I recently returned to the Kimpton Grand Roatán Resort and Spa, but this time around with another daughter. This time, Alex came with me! Even though I’ve reviewed this hotel before, I wanted to talk about new insights, cover different rooms, and tell you what it was like visiting when the resort was at max capacity! Be sure to read this post to learn more about the hotel, as I won’t repeat the basics in this article.

 

Getting to Roatán

Denver has a nonstop flight to Roatán on Saturdays on United Airlines—perfect at only four hours long! Alex met me in Denver after flying Southwest Airlines® to Denver. She used cash for a cheap flight, and we met on Friday night at the Westin Denver International Airport. It is a perfect place to stay for an early flight out. We each used 20K United miles plus $5.60 for nonstop flights to Roatán.

We made sure we had time to stop at the Capital One Lounge before boarding and had some breakfast. We loved the empanadas, churro waffles, and smoothie bowl. Of course, I also grabbed chocolate-covered raisins and cookies to take with us.

We had previously filled out our Honduras Travelers Declaration and had our QR codes ready to show at immigration in Roatán.  More people were working at immigration in Roatan than when I was there last year, so it went quicker this time. But it is still not quick. At all.  (Note: You must also fill out a declaration for travel home.)

 

 

Shuttle to Kimpton Grand Roatán

We arranged a shared shuttle ($55/room) through the hotel. Unfortunately, we flew near the front of the plane and had to wait for a couple who were some of the last people to come from our plane. It made me think the higher-expense option to book a private shuttle might be worth it. However, we did enjoy chatting with our fellow riders. (Somehow, I ended up talking about how they could have used points for their stay—Alex was dying! 🤦‍♀️)

 

Changing It Up with a Bungalow

I think some people would love the bungalow we had. It had a living room area with a pull-out sofa and a nice terrace. You could get a random glimpse of the ocean, but it had a more treehouse feel with the trees and foliage. The one thing that I loved was the privacy and the outdoor shower! I was happy to try a different room type, but Alex was hoping for more ocean views, as we’d have if we’d booked a different room! So what did we do?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Changing Rooms to a Premium King Ocean View

The Kimpton Grand Roatán is great about texting guests and ensuring you are enjoying your stay and don’t have complaints. I responded to one of the texts we received that we wished we had booked the Premium King Ocean View room, and they kindly let us change rooms after two days. This was great because it meant we got to review both rooms.

I’d say Alex preferred the ocean view room.  Of course, what’s not to love about a pristine white room with views of a blue ocean for days? It is spectacular! 

 

 

 

 

The Redemption

I used 194,000 IHG points to book three nights, and the fourth was free because I am a cardholder. We spent two nights in the bungalow and two nights in the Ocean View Premium room. The cash price for the rooms was $1,660.

 

 

Redeem three nights, get the fourth night free when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG® hotel stay. You can receive a fourth reward night free, redeemable at that same hotel during that same stay.

 

Visiting at Maximum Capacity

As I mentioned earlier, the resort was at maximum capacity while we were there.  And one of the problems with a full hotel is finding a beach chair. We were at breakfast at 8:30, and I went to find chairs by the pool, and they were ALL taken. But only about ten of them had people in them. Evidently, everyone can save seats, and many were there at 6:00 a.m. claiming territory. There are many seats on the beach, but it was even harder to find seats there after 10:00 a.m. This is a huge pet peeve of mine—letting people save seats when they are not there.

 

 

 

The capacity did not impact the restaurants, but I think that is because many people go to other restaurants on the island. We had to wait for service a few times because they seemed understaffed. However, the food was all very good.

 

Kao Kamasa Spa

The number one way we beat the crowds at the hotel was by using the Kao Kamasa Spa, which is one of the top destination spas in the world in 2024, according to the readers of Condé Nast.  The hotel gave us day passes for one day ($150 value per pass), and we booked massages for another day. That meant we could use the facilities for two of our three full days. 

 

 

 

Bottom Line

Alex and I agreed that Roatán is a special place—great people, gorgeous sunsets, lush landscape.  It feels very different from home, yet you can use US currency, and many people speak English very well, making communication a breeze. My return to the Kimpton Grand Roatán was different than my previous visit since the resort was busier. But I would return—I’ll just try to find a less-busy time to come. And since our visit, the resort was featured on the Netflix show “Love Is Blind,” which might make it even more popular—and make those poolside chairs harder to snag!  But if I can find a quieter time to go, you’ll probably catch me there again.

 

Related Posts

My Stay at the Kimpton Grand Roatán

Head to Head: Kimpton Grand Roatán vs. Kimpton Seafire

Kimpton Hotels Are My Favorite IHG Brand