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OCTOBER 2 0 0 7 Issue 9 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR H O T O F F T H E P R E S S Events, announcements and news from around the region. Que Pasa? C O U N T R Y F O C U S : COLOMBIA San Andres : An Englishman's Home Banking : For a Pensionado Visa Medellin : A Hotel Restoration Eternal Spring : & Beautiful Women S P E C I A L F E A T U R E S Mexico :Property Discovery Weekend Roatan : Free Glittering Getaways Guatemala : Coffee and Berkeley Venezuela : Vino Novello & Pecorino Climate Care : Carbon for Water Sailing : Tall Ship's Medical Officer Trinidad & Tobago : A Biodiversity P I C K O F T H E M O N T H Costa Rica, Condos in Belen Fishing and Diving business Cozumel An exotic Colombian Villa for Sale

Keyhole Bay Announces the first-ever...

EACH OF THE TEN
GLITTERING GETAWAY PRIZES
WILL INCLUDE:

That’s right, now you and your guest can experience the splendor of the Western Caribbean’s most romantic getaway. And Keyhole Bay – Roatan Island’s new premier residential community – will gladly pick up your tab!

Soon, you will be walking the pristine shores of Roatan’s powder white West Bay Beach … immersing yourself in warm waves of the crystal clear Caribbean Sea … and dining out on exotic local fare or exquisite cuisine at exclusive restaurants.

Keyhole Bay is Latin America’s first-ever self-contained walkable community. At Keyhole Bay, you can live, work, shop, dine, and play all within 15 minutes of your own luxurious estate home or luxury condominium.

Now, all you need to do is to find the five Hidden Treasures in Janine Goben’s “Pirates of Roatan” article below and send them in using the form on this page.

Then get ready for a glittering getaway in the tropical sun – compliments of Keyhole Bay!

But, don’t delay lads and lassies: only 10 contestants with the correct answers will be welcomed ashore, and last entries must be in by the end of Friday 26th October 2007.

To enter, you simply agree to do the following:

1. Agree to the conditions of Competition; and
2. Find the answers in the Pirates of Roatan Article

Conditions of Competition

1. You must answer the five competition questions correctly.
2. Competition participants must be over 21 years of age.
3. Only one entry per person is allowed.
4. Winners will be notified by email and/or phone.
5. Competition closes Friday 26th October 2007
6. Winners will be announced on November 5th 2007 in the November issue of Caribbean Property Magazine.
7. Ten Prizes will be issued (ten couples)
8. The Ten prizewinners will be drawn at random from all correct entries by the Governor of the Bay Islands, Arlie Thompson.
9. The prize is open for entry worldwide, but we ask that you only enter if you have the ability to be in Honduras between October 2007-October 2008
10. All prizes are subject to availability and weather conditions. Contest organisers or any of the prize sponsors will not be held liable for unavailability that cancels or affects the prize being taken.
11. All prizes are subject to normal booking requirements.
12. All prizes are not redeemable for cash.
13. Prizes must be used by 31 October 2008.
14. Each prize is for two (2) people.
15. Staff and associates of Contest Organisers are not eligible to enter.
16. The judges' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
17. No responsibility can be accepted for entries which are not properly received due to communications beyond our control.
18. Winners are responsible for their own travel costs

So, start diggin’, me ‘earties!

Read PIRATES OF ROATAN , find the 5 examples of where you can live, work, shop, dine, and play all within the gated confines of Keyhole Bay, Latin America’s first-ever fully self-contained New Urbanism walkable community.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE COMPETITION

Don’t delay – remember only 10 correct entries
can win a Keyhole Bay Glittering Getaway Prize!

Pirates of Roatan
By Janine Goben

The names tell the story; Spyglass Hill, Neverstain Bight, Crawfish Rock, Punta Blanca, Jonesville, Coxon Hole, Port Royal, Pirates’ Cove….. This is the land of pirates, of plundered loot buried in the sheltered bights, to be recovered when danger had passed; of tales as tall as the highest peaks, and legends as believable as the old-timers spinning them.

This is the island of Roatan, the largest of the Bay Islands, just 30 miles off the north coast of Honduras.

A modern day paradise surrounded by protective reefs partially submerged in the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea.

But the islands’ history lies as deep as the waters in the channel between the islands and the mainland, and as colorful as the myriad coral and fish that grace this region.

The gentle swaying of the hammock, the stories of pirates…….a speck appears on the horizon, a slowly moving sail comes into focus, then another, and another. The speck becomes a ship, a wooden hull with sails full, yet oddly set. Closer, closer the ship approaches the island. Still a long way out to sea, but definitely heading this way, it’s flags not yet discernable, a pod of dolphin escorting her in.

What journey has this vessel undertaken? And why does it approach our shores? What lies here of interest to such a crew – there is no gold, no silver or royal jewels. She sails from the east, from the town of Trujillo, where the deepest waters in the Western Caribbean claim their share of ships such as this, and Henry Morgan brings his Spanish spoils to divvy up. Inside the fort high on the hill overlooking the Bay of Trujillo, treasures from his latest battles are packed for storage in whatever safe place he can find.

Supplies are needed for the return journey, so the ship sails across the bay and down the coast to the Hog Islands, where a supply of pigs were left many months ago. Now she approaches our shores; for what? Bananas, coconuts, oranges, nuts? She tacks to starboard, her course becomes clear; she’s heading for the protective bights of Port Royal – for the mangrove swamps where she can hide from her enemies. And for the caves in the bluffs where the treasure can be buried, hidden from those who would fight to the death for the spoils.

