I Stayed at THE MOST AMAZING AirBnb In Roatan, and You Should, Too!

In Roatan’s Best Dive Shop For Experienced Scuba Divers, I discussed the realization that Roatan is NOT Bonaire. Though the shore diving is much more limited than I'd expected, I still had an time in Roatan.

When planning the trip, I first considered some of the all-inclusive (AI) options -- I thought it might be the easiest option, logistically. Next, I looked at several hotels. All were reasonably priced… but, once I arrived in West End, I was so, so glad I booked one of the most gorgeous and affordable AirBnb’s I’ve ever stayed in.

First of all, at the time of writing, AirBnb wasn't charging the 19% Tourism Tax that the hotels do. Which, yeah, is kind of unfair, and will probably change soon. But as a self-centered and possibly budget-conscious traveler, this could really make a difference for you.

Second… LOOK WHERE I STAYED FOR ONLY $56 A NIGHT:

Ada’s Garden was SO, SO amazing. Many West End hotels and dive shops are located on, or just behind, a narrow street. Ada’s isn’t just RIGHT on the water… it’s also on the tip of its own peninsula, where I did some of the best snorkeling of my whole trip. Seriously — the snorkeling there rivaled the diving I did. It was totally free, and I got to see some serious cephalopod action every night. 

​Air conditioning was included in the price I paid, which I appreciated. Before Ada’s, I'd stayed at a hotel called CocoLobo. It was also super pretty:

But the walk to town was slightly further (maybe 5-10 minutes instead of, like, 2 — which can feel like a huge difference the heat and humidity!)… and it was SO FREAKING HOT.

I’m tough. Although there is a lot I miss about America when I travel, I’m no stranger to cockroaches, stenches, and no-AC rooms. Although AC is preferable, I generally have no problem sleeping in front of a rotating fan, and have done so all over the equator.

At CocoLobo, for whatever reason, though, it was way too hot for that. Spending more than a few minutes in the room totally zapped my energy. Even at night, it was hard to sleep, even with the windows open and the fan on. 

Despite it being more expensive than many of the hotels in the area (about $90 a night), the AC was $10 extra per night.

Eventually, we caved and turned it on...

But, here’s the other weird thing about how hot it was:

You know how, in a lot of places, they don’t let you run the AC when you’re not in the room? You have to put your room key in the wall to make it run? But it’s no big deal, because within a few minutes of turning on the AC, the room cools off majorly?

That wasn't the case with CocoLobo. 

It took hours for the room to feel comfortable after we turned the AC on. 

Which is why we only stayed there two nights before relocating to Ada’s. ​

​Ada was awesome, and arranged for her nephew to pick us up and drive us and our luggage to her place. Which, by the way, we'd actually first noticed while on a dive boat! As we passed by her corner of paradise and saw how beautiful it was, we said, “I wish we could stay there!”

Then! As we were sweating balls at CocoLobo that night, looking for a new place to stay, we stumbled upon her listing. It was like it was meant to be. 

The major potential drawback to staying here is that you have to walk about two minutes along cobblestone. But Ada plans to buy a golf cart soon, so even this small inconvenience will soon be a thing of the past. 

The only other thing is that the bed is… a double, I think. So if you want a queen or king and that’s more important to you than staying in the most beautiful location on the island, that’s something to consider.

Obviously, if you book, you should use my referral link so we both save money — and tell Ada I said hi!

(Also, if you want to travel more but aren't sure how to afford it, consider becoming a host for AirBnb. Depending on where you live, listing your place could make it hard to justify not traveling.)