This week’s Caribbean Beach Bar is called Sundowners, located directly on the white sands of Half Moon Bay on the Honduran Bay Island of Roatan. There is a reason it’s called Sundowners , this beach bar is ground zero for the best sunset gazing on the island.  Grab yourself an Imperial beer from the bar, sink into a beach chair and watch the sun fall from the sky. Nothing quite beats an Caribbean island sunset.

The popularity of sunset-watching is only eclipsed by the weekly game of “Chase the Ace”. From what I’ve read,  every Wednesday each drink you order buys you a chance to win a growing pot of money. When the pot gets full and the odds are good,  the whole town of West End will turn out for a chance to draw the Ace of Spades (the winning card). Sounds like a great drinking game, plus it’s a great way to fill the bar and sell some drinks.

Sundowners' Bar

Sundowners sits right on the beach, the shallow waters of Half Moon Bay are yours to explore. Wade in with an ice cold beer and beat the heat, or grab a small sail boat and cool off with the Caribbean breeze. This is living on island time at its best Castaways. Only thing to be in a hurry for is to do nothing at all.

Sundowers Sits in the Middle of Half Moon Bay

Okay, so you can’t beat the location, but what about the food and drink right?  Sundowners offers all the Honduran beers, basic well drinks, and a few blended boat drinks. I’ve heard a must try is the Monkey La La, a delicious yet deceptively potent (aren’t they all?) frozen drink. Sundowners’ food is your typical bar food. Hamburgers,  chicken sandwiches, nachos, chicken wings and wraps fill the menu.  You don’t go to Sundowners for a fine dining experience, you go so you can belly up to the bar, soak up a rum punch, and watch the tide roll in and out.

Sundowners' Cheeseburger

Sundowners is the “early” bar on Roatan. It usually calls it quits around 9 or 10 pm. If you don’t want the party to stop just get to steppin’ and follow the crowd on the nightly West End “drift dive” to the next island hot spot.

Sunset at Sundowners

Undoubtedly the crown jewel of Honduras, Roatan has blossomed from a sparsely-populated, laid-back fishing community into an up and coming tourist destination in the Caribbean. With sweeping white-sand beaches, rolling jungle hills, and classic beach bars like Sundowners, Roatan welcomes you. Just kick off your shoes, splash around in the crystalline waters and when at Sundowners…see step two and repeat.

Let me know if you’ve had a Sundowners’ experience.

Cheers Castaways!
RumShopRyan

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Geography question. Please raise your hand if you know where the Caribbean island of Roatan is. Okay, put your hand down…I can’t see you anyways. Roatan is part of a group of islands of the coast of Honduras call the Bay Islands. They are gaining in popularity but still far behind the majority of the other Caribbean islands.  So if it’s a seclusion, escape and adventure you’re looking for, give Roatan and the Bay Islands a try.

Here is a article I found on Roatan I thought I’d share with you Castaways. Enjoy.

5 Great Things To Do on the Caribbean Island of Roatan

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal named Roatan the Caribbeans next “it” spot – an underdeveloped island that is poised to become a major tourist destination.

These days there is a definite buzz about this peaceful island lying just 30 miles off the coast of Honduras. No wonder: Roatan features lush tropical forests, warm turquoise water, and sugar white beaches without the crowds.

Continental Airlines now flies directly to the islands from Newark, New Jersey, and Houston, Texas. Delta flies directly from Atlanta, Georgia. Major cruise lines are stopping by more frequently, and both Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean are expanding their ship terminals to bring more passengers. Celebrities including Michael Douglas and Richard Gere have been spotted on the island in recent months.

Roatan has long been famous among scuba diving aficionados. The island sits atop the world’s second-largest barrier reef system and features some of the best diving in the Western Hemisphere. Scuba diving is still the main attraction drawing visitors to the island.

But Roatan offers much more than diving and makes a great family vacation destination.

Whether visiting with your family, making a stop-over on a cruise ship, or taking a break from diving, here are five Roatan adventures you can enjoy.

Roatan Zipline

1) Zip Through the Rain Forest. Roatan features lush tropical forests where wild parrots and monkeys roam freely. A canopy tour is a great way to get close to nature while having some exhilarating fun. Guests climb to a tree-top platform, and then move among the trees by gliding on zip lines or walking over swinging bridges. It’s a thrilling ride.

Roatan has several canopy tours from which you can chose. Palmetto Bay features a 20 platform tour that includes a climbing wall and swinging bridges. The West Bay also features a 16 platform tour including two bridges. Please keep in mind that canopy tours require children to be at least four feet tall.

2) Swim with the Dolphins. The Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences on the island’s north shore features several dolphin encounter programs that are open to the public.

