Cabañas on Clark’s Cay

A Private Cay at the Head of the Mesoamerican Reef

Guanaja is the Bay Island most travellers never reach. It sits east of Roatan and Utila, mountainous and green, with no road network to speak of and a main town, Bonacca, built out over the water on its own cay. Clark's Cay lies off the island's south side: four acres of sand, palms and wooden cabañas, reached only by boat and run as a single small resort. No neighbouring hotel, no cruise traffic: just the start of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second largest reef system in the world, practically at the end of the dock.

Why It Works

We picked Clark's Cay because it delivers the Bay Islands dive holiday in its most complete form, with none of the crowding that has come to Roatan. Guests are few, so dive groups stay small and the sites around Guanaja see far fewer fins than their famous neighbours. Everything is folded into the stay: the boat transfer from the airport, three meals a day, the happy hour snack and the house drink. And the resort earns its place beyond the water. It is an active conservation partner of REEF.org and helped fund Guanaja's first hyperbaric chamber and clinic, which matters to anyone planning deep dives in a remote place.

Why This Location

The cay sits in the lee of Guanaja's south shore, facing the main island's forested hills and a scatter of smaller cays. The fringing reef around the island is part of a protected marine reserve, which means shore diving and snorkelling start a few steps from the cabañas. Most boat sites are a short run away, and the Jado Trader, one of the best known wrecks in the Caribbean, is close enough for a morning dive. Bonacca and the island's small airstrip are reached by boat, and the resort handles the crossing. There is nothing to walk to beyond the island itself, which is the point.

Fast Facts

• Price: Luxury, all-inclusive (€€€€)

• Vibe: barefoot, reef-focused, sociable, unhurried

• Rooms: air-conditioned deluxe cabañas with wrap-around porches, one-bedroom cabaña suites with a living area, and accessible family cabañas

• Best For: certified divers, couples, small groups of friends who dive together

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: the second-floor cabaña with its dugout porch swing, which has the best sunset view on the cay

• Dining: three meals a day at the oceanfront cantina, happy hour snacks, a signature drink of the day and a pool bar

• Amenities: infinity pool with slide into a lazy river, hot tub, spa and massage room, yoga space, kayaks and paddleboards, on-site dive center with rental gear

• Attractions: the Jado Trader wreck, Michael's Rock, Black Rock Canyon, the stilt town of Bonacca, Guanaja's hiking trails and waterfalls

Diving Guanaja's Quiet Side

The dive center on the cay works more than fifty sites around Guanaja, many of them rarely visited: sheer walls, pinnacles, swim-throughs and tunnels, with visibility that often runs to around a hundred feet and currents that are usually mild. The Jado Trader is the headline, a large freighter resting on its side in roughly 80 to 110 feet of water, ringed by pinnacles. Up to three boat dives a day are on offer, night dives included, and the house reef stays open for unhurried shore dives between trips.

Cabañas, Porches and the Island's Pace

The cabañas are simple and well judged rather than showy: twin beds that convert to a king, a private bath, split air conditioning and a ceiling fan, and a porch for drying off and watching the water. Location on the cay shapes the stay. The cabañas nearest the restaurant and pool suit those who like to be close to the action; two oceanfront units sit right beside the tidal pool; one cabaña on the eastern side is set up for sunrise. The one-bedroom suites add a living area and room for a third guest.

What to Know Before You Book

Getting here takes planning: a flight or ferry to Guanaja, then the resort's boat to the cay, so arrival days are best kept loose. Stays are sold as all-inclusive dive or nightly packages, and non-divers will find kayaks, paddleboards, snorkelling and the lazy river to fill their days. Families are catered for with accessible cabañas. Book early for the cabaña you want.