Mayan Princess Beach & Dive Resort

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Quick Verdict

Mayan Princess Beach & Dive Resort is the most complete all-inclusive resort on Roatán, and if you are booking one resort on this island without knowing much about it, this is the safest recommendation we can make. It sits directly on West Bay Beach — the two-kilometer arc of white sand at the island’s western tip that is the reason most people come to Honduras in the first place — in a compound of roughly 60 condo-style villas and studios, all with kitchens, arranged around a 250-foot serpentine lagoon pool with waterfalls and a jacuzzi.

The dive credentials are real: Mayan Divers is a five-star PADI Instructor Development Dive Resort with access to more than 40 sites on the Mesoamerican Reef, and the reef wall starts minutes from the beach with plateaus at 10, 20 and 45 feet before dropping away past 2,000. Add four restaurants, five bars, a kids’ club, a spa and included airport and ferry transfers, and you have a genuinely full-service resort at Central American prices.

The honesty check is the plan structure. Mayan Princess sells two all-inclusive tiers — All Inclusive Family and All Inclusive Premium — and only the Premium tier includes dinner at San Simón and Calkett’s. On the Family plan those two restaurants are available at extra cost, which means half the dining lineup that sold you on the resort is behind a paywall. Everything is quoted plus 19% Honduran tax. Do that math before you compare it with Henry Morgan down the beach, and see the full island lineup in our Roatán guide.

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Directly on West Bay Beach, steps from the sand	San Simón and Calkett’s cost extra on the Family plan
Condo-style villas with full kitchens, up to 1,480 sq ft	All rates are quoted plus 19% Honduran tax
Mayan Divers — five-star PADI IDC center, 40+ sites	Diving is a separate package, not part of the AI rate
250-foot lagoon pool with waterfall and 8-person jacuzzi	Some villa categories face the parking lot, not the sea
Airport and ferry transfers included in the rate	Cruise-ship day crowds hit West Bay on port days
Pirate Kids Club, ages 4-11, morning and afternoon sessions	Sand flies on the beach are a real West Bay nuisance
Premium tier includes premium spirits and drops the 10% service charge	Official site’s FAQ and inclusions page disagree on in-room Wi-Fi

The Resort at a Glance

Detail	Info
Location	West Bay Beach, Roatán — the island’s western tip
Rooms	Approximately 60 condo-style studios and one- and two-bedroom villas
Restaurants	4 — Balam (buffet), Macao (all-day comfort food), San Simón Beach Club, Calkett’s
Bars	5 — Macao, Calkett’s, Beach Bar, San Simón and Las Sirenas
Pools	The 250-ft Mayan lagoon pool with in-pool jacuzzi, plus a 30-ft pool at Las Sirenas
Beach	Direct West Bay Beach frontage; furthest poolside condo is about 425 feet from the sand
Dive center	Mayan Divers — PADI five-star Instructor Development Dive Resort
Kids’ club	Pirate Kids Club, ages 4-11
Spa	Kukut Spa (extra cost)
Airport	About 25 minutes from Juan Manuel Gálvez International (RTB); transfers included
Adults-only?	No — this is a family resort
All-inclusive status	True all-inclusive, sold in two tiers (Family and Premium)

Rooms and Suites

Mayan Princess is built as condominiums rather than hotel rooms, which is its structural advantage over almost everything else on West Bay. Every unit has a full kitchen, a living area, a balcony or terrace and hotel-grade bedding — the resort describes its beds as pillow-top mattresses with Egyptian-cotton linens and duvets. All units include cable TV with US channels, air conditioning, in-suite safes and hair dryers. Layout matters more than category here, because the property runs from beachfront right back to the road.

Studios and One-Bedroom Villas (from about $239/night for two)

The Deluxe Poolside Studio is the entry point — compact, pool-facing, fine for a couple who plans to be in the water all day. Step up to the One Bedroom Tropical Garden Villa (roughly 525-560 sq ft, from about $239) for a king or queen bed, a sofa bed, a full kitchen, a dinette and a terrace overlooking the gardens or the pool. The One Bedroom Tower Villa (from about $259) sits above the lagoon pool with a private balcony that catches the sunset — the best-value view on the property.