One of the most popular tours on the island is their dolphin swim. Guests are taken to Bailey’s Key, a white-sand island frequented by schools of dolphin. During an initial 20-minute beach encounter, trainers coax the dolphin to join your group, giving you a chance to pet them.

Guests can then snorkel and swim freely with the dolphins in 20 feet of water. Guests are accompanied by a dolphin behaviorist and videographer and photographer to capture the memories. The dolphin swim requires children to be at least 13 years old.

Divers can also chose the institute’s Dolphin Dive program, which lets you interact with dolphins off a reef wall in 60 feet of water. This dive lasts approximately 45 minutes. Participants in the Dolphin Dive must be certified scuba divers.

Not enough for you? The institute also offers a Trainer for a Day program, which gives you the chance go behind the scenes and work with the staff as they feed and care for the dolphins. Participants will learn dolphin training techniques during a hands-on session with the dolphins.

Roatan Snorkeling

3) See Coral While Staying Dry. Even if you are not a diver, you can get a glimpse of Roatan’s gorgeous reef formations with a ride on the Coral Reef Explorer. This glass-bottomed boat seats 25 persons below the water line in air conditioned comfort. Passengers look through windows at multi-colored coral, tropical fish and graceful Spotted Eagle Rays.

The Coral Reef Explorer departs daily from West Bay Beach and you can expect the tour to last approximately 50 minutes.

4) Horseback Tours. What could be more romantic than a horseback ride along Roatan’s pristine white beaches? Guided horseback tours start in West End, passing through some of Roatan’s best scenery before ending at the West Bay, where you can take a quick swim.

Tours last approximately 90 minutes and are suitable for beginners as well as experienced riders.

Roatan Iguana

5) Pet an Iguana. Perhaps the most unusual attraction on Roatan is Sherman Arch’s Iguana Farm. This private preserve is real treasure and a real treat for kids. Over 2,700 of the big, spiny lizards roam freely on its grounds, which are located just east of French Harbor. The iguanas are tame, having been raised in cages until old enough to fend for themselves. Come during the early afternoon feeding for the best chance to hold and pet an iguana.

More to See and Do

TropicalREZ, a Roatan central booking agency, can assist you with Roatan hotels and tours. Relax and let them do the work!

The Honduran Ministry of Tourism web site features a good overview of Roatan and the other Honduras Bay Islands.

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Roatan Dock

By Wain Roy

It’s never flashed on your television screen, it’s never been talked about on the radio, then what’s the buzz surrounding the Caribbean Isles? In the heart of the Caribbean, lies a precious jewel- a jewel on the second largest barrier reef system in the world! Roatan, the most mesmerizing island of the Caribbean, is now in the news for its prospect as one of the leading tourist destinations in the world.

The beauty of this island is simply breathtaking. Part of the Honduras’ Bay Islands, it’s lined by coconut trees on the shore, the turquoise waters beckon you to relax on the beach side. What is most striking is the placid calm of the surroundings. You experience an altogether different world with no hustle and bustle, no pollution, no crowd, and no local hagglers.

So what does one do in Roatán? There are plenty of things to ask for. Whatever you indulge yourself in, you cannot help getting close to Nature and be at peace with her. This is the magic of Roatán, the charm of Nature to woo your senses. And if you happen to be a true admirer of nature, then Roatán is the ideal place to be. The place offers a number of nature parks with flora and fauna in their complete bounty. A walk through the lush green rain forest of Roatan will make way for an encounter with wild parrots, and monkeys.

The Gumbalimba Park, a nature park in West End, gives you a taste of the Caribbean paradise. Apart from the hanging bridge and activities such as scuba-diving, snorkeling, or boating, one can watch birds of multiple species including two different species of Macaws and several species of parrots.

The Roatán Butterfly Garden at the West End is another favorite hunt for nature lovers. Tropical butterflies native to Honduras make an extremely beautiful appearance amidst a range of tropical trees like cashew, hog, plum, breadfruit etc.

Apart from the Roatán nature park, there is another great way to discover what the Bay Islands have on offer. An excellent way to relax and enjoy the Caribbean sun is putting bait into the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea. Roatán fishing trips offer both trolling and bottom fishing. Barracuda and Tuna are present throughout the year while Wahoo and Dorado can be found from September to February.

Roatán thus has everything that a tourist can wish for. And the greatest advantage being its absence of haggling crowd. Lying within the confines of the Caribbean, Roatán has long been shielded from the world outside. Beauty cannot be hidden eternally and so has Caribbean’s beauty secret been revealed. Shshsh…

Wain Roy is an internet marketing professional expert in various industries like real estate, web design, finance, medical tourism and Roatán nature park

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wain_Roy

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