TJ's BuyRoatan.com Blog

Local honduran aristocrats moving to roatan

The Island of Roatan continues to change. As tourism and development grows, so does the population. As more people are migrating to the Islands, not just from the USA and Canada, but from mainland Honduras, more services are needed to feed, clothe, house and care for these migrants. Someone told me today the population is nearly 70,000 on Roatan... more than double the amount 10 years ago, when Shelley and I moved here from Canada! New shopping malls, grocery stores, building supply and hardware stores are all being built right now to offer us more selection, better prices and better service.

And who is building all this infrastructure? More than 60% of the new commercial construction is being done by the large families from the mainland who already own these type of businesses over there. Large, wealthy families whose fortunes have been made, in part, by supplying Hondurans both every day staples and luxury items like televisions, automobiles, and electronic appliances. Just 3 weeks ago, KIA opened Roatan's FIRST car dealership across from the airport, and I'm sure other car companies (franchise stores owned by Honduras' elite) will follow suit.

That is good news.... that means Roatan is now confirmed a great place for solid investment. It means, we are finally getting those amenities bigger cities have boasted for years... Prices here are still about 1/4 of other Caribbean destinations like Caymans, Turk & Caicos, St. Thomas, etc. That means we could theorectically double our prices, triple them, or even quadruple them before we can compare to these other islands.... and I think in the next 3-5 years, you'll see prices on Roatan triple.

Hot days on the beach typical august moon

One of my favorite months of the year is right now... this one, August... has been pretty much consistent throughout the 10 years Shelley and I have been here now.... Hot, dry, little wind, and crystal clear nights. Did you catch the full moon last night? Over West Bay? Wow! That was an incredible site! It never ceases to amaze me... God's wonders for us to enjoy! And a meteor shower as a backdrop. Thanks Lord.

If you are planning a trip down over the next few months, remember a lot of airlines have cut back their flight schedules so be sure to book your trip well in advance. I heard 52 flights to the Caribbean islands have been suspended until December. High fuel costs are blamed. Regardless, this is a great time to see Roatan.... not a huge amount of visitors, cheaper room prices and a lot more room on the beach!

Here fishy fishy fishy...

With the advent of the new stricter municipal laws concerning waste water in West Bay, and the enforcement of those, we're seeing hundreds of thousands of aquatic life return to the once desolate West Bay iron shore!! By forcing those offenders to clean up their act, we are seeing fast and noticeable results by the type and quantity of fish and marine life that is back on our shores....

On recent snorkels with the family, it seems that almost every week there are more and more lobsters, spider crabs, bandit shrimp, sea horses, and of course, snappers, groupers and angelfish where just months earlier, there had been none. Yeah! says my sons.... they are happy to see Mother Nature repair itself from the damage of a few careless hotel operators on West Bay Beach. Luckily, these problems are behind us as treatment plants have been installed and are functioning and the authorities have been noticeably visible throughout the beach! West Bay continues to be one of the prettiest places in the world, above AND now below the water as well....