April 16, 2024
My Stay at the Kimpton Grand Roatán
Pam
I just completed my first stay at the Kimpton Grand Roatán in Honduras. What were my thoughts? Would I return? Stay tuned as I tell you all about it.
Flights to Honduras
My United flight to Honduras included an overnight stay in Houston. This flight was bookable for 40K United miles round-trip (20K United miles each way), or $1,200.00 round-trip. I was supposed to leave on a Friday, but we got word that a huge storm was going to hit Denver, so we hurriedly rebooked for the day before to avoid cancellations.
My daughter, Kelly, and granddaughter, Rylee, traveled with me, and they did the same. It was a very busy day for us as we had to quickly change flights, pack, and get to the airport. Luckily, United had offered waivers, so people didn’t have to pay change fees or price changes.
I used my $300 Venture X travel credit to stay at the Houston Airport Marriott. The airport tram makes this very convenient as it can be reached in minutes.
Evenings at the Kimpton Grand Roatán were spectacular!
Arrival in Roatán
The Kimpton Grand Roatán called me prior to our stay to arrange transportation. It was a $55 charge per room, and the driver was waiting for us at the airport. On the approximately 40-minute drive to the hotel, he gave us interesting information about the island (we encountered a lot of road construction).
On arrival, they thanked me for my Diamond status and gave us the most delicious lemonade-like beverage. They also told us that, due to my status, we would have 2 free breakfasts each morning.
We came to this area near the Vos Café to drink our welcome drink.
When we got into our room, which had been upgraded to a 2 Queen Premium Ocean View room, there was a nice note, charcuterie board, macaroons, and diet cokes (they listened to my preferences—no alcohol)! Very appreciated and nice.
Our room had a great ocean view.
Our welcome note and food was much appreciated.
Kimpton Grand Roatán
From the moment we arrived, we were impressed with the hotel’s decor (simple, understated elegance) and the friendliness of all the staff. We paid 70K IHG points/night or our stay, with the fourth night being free (a perk of being an IHG cardholder). If we were paying cash, it would have cost almost $1,000/night with taxes, fees, and resort fees.
Yes, there is a $60/night resort fee (and it’s not waived on award stays), but it covers the following things:
- Morning fitness classes
- Snorkeling gear
- Clear bottom kayaks
- Snorkel educational piece by Roatán Marine Park
- Pool towel service as well as chairs at the pool and beach
- Water refill stations throughout the property
- Sunblock available at the pool
- Online newspaper
- Transportation from the resort to 3 miles radius based on availability
- Overnight parking
Other amenities and services at the hotel include:
- Morning coffee + tea service
- Complimentary evening social hour
- Pet amenities *not available in the condos
- “Forgot It? We’ve Got It!” essential amenities
- Complimentary high-speed wi-fi for all guests
- 24-hour fitness center
- Concierge service
- Valet parking
- Luxurious robes
- 24-hour in-room dining
- Mini bar with local treats
- Yoga mats
- Bespoke luxury bath products
- Premium bluetooth speakers
- LED TV with cable television
Part of the hotel lobby.
The evening social hour includes beverages and appetizers.
Restaurants
There are four restaurants at the hotel.
- Alera—This is the fanciest restaurant on site, and it is where breakfast is served each day. It is a bountiful buffet with an omelet station, waffle station, and popusa station. It was delicious, and we looked forward to it every day. We paid $30 for our third person, but two breakfasts were covered due to my elite status. Dinner has steaks, seafood, and pasta options.
- Sea Cat—A cute beach bar with a lot of great options. The shrimp tacos and hamburgers are amazing. It’s open from 10:00 am – 8:00 pm.
- The Drop Off—Serves freshly caught and grilled food. It is open from noon to 8:00 p.m Wednesday through Sunday. Our favorites here were the loaded baked potato with steak and the chicken wings.
- Vos Café—You can get a quick breakfast or sandwiches depending on the day. We went there the first day for club sandwiches and burgers for dinner as we had a late lunch.
The breakfast buffet also included several made-to-order stations.
Activities
We used the fitness center located near the spa every day. There were also yoga classes that we kept saying we were going to go to (but didn’t).
My daughter and granddaughter used the fitness center every morning – I used it twice! 😜
While we were there, it was my daughter Kelly’s birthday, so we had massages. The spa was absolutely gorgeous, with an outside deck with ocean views.