The sun disappears momentarily behind an errant cloud and a strange sound floats on the wind. Is it a conch shell, blown to warn landlubbers of the approach of a hostile ship? Or the anguish of a weary crew, singing a tale of cannonballs and sea battles?

The ship comes into focus as a gust of wind jolts the mind into reality. It is indeed a ship under sail, a four-master, a regal sight indeed. But this ship’s crew are passengers, tourists who pay a royal price to sail the way the pirates of old sailed. And the sound? The ship’s warning as it approaches the international cruise ship dock, to spill it’s cargo into taxis and buses for a day of adventure, exploration and beachcombing.

Roatan gets under your skin; you can’t help it. The balmy breezes lull you back in time to days of pirates and tall ships. The ships who visit today are private yachts and cruise ships – as many as 30 a month in high season. They bring tourists who sometimes return as residents or vacation home owners. The population of the island is changing; the folks who consider themselves “Islanders” are English-speaking and their ancestors hail from England, Africa and the Cayman Islands. The foreigners are American, Canadian and European, along with the “Spanish”, as “Islanders” refer to the Spanish-speaking Hondurans who arrive here constantly to work in the construction or tourism industries.

The island is rife with inlets and bights, an old English term for a cove or bay caused by a curve in the shoreline. The English influence is strong, and you’ll find many old English words in use today which seem more suitable to the time of those pesky pirates – all part of the charm of this tantalizing island!

The bights are where the pirates sheltered their ships from weather and enemies…..and also where much treasure was stashed, and remains undiscovered to this day….

For an exciting and fun way to see the island, bights and all, consider a charter flight in the blue sea plane which flies low and slow all around the island with an open cockpit so you can see and feel the island like no other way. Or charter a boat and sail or motor into the nooks and crannies the tourists don’t see. Take a kayak tour among the mangroves in Oak Ridge; look for the salt water crocodiles in First Bight; on Roatan you are limited only by your imagination!

Parts of Roatan are accessible only by boat, and the people who have their homes there like their privacy. But today you can have such privacy without the inconvenience of isolation, unless you want that.

Choices are varied and enticing, none more so than the opportunity to live in a secure, private community where you can walk to absolutely everything you need for daily living.

One of those pirate bights has become a highly desirable community where you can play on your own private beach at Keyhole Bay, Central America’s first New Urbanism community.

Invisible from both the sea and the community, that is, until you are right on top of it, the Keyhole is the place to lay on the secluded, private beach and contemplate a romantic dinner under the stars at the poolside bar and restaurant.

After a morning of relaxing on the beach, you might walk up the hill to Keyhole Village, where you can shop in boutiques with recognizable names, or have lunch in one of several kiosks in the food court.

For the more energetic, a visit to the 5,000 square foot spa and gymnasium will tone those muscles. A little too much sun? Don’t worry, Keyhole Village will also have medical offices.

Keyhole Bay is a residential community of 45 luxury condominiums and 23 homesites. Small and exclusive, this luxury community separates itself from most of the developments on Roatan in several ways; it is completely private as access is only from the entrance on the main road, which is manned by trained personnel 24 hours a day. It is primarily designed for ease of living, where everything you need is a short walk within the confines of the community, thus making it an attractive retirement choice, although there will be a property management company for owners who might want to use their home only part of the year and rent it out to discerning vacationers the rest of the time.

Keyhole Village will also house legal offices and two banks, with space for other businesses on the professional floor of the four storey facility. Future plans also include an American-style grocery store, with top quality products you’re comfortable with.

Let’s say retirement is not for you, maybe you’re younger than the traditional retirement age, or you simply want to keep your hand in global business activities. Your condominium will be equipped with internet and telephone access, so if you have a business which can be supported by internet, then your choices are limited only to places in the world where internet is available – Keyhole Bay is in the top choices you should consider!

It sounds like a long way from those pirate days of old, but you will hear tales of pirates and their lands every day on Roatan.

Visit Gumbalimba Park and you’ll see one sleepy pirate “guarding” his cave of goodies, surrounded by birds, monkeys and many other animals; drive to one of the highest points on the island above French Harbour and experience Pirates of the Caribbean Canopy Tour; go into Coxon Hole or French Harbour and listen to the old-timers spin their tales of how their ancestors acquired the land they now own through inheritance, and their children will someday own; ask the locals how names like Henry’s cove, Punta Blanca, Crawfish Rock, Barbareta, Santa Helena, Calabash Bight, Politilly Bight, Dixon Cove, Lawson Rock and Brasil Hill got their names.

Good stories, and entertaining too, but don’t underestimate the depth of those pirate ways….these folks can be pirates too, so be careful how you buy land here.

Look for your perfect piece of land, or home, or condominium, but don’t hand over any money until you contract the services of a professional realtor(like me, for example!) and never forget that pirates come in all shapes and sizes……save your pirate encounter for your daydreams.

THEN CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE COMPETITION

Author : Janine Goben was born and raised in England and re-located to Colorado in 1976. Her lust for travel and experiencing other cultures led to extensive travel in Europe, North America and Central America. Avid scuba divers, Janine and her husband moved to the western Caribbean island of Roatan in 1998, where Janine has been a successful and well-known overseas property consultant ever since.

Email Janine: rjgoben at globalnet.hn

To read more articles from this author, go to 'author' search options at the bottom of this page. You can also search magazine archives by subject, country or date.