 |
 |
 |
| Caribbean Property Magazine Home / August 2009 / 'Clews Views August 2009' | SEND THIS PAGE TO A FRIEND  |
 |
 |
| REACH OVER 380,000 SUBSCRIBERS EVERY MONTH! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 FULL - LENGTH ARTICLES FEATURING YOUR PROPERTY! Tell YOUR story and get exposure! Sell your property or business (or business opportunity) through editorials and feature articles! |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
| VISIT OUR ARCHIVES! Click here to explore our archived articles. |
|
|
| TELL YOUR STORY! We want your articles, your stories, your experiences, your knowledge and your advice! Tell our readers what you have learned, what you love and what you think other people need to know about living, working, buying, selling, relocating and retiring in the Caribbean. |
|
|
| |
 |
| A comprehensive list of downloadable ebooks available from Caribpro. Titles include: |
 Retirement Planning For Offshore Living: Maintain and Enhance your lifestyles spending less than 25% of your monthly budget. |
|
|
|
|
| Belize: Living There How to Live, Retire, Work of Invest in Belize. |
| Nicaragua: Real Estate Property and land bargain amidst colonial splendour. |
| Plastic Surgery in The Caribbean: Inexpensive, High Quality Cosmetic Surgery. |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
| |
|
A U G U S T
 2 0 0 9Issue 31
|
||
|
A RETURN TO ROATAN
by Carter Clews Clews’ Views is about places you may want to live, and might be able to afford … without breaking the bank, or, perhaps, even borrowing a dime. So, those familiar with beautiful Roatan Island may think that recommending this tropical paradise is a bit of a stretch. But, in the immortal words of Sportin’ Life from Porgy and Bess, “It Ain’t Necessarily So.” Believe it or not, if you look hard enough (and I’ll tell you how in just a second), you can still find a condo on this divers’ dreamland for under $150,000. You can even find a beach view lot for around $75,000. And you can live a life of ease and island opulence, basking in the sun and soaking up the surf, for about $2,000 a month. But, before I tell you where to look, let me tell you why. Then, you can decide for yourself whether my favorite Caribbean island might turn out to be yours, too. Let’s take a quick Cook’s Tour so that you can get your bearings. Roatan is the most developed of the three small islands that make up the Isla de Bahia – Bay Islands -- off the east coast of Honduras. Guanaja and Utila are the other two. Together, they make up one of the Honduras’ 18 “departments,” or states. Now, since I said they are part of Honduras, and that country has been in the headlines worldwide in recent days, let me set the record straight right from the start. Honduras is not “war-torn.” It did not just have a “military takeover.” And no “Banana Republic” dictator has seized power. In fact, quite the opposite occurred. On Veintiocho de Junio (June 28) – a date many Hondurans are already commemorating as their own “Cinco de Mayo -- the country’s Congress and Supreme Court impeached the President, removed him from power, and maintained their much-beloved democracy. It’s just that simple. They did so under Section 239 of the Honduran Constitution, following the procedure to the letter of the law. The president of the Congress became the democratic president of the country, again, as prescribed by law. And they will have elections, as previously scheduled, in November of this year. As the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the Christian Science Monitor, and the prestigious ALG International News Service editorialized, the replacement of the Honduras president was not usurpation, it was a preservation, of that country’s democracy. And all those who live there – or may one day want to – can breathe a sigh of relief. Enough said. Now, let’s return to the joys of living the good life at a great price on beautiful Roatan Island. Roatan is the most populous and the largest of the Bay Islands with just under 30,000 people live on its 150 square kilometers of lush, low-lying mountains and white-sand beaches.  Now, when I call West End, Coxen Hole, French Harbour, and the rest “communities,” please don’t get the idea you’re heading for a traditional western-style town with a lamp post lined Main Street, a bustling town square, and a Starbucks at the end of the block. For the most part, except, perhaps, in Coxen Hole, there are no blocks. So, you can forget about your Sumatra whole bean bold roast. Most of the towns on Roatan are tiny, with a few hundred to a few thousand people at most. Many of them are fishing villages, with the relaxing air endemic to communities worldwide where the locals have long-since learned that nature not only takes it own course, it takes its own sweet time, as well. And you may as well enjoy the wait. On Roatan, of course, the wait is worth your while, because no matter where you are, the sun is shining, the waves are cresting, and the pristine beach beckons you to bare your feet and wiggle your toes in the warm, powdery sand. There are no crowds on Roatan Island. There are no traffic jams to impede your passage, no grocery lines to try your patience, no hurry, scurry, hustle, or bustle.  Roatan is its own paradise island. It’s where you go when you’re through going. Where you land when the flight is finished and the time has come to cool your engines. I know all of this because I lived on Roatan Island for four paradisiacal months in the winter to spring of 2007. I was doing some work for Dan Taylor at beautiful Keyhole Bay on the island’s western end. And I came to realize, as I have told all and sundry since, that when you know you are living on the golden shores of heaven on earth, it’s kind of hard to work yourself into a dither over anything short of a nuclear holocaust. Just so you’ll know, Keyhole Bay is an idyllic residential development on 23 acres of rolling hills high above the turquoise Caribbean. On a clear day, you can bask on Keyhole Bay’s private beach and see the mainland on the distant horizon. And since about 320 days a year are crystal clear on Roatan Island, that’s not a bad way to idle away the hours. Now, let me make clear that I am not now paid by Keyhole Bay, nor will I make one single cent if you decide to buy one of the luxury condominiums there. So, if you decide to plunge into one of its infinity pools, or frolic in the cascading torrent of its 30-foot manmade waterfall, all I get out of it is the joy of knowing that you are living life to its fullest where the sun never sets on dreams come true. And that is no exaggeration. |
||
|
||
|
||
|
Just a short jaunt from Keyhole Bay is the typical tropical village of West End. Here, a single sand-covered street leads you from one end of “town” to the other. Walking from east to west, you’ll have the Caribbean Sea on your right and the majority of shops on your left.