The Kao Kamasa Spa at the Kimpton Grand Roatán was gorgeous!
Snorkeling expeditions are available daily, both day and night (tip the guide only), and equipment is free to use. At night, we could see the lights of people snorkeling, and it was very cool-looking, but we didn’t do it because the idea freaked us out, quite honestly. Kelly and Rylee went by themselves one day and said the visibility was great, and they saw some beautiful fish.
The snorkeling gear was included in the resort fee.
They will take you wherever you want to go within a 3-mile radius. One day, we went to a local store for snacks and water, as water is pretty expensive at the resort. Kelly and Rylee also arranged a ride through the hotel to South Shore Adventures to zipline. That cost them each $50, and they enjoyed it. It was really close to the resort.
Ziplining was a favorite of my granddaughter.
The hotel is located on West Bay, and getting out and walking on the beach is interesting. It is lined with restaurants, vendors, people who will braid your hair or give you a massage, and some other hotels. The Kimpton was definitely the nicest hotel in the area.
We enjoyed walking on the beach and checking out the different hotels and restaurants.
Sunsets in Roatán were gorgeous – eating dinner at Sea Cat here.
On our last day, we took a water taxi to the West End one afternoon for lunch. It was easy to catch one going and coming back. We had heard that they were $3/person each way, but we were charged $5/person. We caught them by the Bananarama instead of walking down to the main beach area, so maybe that was why. West End had a lot of shopping and restaurants that looked good.
Service
The service at the Kimpton Grand Roatán was great. Everyone was happy and willing to do anything to make our stay nicer. They were all spectacular, from the men around the pool to the waitstaff and the front desk. My stay at the Kimpton Grand Roatán was made all the better due to the service provided at the hotel.
When I told them it was Kelly’s birthday, they gave us a complimentary cake for dinner. When we returned to the room, they had a whole table of treats waiting for us.
They went overboard on wishing Kelly a Happy Birthday! We loved it!
Other Places to Eat
We ate at the Arca Hotel (a cute boutique hotel near our hotel) at the Ahari restaurant, which was walkable and very good. We also ate at the West End area at Sandy Buns—the BEST cinnamon rolls and Texas brisket. Pizzarama Brick Oven Pizza was suggested by locals, and it was also a good pizza.
Quick Facts
- Almost everyone on the island speaks English, as it used to be a British colony.
- USD is widely accepted.
- You can get prescription meds without a prescription (my granddaughter had an ear infection).
- Everyone says it is generally a safe island and we felt safe walking on the beach at night as it was crowded.
- Tourism is very important as it is everyone’s primary job on the island, and everyone is very friendly.
- Suntan lotion and bug spray (not needed when we were there) are complimentary at the pool station.
Bottom Line
I would definitely like to stay at the Kimpton Grand Roatán again. I didn’t think I would like Roatán as much as I did, but the people were very happy and engaging, and it ended up being a great stay. Roatán and the Kimpton Grand will see me again in the future.
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Great review, Pam! I didn’t realize you had IHG Diamond in addition to your Globalist status! Do you find it’s worth the effort/spend to get Diamond? I’m intrigued by it. But it’s so many nights, I’d likely have to earn through credit card spend.
Actually, I didn’t earn it through spend. When they first changed their program, I got it then with my card, I believe (it has been a while). It should have gone away but they never took it and it says it is good through 12/24. Works for me! I don’t think it would be worth it to spend that much or to have to stay that many nights. When it disappears for me, I won’t try for it
again.
Ah good to know, thanks, Pam!
Loved your podcast and post on this property. I just checked availability and cost for next year spring break and it is 135,000 per night for the double queen room, canopy view. A little too points expensive for my taste. They must have raised it with all of the people looking to book it after your fabulous review 🙂 Oh well, on to another property.
thank you so much for an amazing review. How long is the beach to walk on? to get into the ocean do we need to wear water shoes or there are area at the ocean that has nice smooth bottom to walk in without wearing water shoes? How did you get from the Roatan airport to the resort? How far ride is into the town to eat at different restaurants? Is tax easily available – expensive or?
The beach is called 7-mile beach and is long. We did not have water shoes. We got to and from the airport via taxis – I want to say it was $40 to hotel. We ate solely at the hotel but there are walkable restaurants, too.