The World's 'Most Relaxing' Beach Is A Chic Hush-Hush Caribbean Island Utopia Full Of Amenities

The Caribbean has no shortage of places to visit, including many family-friendly islands, like Grand Cayman, St. Lucia, Dominica, and Grenada. But what if you want a country where you can truly get away and escape the potential crowds at the more well-known locales?

One such country is Honduras, particularly the Bay Islands, which are located about 35 miles from the mainland in the Caribbean Sea. The archipelago includes Guanaja (Honduras's 'Green Island'), Utila (a secret bioluminescent wonderland), and Roatán. The latter is home to Little French Key Resort, recently ranked the number one in SpaSeekers' tally of the "world's most relaxing beaches." Very few may know about Little French Key because it's overshadowed by neighboring Big French Key. Little French Key is a family-owned, private boutique resort with bright, white-sand beaches alongside vibrant turquoise water. Advance reservations are required at this all-inclusive resort, which includes access to a plethora of amenities like transportation, food and drink, beach chairs, snorkeling gear, paddle boards, kayaks, and more.

To get to Little French Key, you'll fly into Roatán's airport, Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport (RTB). American, Delta, United, Sun Country, and West Jet all serve the island, and there are charter and regional airlines. Once there, you're only about 20 minutes from the resort by car, shuttle, or taxi, where you'll connect to a 5-minute ferry. If you're arriving at one of the island's two cruise ship ports, you'll also be about 20 minutes away from the ferry. You can contact the resort directly to schedule your transportation if you're staying on Roatán.

Self-dubbed as "your key to paradise", Little French Key offers a wide variety of resort packages tailored to your budget and how you wish to spend your time, from a Discovery Package including transportation, entry, and beach chairs, to the more inclusive Coral Reef Escape & Scuba Dive and VIP Adventure experiences. You decide how active you want to be. Perhaps you just want to relax on the beach, take a dip, and get a massage. But if you're interested in more, there's also kayaking, paddle boarding, snorkeling, scuba diving, zip lining — even a rope swing and a horseback excursion. The resort also offers special events and hosts private retreats, corporate outings, and weddings.

Little French Key has its own food, which can be purchased as part of a package or ala carte. Appetizers include comfort food favorites like nachos and wings. You'll want to try the national dish of Honduras, caracol (conch) soup or marisco (seafood) soup made with coconut broth. Add a fresh Mediterranean or Caesar salad before delving into entrees like Honduran sea bass, battered conch, churrasco steak, or a platter of chicken, shrimp, and tenderloin with sides. Casual fare like burgers, sandwiches, and pizzas is also available. Pair with a selection of island-themed cocktails, local beers, wine, or non-alcoholic beverages.

The island also has an animal sanctuary, with lions, jaguars, white-faced capuchins, miniature pigs, Indian peafowl, horses, donkeys, and more. All packages include the Animal Rescue Center tour. The resort is involved in a "Save the Tigers" effort, petitioning the government to allow relocation of endangered Bengal tigers to their sanctuary to provide a safe environment and much-needed care, which is currently not legal in Honduras.