With a full-time population of about 1,200, Sandy Bay is considerably larger than West End, but somehow it doesn’t feel like it. The town is a collection of weather-beaten wooden houses, most built on stilts among patches of shady trees a hundred meters or so from the edge of the sea, strung out over three or more kilometers of shoreline. Development has arrived in Sandy Bay, but it’s mostly limited to private houses and a couple of low-key resorts tucked away in the corners of town.

Anthony’s Key Resort (AKR), which literally divides Sandy Bay in two, is a large complex, but most guests don’t venture off the grounds into town, so it doesn’t much disturb the placid lifestyle of the local islanders. Sandy Bay is a popular place for foreigners living in Roatán to rent inexpensive houses or apartments.

Getting to Sandy Bay

Sandy Bay is just off the West End–Coxen Hole highway; minibuses and taxis pass frequently in both directions. Shared taxis to Coxen Hole cost US$1.50; it’s US$1 to West End.