Barefoot Cay Resort

I stayed at Barefoot Cay Resort during my ten days diving Roatan, specifically so I could dive with their operation and get to the south-side sites.

I booked the studio loft, which is their cheapest room. It was still the nicest place I stayed or saw during my entire time in Roatan. I stayed at a couple of other hotels on the island and none of them were close.

How Barefoot Cay Is Laid Out

This is the part worth understanding before you book, because it is two places rather than one.

The lofts sit on the mainland side, facing the water. The private island is across a narrow channel, and that is where the more expensive rooms are, little huts scattered around the cay.

The island is also where everything else lives: the restaurant, the pavilion, the pool, and the marina. So if you book the studio like I did, you take the water taxi across whenever you want any of it.

It is genuinely secluded once you are over there. There is also a large parking lot on the mainland side, which matters if you have rented a car or a motorcycle to get around the island.

The Studio Loft

Wood panelling throughout, high pitched ceilings, ceiling fans, and a full kitchen rather than a kitchenette.

The details that actually mattered to me: the air conditioning was strong, the bed was comfortable, the hot water was hot, and there was a proper desk to work from.

The internet was fast, which is worth calling out on its own. Reliable internet was hard to find elsewhere in Roatan, so if you are working while you dive, this is a real reason to pick this place.

The Island: Restaurant, Pool and Pavilion

The pool sits back from the water with loungers and covered cabanas.

A wooden dock runs out to a covered pavilion over the water.

I had the tuna poke bowl at the restaurant. It was amazing.

Diving from Barefoot Cay

Barefoot Divers operates out of the resort, and the boats are moored at the marina, so the walk from your room to the boat is short.

Briefings happen off a laminated site map. My guide was Wilbur.

Being on the south side is the practical advantage. Barefoot Divers is your best option for south-side sites, which is where Mary's Place and Howard's Happy Place are. Howard's sits close enough that you can see the shoreline from the site.

One thing to know before you book: you cannot request specific dive sites. The captain decides based on conditions, mooring ball availability, and what courses are running. If Mary's Place is the reason you are coming, message them beforehand and ask which days they plan to run it.

What Diving Here Costs

Barefoot Divers charges per dive on a sliding scale:

• $45 per dive for 1 to 4 dives
• $40 per dive for 5 to 10 dives
• $35 per dive for 11 or more

The resort also sells dive-and-stay packages through their own site, which bundle the room with a set number of dives.

Is It Worth It?

I booked the cheapest room they have and it was still better than anything else I stayed in or looked at in Roatan. Add the on-site dive operation, the south-side access, and internet fast enough to actually work on, and it is the easiest accommodation recommendation I have for the island.