Maya Key

Maya Key

About
11.5 acre private island conveniently located just three minutes across the bay from the Roatan cruise pier and 15 minutes away from Mahogany Bay Cruise Pier. This pristine island features two secluded beaches, excellent snorkeling from a scenic pier, a 70,000 gallon swimming pool, 5,000 square foot lounge deck, lush garden paths bursting with indigenous flora and most recently an animal rescue center, artisan plaza and Roatan's finest cultural attraction, The Bay Island's Interpretation Center and Ethnic Honduran Art Exhibit Center.
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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  • Trace2367
    Calgary, Canada161 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice place
    Nice place 15 minutes by boat from the cruise port. A reconstructed Mayan temple and lots of rescued animals. Which love the guy showing you around. Lots of sun beds and water area. Snorkel tours are guided and $20 each to rent snorkel equipment. Lunch was rice, salad, chicken and friend fish. Nice food came with tea or water. Long Que for food. Bar on site got beer st an extra cost. Gift/snack shop limited for anything but gifts. I wouldn’t say snack shop. Nice place and friendly staff. Worth a visit.
    Visited February 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written February 24, 2024
  • Sylnog
    Miami, Florida77 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Wonderful place to snorkel 🤿
    We loved snorkeling with a guide, he knows the route perfectly and we really enjoyed the beauties of this wonderful reef, The attention was very friendly. The replicas of Mayan ruins were very abandoned and we did not take the lunch option, because it did not look provocative.
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 19, 2024
  • Miriam C
    20 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Happy Surprise at Maya Key Roatan
    We visited Maya Key as an excursion on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Our first time to Roatan and we were thrilled with our choice. Once off the ship, you walk the long pier to the port stores and right around the entrance is the boat to take you to the island. It is very close, you can see the ship. On the way we saw many dolphins which added to our enjoyment so let's hope you see them too. Upon arrival you walk up a hill, not too bad, past the main building with a shop, snorkel equipment rental, a pool, and where lunch is held. Lunch was included!! I had not realized that so that was a great surprise. We walked out to the beach and were able to get 3 chairs under a palm tree...no umbrellas just natural shade. It looks a little rustic vs manicured but it was lovely. The water was easy walk in, soft bottom and there were two floatation rings out there anchored. first come first served. We brought our own float with us and enjoyed just hanging out. Lunch was very good with chicken, salad, beans, rice and a beverage. Also there was canned soda for sale so my husband was thrilled to get his Mountain Dew. After lunch we snorkeled which is dedicated to the end of the pier. But first you must sign a waiver so back to the main building we go. If we go back, we will sign that when we get lunch. Also, we had our own equipment except fins (we use water shoes) and they are required. $6 per pair to rent. The snorkeling was very good, some of the coral is just below the surface so be careful. The 'guides' on the pier paid no attention to us at all, one was sleeping when we returned and one was on her phone not even acknowledging us so....tip....do not go alone! I did not get the feeling they would even notice if something went wrong. Only negative comment I have. We loved our day. It was a Happy Surprise. We would go again.
    Visited April 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written June 6, 2024
  • Siobhan W
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A very relaxing place not to be missed.
    We were on a Royal Caribbean Cruise however we booked this privately online before we left. On the morning of this visit I received a very comforting text message from Hollie who was checking we were still coming and was very responsive in assisting me with advice on meeting points and collection. Once we arrived on the island Hollie was there to greet us and advised us of the itinerary for the day. We then took a walk around the island and relaxed by the pool and beach for the day. It was beautiful. There is a lot of improvement work happening on the island however in no way did this disturb us or was noisy. I honestly didn’t want to leave it was so relaxing, the boat came to pick us up at 3pm and delivered us back to port.
    Visited August 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written August 6, 2024
  • Mary S
    College Station, Texas49 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Truly Paradise with lots to do!
    This is an amazing and beautiful place with lots to do. This private island is kept in pristine condition. Lots of rescue and rehab animals to interact with. Several swim spots on the island to choose from all with loungers. A long pier that ends in the coral reef's. Easy access if you want to snorkel with or without a guide. Drinks service on the beach or by the pool. Lunch poolside near the gift shop and most unexpectedly, a couple of replica Mayan Ruins that house a very well done museum. Truly paradise!
    Visited December 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written August 11, 2024
  • Erin J
    8 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful, memorable day snorkelling and swimming on Maya Key Private Island
    This was our second time visiting this beautiful island. Snorkelling with Omar here was the highlight of our 9 day trip. He was attentive with the kids and spotted so many special creatures in the ocean. Incredible experience! The animals are well cared for eating fresh fruit etc. The beach is lovely and calm. The employees were all wonderful and kind despite the manager chastising a few of them in front of us ( she was the only negative of the day). Highly recommend snorkelling with Omar, especially if you have kids. Thank you Omar! We’ll be back to Maya Key.
    Visited January 2025
    Traveled with family
    Written February 2, 2025
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles581 reviews
Excellent
423
Very good
91
Average
48
Poor
10
Terrible
9

