Odysseus and the crew were brought to this location by a wrathful Poseidon, who vowed to never let Odysseus return home after he blinded his son Polyphemus.
The isle is full of people lavishly indulging in the decadence of the lotus, a strange plant that causes them to lose all track of time, self, and belonging as they only consume more and more lotus. Odysseus has the willpower to escape the lotus-eaters and afterward is able to escape, plowing through their weakened bodies as he rushes towards his ship.
Ifeel like there is a highly interesting dynamic brought up with the lotus eaters and Odysseus, for the only reason why he wishes to return is due to his attachments. Yet the eaters offer him the ability to instead of bring him home, to sever the tie, making it so that he doesn't feel the pain of homesickness. The fact that the eaters are so weak, however, shows that the lotus-eaters physically cannot move from their locations, they are kept in their escapism, just as Odysseus is kept away from his home. This is one of the reasons why I feel like he is able to escape because frankly he still has the will. Later in the story we see him lose his will as more and more die around him as he gets tempted by other offers to stay in peace.