West Bay Beach pulls 3,000 cruise passengers on peak days. They arrive at 9am, leave by 4pm, and pay $150 per night at beachfront resorts. Two kilometers west, West End village charges $50-100 for the same turquoise water. No cruise ships dock here. The reef sits 50 yards offshore instead of a half-mile out.
I walked the single paved road three times before I understood why divers stay for weeks. The village runs one mile north to south. Clapboard houses in pastels line both sides. Hand-painted signs mark dive shops every 100 yards. The water taxi to West Bay costs $5 and leaves every hour.
Why West Bay lost what West End kept
Cruise ships started docking at Mahogany Bay in 2010. West Bay Beach became the default day trip. Resort development followed. By 2025, hotels charged $150-300 per night during December through March. Beach day passes cost $10-20 for a locker and chair. Restaurants average $18-30 per meal.
The beach itself remains beautiful. White sand stretches one kilometer. Snorkeling gear rents for $15. But 3-5 ships arrive weekly during high season. January 14-20, 2026 alone saw MSC Seascape, Icon of the Seas, and Norwegian Escape. Each brings 2,000-4,000 passengers. The beach empties by sunset when ships leave.
West End never built cruise infrastructure. The village grew around diving instead. No parasailing vendors. No jet ski rentals. Just 40-50 dive shops serving the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. The second-largest reef system in the world sits offshore. You can swim to it from shore.
What $50 per night actually gets you
The clapboard village reality
Half Moon Bay forms a crescent 500 yards long. The beach here measures maybe 50 feet at high tide. But the turquoise water stays calm year-round. Palm trees lean over wooden docks. Fishing boats leave at 5am and return by 2pm with fresh catch.
The main road connects everything. Walk north to south in 15 minutes. Hostels charge $50-80 per night. Guesthouses run $80-100. Small hotels with ocean views cost $100-150. All within 200 yards of the water. No golf carts needed. For comparison, other Caribbean fishing villages charge similar rates but require boat access.
Price breakdown that matters
Baleadas cost $3-5 at roadside stands. Rotisserie chicken with rice runs $10. Thai restaurants charge $12-18 per meal. Fresh seafood at local spots averages $15. The village has one small grocery store and ATMs at the petrol station. Bring cash for smaller vendors.
Snorkel tours cost $30-50 for three hours. Dive trips run $80-120 including gear. PADI certification courses average $350-400. Shore diving costs nothing beyond gear rental at $15 per day. The West End Wall dive site sits 200 yards offshore. Visibility reaches 80-100 feet December through March.
The water taxi advantage nobody mentions
The boat runs all day between West End and West Bay. Ten minutes each way. $5 one-way. You can stay in the quiet village and visit the famous white sand beach whenever you want. Most visitors do this backwards. They pay $150 per night at West Bay and take day trips to West End for diving.
I watched the 8am water taxi fill with divers heading to West End shops. The return trip at 4pm carried beachgoers back from West Bay. Same turquoise water. Same reef access. Different prices and crowds. Similar to how Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo split tourists along Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast.
What December through March actually means here
High season runs December through March. Temperatures hold at 77-84°F. Rainfall drops to 2-3 inches per month. Seas stay calm for diving. Visibility peaks at 100 feet. But West End sees fewer tourists than West Bay despite perfect conditions. The village lacks resort infrastructure cruise passengers expect.
Book ahead for Christmas week and February. The rest of high season has availability. Shoulder months of April and November offer 20-30% lower prices. Water temperature stays at 79-81°F year-round. The reef doesn’t change. Just fewer divers in the water.
Your questions about West End Roatan answered
How do you get from the airport to West End?
Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport sits 17 kilometers east. Taxis charge $25-40 for the 25-40 minute drive. Shared shuttles cost $15-20 per person but require advance booking. No public buses run this route. The road is paved the entire way. Most hotels arrange airport pickup for $30-35.
Why do divers prefer West End over West Bay?
Shore diving access makes the difference. West End’s reef sits 50-200 yards offshore. You can swim to dive sites from the beach. West Bay’s reef lies a half-mile out. Boat trips required. West End also has 40-50 dive shops versus West Bay’s handful. Competition keeps prices 15-20% lower. The West End Wall drops to 130 feet and hosts eagle rays, turtles, and reef sharks.
Is West End safe for solo travelers?
The main road stays safe day and night. Bars and restaurants line the street. Locals walk everywhere. Avoid unlit paths away from the village center after dark. Keep valuables in hotel safes. The village has minimal crime compared to mainland Honduras. Most visitors report feeling safer here than in other Caribbean destinations. Solo female travelers commonly stay weeks without issues.
Morning light hits Half Moon Bay around 6:30am. The water turns gold for maybe ten minutes. Fishing boats motor out. The village stays quiet until 8am when dive shops open. This hour before tourists wake belongs to the reef and whoever shows up early enough to see it.