Two-Bedroom Villas and Master Suites (from about $259 to $469/night)

Families and groups have real choice here, and this is where Mayan Princess pulls away from its neighbors. The Two Bedroom Junior Suite Pool View runs about 1,220 square feet; the Two Bedroom Master Suite about 1,480 square feet, sleeping five with a king, a queen and a sofa bed. At the top, the Two Bedroom Beach Front Master Villa (up to about $469) puts you directly over the sand with ocean views, sleeping four adults and two children.

One honest note: the Two Bedroom Family Villa (from about $259) is listed by the resort itself as having a parking-lot view. It is centrally located and well equipped, and the price reflects the outlook — but do not book it expecting water. Ask for specific building and floor placement on any category below beachfront.

Our Pick

Couples should take the One Bedroom Tower Villa — the elevated balcony over the lagoon pool is the single nicest place to sit on this property, and the premium over a garden villa is small. Families of four or five should stretch to the Two Bedroom Junior Suite Pool View or, if the budget allows, the Beach Front Master Villa; the ability to put children in a separate room with a kitchen and a washing-up sink between you is worth real money on a week-long trip. Divers on the 7-night package are placed in a One Bedroom Tropical Garden Pool View Villa by default, with beachfront upgrades available on request.

Food and Dining at Mayan Princess

Four restaurants and five bars is a strong lineup for a 60-unit resort. Just be precise about which plan unlocks which venue.

Balam — The Buffet (Included on Both Plans)

Balam is the main restaurant and the workhorse: buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner overlooking the tropical gardens, with rotating international themes at night. It is a proper buffet operation — carving station, seafood, Honduran staples, a salad line and desserts — and it is included on every all-inclusive tier. It is also where kids’ club children take their 12:30 lunch. Quality is solid rather than remarkable; go in expecting a competent Caribbean resort buffet and you will be happy.

Macao — All-Day Comfort Food (Included on Both Plans)

Macao is the newest venue and, for a lot of guests, the most useful: comfort food and bar service running continuously from 10:00 to 19:00 with no reservation required. Burgers, tacos, snacks, something between meals when you have come out of the water at 15:30 and the buffet is closed. Unlimited access is included on both the Family and Premium plans, and it is the venue that makes the resort feel genuinely all-day.

San Simón Beach Club and Calkett’s (Premium Plan or Extra Cost)

These are the two you will see in the photography. San Simón Beach Club does creative fusion cuisine in a boho-chic beach-club setting — lounge seating, shade, sand, lobster tacos and coconut shrimp, three-course dinners. Calkett’s, named after what was once Roatán’s largest villa, serves authentic Caribbean food in a casual island setting right on the white sand, with premium liquors and signature cocktails.

Here is the crucial detail: on the All Inclusive Premium plan, a la carte dining at both specialty restaurants is included. On the All Inclusive Family plan, the resort’s own inclusion sheet states that San Simón and Calkett’s are “available at extra cost and availability for lunch and dinner.” If a week of beach-club dinners is part of the fantasy, you need the Premium tier — price the two plans side by side rather than defaulting to the cheaper one.

Bars and Drinks

Five bars: Macao, Calkett’s, the Beach Bar, San Simón and Las Sirenas. Both all-inclusive tiers cover unlimited domestic and international alcoholic beverages, a wide range of cocktails, beers, wines by the glass and non-alcoholic drinks — the resort markets premium brand liquors across its bar program, which is more generous than the house-pour tiers common at this price point elsewhere in the Caribbean. One tipping nuance worth knowing: Honduran hotels typically add a 10% service charge automatically, but the resort states the Premium plan does not add it to your bill. Our tipping guide covers how to handle gratuities on top.

Food Quality Verdict

Better than the Roatán average and, with the Premium plan, genuinely good. Four venues with real stylistic separation — buffet, all-day casual, beach club and Caribbean a la carte — is more variety than any other true all-inclusive on the island offers, and the seafood is local. On the Family plan you are effectively down to two venues, which is still fine but no longer a differentiator. That gap between tiers is the single most important thing to understand before booking.

Beach and Pools

The Beach

West Bay is the best beach in Honduras and one of the better ones in the Caribbean: fine white sand, calm turquoise shallows, palms and almond trees for shade, and a reef that begins close enough to swim to with a mask. Mayan Princess has direct frontage with canopied beds and loungers with large towels, and the resort’s own FAQ notes that even the furthest poolside condo is only about 425 feet from the sand.

