A group of 12 of us stayed at Paya Bay last week for my wife's 40th birthday celebration. We had a really great time together in a beautiful setting. Paya Bay is a great spot for a big group of family or friends to gather in a topical place but there are some things to consider as you do your research. Here are the pros and cons based on our experience:

Pros:
-The food is wonderful! Fresh and local you have so many choices. We loved all of the seafood offerings and the fresh smoothies each morning.
-The staff are so kind and helpful. Everyone at the resort was so lovely and they made us feel welcome all week.
-The setting of Paya Bay is beautiful. It is on the more remote part of the Island on the east end. If you are looking for quiet and more rustic versus the resorts and cruise destinations of the west end than this is a good fit for you. It is located off a dirt road about 45 min from the airport. The resort offers free airport transfers which is a big plus.
-The hilltop and cliff rooms offer lovely views of the ocean or cove. The rooms are rustic and simple and come with AC and a ceiling fan and balcony.
-The trails and property of the resort are fun to explore (bring walking shoes for this as flip flops are hard on the rocky trails). The trails wind all over the point, through the jungle and offer lots of rock formations, foliage and secret lookouts to check out. We had fun exploring the coves and palapas dotted about.
-The main beach has lots of seating and shade. They also have a plunge pool with a waterfall and beachside bar/palapa.
-They have a lovely hilltop yoga pavilion with amazing views of the bay. Many of our friends took advantage of this peaceful spot.

Cons:
-In our package we were given 3 boat trips to the reef for snorkeling but we never got to go due to rough weather and also some troubles with the boat captain. Make sure you ask about this prior to going as Roatan is known for its snorkeling and we never got to go. A big disappointment.
-Bring bug spray!!!! The "no-see-ums" or small gnats are brutal and really bit us up a ton.
-the resort needs a facelift in many areas. We understand this is a developing country and staffing is scarce but the bathrooms and facilities are pretty rough and the grounds need a lot of TLC. The day after a big storm on the beach, there was a ton of seaweed and we had to spend our time raking it up in order to sit. The other paying day guests had to do the same as there was no staff available. Again, we understand staffing issues, but raking sea grass and trash from the beach just to have a place to sit was not really on our vacation list.
-during our stay we had several power outages due to downed lines along the road. This was not the resort's fault of course but they didn't seem to be prepared when there was an outage. The kitchen staff were using candles and flashlights to make dinner and one of the outages lasted until 2 in the morning so the rooms were super hot and uncomfortable. Again, totally understand that this happens but maybe a generator is a good plan? Or some other remedy for the staff and guests to cope during prolonged outages? Note: when the power goes out so does the water (pump) so no showers, toilets, etc. Just something to keep in mind.

All in all, we had a great time because we made our own fun. We brought games and enjoyed our birthday celebration with dancing and great food. The resort put on a lovely New Years Eve celebration with a wonderful dinner and DJ. Despite the weather, bugs, power outtages and no boat time we made it a great week and enjoyed the company of our friends in a beautiful place.

If you are okay with a more rustic setting and can roll with some ups and downs this is resort could be a great fit for you.

We visited for the day ($5 day pass). If you don’t have a rental car, I’d suggest skipping this resort as it takes 1.5 hour to get there from West Bay. The location is beautiful but the grounds need some work. The trails need some TLC (picked up limbs, leaves, trim back over growth, etc.) and the seaweed needs to be picked up from the beach (some large mounds). There was a person with a wheelbarrow picking it up but it looked like the seaweed had been there for days/not kept up in a couple of days. Not sure. The ocean was clear of seaweed. The water was warm and we were out there swimming for a while. We saw others snorkeling and using the kayaks. We ordered ceviche and shrimp cocktail from the restaurant. They brought it down to the beach which was great. Food was very good. The staff was very nice as well. We had a great day. If Paya Bay spent a little time and effort on the grounds, this place would have been perfection.