Since I was ten years old, my father, without fail, went on vacation to the Caribbean every year. He used to stick with the big names, Aruba, Grand Cayman, Jamaica and Barbados. Every year he would bring paintings and trinkets from the Caribbean, a dance-hall CD, a traditional necklace or some souvenir. No doubt, initially motivated by the fact that my father would never let me go with him (selfish adults looking for romantic getaways!), I became determined to visit the Caribbean myself and discover slices of paradise like Banana Beach Honduras.

After my fourth or fifth trip to the kind of beautiful resorts my father always visited, I realized that they really weren’t for me. Who doesn’t love the pure white sand of Palm Beach in Aruba or the laid-back party atmosphere of Luquillo Beach in Puerto Rico? But I wanted something more.

For me, visiting the Caribbean should be like visiting a little piece of paradise. The overcrowded, overbuilt aspects of the Gold Coast in Barbados, or the spring break atmosphere of Seven Mile Beach, Jamaica, just aren’t enough for me. Paradise should be paradise. So for the last few years I have been looking for unknown places in the Caribbean for my vacations.

I found another amazing place this year…Banana Beach Honduras. About 30 minutes from the quiet coastal town of Trujillo in the northern part of the country, near the better known Bay Islands of Roatán and Utilla. Located in the middle of Trujillo Bay, Banana Beach is just what I want from a Caribbean spot… small, secluded, and with an emphasis on uniqueness. Rather than a hotel, or some other type of resort, the owners opted for three two-bedroom cabins.

The cabins have been put together with a real eye for detail. The kitchen and bathroom are modern, but the rooms benefit from colonial furniture and bamboo elements. One of its best features are the gazebos that are covered to allow you to sit out at night with a drink, without worrying about bugs (a tedious reality for all Caribbean vacations!). But to me, the most important feature of any Caribbean resort is the beach, and Banana Beach in Honduras definitely lives up to its reputation.

The beach front stretches for miles in either direction. More development is on the way to the Trujillo area, but currently the coastline is fairly calm. For a relaxing walk on the beach, Santa Fe, a vibrant Garifuna city, is not far away. The water is crystal clear, the resort’s beach is clean and well-groomed. The main bar is close by so you can have coconut water to your heart’s content! The beach has the perfect mix of visitors and interesting locals, neither of whom are trying to sell you souvenirs every minute!

So if you’re looking for a little slice of undeveloped Caribbean paradise, I highly recommend Banana Beach Honduras. Trujillo is developing in the same vein as Roatán and Utilla a few years ago, so I suggest you visit before the crowds arrive.

Christopher Columbus discovered Trujillo a few hundred years ago, I encourage you to rediscover it before everyone else!