In Pursuit of Paradise Day 5: Oh, Buoy!

The weather on this trip had been flawless every single day, and we woke up to another perfectly sunny day.

We had vowed to take it easy on this trip, so there was to be no insane itinerary or running about. We spent the morning at the pool doing absolutely nothing.

After a few hours of laziness, we decided to take one of the kayaks out toward the reef. It was a short walk from Brisa along a wooden walkway through the lush foliage to the stairs to the dock. By the time we reached the top of the stairs, Fausto was already there, heading down to prepare us a kayak.

The staff, I tell you. They were amazing.

He got our kayak ready and put it in the water for us. We paddled out toward the reef (Okay, Matt paddled. I flailed my paddle around in the air in an unsuccessful attempt to do anything meaningful). Our plan was to find the mooring buoys so that we could tie off and snorkel.

Where were the buoys?

We paddled one way. No buoys.

We paddled the other way. No buoys.

We finally gave up in frustration, deciding there must not actually be any buoys and headed back to the dock.

When we arrived, Fausto was there, waiting to pull our kayak out and put it away.

I felt so spoiled.

As we were climbing out onto the dock, Matt pointed in the distance.

“What are those?” he said.

There were two very clear, white balls bobbing happily in the water.

Apparently, it just wasn’t our day to snorkel.

We were getting hungry, anyway, so we loaded into our dusty Toyota and, before we could even reach the gate, one of the attendants showed up from nowhere and had it open. He closed it behind us as we left.

We chose to visit Marble Hill Farms, just a few miles east, to have lunch at the Crow’s Nest restaurant.

We found Marble Hill Farms easily and headed down the long, beautifully landscaped drive.

Marble Hill Farms is a rustic eco-lodge on Roatan’s east end. The 26 acre property has several cottages, a dive operation, and a restaurant, but the most unique feature is a large Spanish-style building that houses Tropical Island Flavors, a small producer of local sauces, jams, and jellies using the fruits and vegetables on the farm. They offer tastings and have a small shop where you can buy things like mutton pepper jelly, fresh salsa, or banana pineapple jam.

We perused the offerings and took away a jar of spicy salsa before heading to the Crow’s Nest for lunch. The day was HOT and the restaurant truly had a breezy crow’s nest, with only one small table and two hammocks that shared an amazing view of the east coast of Roatan.

“You can eat up there, if you like,” the smiling bartender told us, motioning for us to go up.

Not only was the view amazing, but we found it was the perfect place to enjoy some strong caipirinhas, a giant burger and fresh snapper, and a great hammock nap.

We literally slept the afternoon away.

I blame the caipirinhas.

We headed back to Brisa and sure enough, someone was there to open the gate, just like magic.

We spent the afternoon basking in the sunshine on the spacious deck at Brisa del Mar, stopping only to rub K2’s ears or pour another drink.

Before the sun set completely, we wanted to head to Temporary Cal’s Cantina, the only restaurant that was actually close to Villas del Mar and that was supposed to have a stellar view. It was about a 10 minute drive west, and truly had a remarkable view.

It was also CRAZY WINDY which was very good for heat, not so much for hair.

Cal’s had outstanding margaritas as well. I was instantly a fan.

We kept seeing a dish come out in a tall ceramic pot and it looked amazing. I asked the table next to me what it was.

“Con queso,” they said.

I scanned the menu, which was hand written in markers on a dry erase board and only saw one thing that said, “Con Queso.”

When it was time to order, I got the fish tacos, Matt ordered the fried conch, and I ordered the “Papusa Con Queso.”

It looked like this:

“Where is the little pot thing?” I whispered to Matt. He shrugged as he stuffed cheese in his mouth.

It may not have been the right thing, but man oh man, it was good.

I learned later that Papusa Con Queso is cheese stuffed flour tortillas covered in more cheese.

I was okay with my misorder.

We enjoyed the strong drinks, good food, and amazing breeze until it was time to head back to Brisa where, yes, the gate was being opened as we arrived.