In and around the West End of Roatan
 West End is definitely the heart of the tourist area of Roatan. Here you will find all the independent dive centers, bars, gift shops and restaurants. West End is often described as "funky" and this is defnitely the case! Bright wooden buildings remind you of the way other Caribbean islands looked 20 years ago.
There are a real mixture of tourists in West End, from the many backpackers visiting to learn how to dive as they travel round Central America, to families, older couples and cruise shippers. Many of the businesses are owned by foreigners and they all seem to mix well with the locals.
Half Moon Bay Beach is located in West End. Its great for snorkelling and swimming, but if you want a picture postcard Caribbean beach then West Bay Beach is the place to go. You can get there by taking one of the numerous water taxis that leave every 10-15 minutes from West End. Expect to pay about $2 each way. The boat journey is a pleasent 10 minutes along the lagoon on the inside of the reef.
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Accommodation
There are a huge array of accommodation options in and around West End. One of the best websites for locating them is www.Roatanet.com.
 The cost of accommodation on the islans is increasing and there are less and less truly budget options available anymore. The cheapest, at $5 per night for a dorm room, is Valeries. It is located in the heart of West End opposite Reef Gliders and next to Tyll's. Remember, you get what you pay for though!
Most of the cheaper places tend to charge about $20-30 per night for a studio-style room with kitchen facilities and private shower. Popular ones are:
- Chillies (associated with Native Sons)
- Hidden Garden Cabins (associated with Reef Gliders)
- Coconut Tree Cabins (associated with Coconut Tree Divers)
- Posada Arco Iris
- Seabreeze
- Georphies
If you want something more luxourious then the two top places seem to be Cocolobo Resort and the Lilly Pond House (which is rated number one bed & breakfast on Roatan in Trip Advisor).
Mid-range accomodations include Casa Calico, Lost Paradise and Mariposa Lodge.
Eating out
There are lots of choices of places to eat in West End. The cheap take away food typically consists of baleadas. Threre are a number of baleada stands around West End that charge around L.25 each.
 Ricks restaurant, opposite Reef Gliders, is popular if you like American food such as burgers. They also have live music at weekends.
Lighthouse restaurant is good for fish, but has notoriously slow service. They are just about to open a new building so hopefully the service will improve! To get there go down the alley next to Jackson's Store and walk a short way along the beach.
Mavis & Dixies is right on the beach in Half Moon Bay. It is our personal favourite as they serve a variety of fish, make great smoothies and is not too expensive. It is also in the nicest setting of all the restaurants of West End. You can get to Mavis & Dixies either by walking along Half Moon Bay Beach or down the alley next to Jackson's Store
If you like steak then the Argentinian Grill is definitely the place to go. The Arg as it is called is located next to Posada Arco Iris hotel, opposite Sundowner's Bar on Half Moon Bay Beach.
???? also do steaks etc. but the owner of the restaurant is also the owner of a number of properties that were built by totally chopping down every inch of rainforest they could get their hands on. Sunset Villas is a classic example of this - there isn't a tree to be seen anywhere on the complex any more. We don't approve of anyone raping and destroying any island simply to line their own pockets so we don't eat there. However, if you don't care about such things please feel free to try their food!
Another relatively cheap option is Rotiserie Chicken. You can get a 1/4 or 1/2 chicken with sides for a reasonable price. Rotiserie is further down West End road in the West Bay direction.
If you like Mexican food then try Canibal Cafe opposite Jackson's Store.
Just outside of West End is Dians Garden of Eatin. It serves Thai food with a Caribbean twist. It is probably the nicest restaurant in the area. Go out of West End and then turn immediately right to the road to West Bay. Dian's is about 3/4 of a mile along on the left-had side.
 A word of warning on a dodgy practice that some of the restaurant owners do around West End. Food is subject to a 12% Sales Tax and a 4% Tourist Tax. If you are paying cash and your bill has the tax included, check to see that the bill has what is known as an RTN number on it. An RTN is a corporate registration number and it is against the law to charge tax without providing an official receipt. Often you will get an unofficial receipt (ie. no RTN number) and the tax you pay goes straight into the owners pocket! If you don't have an RTN number on your bill and are being charged tax then either ask for the tax to be removed or ask for an official receipt. Don't allow restaurant owners to line their own pockets by avoiding paying tax in this manner.
Eating in (grocery stores)
 There are a couple of stores in West End where you can get supplies. These are Jacksons and Woodys. Both are pretty poor by the standards you will be used to back home but you can get the basics at them. Jackson's is located next to the church at the end of Half Moon Bay and Woody's is located along the road at the opposite end of Half Moon Bay.
To get vegetables just look out for the veggie trucks. They are parked at various locations around West End (e.g. next to Jackson's and opposite the Dophin Resort on Half Moon Bay) and usually have a pretty good range of options for fruit and veggies.
There are also a couple of fish trucks around that sell fish, shrimp and lobster. Just look for the trucks with big ice coolers on the back. Most of the shrimp you eat back home comes from Honduras but it is obviously much cheaper here than back home! Beware of buying the lobster though - it has got etremely expensive by local standards and the lobsters are taken out of the water when they are still young. This doesn't give them time to breed and lobster stocks are declining as a result. The trucks also sell crab, snapper and grouper (again, grouper is becoming more rare on the island).
For more comprehensive shopping for food you need to go to Coxen Hole. There are two large supermarkets here (large by Roatan standards anyway). The first is Eldon's(formerly Warrens) and is located right in the middle of Coxen Hole's main road. The other is located at Plaza del Mar, next to the Petrosun gas station just outside of Coxen Hole.
The best supermarket on the island is Eldon's in French Harbour, but it is a long way to go from West End.
Internet
There are 3 places in West End that have public internet access. The most expensive is Paradise Computers, which has a small office on Half Moon Bay where you can also buy phone cards and one next to Sundowners Bar. The cheapest place is Barefoot Charlies, which is located close to Fosters Bar (the second building along built on stilts over the water).
Phone calls
The internet cafes allow you to make international phone calls. There are also phone boxes located in various areas aroung West End.
Water taxis
Water taxis operate throughout the day between West End and West Bay. The main location they depart from is the dock opposite West End Divers. Expect to pay $2 each way.
Taxis
There are lots of taxis around West End (excpet on cruise ship days when the price seems to quadruple!). The main location is opposite Coconut Tree Divers at the entrance to West End. However, they are up and down the road all day so just flag one down. If you get a private taxi then expect to pay around $5 to Sandy Bay and $12 to Coxen Hole. Locals get something known as a collectivo. This means that you share the taxi with other people going in your general direction and they will stop off on route to pick people up who flag them down. A collectivo to Sandy Bay is L.20 and L.35 to Coxen Hole. The best place to get a collectivo in West End is just on the corner of the exit to West End. Stand on the right-hand side of the road and they will stop for you. Make sure you let them know you want a collectivo or they may try to charge you full price.
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