erin j
Midland, TX82 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2022
We booked an excursion to Maya Key the night before on Oasis of the Seas. Since unvaccinated children are only allowed to leave the ship with a book excursion. I was so glad we booked this excursion. Our group had a total of 8 adults and 5 children ages 2-11. Everyone had a blast! We loved to enter act with the animals and were able to see them get fed. The lunch that was included was absolutely delicious and probably my favorite meal of the entire trip! We were served salad, rice/beans mix, banana chips, fried sea bass and BBQ chicken. Word of advise, they will mark your excursion bracelet and will only allow one trip through the line, make sure you load up your plate, you will eat it all, I promise! The highlight of the entire day was snorkeling. We had an amazing tour guide that took up around the reef and even showed us sea creatures and allowed us to interact with them. Sea spider, sea star, sea urchin, sea cucumber. I had my 11 year old daughter with me, she was a bit nervous as we approached the reef cliff. Our guide was excellent at calming her down and allowed her to grab a hold of his buoy and he led her around the reef, back to the dock. Maya Key is definitely one place I would love to return to one day.
Written March 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

K T
21 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2021
We booked a RC cruise excursion for Maya Key in August, 2021. We enjoyed it so much and quickly made it our #1 place to visit in Roatan, and immediately returned in September. We had visited other Roatan beaches in the past, but the privacy of Maya Key was a welcomed relief from the nonstop haggling we had received at other locations.
The animal sanctuary animals were beautiful, well cared for, and they had large clean enclosures with natural habit that provided enrichment. The beach was spotless- clean and raked, as was the interior of the island, even fallen leaves were being picked up by their staff. Everything was well maintained, nothing was broken or in need of repair. We had no issues with sand fleas or mosquitos.
The pool looked great, but our time was spent in the ocean or sunning on lounge chairs. With so many activities going on, I did not have a change to replicated ruins.
The fish, chicken, and salad at lunch were tasty. It was nice to try something new- fried banana chips. The frozen drinks were perfect! During a brief shower, the bartender even covered my drink so it would not get wet.
All the staff were very friendly and helpful. I appreciated that they wore gloves, facemasks, and served the lunch.
We rented their quality snorkel gear so we didn’t have to haul my own. The snorkeling staff were very attentive. They constantly checked on the snorkelers that were in the group and snorkeling off the dock, and quickly responded to check and assist an older gentlemen who fatigued and was not a good swimmer. My guide both times was Oliver. He provided assistance with the snorkeling equipment, showed us a lot of fish while safety escorting us through the reefs, and no questions went unanswered. He even helped me with my camera. Words can’t describe the abundance of beauty both in the corals and the fish, so I will add photos.
My only disappointment is that the time flew by so quickly. I wish the excursion could have lasted a few more hours. But, I am already booked and looking forward to my next visit to Maya Key and snorkeling with Oliver.
Written October 19, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Steven H
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023
The beach area was clean and well maintained with a great swimming area for kids and adults. There were plenty of beach chairs for everyone.The staff was super friendly. The aninal rescue area was great with chances to interact with some of the animals. The buffet lunch provided was delicisious. Ferry was service was simple and prompt. This is one trip I would do again if I got the chance and the price was very reasonable.
Written February 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Heidi T
7 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023
My family booked this excursion through Royal Caribbean. While overall it was nice, there are some definite flaws I feel people should know about. Transportation from the Coxen Hole cruise port was very easy and the boat to take us over to the island was literally steps away from our ship. The beach is gorgeous as is the rest of the island. My complaints are due to lack of allergy awareness/accommodations and the snorkeling. First off, the food was included in the price of our ticket. I have a child with a tree nut allergy. The staff was unable to tell me if the food contained tree nuts or to even give me a list of ingredients. If you are providing food and making people pay for it, then you better be prepared to answer very basic questions about what is in your food. I find it completely unacceptable that this very simple request was not able to be accommodated. I feel a language barrier might be part of the problem. I did ask to speak with a manager, but the staff serving the food was unable to fulfill the request. Therefore, my child did not eat. We were not comfortable eating food that we had no idea what the ingredients were. So disappointing and they need to do better in this area. Secondly, the snorkeling is not set up well. I am an experienced snorkeler. In order to snorkel, you MUST swim first with a guide. It's a pretty significant distance, and the guide brought us through water with coral that was very close to the surface. I unfortunately gashed my knee open on coral. I would NEVER have snorkeled in this area had I been on my own. My daughter also cut herself on coral as well. They would not allow me to snorkel on my own even directly off the pier. I was forced to take this swim through the coral and this actually put me in more danger than snorkeling on my own would have been. It was miserable going through the rest of my cruise with a weeping, sore wound on my knee. Had I known this, I would not have paid the extra $20 to rent the equipment. Also, beware...even if you bring your own snorkel gear, you MUST wear one of their vests and it is $12 to just rent a vest. A woman waiting at the desk with us was very agitated over this.
Written May 23, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

InKleined2Blue
Arizona197 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 • Couples
We have visited Roatan multiple times for diving. This go round we were on the Harmony of the Seas and booked Maya Key as an excursion through RCL.

