Roatan Island

Direct Flights through out the week – A 2 hour direct flight from Houston & Miami, 2.5 hours from Atlanta, 4.5 from New York, 5 hours from Toronto, 6 hours from Los Angeles. The Caribbean Could not be closer for a long weekend to your vacation home or a few rounds of top golf.

Roatan, an island approximately 40 miles long and up to 3 miles wide which makes up one of the three main islands in this archipelago known as Bay Islands.

Located on the very edge of the planet’s second largest reef system and the Cayman Trench, Roatan is a stunning mountain ridge launching itself from the Caribbean Sea, hundreds of feet into the air. It is not a sand bar such as many Caribbean islands (eg. Ambergris Cay in Belize). Far from it. The diversity is dramatic with large undulating hills, deep green tropical forests and perfect white sand beaches that are encompassed by stunning shades of blue.

You can go to any ABC websites about Roatan and they will undoubtedly tell you all the interesting history on Roatan such as being a favorite hideout for many Pirates and Buccaneers back in the day. Or how the Garifuna slaves were abandoned by the English. But Roatan is much more. It is about is the energy and peacefulness of an island set adrift into the Western Caribbean.

Two favored areas of Roatan among Expats and Travelers:

West Bay which is full of small resorts lined up along the beautiful white powdered sand beach, butting up to the Western tip. It has fantastic snorkeling channels and sparsely any current within the reef which makes it a great destination for snorklers. The only real issue in parts of West Bay Beach are the taxi boats parading for fares. For Resorts, check www.infinitybayroatan.com. If the resort settings are not to your liking, there are many vacation homes available . Check out www.Westbayvillage.com as they have some great properties available and they are at the top of their game.

West End, the night spot of the entire island. A simple sand road that parallels the Caribbean Sea is lined with scores of dive shops, gift shops, restaurants and bars of all sorts. Most travelers tend to visit at least once during their vacation if they were not staying in West End already. The people are so friendly it’s hard to explain…Lets just say it can take 7 minutes to walk to the www.sundownersroatan.com if I don’t see anybody.

Rare, but in all reality, it can easily take 30+ minutes once you’ve said hi to everybody and caught up on the latest news. Cruise ship days can make West End a little packed with buses dropping off snorklers, sightseers and shoppers. They tend to leave within a couple of hours. Great for local business and adds an additional dynamic to this little village.

Between the Western tip of Roatan and the main commercial hub of Coxen Hole there are many areas such as Milton Bight, Gibson Bight, Sandy Bay and Lawson Rock which are growing. Especially with Expats. It offers the opportunity to purchase very nice affordable properties outside of busy West End but still only a few minutes drive to Amenities.

Coxen Hole is the commercial area of Roatan. This is where most of the business is taken care of such as paying bills, banks, groceries etc. In 2007, Royal Caribbean leased the Roatan cruise ship dock on a 20 year lease. RCL is investing an additional 19 million dollars to extend the dock and build a commercial area for tourists. An estimated 200,000+ passengers debark yearly from this location.

The next notable point on the island is a location known as Dixon Cove. This will be renamed Mahogany Bay as Carnival Cruise Lines have purchased a 20+ year lease. They are investing over 54 million dollars to build a two birth dock for their cruise ships and a very large commercial area. This is set to open November 2009 (this year) ready for the upcoming season. Carnival has placed an estimate of approximately an additional 700,000 passengers debarking at this location alone.

French Harbor in past years was amazingly busy because of fisheries such as Lobster and Shrimp boats. As much of this business has been consumed by the conglomerates, French Harbor has been trying to discover a new identity. And it has. The largest cargo business in the islands Hybur/Hyde Shipping is located here as well as many industrial and building suppliers. The newest development in this area is the construction of the island’s first Mall…of any real substance. Set to open in the coming months It will be named the Megaplaza, but a far cry from what we are used to in the Western world. A few “chain” businesses are opening up such as Wendy’s and Appleby’s, along with electronics, clothing, department and other merchandise stores. This will be a welcome focal point for French Harbor as it to is a growing area.

