We love the East Side of the Island! It is unfortunate that many people who come to Roatan only take tours to West End or West Bay because they are really missing out on the pristine beauty and the amazing panoramic views of the other side of the island!
It takes about an hour to get over there. The road beyond French Harbor is very windy, full of large potholes but the views are astounding.
We decided to take Lindsay to Joneville for lunch, and that road is gravel, rutted and very dusty but it was worth it to get to the little seaside village at the end of the road! Jonesville, located a short distance west of Oak Ridge, is perhaps Roatan's nicest traditional community. By that, I mean it is almost completely populated by islanders and its only concession to tourism is one gift shop. It is a quiet, clean town with the biggest speed bumps and the narrowest roads!!
Most residents are in the island's fishing industry. The homes are built all along the 'bites' so the main mode of transportation is a boat. It isn't uncommon to see kids whizzing around in boats. What a place to live!!!
Most people know Jonesville because of the famous restaurant called "Hole in the Wall" but we decided to go completely 'island' and we got in touch with a local who has his own little restaurant on the water called Haro's Spot.
He came and picked us up from the dock in his small boat and brought us to his place. It was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. We had a delicious island meal of whole snapper (I asked if they could cut the head off mine because truthfully the sight of eyes on my plate really grosses me out!) plaintain and salad. It was really good!!
After we ate Harold offered to take us for a boat ride through the mangroves. The amazing thing was that he wasn't going to even charge us anything to do this. That is one of the things I love about this island.. people are so giving. I was thankful that Bob had left him a substantial tip ... that would cover the cost of gas.
Another place we discovered was Turquoise Bay. It is one of the most pristine places on the island: beautiful white sand beaches, lovely restaurant, pool and a view of the reef that is astounding!
It was a pleasant surprise! The wonderful part for us was that it wasn't very populated with tourists. I think there was maybe about a dozen people there! I shouldn't be blogging about this because it may be one of the island's best kept secrets!!
It was a pleasant surprise! The wonderful part for us was that it wasn't very populated with tourists. I think there was maybe about a dozen people there! I shouldn't be blogging about this because it may be one of the island's best kept secrets!!
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