Beach day & snorkeling recommendations?

[serotta4]

My family is headed on a Royal Caribbean cruise this summer and will be stopping in Roatan. There are 2 adults and 2 teenagers. Our desire is to find a place to relax on the beach, swim in the water, and snorkel off the beach (if possible). We will also be stopping in Cozumel and Costa Maya and looking to do something similar in those destinations. Does anyone have any recommendations regarding any of these three stops for this type of activity? 

• Should we book through the cruise line or on our own? (I understand some of the pros and cons as far as pricing, but my question is more around is it easy and safe to do things on our own?)
• What is the best beach for relaxing and shore snorkeling? How far is the beach from the port?
• Is it safe to arrange our own transportation? If so, are there specific companies to use/not use?
• Are there any other considerations that we don't want to miss in Roatan?

THANK YOU!

[RoadTripFanatic]

We love going to West Bay Beach.  We usually book through Bananarama and hang out there for the day.  It's a 3-4 minute walk to the part of the beach with the best snorkeling.  West Bay beach honestly has the best off shore snorkeling I have ever experienced. In fact I would say it's the best I have ever seen period.  It's probably a 20-30 minute ride to the beach depending on which port.  If I only had one day to spend there, I would hit the beach.  Daniel Johnson Sloth sanctuary is a fun place to visit if you are not a big water person.  (They do offer an excursion with a beach break but I have no idea which beach since it's on the opposite side of the island.)   I'm doing the t-6 days until I'm there on the beach for an entire week!!  I can not wait!

[Guest 2000]

I think this thread answers most of your questions. 

 

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