Grassing of 11th Green

Just East of the main French Harbor intersection is the entrance to the newest and most exciting development on the island according to many. Scaling the paved switch-backs to the ridge line reveals an absolutely dramatic view of the golf course development. It is the Pristine Bay Resort & The Black Pearl Golf Course. A Pete Dye Design and the first and only course on the islands. This is a 400+ acre development with Villas, Home sites, Condos, Beach Club and 155 slip Marina docking up to 200 foot Motor Yachts. Absolutely gorgeous. (The first phase Villas are sold out as half of the Home sites as of this writing) . For hassle-free information and a free media kit, send an email to the following address, they will most certainly help you with your requests: RoatanGolf@Yahoo.com.

Mid Island (French Harbor) – East is peaceful, beautiful but with limited things to do. The odd places of interest like the Iguana Farm, is where they have over 3,000 protected reptiles to feed, great for children. Or, Oakridge where you may take a taxi boat to Hole-in-the-Wall restaurant for a great Friday afternoon lunch and experience the Mangrove Tunnels. The last third of Roatan is still dirt road and did not have any real infrastructure as such until about 18 months ago when electricity was installed. All thanks to a Billionaire Texan, Kelsey Warren, who purchased the local power company and updated the grid. Almost the entire island has power now. There is one location on the South East side of the island, nothing much to see or do yet, but it is called Port Royal. A location known for Pirate battles. There are some old gun placements etc. you may still find. There has also been the odd story floating around of people finding treasure too.

Property further to the East is a lot less expensive than that of the expat communities towards the West. So, if you wish for a long term investment in a Caribbean island that will grow dramatically over the coming years, It may be an idea to make some inquires. Contact Roatanfirst@yahoo.com. There is one place you should stay for a night or two, or at least visit. It is called Paya Bay Resort. There is a beautiful private bay with a gorgeous beach lined with coconut trees. At the resort make sure you make use of their wonderful deck with cooling trade winds. Having that local beer such as Port Royal or Salva Vida (also commonly known as Green or Brown based on the color of the bottles) will certainly relax you.

Roatan is literally a blend of backpackers, vacationers, investors, developers, speculators, business folk, local islanders and mainlanders. You could also describe this as a melting pot as people from all walks of life – American, Canadian, English, Dutch, Australian, New Zealander’s, South Africans, Latin Americans and many, many more congregate to this inspiring place. There are very few race issues on the island so feeling comfortable in your environment should be second nature. Although, some may say different the further East you go with the elderly who have seen their island change. Their children mind you are focused on the future.

What About the Future:
When I first arrived there was one direct flight per week, now there are several which include direct flights from Atlanta (Delta), Houston, Miami (Continental, Taca), as well as seasonal flights from New York, and just released this week, Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa starting December. See Sunwing.

Royal Caribbean and Carnival will be boosting passenger traffic 250,000 people per year currently, to approx 900,000+ in 2010. This is only a small part of the investment going into the Bay Islands which also includes Real Estate, Banks, Hospitals, Golf Course and a large Mega Mall. According to Canaturh, Roatan’s Toruism Office, Investing and developing new businesses now will put you ahead of the curve for growth potential. It is certainly a place to keep a close eye on for fantastic investment potential. Roatan has been equaled to the Cayman’s or similar islands of 15+ years ago. Look at their prices now! Noting a recent article from Roatan, “Real Estate has declined the past year as we have been a cash economy, but investors remain solid. There are no such deals as Short Sales or Foreclosures by the banks, but there are certainly great buys to be had”. The standard of living is good, with almost all the amenities one could wish for, and if you cannot find it here, it is a 12 minute flight to the mainland. Also, how can you beat the possibility of living on a Caribbean island only a 2-hour flight from the US.

Contact www.RoatanFirst.com for investment opportunities, residency, work permit information, banking, or starting a business. They will make sure they send you the right direction. Direct email: RoatanFirst@Yahoo.com.