Two honest caveats. First, cruise-ship days: Roatán is a busy port, and on ship days West Bay fills with day visitors bused over from Mahogany Bay and Coxen Hole. The resort’s own beach section stays manageable, but the public stretch and the snorkeling entry points get crowded from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. Check cruise schedules and plan your snorkel for early morning. Second, sand flies — the resort acknowledges them directly and treats the beach routinely, but bring repellent and use it on your ankles.

Pools

The Mayan pool is the property’s signature: a 250-foot serpentine “blue lagoon” running through the center of the grounds with waterfalls, a footbridge, lush planting and a secluded heated jacuzzi that seats eight. It is genuinely beautiful and much larger than a 60-unit resort needs. Because it winds, it creates several distinct zones, so you can find a quiet corner even when the resort is full. There is also a smaller 30-foot pool at Las Sirenas by Mayan Princess, the sister property whose facilities are included on both all-inclusive plans.

Activities and Entertainment

Diving with Mayan Divers

This is what puts the “Dive” in the name. Mayan Divers operates on site as a PADI five-star Instructor Development Dive Resort with its own boats and access to more than 40 sites. The reef starts minutes offshore, with plateaus at 10, 20 and 45 feet stepping down to a wall that drops past 2,000 feet in places; conditions are warm, clear and low-current, which makes this one of the easiest places in the world to learn. The full course ladder is available from Discover Scuba through Divemaster and up to Instructor Development.

Diving is not included in the standard all-inclusive rate. The headline product is the 7-Night, 15-Dive All Inclusive Premium package, which bundles a one-bedroom villa, five days of three daily boat dives plus one complimentary night dive, and the full Premium all-inclusive plan. Published 2026 package pricing runs from about $1,999 to $2,099 per person for double occupancy, $2,499 single, and $1,499 for a non-diving companion — all plus 19% tax, with children under two free. That works out competitively against dedicated dive resorts once you account for the beach, the pool and the restaurants you also get.

Daytime and Evening

Beyond diving: shore snorkeling straight off the beach, kayaking, canopied loungers, board games and a book exchange, and daytime social entertainment including live music and cultural shows. The concierge coordinates the island’s standard excursion menu — zip-lining, island tours, dolphin encounters, boat trips to both ends of Roatán. Evenings are relaxed rather than programmed: live music, the beach bars, dinner running late at the a la carte venues. This is not a resort with a theater and a nightly production show, and West End’s bars are a short taxi ride if you want more.

Pirate Kids Club

The Pirate Kids Club is a legitimate children’s program, not a room with a TV. It runs for ages 4-11 (children under four are welcome with a parent present) on a structured schedule: 08:30 check-in, outdoor activities, a 10:00 snack at Macao, lunch from the Balam buffet at 12:30, then indoor activities and cooking classes from 14:30 to 16:30. Activities include treasure hunts, kayaking, guided snorkeling with fish identification, sandcastle building, kids’ yoga, supervised pool time, art projects using recycled materials to build a model reef, piñatas and movie afternoons. The reef-conservation angle is a nice touch and the staff publish a parents’ brochure of their practices, which is more transparency than most resort kids’ clubs offer.

Spa and Wellness

Kukut Spa handles massage, facials, body treatments and pedicures, blending a conventional spa menu with Mayan and Caribbean traditions. It is charged separately from the all-inclusive plan on both tiers. Treatments are well reviewed and priced far below what you would pay at the island’s luxury hotels — a deep-tissue massage here costs a fraction of the Kimpton equivalent. There is no thermal circuit or hydrotherapy complex; this is a treatment-room spa in a garden setting, which suits the property.

What’s Included vs Extra

Included (both AI tiers)	Extra Cost
Buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner at Balam	San Simón and Calkett’s — Family plan only; included on Premium
Unlimited access to Macao, 10:00-19:00	All scuba diving and dive courses with Mayan Divers
Unlimited domestic and international spirits, beer, wine, cocktails	Kukut Spa treatments
All five bars: Macao, Calkett’s, Beach Bar, San Simón, Las Sirenas	Off-property tours and excursions
Round-trip airport or ferry transfers	Laundry service
Wi-Fi (see note below)	19% Honduran sales and tourism tax on published rates
The 250-ft lagoon pool, jacuzzi and Las Sirenas pool	10% service charge (added on Family; not added on Premium)
Pirate Kids Club, ages 4-11	In-room telephone calls
Beach and pool loungers, canopied beds and towels	Gift shop and boutique purchases
Daily housekeeping, concierge, nightly entertainment	Airport departure tax where not in your airfare

Wi-Fi note: the resort’s all-inclusive page lists free Wi-Fi in rooms and restaurants, while its own FAQ page states internet service is available for an additional fee. That contradiction is unresolved on the official site — get it confirmed in writing on your booking.

