Hello from Lands End, West End, Roatán!
Although a hotel isn't what we had in mind for this leg of the trip, we are grateful Lands End was open and accomodating.
The owners are Natalia and her husband (he is in the States right now so we didn't meet him), and their four year old daughter, Christine. They are from the Ukraine originally, but lived in Key West before moving to Roatan. Natalia is 49 years old and truly has the heart of a caretaker. She has bent over backwards to make sure we are comfortable. They have owned Lands End for four years. Natalia has lived here full-time for a year, after traveling back and forth for the previous three.
The meals here are spectacular. Natalia sources as much locally as possible. She buys all the flour, nuts, and cheeses in bulk and uses a shipping service to get them here. No canned or packaged foods are used. The cook (whose name I've not yet been able to hang on to) is very young and can grill a lobster like I've never tasted before!
Our room is the top right, with the hammock.
The woodworking in this place captivated me.
It is very sad to see the desolation here. What should be a fully booked, happy, partying crowd has been reduced to we two. The island hasn't seen the usual influx of visitors from cruise ships and air travel, due to the pandemic.
Walkway from the dining room to the outside bar, lounging area, and the pool.
The pool area is also amazing. Look closely at the cement work.
The pool water is cold and we haven't gotten overheated enough yet to test it out!
We decided to take a walk around the West End. When we saw how desolate the road (and muddy with deep potholes) we turned around the took the SUV for a ride.
These photos were randomly shot around town on our ride.
There are homeless (street) dogs everywhere. This one found a bone to eat and wasn't going to move until he was ready.
We had a "snack" here.
The next photos were taken right outside where we are staying in the West End. This hotel was built in 1997 right on top of the north rim of the Mesoamerican Reef, looking out over the Caribbean Sea. It wasn't until 2005 that a concentration on reef preservation became reality in Honduras.
There is so much more to tell. Our days are full, yet we are relaxed and feel very little stress. I feel like we were "rescued" from a scary situation and are being well cared for in a very safe place. We are so comfortable, it is time to say good night.
End of Day Five
