Just returned from a fantastic stay at Palmetto Bay Planation-9/1/12-9/8/12. Treated to a huge 'bouganvillea' unit for just my husband and myself. Nicely appointed 3 bed, 2 bath unit and can certainly see all the potential for great friends and family times! We headquartered ourselves (when not in the water or at the restuarant) in the masterbedroom suite--clean and comfy. Had it been another time of year I know we would have made more use of the fabulous design features that cool the rooms via the high ceilings, numerous shutters and sliding doors opening to the deck, but coming from a long, hot summer in Arizona we enjoyed the bedroom air conditioning.

Now, the staff: Eric, Ivan, Tricia, Darren, Mario, Marilyn, Maritza, Emily, Cecilia--all superb. Enjoyed fresh fish at leash twice a day, fresh fruit, Honduran style breakfast, fruit juices,great drinks from the bar! What more can a couple of old 'boomers' like ourselves hope for?! Low season, and had one unbelieveable evening where Palmetto may have been down to about 4 guests (before a new and nice small group of Honduran families checked in), and that was the night Eric arranged a splendid romantic dinner on the beach---yes, table for two set up on the beach with tiki torches, hibiscus, heart drawn in sand. You can't make this stuff up! Thank you Eric for a special 12th anniversary dinner we shall long remember. If you opt for this special treat you can order anything from a lovely dinner menu--including the lobster!

Beach is lovely, yes, the bugs bite but bring your 'OFF' and we found that worked very well.....sit on a beach lounge and not in the sand (with 'bug dope' of your choice) and you'll survive with a few welts to show the folks at home. My dearest friend thought to include little beach shoes in my birthday gift this year and I wore those things faithfully. The beach has 'beach grass' (it's pretty and green like an underwater lawn), but if don't don't like the sensation of walking on something other than sand, the little beach shoes are great. Did lots of swimming off the dock on the resort property....jump off there and no grass--just lovely water. Subway Sports Dive Shop on property I'll review separately--more fantasic folks there as well!

I just returned from attending a wedding at Palmetto Bay. We rented Casa Sunburst which was a lovely property, however, not really set up for short term rentals as there are no "basic staples", i.e, salt, pepper, spices, etc. Otherwise the kitchen is well stocked with utensils and appliances. Also it would have been nice to be able to use the washer and dryer at the property - Emily offered her staff to do laundry but with a washer and dryer in the unit, it would have been more convenient to do our own. The staff here are second to none and the wedding was a beautiful affair with all our needs taken good care of. Cecilia and her staff are wonderfully attentive. Special acknowledgement to Emily for her great attitude and willingness to go the extra mile. The only downside - the biting insects...

If you are looking for a off the road place to get away, go to Palmetto Bay. They have spectacular staff (kudos to Emily and Eric) with beautiful reefs for snorkeling/diving two minutes out. The villas are well equipped, clean, and very peaceful.

We got there mid-week and it was quite tranquil. We had a bit more people on the weekend, but nothing like the big resorts on the other side of the island. Pre-order your lunch and dinner and the food will be ready for you on time. Stop by the supermarket with the driver on your way in and you can get pretty much anything you need to complement eating at the restaurant.

The bugs are a force to be reckoned with but just wear bugspray and long sleeves/pants after 4pm (I have lived here for years and it is the only failsafe option). Try to stay inside around dusk and inside screened areas or around the main lodge afterwards where you can find a nice sea breeze.

We spent 8 days here in the Coconut Villa and loved it. Yes, it is a little out of the way and down a dirt road but out of the way is what we like. I would suggest a car. We had a 4 wheel drive and there were no problems. The villa itself was a beautiful Balinese style. It was well appointed with everything you need, comfy beds, and a perfect size plunge pool in front. The beach is beautiful with soft white sand but unfortunately the water is full of sea grass so we didn't swim off the beach but there is a dock with a large palapa and 4 hammocks and a swimmimg platform a short swim away. We spent most of our time at our pool or on the swim platform. We went diving and snorkling with the dive shop there a few times and they were great. Very knowledgable and professional. Snorkle the wreck . It is AWESOME. The food was quite good and the service was great. (I didn't enjoy the buffets so much but they only have those for breakfast on the week ends.) I found the staff to be so friendly. The waiters and bartenders were great !! Cecelia and the rest of the staff were attentive to our every need. If we asked for something they got right on it. The bugs are a part of Roatan and i must say I have never seen such voracious ones and you never saw them !! 99% deets didn't work that great on them but I did find a natural spray at the pharmacy that was citronella and it worked great. The bites themselves itch for weeks but we got some atarax from the pharmacy and it stopped the itch immediately. We loved Palmetto Bay and felt very safe there and had a wonderful stay there. The Coconut Villa could use a hammock though but I would definately stay there again.