First, the good:
1) Easy and quick transfers to/from Maya Key
2) Good gift shop
3) Kind welcome by a worker
4) Good intentions for rescuing animals

Now the not-so-good:
1) The conditions for some of the animals (especially big cats) are not the best.
2) Lunch
3) Small (but clean) beach

Would we do this again? Absolutely not. It is not worth the price of admission. While we admire the intent of animal rescue and rehabilitation, many of the enclosures were rundown and uninspiring. The big cats especially seemed less than stimulated by the environments.

Our excursion included lunch. After walking the entire animal rescue areas and visiting the small Maya recreations and "museum", we went to the buffet lunch of some sort of fried fish, fried banana chips, and limp lettuce. It was so bad that we tossed it in the trash. Our wrist bands were marked so that we could not get second helpings (as if we or anyone else would do that). Even the tea was undrinkable.

If you are going to this island for beach or snorkel, think again. There are much better places on Roatan to do this.
Written May 22, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Linda F
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Family
Not good at all! The beach area reminded me of a lake beach, murky, dark water, not appealing. The “buffet” lunch was one trip only, with very limited options, and not great food. We planned to spend the day and left after an hour to find a different place to spend the day.
Written March 6, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Looseal
Manchester, UK60 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Family
This is an expensive excursion from the cruise for what you get, the beach is mediocre at best, the food is barely edible and I saw the kitchen and the hygiene standards in place so don't go for that. The Animals that we saw looked, in some cases, distressed so I am not positive that the welfare standards you would normally expect are followed at all. The snorkling is an absolute con, signing a waiver and paying for their kit despite the staff barely looking up from their phones while we were in the water. Some of the coral is quite nice.

On a positive note it's not very far from the cruise so you can have a full day if you want there.
Written July 23, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rob D
Bournemouth, UK98 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
Maya Key Private Island Retreat - Its not what you think it is.
Make sure you know what you are being sold, it is a lovely little island and they are doing some good work with recuse animals although the conditions they live in are questionable.
The beach and free swimming area is tiny, I mean really tiny. You are better off going to the other side (ship side) of the island to swim.
DO NOT book this trip to snorkel as you will be very disappointed.
You have to pay extra for snorkel gear even if you have your own and you have to select a designated time to snorkel with a guide off of the pier.
It is very poor, do not believe the reports of snorkelling from the peer freely it is massively restricted and a bad snorkel area.
If you do make the mistake of booking it anyway make sure you take lots of money you will need it.
They don't make the whole situation clear and there were many people on the island caught out with no cash for anything else after paying for snorkelling they could not enjoy or do because it is a bad rough snorkel area.
At the end of the day it is your choice but don't say you haven't been warned.
NCL agreed with our complaint and paid us our money back, that has to tell you something.

For the best day in Roatan simply walk off the ship, turn left of the end of the pair and get a taxi to West Bay where you will get all you ever dreamed of. Just make sure you are clear with the price of the taxi and that it is for all passengers and not each passenger.
Roatan is a developing destination and they like a scam or two just be on your guard.
Written March 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

elenalb1
Santa Rosa, CA7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020
We were at Maya Key 3/2020 on the RC Liberty of the Seas. Amazing resort, excellent snorkeling swimming, bar, beach & best staff! We had a lovely day sunning, snorkeling (with a guide, they are very safety conscious) a delicious lunch of local favorites was included in our very resonable price and the beach and water was pristine. We visited in 2009 and again 2020 mainly to relax and snorkel and and it was as pristine as 11 years ago. So blessed by this beautiful day in Roatan, Honduras. Please visit you will not be disappointed, only a short boat ride from the cruise ship terminal, lovely people, beautiful, safe resort. We're going back and staying on Roatan soon.
Written April 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tim B
Houston, TX262 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2023 • Solo
Mya Ca resort is a fun place to go to in Rotan Honduras. The snorkeling is fantastic the beaches are beautiful. The staff at Maya Key island, retreat, or friendly and very helpful. There is a long pier that at the end of you can do snorkeling at the reef. The Buffay lunch was excellent. They are planning of seaside chairs to relax and and enjoy the day I would recommend to friends and family to go to the private retreat.
Written January 19, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Maya Key - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2025)

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