Residents of Roatan have experienced a nice improvement in the availability of food and beverages this year. The Bulk Gourmet, operated by Butch and Sherry have been a long time supplier of imported products for restaurants and residents. This summer they decided to condense their delivery days from five to four and take that one day a week to open a store front for their customers to be able to shop their huge variety of products. The store is located in the Hyber Shipping complex, just look for the big red doors. They are currently open every Thursday so drop in and say hello. Don’t forget to ask Butch for a sample of booze.
Also just recently opened in the new Mega Plaza shopping center in French Harbour is the Super Mercado. This general grocery store is a regional chain in Honduras and will stock a large selection of food products and kitchen wares when it is fully stocked. This is also the first store on Roatan to have an escalator!
I would be slacking if I didn’t mention the new and greatly improved Eldons’ grocery. The new store has been open for a few months now and it has been great to see the big selection of U.S. products and to know that the inventory is being maintained. They also have an in-store bakery and a great selection of greeting cards.
Roatan continues to grow and improve with great businesses and services. Hope to see you on the island this winter.
I want to take a moment to write about “Nurse Peggy” and her dream of Clinica Esperanza. Peggy Stranges started her clinic in the apartment beneath her home when she saw the huge need of the islanders for basic health care. Later she moved the clinic into donated space in the Son Rise Calvary Church in Sandy Bay. When again the clinic grew to big for that space Nurse Peggy was able to, over time, build Clinica Esperanza.
Peggy Stranges has dedicated herself to building Clínica Esperanza, otherwise known as “Hospital Ms. Peggy.” Together, with Honduran physician Raymond Cherington, M.D. and Arizona-based physician Patrick Connell, M.D., and through the generous support from Roatán’s community leaders, Nurse Peggy has realized her dream of building a first class freestanding hospital.
The Clinic is open Monday though Friday and begins patient intakes at 7:30AM and continues until noon. Medical care is provided until all patients are seen. Clinica Esperanza averages 300 patients per week-15,600 patients per year!. The cost to the patients starts at 70 Limpera ($3.70) donation for basic care and 500 Limpera ($26.45) donation for rapid care. NO one is turned away for lack of payment.
On duty daily is a Physician, Pediatrician and Dentist with specialists available at different times. Also on duty are a group of six to ten hard working volunteers and visiting Medical students from around the world. The clinic also employs ten Hondurans which is supporting ten local families. Which continues Nurse Peggy’s committment to employ local island citizens.
If you would like a tour of Clinica Esperanza to see what your donations have achieved or what donations are needed to continue this wonderful project click on this link for a Virtual Tour of Clinica Esperanza.
Shopping and eating are two things people always do on vacation! Wheather it is a souvenir for Mom, a t-shirt for your friend, a quick snack between dives or a nice sit down dinner…… everyone knows the Mall is the place to do it all.
The Mega Plaza in French Harbour is Roatan’s new shopping destination and as it nears completion the signs have started going up on the new businesses and restaurants that will occupy the new mall. In addition to shops for tourists there will also be stores that cater to the residents of the island. Stores like Carrion, Mega Technocell, Bay Furniture, Paradise Computer and Supermercado Mega.
For the food there will be several small restaurants and also two American style restaurants, Wendy’s and Applebees. I have heard many comments from residents about these two establishments and it has been about equal between the Yea and the Nays. But weather you like them here or not they have arrived. As I was driving by the Wendy’s on Sunday I noticed that it had opened, I had to stop for a burger and fries on Roatan!
Enjoy Life, Philip
Mahogany Bay – Roatan is the most recent project for Carnival Cruise Lines. This 20 acre project will welcome its first cruise ship the Carnival Legend on November 19th 2009.The $62 million project will have all the conveniences and amenities to service guests that will arrive aboard the Carnival Valor, Carnival Legend and Carnival Glory when they dock in Roatan. The complex will have a variety of shops, bars and restaurants as well as a private beach for guests to enjoy. Also available will be land and water transportation for a variety of tours and excursions throughout the island.
In the first year of operation Mahogany Bay – Roatan expects to host more than 520,000 guests from over 200 cruise ships making a port of call on Roatan. This volume of guests arriving for fun in the sun will continue to make Roatan the largest single contributor to Honduras’ tourism revenue. The introduction these guests get to Roatan will undoubtedly encourage them to plan for future vacations to the island and continue to grow Roatans’ tourism and real estate industries.
For a short video of the construction progress at the Mahogany Bay site go to the Roatan Living Channel on YouTube. If you have questions or comments please feel free to post them.
Whether you are interested in buying or selling real estate on Roatan your agent is your link to the real estate community. On Roatan all Realtors are now required to be members of CANABIRH (Honduras Realtor Association) to facilitate sales, those individuals who are serious about serving their clients should also be members of the RRA (Roatan Realtor Association) and NAR (National Association of Realtors). Those agents that are members of the RRA have the privilege of full access to the local MLS (Multiple Listing Service). This database is the most complete and up to date list of available properties in the Bay Islands.
If you are a property seller your best evaluation of an agent and broker is to know how they will advertise your property. Traditional print advertising is not as effective in this age of digital and social marketing, especially when trying to market properties to international clients. Agents must rely heavily on electronic media and web sites to market you property, some key questions to ask are:
Is the listing agent a member in the RRA?
