3 Best Sights in Southern Honduras, Honduras

The closest beach to town lies just east of Amapala. It is the calmest beach for swimming since its sheltered location directly faces the mainland. El Burro gets muddy at low tide—that's the most common complaint about this beach. A few food stands pop up every weekend, and for finer dining, the seafood restaurant at Veleros is right here.

Visualizing the island as a clock, its most popular beach sits at the nine-o'clock position, facing the Salvadoran mainland. Less shelter from the ocean makes for rougher swimming at Playa Grande. But this beach does not have the mud problem evident at Playa El Burro, which does make for a more pleasant stroll along the sand. A slew of makeshift food stands spring up on weekends, seriously cutting into the space here. Local legend holds that pirate treasure is buried somewhere here on the beach.

Isla del Tigre's prettiest beach is the black-sand strand on the southwest corner of the island. With almost no shelter from the Pacific Ocean, swimming is rough here. A couple of lodgings on Playa Negra—we don't recommend them as places to stay—have hotel restaurants. A few food stands magically appear on weekends, too.