All-inclusive status: true all-inclusive on both tiers. This is the default board basis, not an optional package. But the tier you choose materially changes the resort: Premium buys you the two specialty restaurants and drops the automatic service charge; Family is buffet-plus-Macao.

Pricing and How to Book

Price Ranges by Season

Season	Months	Nightly rate (2 people, all-inclusive, before tax)
Peak	Mid-December to mid-April, Easter, Thanksgiving	$330-480
Shoulder	May to August, early December	$270-380
Low	September to early November	$240-320

Published room rates on the resort’s own site range from about $189 for the smallest studio to $469 for the Two Bedroom Beach Front Master Villa, and rate aggregators have shown the property from roughly $300 a night in mid-2026. Every rate is quoted plus 19% tax (15% Honduran sales tax plus a 4% tourism tax), which adds around $50-90 a night at these levels — budget for it. The 7-night, 15-dive Premium dive package at $1,999-2,099 per person double occupancy is the better value if you dive, since it effectively bundles 15 boat dives at a heavy discount against à-la-carte dive pricing.

Rates change with season and availability — confirm the current rate and exactly what’s included before you book.

Best Time to Book

Four to six months ahead for the December-to-April peak, when Roatán’s small true-AI inventory sells through and the beachfront villa categories go first. Diving is best year-round, but visibility peaks in the dry months and September-October brings the wettest weather and the lowest prices. If you are booking a dive package, book direct and early — boat capacity, not room capacity, is the binding constraint in high season.

Where to Book

Booking direct at mayanprincess.com is where the dive packages, the two-tier plan comparison and the wedding and honeymoon add-ons live, and it is the only channel that reliably makes the Family-versus-Premium distinction clear. For pure room-plus-AI stays, compare against Booking.com, Expedia and Orbitz — OTA rates sometimes undercut direct, but read the fine print to see which tier you are actually buying. Dive specialists like Bluewater Dive Travel also package the resort with flights. Whatever you do, email the resort your arrival details to activate the included transfer; the resort explicitly states it is not responsible for transport you have not had confirmed.

Check the latest rates for Mayan Princess →

Compared to Nearby Resorts

vs Henry Morgan Beach Resort

Henry Morgan is a few minutes along the same beach and is the budget option: 238 rooms, two pools, one included buffet, house-brand spirits and rates roughly $60-150 a night lower. It is a bigger, more package-tour operation with noticeably more dated rooms. Mayan Princess is the better resort in every dimension that costs money — villas with kitchens versus hotel rooms, four restaurants versus one included one, a five-star PADI center versus a basic dive shop, a 250-foot lagoon pool versus two standard pools. If your budget is the constraint, Henry Morgan puts you on the same sand for less. If you can absorb the difference, Mayan Princess is worth it.

vs Infinity Bay Spa & Beach Resort

Infinity Bay occupies arguably the best stretch of West Bay and rates higher with guests overall, but it is not a true all-inclusive: the base product is condo accommodation with kitchens on a room-only basis, with all-inclusive sold as an optional package. That suits self-caterers and families who like to cook, and it can work out cheaper if you eat lightly. Mayan Princess is the better choice if you want a single price at check-in, a kids’ club and a dive operation on site.

vs Turquoise Bay Dive & Beach Resort

Turquoise Bay is the serious diver’s answer — a 26-room boutique resort on a protected bay on the remote northeast shore, with three boat dives a day included in its all-inclusive packages and uncrowded sites that West Bay boats never reach. It is smaller, quieter and far more remote, with none of West Bay’s beach scene or restaurant choice. Divers who want maximum bottom time should take Turquoise Bay. Anyone traveling with non-divers should take Mayan Princess, which keeps everybody happy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Mayan Princess really all-inclusive?

