My family and I just returned from a week in Roatan, Honduras, and it was incredible.

Honestly, Roatan wasn't even on my radar of places to visit—the only reason we went was because my dad and his wife bought a condo there, and we wanted to visit them. Bonus? It’s a 4 hour direct flight from Denver, and with kids, direct flights are life.

We spent half our time at their condo (which is gorgeous and available to rent, FYI) and the other half at the brand new Kimpton Grand Roatan. Let me tell you, the property was amazing. As you know, I am a hotel snob (I can't have this job and not be), and I am hard to impress, but I was impressed.

This is hands down the best property on Roatan and has surpassed any previous experiences I've had with the Kimpton brand. The pool is huge, the spa was awesome, and the food was excellent. You can snorkel right off the beach of the hotel. The staff went above and beyond.

I think it was definitely one of the coolest hotels architecturally that I've ever been to. It does a great job of having a beach vibe while also keeping a jungle aesthetic. It gave me a lot of Southeast Asian vibes, which I loved. The snorkeling right off the coast is amazing and PERFECT for kids.

The spa is stunning, built right into the jungle. They have four different plunge pools inside and an outdoor pool. You can also walk down to some really cool spots right over the ocean.

HOW IS THE FOOD?

The food was solid. Seacat was my favorite, but DropOff and Alea were also good. The morning buffet at Alea is excellent (and included if you book through Wonder Travel Studio). Vos Café & Bar is great for grabbing some pastries or coffee in the morning, or a cocktail and appetizer in the evening. It has huge couches and games and is a fun hangout spot.

ROOMS

There are 119 rooms, suites, bungalows, and condos. The property layout is a bit funky. The main building and spa building are completely new, and if you just want a room or suite, that's where you want to stay. They have connecting king to two queen options, which are great for families. We stayed in a "1 King Roatan Suite Ocean View," and I was obsessed with our room. It was huge, and my kids were more than comfortable on the sofa bed. If I were coming without kids, I would stay in one of the Spa Suites—they only have four of them, and they are gorgeous. They reminded me a lot of One&Only Mandarina.

The cool thing is that they also have some 2- and 3-bedroom condo units in the adjacent buildings, as well as some studio-style bungalows. These have a bit of a different vibe but are well-priced and great options for families. If you don't need a condo, I would definitely recommend staying in the main building—the condos and bungalows have the same decor and aesthetic but felt less luxurious than the rooms in the main buildings.

Also, the “canopy view” rooms are basically… overlooking the street/parking area. You do see some jungle, but you also see the street and parked cars. It is 100% worth getting an ocean view if you can.

IS THE KIMPTON GRAND ROATAN GOOD FOR KIDS?

The hotel is super family-friendly. While there is no kids club, but they have a game room, and there were a lot of families there. The restaurants have kids' menus, so my kids were happy because they could expand their culinary palette by trying chicken nuggets in different countries… :/ Global chicken nugget connoisseurs, these boys are.

WHY ROATAN?

Most people come to Roatan for the diving and snorkeling because it's right on the reef. It's a great place to get certified, and my husband and I will probably do that on our next trip out. The water is crystal clear and just immaculate. I haven't seen water that clear since Bora Bora.

In terms of other things to do on the island, there's a ton. You can take a water taxi to West End, where there are fun bars and restaurants. We visited Gumbalimba Park, where we saw monkeys and macaws and learned a lot of cool history. You can go horseback riding, zip lining, and do lots of other fun adventure stuff—it's all easy to get to because the island is so small. There's a huge expat community there as well, so there are a lot of fun local bars. I won bingo at the Hangover Hut on one of our first nights there! But honestly, I loved the property so much I didn't want to leave.

FLIGHTS

The best part for those of you in my neck of the woods... there are direct flights from Denver! Unfortunately, there are no direct flights from the West Coast yet—you would have to connect through Dallas or Houston.

HOW TO GET FREE PERKS AT THE KIMPTON GRAND ROATAN

As always, you will get extra amenities and perks when booking through Wonder Travel Studio, as follows:

• $100 USD Hotel/Resort Credit: Use this credit for dining, spa treatments, or other resort activities.

• Complimentary Breakfast: Enjoy daily buffet breakfast for two, valued at $30 per person (which is worth every penny even if you don’t get it included because you didn’t book through me - kids under 12 are $15).

• Early Check-in & Late Check-out

• Room Upgrade

• High-Speed Wi-Fi

Rates are still low, but I suspect that won't be the case for long, so if you're interested, you should lock it in now.

Spring Break 2025, anyone?

Questions? Want to book? Click here or email me.