The initial investment into the Roatan Port a few years ago transformed the simple dock with a gravel parking lot, into a beautiful commercial area called the Town Center. The investments by Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and the $62 million development of Mahogany Bay Port by Carnival Cruise Line show the strong commitment the cruise industry has made to the island of Roatan. The result of those commitments is that Roatan Honduras now ranks fifth in the ranking of 29 cruise destinations in the world, according to the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association.

So what do all these cruising tourists know about the Western Caribbean? It’s a great place to visit ….. and to live! If you have ever considered living or retiring on a Caribbean Island, Roatan may be the place for you. It certainly is the best time to buy! Check out my web site Roatan Living for information on Roatan Real Estate for sale.

Enjoy Life, Philip

I wanted to take a minute and welcome all the House Hunters International viewers who were inspired by the episode that aired featuring Roatan and searched for information on our island.

The island of Roatan is a great place to vacation with the family or for a cozy get away for two. There are direct flights from Houston TX on Continental Airlines or from Atlanta GA on Delta Airlines. If you need a recommendation for a place to stay I would be glad to help you with that as well. Don’t forget our buyers stay free!

There are some great deals on Roatan property resulting from the economic situation around the world. For example a one bed room condo in the luxurious Parrot Tree Plantation is now available for $219,900.

Or a five bed room luxury home with a Gift Shop and a Diving/Fishing business for only $799,000.

My web site at RoatanLiving.com also has a lot of useful information about the island of Roatan, travel to the island, the Pristine Bay golf course and of course buying Roatan Real Estate. If you have questions you can’t find answers to please feel to write or call me. Philip@RoatanLiving.com / 1 831 359-4244 U.S. Phone

Enjoy Life, Philip

I have been anxiously waiting for the owner to put the finishing touches on this brand new home on the white sand beach of Palmetto Bay. And now I can tell you that it is finished and available for vacation rental or special occasion rental. The house was specifically designed for this location and the  layout is very inviting with its ocean facing glass walls that open onto the beach side terrace with pool.

Roatan North Shore View from Dos Geckos

If you are planning a family vacation the extra large kitchen is exactly what your private chef will need to prepare gourmet meals for the entire family. And the large banquet table is the perfect place to serve the whole gang. When dinner is finished you can go downstairs to the Media Room and enjoy big screen movies on the 100 inch screen with Dolby 5.1 surround sound.

This home is also perfect for special dinner parties with wine and food pairings, wedding rehearsal dinners or receptions.

For additional information on Dos Geckos in Palmetto Bay or any other real estate on Roatan please contact me. Or you can view a Virtual Tour of the property online.

Enjoy Life, Philip

I wanted my blog readers be the first to know about this price drop before it becomes public knowledge.  The property is Anthony’s Blue Lagoon, Gift Shop, Diving and Fishing Charter, 5 bedroom luxury home and much more.

The home is fully furnished with top quality furniture and the appliances are Frigidaire Professional Series. Also there are three large screen Plasma TV’s with an audio system throughout the house and the screened deck has a stainless steel BBQ and Bar for entertaining.

The Boat Charter business includes a 27’ boat plus all the fishing rods, reels and tackle to take your clients fishing. Or for the diving charters there are four sets of dive gear and 15 tanks. There is also plenty of support equipment like a 16kw generator a 200 lb/day ice maker a chest freezer and much more.

The Gift Shop is well stocked and has a steady flow of clients from the two cruise ship docks and drive by tourists. All the inventory is included along with the sources for re-stocking. There is even a 1,300 square foot unfinished space to expand the gift shop or for you dream up a new use like a bar or restaurant.

This property is now priced way under market value and should get a lot of interest when the new low price of $799,000 goes public.

Don’t let your Caribbean dream get away!

You can see a Virtual Tour and photos of Anthony’s Blue Lagoon at http://rtvpix.com/RE-9262-WHIHUZ-01 For more information on this property or any others available on Roatan please visit my web site at www.RoatanLiving.com

Enjoy Life, Philip

The architect I can endorse is Ana Gallo from Austin Texas. She has already designed five homes on Roatan and has re-designed several more existing homes to better fit the owners needs. Her professional education was completed in the U.S. and her client base is primarily there as well.