Most of the shops are small cafes or trinket boutiques, though you’ll also find some clean, comfortable restaurants where $10 will buy you a delectable dinner. For those willing to spend a little more for finer fare and ambiance, Fosters is at the far end of town, perched atop a picturesque pier. Now, for those who, like me, prefer the big city and bright lights, Coxen Hole (population 13,000) is only about a 10-minute drive from West End. And there, they have everything (if your idea of everything isn’t really all that much). There’s a real super market – well, maybe not super, but certainly a market – with fresh fruit, vegetables, some meat (mostly fowl), and even a well-stocked candy counter. There’s a department store, with clothes, cosmetics, and even (a few) appliances. And I can personally attest to the fact that Minelli’s hair salon gives as good a haircut as you’ll get for twice the price as any salon I’ve ever visited on the U.S. East Coast (and I’m pretty darn particular about who trims my curly locks). The other place I would recommend you consider settling if you venture down to Roatan is Oakridge. Located on the east side of the Island, Oakridge is as quaint a fishing village as you will ever chance to visit. Scaling the hillsides engulfing an inlet, Oakridge at eventide, with the sun settling into the sea evokes an aura of a day well spent, the promise of a peaceful night. Imagine Cabin Cove without Jessica Fletcher nosing around trying to stick you with a murder rap. Seriously, whether you are on the West End or east side, Keyhole Bay or Coxen Hole, I can personally promise that you are unlikely to find a more pleasant place to live on the face of God’s good earth than Roatan Island. When you can begin each day with a leisurely jog along a pristine beach, counting the starfish idling offshore and listening to the call of boatbill herons flying above, as I did for four full months, you sense something of what Thoreau meant when he wrote, “Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.” Should you decide to explore Roatan Island for yourself, with an eye to possibly settling there, I am going to take the unusual step, for me, or recommending a realtor to you. Again, I do so not because there is any financial gain in it for me, but because there is a world of knowledge to gain for you. Janine Goben (rjgoben@globalnet.hn), a Brit by birth, has lived on Roatan Island for over a decade. She will not only show you the best buys, she will also show you a good time. And you will gain a friend in the process. Not a bad bargain, I’d say. So, take my advice: visit Roatan. Enjoy the distinctive island ambiance. Then, sell your home and move back to live out your life in sun-kissed serenity. See you next month. |
||
AUTHOR : Carter L. Clews began his career in marketing as Director of Public Relations for the National Right to Work Committee in Washington, after which he became Director of Communications for the U.S. Senate Conference of the Majority. Following his years in Washington, Mr. Clews became Creative Director for Inphomation, Inc, the company responsible for several of the top infomercials in recent history, including Making Love Work, The Psychic Friends Network, and The Helicopter Lure. Mr. Clews has won numerous writing awards, including the Best Scriptwriter of the Year Award from the Electronic Retail Association. He now lives at Keyhole Bay on Roatan in the beautiful Bay Islands. |
||
|
||
 |
||
 |
||
This beautiful 4800 sqft, 4 yr old, 2-story home, sits on 1.8 acres in the hills of Heredia with fantastic views of the Central Valley and mountains. 
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Click Here to download this article in PDF format.
SEARCH OUR MAGAZINE ARCHIVES contact us submit an article list your property list your boat list a cultural event advertise with us list your property rental |
| |