops, some local culture, great food, etc. A couple of my classmates from high school work at a school in the French Harbour area and we hope to schedule a stop to visit with them. What are some of your favorite, can't miss stops?

We toured with Rony's last week with no real destinations in mind. Our driver was Hector, and he was awesome! He showed us around the island and gave us lots of information.

He was also emphatic that he would stop wherever we wanted and we could spend as much time wandering around that we wanted. He did stop at a place that overlooked the port where we could get pictures (and there were vendors set up). It seems like this was a popular place for tours to stop, because there were a lot of different vehicles up there.

Just let your driver know what you'd like to do and I'm sure they will accommodate.

Thanks, brookie848 !!! Did any stop really stick out in your mind - something you really enjoyed?

West End/West Bay both had nice shops. Probably the coolest thing was when Hector drove us on the beach -- it was definitely something different.

Mainly we just enjoyed hearing about living on the island.

We love using Rony Tours. We always head to West Bay Beach, stop at the flea market on top of the hill, go to West End Village for some shopping and food, etc. Always a great time!

Thanks for all the replies !!! What about food ... good places to eat with local flavor but probably some safe choices for my picky teen? Or even places to avoid.

I'm interested in this too. Rony's has a LONG list of optional stops on the freestyle tour. How many is it reasonable to stop at?

Thirsty Turtle on West Bay Beach at Bananarama has very good pizza and other food. For local flavor on West Bay Beach, we really enjoyed Celeste's. Beachers is there as well -- more bar and have all sorts of food. Over in West End Village, Sundowners is a popular place to hang out and grab some food as well. Your local tour guide can recommend some as well.

Still interested in how many stops it is reasonable to make.

We have the Freestyle tour booked for June. We've been to Roatan twice before, once we did a snorkel sail - van to West End and then sailed from there - and last year it rained so we we just walked around Coxen Hole, shopped a bit outside of the cruise area and then went back to the ship. We regretted not taking a taxi to West End for lunch, but our travel companions had no intention of eating off the ship (insert eye roll here).

In June we have booked Rony's and are looking forward to spending the day just touring around. My parents (in their 70s) will most likely go with us, as they watch House Hunter's Roatan and now want to buy a home there, so they'd like to see the island. We are also traveling with a total of 15 family members and most are just going to the beach, so Mom & Dad may want to stay with the kids and enjoy that time with them. Who know. Either way, my husband and I will be eating, drinking and taking in the sights with Rony's. Cannot wait!

I think I am most excited about our time on Roatan (first time there). I've been doing a lot of "googling" and have found sooooo many interesting and scenic places to go, just hope we have time to do them all !!! :D Since we go in May, I will try to remember and post a review for those of you going later.

We usually try and fit in a few things when we go with Rony. We always do West Bay Beach and West End Village. Always. Sometimes throw in the monkeys. We also like to visit the local market up on the point to get some things. Rony Tours will throw in suggestions on the way and do little detours to show you around.

As stated above, we were on Liberty May 14-21 and had a private tour with Rony's. The directions were a little confusing, mostly with finding our way out of the port, but merely asked a port worker or two and we were pointed in the right direction. Once outside the port, we saw a guy holding a Rony's Tour sign so we approached him, he had us on his list, and away we went!! Probably a 5-10 minute walk further down the street to where his van was parked. Very crowded and busy, but we did not feel unsafe at any time. Arnold was our driver and we had the best day visiting with him and learning about his life, his family and all about life on the island.

We requested to see as much of the island as we could in the time allowed, stopping at scenic views, etc. I had found the Rusty Fish shops online where locals make artwork from recyclable items and that was the only shopping stop I requested. Arnold took us to the Alba Plaza location and we bought several items for really good prices. We also stopped at Daniel Johnson's Monkey and Sloth Hangout in the French Harbor area. My teen son and I enjoyed interacting with the monkeys, sloths and macaws while hubby looked on !! The cost was $10 per person and we were there around an hour.

We drove around for several hours, stopping as we wanted at several scenic locations, through Sandy Bay, West End and West Beach, and then decided to eat lunch before heading back to the ship. After some discussion, Arnold decided to take us to a small, local restaurant not far from the port. I thought he called it the Blue Marlin, but that was not the name on the sign out front, and I don't recall what it was (I didn't get a photo either). Small establishment tucked between two other buildings, food was good and we had a beautiful view of one of the bays and enjoyed sharing a meal and and talking with Arnold.

Be aware that ALL of the roadways are narrow, mostly curvy and hilly and not properly maintained. Anyone prone to car sickness should be prepared. All in all, we really enjoyed our time doing this and were glad that we had. Roatan is a beautiful island !!

After some discussion, Arnold decided to take us to a small, local restaurant not far from the port. I thought he called it the Blue Marlin, but that was not the name on the sign out front, and I don't recall what it was (I didn't get a photo either). Small establishment tucked between two other buildings, food was good and we had a beautiful view of one of the bays and enjoyed sharing a meal and and talking with Arnold.

!

Blue Bahia Beach Grill? Really curious. We love trying new places in Roatan.