Palmetto Bay Plantation Home Roatan MLS#10-157

This makes design discussions and planning, flow much more smoothly for everyone. When it comes time to start construction, being a Central American native and bi-lingual ensures that everyone involved understands what needs to be done to complete the house as designed. The “McDonald” house pictured above is one of her latest creations. This home is currently available for $1.5M. It is located on the beach in Palmetto Bay Plantation and is a beautiful example of the design standards and excellence she maintains. You can see samples of all of her work at AnaGallo.com.

I am also very excited that I can now recommend a builder on Roatan. This resource has been a difficult one to identify due to the high expectations that most real estate buyers bring to the home building project. However Hugo Coello is definitely the builder that can meet those expectations. Hugo has built several homes on Roatan in some of the nicest developments on the island. These homes were built to very high standards and completed in a timely manor. The “McDonald” home pictured above was built by Hugo.

These two professionals have collaborated on more than one home on Roatan with stellar results and I look forward to seeing their next projects.

Enjoy Life, Philip

From my chair on the beach here is West Bay it looks like Roatan Real Estate has started to recover from the world wide recession. First quarter sales were below average when compared to previous years but we are half way through the second quarter of 2010 and sales have definitely begun to recover.  Honduras property sales through the Century 21 office have shown a cyclic trend over the last 10 years between land purchases and home/condo purchases.  Currently we are in a home/condo portion of the cycle and bargains on residences are quickly being sold. So where are the good deals now?

Many who bought residential lots at the peak of the “land purchase” phase are finding it hard to sell their land in this “home purchase” phase.  So if you are looking for a deal take a look a land and lots for sale.

For example lot 11 in Marbella Beach Resort is a .4 acre lot with 110 feet of white sand beach. This lot is on the market at $340,000 which is $100,000 below the sale price of a neighboring lot sold 3 years ago! This is only one example of the type of bargains to be found in Roatan Real Estate.

Send me an email if you would like more information on this lot or any other properties you have seen on the web.

Enjoy Life, Philip

Many of you are SCUBA Divers and enjoy spending your Roatan time underwater, so I thought I should pass on some information that came to me from the Roatan Marine Park. In case you don’t know the Caribbean Sea is being invaded……. the invader is a tropical fish commonly called the Lion Fish. This beautiful fish is native to the Pacific and Indian oceans but not to the Caribbean. Scientists don’t yet understand their natural predator so it  is up to the human predator to keep this fish under control.

The Roatan Marine Park has an Invasive Lionfish Control Program designed to keep the population from exploding. During the months of February and March the Marine Park received reports of 367 sightings. Additionally there were 287 kills reported. The dive shops participating in the program agree that the program is working is areas where divers frequent.

In Asia the Lionfish is on the menu in many restaurants and is a delicacy. Perhaps some restaurants here should learn to prepare the invader.

For more information on the Roatan Marine park and their programs you can visit their web site RoatanMarinePark.com

Enjoy Life, Philip

A quick note to let you know about the group I started on Facebook to share interesting things about living on Roatan and info on Real Estate deals. You can go to your FB page and find the group in the “Groups” section or just click here Roatan Living and Real Estate. I will look forward to seeing your posts in the group.

If you are not a Facebook user yet you should go and check it out. I have had great fun this last year reconnecting with high school and college friends that I had not heard from for decades.

Enjoy Life, Philip

The Noodle Shack in West End, Roatan

I know cute name, you may go to a restaurant once because of the name but you will go back a restaurant because of the food and this place has great food.

Even my wife who is the pickiest eater on the planet ordered her meal with all her special requirements and it came exactly right and delicious. My order was easy, the standard dish of Thai Peanut Shrimp with vegetables on Rice Noodles….ummmmm goooood!

So when you are on Roatan in West End looking for a place to eat you should make an effort to find The Noodle Shack.
Enjoy Life, Philip

It seems that Roatan has elevated it’s status another step towards becoming a respected vacation destination. On Friday three pilots took to the air over West Bay Beach and demonstrated their stunt planes and their aerobatic piloting skills to the unsuspecting sun bathers. Here is some video from the show.

If you have any questions about Roatan please contact me or you can visit my web site.

Enjoy Life, Philip