About islandflavour

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Some Forum Posts:

Honduras: Cold Canadian looking for beach rental:

We're not on the beach, but we have a pool we're a 3 min walk away to the Sandy Bay beach. We have a mixture of accommodations, including a range of privates (some with shared bathroom/kitchen, and some with private bathroom and kitchen). www.roatanbackpackers.com to see photos and more information, and you can email me at roatanhostel@gmail.com to inquire about monthly rates. Warm regards, Mel

Honduras: Roatan:

The forum is for both the mainland and Roatan- lots of posts on Roatan. Feel free to ask any questions you have, there are several of us on this forum that live on the island (it's been my home for 18 years). Mel

Honduras: Retiring w/ School Age Child:

I don't think I've seen any replies to your question yet. The schooling in Roatan can be a bit challenging. If you have the money, there are several private schools that offer decent education- Nuna by French Cay, Esbir in Coxen Hole, Island Academy in Sandy Bay. If these are out of your price range ($225-$450/month per child), then Kingdom Bilingual Education Center in French Harbour is a decent option, a little over $100/month. Some parents opt to homeschool.

Honduras: Newbie:

Sorry you didn't get any replies yet. For easy transportation by bus or taxi, I would suggest looking in the areas of Sandy Bay and West End, or possibly Flowers Bay (I have a few apartment rentals, if you're interested, you can contact me through www.roatanbackpackers.com) Rental cars start around $35/day. There generally aren't any cheap used cars here (everything's usually over $3,000), but if you want to purchase a car, you should be able to sell it when you go pretty easily. Taxis and buses between Coxen Hole-SandyBay-West End run frequently and are inexpensive, so I wouldn't bother with a car unless you want to rent way up on the east side of the island or in West Bay. Maybe rent a car for just a few days to go exploring and see the whole island. If you have any other questions, you're welcome to send me a pm. Mel

Honduras: Moving to and starting a business:

Do you have any idea what kind of business you want? To start our hostel, we formed a corporation (done through a lawyer, took a few months), got an RTN (tax number) through the Zolitur office (took several days as they had a system problem when we were doing it, but usually pretty quick), got a fire department inspection (same day), applied for a permit through the municipality (took a couple months for them to come do the inspection), got an accountant to get our special receipts as per the DEI requirements (took a few weeks). Does that help? You're welcome to email me at roatanhostel@gmail.com if you have more questions.

Jamaica: house swap Jamaica- Roatan?:

I'm planning a trip with my 2 boys (11 and 13), for near the end of June for around a month. I'm open to house-swap offers, preferably close to the water, can be non-simultaneous, as we have rental options in Roatan.

Honduras: Airlines:

Where are you flying from? There are direct charter flights in the winter months with Sunwing and Air Transat on Mondays from Toronto and Montreal. United has direct flights from Houston several days a week, Delta from Atlanta on Saturdays, AA from Dallas and Miami a couple times a week, and IBC Air from Fort Lauderdale. You can sign up for pricing alerts with kayak or air watchdog so that you can see when there's a drop in price.

Honduras: Family life on Roatan:

I live on Roatan with my 2 boys, 11 and 13 (we've been here pretty much all of their lives). We live in Sandy Bay. The boys go up to school in French Harbour at Kingdom Bilingual School, which is affordable (a little over $100 per month plus transportation), but I'm not loving it (before that, they went to La Luisa in Coxen Hole). If funds are not an issue, there's a private school in Sandy Bay that's very good called Island Academy, or a montessori-type school for the lower grades called Discovery Bay. Up past French Harbour, I've heard Nuna is good too. I think the island is a fantastic place to raise kids when they're young (as they get older, schooling gets to be more and more of an issue)- if you're living in the community (rather than somewhere gated), then they'll get to be bilingual, spend lots of time playing outside (rather than on screens), never really know what a brand name is (my kids didn't have brand name awareness until this last year, when we were up in Canada for the year due to health issues with my dad). I really like the area of Sandy Bay- close enough to West End if we want to go out for dinner or something, and close to Coxen Hole for groceries, banking etc. We didn't have a car for many years, and didn't really need it as transportation by bus or taxi is easy and cheap. You're welcome to send me a pm if you have any questions about life here. Mel

Honduras: Roatan Cost of Living:

Sorry, I didn't notice your post previously. You shouldn't have any problem living on $1,500/month, especially if you own your home and don't need to pay rent. I've lived on the island for 17 years, I'm here with 2 boys, 10 and 12. I'm not a diligent record keeper, but I'd say I spend around $300-$400 on groceries a month. We have predominantly solar energy (and no a/c, solar hot water heater), and a well and rain water collection, so that helps with those costs. Internet is $120/month for 2MB service. Cell phone I do pay as you go, I don't really track how much I spend on it. We don't have cable. School is a bigger expense, but that won't apply for you. If you have any specific questions for expenses, let me know. Mel

Honduras: retire Roatan:

I also live in Sandy Bay and really like the area- close enough to West End if I want to go for a drink or dinner out, but when I'm home, I don't even notice if it's a cruise ship day. Close to Coxen Hole for groceries etc. Definitely a good idea to rent first, maybe a few months in one area of the island, and a few months somewhere else to get an idea.

Date Joined:

10/9/2014

Total Posts:

27

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0.03