This is crucial to get your property seen by prospective buyers that visit the MLS database.
The RRA publishes an MLS magazine 2-3 times a year, your agent should include your listing in this publication.
Does the agent/broker have a top ranked web sites with areas to post your property so it can be found by prospects?
Do a Google search for the agent or broker to see their ranking on the web. A high position means a strong marketing effort for their clients.
Can the agent provide Virtual Tours and quality photographs for your listing?
Virtual Tours not only provide a prospect with great viewing of a property from their own computer but they also connect to a huge network of web sites that can introduce your property to potential buyers.
How much experience does your agent have in the Real Estate field?
Selling Real Estate involves more than just getting your property advertised. Your agent must be familiar with Honduran contracts and laws and have many sales and closings in Roatan to represent your property properly during negotiations.
How long has your agent lived on the island?
Since Roatan doesn’t have many street signs, but many different neighborhoods, developments and back roads an agent has to be familiar with the island.
If you are a buyer interested in investing in Roatan Real Estate and are searching for an agent many of the same qualifications apply for a “buyers agent”. Are they members of the RRA, do they have their own web site, are they experienced in real estate. Additionally it is important that you and your agent “click” does the agent listen and understand your requirements and show you properties that meet your criteria. No one wants to spend time looking at the wrong properties when you could be on the beach enjoying ocean!
If you have questions about property on Roatan or want to evaluate me as an agent for your needs send me an email, Philip@RoatanLiving.com and I will be glad to answer your questions.
The events of the last few weeks have left most Honduran citizens looking for ways to support the government and the actions they took to maintain democracy in this poor country. On Saturday July 4th (interesting that it occurred on this date) Peace marches were organized across the nation in support for the government’s actions to expel Mel Zelaya. The image here is from the peace march, to see a video on the Roatan Peace March go to my YouTube channel
The reports from the international press corp would make you think that this unexpected change of presidents was a violent overthrow. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The little violence that happened in the capital was instigated by paid thugs from Venezuela who had been given Honduran passports in the weeks before Zelaya was arrested and deposed.
The two parties are undertaking negotiations in Costa Rica to find a solution to their diferences. My experence here over the last six years leads me to believe that, with the National Elections only four months away and the candidates previously selected, those negotiations will languish into obscurity over the coming months.
In the mean time Roatan is still as beautiful and peaceful as ever with some great bargins on property.
Honduran president Mel Zelaya was arrested today after he continued to defy the Honduran Supreme Court and the National Congress rulings that his proposed referendum to change the constitution to extend presidential terms, was illegal.
President Zelaya was taken to an airbase outside the city and several hours later was flown to Costa Rica. The Honduran Supreme Court said it had ordered the removal of the president, who had been due to leave office next January. Honduras has appointed the Congressional President, Roberto Micheletti as acting head of state. Mr Micheletti is a member of Mr Zelaya’s own party but an opponent of the deposed leader.
The bottom line is that the democratic process in Honduras is working very well. Local Roatan residents have voiced their thankfulness, on several social networks, that the government followed the constitution and has preserved the democratic process in Honduras. For those that have real estate and other investments in Roatan or Honduras, this event is further assurance that your investments here are safe and positioned to grow.
Hello, it has been almost exactly one year since I last wrote about golf becoming available on Roatan. Since that time the Pristine Bay Resort and Black Pearl Golf Course have progressed at a pace that is unmatched by any other project on the island. The developer announced this month that the new condominiums overlooking the golf course and the ocean are now available to purchase. The floor plans were released with the announcement and after taking a look at them I think they are spectacular. For details and pricing you can send me an email: Philip@RoatanLiving.com
Today Perry Dye announced that work on the course is ahead of schedule and barring any weather delays there will be 6-9 holes open for play by November. He continued stating that all of the irrigation system has been insalled and work has begun on sprigging the fairways. Also that the frist green has been planted at hole 11.
A group visiting Pristine Bay this week and was so excited about the possibility of golf this fall they were asking for tee times! If golf is your preferred way to relax come on down check out the Greens and the Blues, Black Pearl Golf Course and the Pristine Bay Resort.
Hello, if you have been waiting for some extra incentive to plan a visit to Roatan, this is it. Thanks to my broker I am able to offer a FREE week of accommodations on Roatan to those people interested in buying real estate here. There is no cost to you and no obligation to buy anything. The benefit comes when you choose to buy property on Roatan.
Enrollment is easy just let me know at any point before you arrive or anytime during your stay on Roatan that you want to participate in the “Buyers Stay Free” program and when we close on your purchase you will get a check for the cost of your hotel room. So if you have been thinking about buying one of the great properties on Roatan there is no better time than the present.
If you would like help making reservations on the island for some discounted rooms or for information on flights email me: Philip@RoatanLiving.com and I will be glad to help.
Hello, I wanted to let all my readers know about my new video blog that I have created. It is called the Roatan Living Channel and my intent is to bring you interesting videos about a variety of things on Roatan. Some episodes may be about tourist activities and restaurants while others may be on special events like the fishing tournament or pirate festival.
Currently you will find a couple of videos posted, one on the Mayan Princess and another on Parrot Tree. If there is something you would like to see me broadcast on my channel send me an email, Philip@RoatanLiving.com with your suggestion and I will do my best to get it posted.