Yes — all-inclusive is the standard board basis, sold in two tiers. Both cover buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner at Balam, unlimited access to Macao from 10:00 to 19:00, unlimited domestic and international drinks at all five bars, Wi-Fi, the kids’ club, the pools and airport or ferry transfers. The Premium tier additionally includes a la carte dining at San Simón and Calkett’s and does not add the automatic 10% service charge; on the Family tier those two restaurants cost extra.

Is diving included in the rate?

No. Diving with Mayan Divers is priced separately, either à la carte or through packages. The flagship product is the 7-night, 15-dive All Inclusive Premium package at roughly $1,999-2,099 per person double occupancy plus 19% tax, which covers five days of three boat dives plus one night dive alongside the full Premium all-inclusive plan. Non-diving partners on the same package pay about $1,499. Snorkeling from the beach, by contrast, is free and excellent — the reef is right there.

What does the 19% tax mean in practice?

Honduras charges 15% sales tax plus a 4% tourism tax, and Roatán resorts commonly quote rates before tax. On a $300 room that is about $57 a night, or roughly $400 on a week’s stay for two. Some OTAs display taxes in the total and some do not, which is the main reason direct and third-party quotes look different. There is also a US$45 international departure tax at Roatán airport, though most international tickets already include it — carry cash in case yours does not.

Is West Bay Beach crowded?

It depends entirely on the cruise schedule. Roatán receives ships at Mahogany Bay and Coxen Hole, and on port days West Bay’s public stretches and snorkel entries get busy from mid-morning until the ships sail in the late afternoon. Resort beach areas stay far calmer, and mornings before 10:00 and evenings after 16:00 are quiet on any day. If crowds are a dealbreaker, Media Luna on the south shore or Turquoise Bay on the northeast shore avoid the issue entirely.

Is Roatán safe compared to mainland Honduras?

They are genuinely different places, and it is worth saying so plainly. Mainland Honduras — especially San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa — has a long-standing violent-crime problem and has carried an elevated US State Department advisory for years. The Bay Islands, Roatán included, are consistently treated as the lower-risk part of the country: the local economy runs on diving and tourism, resort zones like West Bay are patrolled, and the overwhelming majority of visitors have entirely trouble-free trips. Petty theft does happen, so use the in-room safe, do not leave gear on the sand and take taxis after dark rather than walking the beach path to West End. Fly directly into Roatán (RTB) instead of routing overland, and check the current advisory at travel.state.gov before you book.

Is Mayan Princess good for families?

It is one of the best family options in Honduras. Two-bedroom villas with full kitchens and washing facilities, a shallow calm beach, a 250-foot lagoon pool, and the Pirate Kids Club running structured morning and afternoon sessions for ages 4-11 with snorkeling, cooking classes and reef-conservation projects. Children under two stay free on dive packages. The one thing to watch is the plan tier — families who want variety at dinner should price the Premium plan rather than assuming the Family plan covers all four restaurants. More options in our families guide.

Final Verdict: 8.4 out of 10

Mayan Princess is the strongest all-inclusive package on Roatán, and the reasons are concrete rather than atmospheric. It puts you directly on the best beach in Honduras. It gives you a condo with a kitchen instead of a hotel room. It runs a five-star PADI Instructor Development dive center on site with 40-plus sites and a reef wall minutes offshore. It has four restaurants with genuinely different personalities, a 250-foot lagoon pool that would flatter a resort three times its size, a real kids’ club, and it includes the airport transfer that most Roatán properties charge for. For $240-480 a night before tax, that is a lot of resort.

Two things keep it out of the nines. The two-tier plan means the beach-club dining that headlines the marketing is not included unless you buy Premium, which is a structure that catches people out. And the 19% tax on top of pre-tax quoted rates makes the real cost noticeably higher than the sticker price suggests. Neither is dishonest — both are published — but both belong in your budget before you compare it with anywhere else.

Book it if: you want West Bay Beach, you dive or want to learn, you are traveling with children who need a kitchen and a kids’ club, or you want the most complete resort product on the island.

Skip it if: you are on a tight budget (Henry Morgan is the same beach for less), you want maximum bottom time and empty dive sites (Turquoise Bay), or you want to be away from cruise-day crowds entirely (Media Luna).

For the full island comparison — including which Roatán resorts are not really all-inclusive at all — read our guide to the best all-inclusive resorts in Roatán.