“Local legend has it that the “real” island of Robinson Crusoe is Utila, in the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras. If you know the island, and read the book, the geography fits quite nicedly.
We know almost nothing about Defoe except what has come down through legend. In fact, there is a sixteenth century shipwreck (stack of ballast) in the main harbor of Utila. When the Captain was picked up, he made his way back to England and told his tale to Defoe. Allegedly.
When I was on the Utila, and heard the legend, I did not believe it. You can see the Omar (sp?) islands from Utila, and why didn’t Crusoe paddle there? But, reading the book, it does not say that he was out in the middle of the ocean and could not see land. And, besides, not only were there cannibals on the mainland then (Mesquite Indians (sp?)), but Crusoe was more likely to be picked up by a passing ship at sea on the island rather than on the uncharted and dangerous mainland.
Utila is a helluva fun place, BTW.”
From https://historum.com/threads/robinson-crusoe.19589/page-2