As someone who works in Tech, I’m always grateful for the WFH lifestyle it provides. Because of my job’s flexible work-life balance, I spend a lot of my time traveling. One of my favorite places to work remotely is Roatan, Honduras.
If you’re unfamiliar, Roatan is Central America’s hidden gem. With white sand beaches and turquoise water, Roatan is my #1 choice for traveling & working. The island is quiet (there are some parts with night life, though!), the people are friendly, and it’s extremely affordable. My favorite place to stay when I come to Roatan is in West End. In this blog, I’ll be going over my top choices when working from home.
TLDR Ranked:
- Cafe de Palo
- Beach Desk
- Bean Crazy Cafe
- Roatan Chocolate Factory
- Sandy Buns
- Athena Coffee Shop
Cafe de Palo: The most relaxing place in West End
If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you already know why Cafe de Palo is my favorite place to work remotely in West End, Roatan. You also probably know that Cafe de Palo is also just my favorite cafe in all of Roatan.
They have great food, coffee, smoothies, kombucha, and even cocktails. They have a wide variety of food, so if I’m in a vegan mood or a sweet tooth mood, there’s something for me. They have semi-fast wifi (not the fastest on the list, unfortunately), but they still have wifi nonetheless.
- Medium wifi
- Best overall vibe
- Best views
- Best food
- Extremely relaxing
- Yoga / Meditation terrace
- Hotel attached
The chairs are comfortable and there’s a couch seating area if you get bored. I love coming here because of the natural breeze, hippy environment, and beautiful views. They also have events throughout the week, most notably their yoga sessions! You can stay up to date with Cafe De Palo on Facebook (they are pretty active and will post when they have yoga!).
Note: They are closed on Tuesdays. I always forget this and I have shown up TWICE to work on a Tuesday. #embarrassing!
Beach Desk: The WeWork of Roatan (Fastest wifi & coworking)
Beach Desk is the only coworking space in West End (that I’m aware of). They have incredibly fast wifi. I personally like the cafe vibe more, but if you have a day full of meetings, this is the best place to go.
They have phone booths (great for meetings), comfortable office chairs, fully equipped desks (monitors, keyboards, and mouse)and actual desks. While you can’t get a latte and sandwich, they do offer coffee, tea, and water. You pay similar to a WeWork, by purchasing a day, week, or monthly pass. Check out the different plans here!
- Fastest Wifi
- Office equipment
- Private phone booths
- Private offices
- Air conditioning
- Outdoor Terrace
- Ring lights for meetings or content creators
My favorite part about Beach Desk is the terrace. I didn’t come to an island to sit inside! It’s nice because you can work on the terrace and enjoy the views of Roatan, but when you have phone calls or meetings you can just head inside to a private phone booth!
Best Cafe Wifi: Bean Crazy
While Beach Desk has the best wifi overall, if you’re looking for fast wifi but still want to check out a cafe, Bean Crazy is the place to go. The coffee and food are both good (not the best on the list, but good enough).
- Fast wifi
- Breakfast & lunch options
- Mediocre coffee (sorry!)
- Lots of places to sit
- The most popular cafe for working remotely (even during low seasons, the cafe is filled with twenty somethings on their laptops!)
- Located in half moon bay
- They have sushi on their menu (thought this was kinda cool!)
They also offer a few sweet treats, like pastries and cakes. There’s a little gift shop connected, so if you need a hair clip or sunglasses, it’s right there! If you’re staying in Half Moon Bay, this is super central.
Roatan Chocolate Factory: Work & Fun all in one!
Roatan Chocolate Factory is a fun little cafe with sandwiches, smoothies, coffee, and of course, chocolate! The seating isn’t the most comfortable for working long hours, but if you’re used to working on your couch, this will be just fine. I’m actually writing this blog at URoatan’s Chocolate factory! I’m sipping on a mango smoothie, it’s pretty good!
- Wifi: unsure.
- Best desserts
- Prettiest interior decoration
- Breakfast & lunch (limited lunch options)
- Great enviornment & music
- FREE chocolate factory tour upstairs
This place is pretty cool if you only need to work for a few hours (at most). I love working on my blog here because the upbeat and colorful vibe makes me feel inspired. If you need a little break, tour the chocolate factory upstairs (it’s free!).
If you want to stay up to date, they are pretty active on their Facebook Page!
Sandy Buns: Best Bakery & Food from Back Home
Sandy Buns was started by a couple who moved from Texas. They originally opened as a bakery, and are best known for their classic cinnamon roll. They are also known for their incredible sandwiches (mainly their very large burgers that only cost $9).
- Good Wifi
- Best comfort food
- Best pastries
- Only work while you eat, it’s not like the other cafes where you can just buy a coffee and sit there for 4 hours
- English speaking (and Spanish, of course)
- Best salads (This is random, but they have the best salads that I’ve had on the whole island)
If you’re in the mood for a cafe with complimentary ice water (rare on the island), good wifi, and the best food, Sandy Buns is the place to go. Just remember that this isn’t the best place to work for more than an hour or two. It gets pretty busy and I don’t imagine it’s polite when other’s are trying to get a seat.
Athena Coffee: Best Coffee in West End
Athena Coffee has the best coffee in West End, that’s for sure. I’m a little bit of a coffee snob, and when I say that the baristas/owners here really care about their craft, I mean it! The only reason it’s last on the list is because they only have two tables inside and two chairs outside.
- Very fast wifi
- BEST coffee in West End, Roatan
- Poor seating options
- Indoor bathroom
- Air conditioning
- No food (they did have tiramisu and tres leches, but that was it)
- Super friendly & professional staff
I got coffee there this morning and tiramisu but could only work two hours because it just wasn’t the most comfortable.
Conclusion
There you have it! These are my top picks for working remotely in West End, Roatan. West End is my #1 choice for solo traveling in Roatan, so I know just about everything there is to know about working remotely!
Have any more suggestions? Please leave me a comment below and I’ll check it out and add it to the list.
-Aaliyah Christine
