– Holidays in October and other times. Check the local calendar before planning a business trip.
– Hot Holiday Rental Deals Still available.
– Concierge Corner – Fun in the Sun ask us for our local tips.
– Social activities: full moon parties, Halloween, Bunco, Ladies’ Lunches, Christmas season activities.
– World Vets clinics
– Important phone numbers
– Ask Mike
Rental Deals
The Holidays are approaching, don’t miss out on a Roatan Adventure we have some great vacation rental options available. Leave the snow behind and head to the sunshine.
CROSSWINDS – New to the rental market and at just $3500 + tax for the Holiday weeks makes this a bargain for an upscale , spacious 3 bedroom home at Lawson Rock
If you prefer to be in the midst of activity West End is the place to be , right on the ocean is CORAL VISTA – a 4 bedroom 4 bathroom home at $5000 + tax or for the budget conscious traveler looking for comfort VILLA TRANQUILA – just $1300 + tax and can accommodate 6 guests
For the perfect beach vacation – CORAL SANDS 4 can’t be matched right on West Bay Beach at $3500 + tax
Concierge Corner
Holiday season is around the corner and we at Roatan Life Vacation Rentals are ready to make this 2014 holiday a special one !
If you are visiting the Island during the months of December we suggest you to start booking activities with our concierge, since some activities are limited to small groups of people,
Car rental, Dolphin activities, Fishing or Sailing excursions need preparation ahead of time so please take a few minutes of your time and start planning your activities.
One of the newest attractions in Roatan is the Black Pearl Golf Course located at Pristine Bay, Book a full round with us for US$ 180.00 clubs and tax included!!
Legal Holidays, Travel and Business
If you’re planning a trip to Roatan to conduct any kind of business, including real estate transactions, one thought to consider is that Central Americans take official, and sometimes unofficial, holidays very seriously. Consequently, if you are coming for just a few days to take care of something of an official nature, you will want to avoid certain times. This is a list of official
Honduran holidays:
January 1 – New Year’s Day
March/April – Easter Week
April 14 – Day of the Americas
May 1 – Labor Day
September 15 – Independence Day
October 3 – Francisco Morazan Day
October 12 – Columbus Day
October 21 – Armed Forces Day
December 24 – Christmas Eve
December 25 – Christmas Day
December 31 – New Year’s Eve
In addition, here are some unofficial holidays:
January 25 – Women’s Day
February 3 – Day of Our Lady of Suyapa
February 14 – Valentines Day
April 07 – World Health Day
April 19 – Father’s Day
April 22 – International Earth Day
2nd. Sunday of May – Mother’s Day
May 30 – National Tree Day
June 05 – World Environment Day
July 20 – Lempira Day (National Hero)
September 01 – National Flag Day
September 08 – Women’s Day
September 10 – Children’s Day
September 17 – Teacher’s Day
September 28 – Independence Papers Arrival
October 13 – Culture Day
October 28 – National Youth Day
November 2 – Day of the Dead
On any of these days you may find businesses closed (or not) and parades. Since Roatan only has one main road from east to west, parades can slow you down considerably!
Social Life
Once you’ve moved here, or even if you’re only here part of the year, there are many social activities you can join:
– For the ladies, there are monthly lunches and monthly Bunco games
– Many restaurants have weekly recurring events, often with live music or Karaoke
– Herby’s Sports Bar at Pineapple Villas is the only real sports bar, with televisions all around the bar/restaurant and sports from all over the world. When there are huge sporting events, it’s standing room only!
– Informal groups have spa days, full moon parties and all manner of seasonal parties. When you settle in a particular part of the island, you’ll find there are community groups for your area and the number of fund raisers is large, and always fun, not to mention a way to enjoy and give back to your new home
– Are you a Rotarian or Lion’s Club member? We have active groups on Roatan
– Did you have a fun group activity at your old home? Start a group here; this is a fun-loving island!
This should give some ideas to those who ask “but won’t I get bored?” Sit back, relax and decide just how much you want to participate – It’s your life, now live it!
Volunteer Vet Clinics
Many of us on Roatan are animal lovers and, frankly, for us the condition of animals on the island is one of the hardest situations to deal with. Animals that we consider pets or members of our family often have to forage for food and rarely get preventive vaccinations, so the life span of island animals is considerably shorter than we are used to. There is a vet full time on the island and another comes once a week from the mainland, but many of the island people can’t afford to pay for health care for their animals, so you have to adjust to seeing starving and unhealthy animals.
There are people who do animal rescues here and attempt to find good homes and the situation has improved slowly for a number of years, but it can still be a shock. If you decide to get a dog or cat on Roatan, please consider adoption first.
Several times each year, veterinary groups come to Roatan to give free spay/neuter/general care clinics to animals on the island. This month, World Vets are here for 3 days and will see 100+ animals. They do wonderful work, all for free, although donations are always welcome and people here help to sponsor them. If you would like more info, ASK MIKE
Important Phone Numbers
It’s a good idea to keep a list of important and frequently used phone numbers wherever you live, perhaps even more so when you live overseas from your homeland, so here is a list of numbers I think you’re going to want to keep. Bear in mind that cell phones are used more frequently than landlines, so numbers can change regularly.
Ambulance & Fire Department – 2445-0428, 2445-0430
Police – 2445-0416
Hyperbaric Chamber – 2445-3003
Woods Medical Center – 2445-1080
Full time vet, Dr Santiago – 9909-0595
Roatan Electric Company – 2407-2170 to 2407-2179. For emergency service, dial any of these numbers and extension 114
This will give you a start on your personal list.
This month we’re starting a new feature, ASK MIKE. When you click on the link you’ll go to Mike Carter to either get answers to your questions on buying or renting property on Roatan, or general lifestyle questions. If there is someone better suited to answering you, he will re-direct your inquiry. Either way, your question will be addressed within 24 hours. Some questions would benefit from a public response, so look for our Mailbag section at the end of future newsletters. We won’t identify you, so don’t worry about asking anything at all – chances are there are more people wondering the same things!
Real Estate
Green Bamboo, West End 1BR to be built $100,000 – A ready to be built condo in the cozy community of Green Bamboo, located in an up and coming area of West End. Green Bamboo is located a short stroll from the beaches and action that West End offers. It also has plenty of outdoor living area and a sparkling pool for a great outdoor living experience.
Turtle Crossing 9, West Bay $250,000 – Ocean Views amaze from this 2 BR/2 BA, in the desirable established community of Turtle Crossing, just minutes from West Bay Beach. The first floor has a covered patio, open concept kitchen, comfortable living area and first floor guest bed and bathroom. The 2nd floor master includes a private balcony and bath. Kitchen and bath were both remodeled in 2013. Many extras make this a must see option. The community features a shared pool just about 100 yards from the home. Guests will have access to a gazebo on the ironshore, steps from the ocean for snorkeling or diving. The house is a 15 minute walk or a 5 minute drive to West Bay Beach, one of the nicest beaches on Roatan. The village of West End, about a 15 minute drive away, is alive with a good nightlife, great restaurants and shopping.
Sunset Villas 3A, West End $189,000 – Elegantly decorated, 2 bedroom condominium, sleeps 6 comfortably, with a gourmet kitchen and plenty of outdoor entertainment areas. Large rear patio and oversized interior makes this the nicest 2 bedroom unit in Sunset Villas. Conveniently located in the heart of West End, close to everything. Proven rental property.
