Roatan News and Articles
Carnival Begins Visiting Honduras' Roatan Island
Carnival Cruise Line just launched a new ship - its biggest - this fall, the 3,652-passenger Carnival Dream.
Carnival's just-launched Carnival Dream is introducing the first outdoor laser shows at sea, plus an indoor-outdoor cafe and live-music venue called Ocean Plaza that will present entertainment from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m., including the line's first comedy club. The new ship also offers a family cabin, featuring two bathrooms.
Recession is an ugly word for millions of people, but for cruise passengers, it's been a boon. Fares are surprisingly low as cruise lines slash prices to keep sailing full or nearly so - and there's still time to latch on to some good deals. Lowest discounted fares are hovering below $100 a day per person on mainstream lines such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, and even the luxury lines have made drastic reductions.
Videographer Interviewing Expats
The Minister of Tourism has approved a project of creating a montage of views and opinions of foreigners that lived
through the build up to the removal of Manual Zelaya and what has taken place since.
"A videographer from the US saw the interview that I did with Greta Van Sustern when she visited Roatan and got
an idea to do a series of interviews with ex-pats from around Honduras. This
would create a montage of views and opinions of foreigners that lived
through the build up to the removal of Zelaya and afterwards."
"They will be funding the trip and expenses for the videographer. I'm to work on an itinerary and
schedule the interviews. I'm thinking that we'd spend a couple of days on
the islands and then several days moving around the mainland. I think that
it's important to interview people from all over Honduras in all different
experiences - retirees, businessmen, long term travelers, missionaries,
school teachers, volunteers, etc. We want to talk to as many people as are
willing."
Thanks,
Mitch
If you are interested in participating in this project (NO EXPERIENCE
NECESSARY!) please email video@paradise-computers.com
Roatan's Megaplaza Mall Inaugurated
The Real Estate Division of Lady Lee Corporation on Saturday inaugurated the first modern shopping center in Roatan: Megaplaza Mall.
Megaplaza Roatan is located in the community of French Harbor, an area that has the largest population of the island. It is a work of over 26 thousand square meters in construction, the biggest thing so far to have been built on the island.
Laura Maria Blanco, executive director of the project, said the mall has more than 70 shops, with three anchor stores, including Carrion, which once completed, will be seven thousand square meters. She also stated that Megaplaza Roatan Mall has 300 parking spaces and the design was done by a firm from the United States in collaboration with some Honduran architects to create a final work on the same level enjoyed by first world countries in terms of comfort and safety.
"From this day, the Real Estate Division of the Corporation Lady Lee opens the doors of this mall to the public, and all islanders, local and foreign visitors can now enjoy its shops and restaurants," she said.
This modern commercial building started 18 months ago, and has generated an average of two thousand jobs, a figure very important to the economy of the island, especially in the last two months, during a period in which construction and tourism in Roatan suffered a hard fall as a result of the political crisis.
The chairperson of the Real Estate Division of the Corporation Lady Lee, Rachid Maalouf, noted that the design of Roatan's Megaplaza Mall is not something that arose by chance. "It's a very tropical Caribbean island design style, created by Miami architectural experts, who managed to create exactly what I needed for the island," he said.
According to the businessman Vicente Carrion, one of the great benefits to islanders and tourists with the opening of Mall Megaplaza Roatan, is that the prices offered by the shops will be much lower than in stores that operate in other cities in Honduras because the island is a duty free zone and the goods that come directly from the United States, Panama and other countries do not have to pay taxes.
Annual Fishing Tournament
September, 2009
Join us in Roatan for the 10th annual "Torneo De Pesca" Fishing Tournament. It will be held in West End on September 12th, 2009, from 12 p.m. until 5 p.m.
Other events you won't want to miss are as follows:
September 11: Registration and Capts Meeting for 2009 Roatan
Fishing Tournament
September 12: Official Opening of Mall Megaplaza on Roatan
September 13: West End Carnival
September 12-13: Roatan Fishing Tournament Activities
September 15: Independence Day
Two for One Special
July-August, 2009
Anthony's Key Resort in Roatan, Honduras is extending its "Xmas in July" 2-for-1 special until August 28th 2009. Buy one 7-night Dive, Snorkel or Leisure package in August 2009, for travel in AUG 29 - DEC 26, 2009 and get one same 7-night package FREE!
The Dive Package includes accommodations, 3 meals daily, 3-tank boat dives daily, 2-tank boat night dives, shore diving, air, tanks, weight belt and weights, bouyancy control workshop, tropical picnic at Maya key dolphin presentations, horseback riding, transfers, and more.
- Dive Package - From $1049, 1st person; 2nd person free
- Snorkel Package - From $949, 1st person; 2nd person free.
- Leisure Package - From $749, 1st person; 2nd person free.
Infant Care Center Opens
August, 2009
Work on the Infant Care Centre for the Morgan Jayne Project has been completed, now able to serve the island of Roatan in helping heal infected HIV babies. The care center, designed to help 12 babies at a time, will probably serve a whole lot more, and was completed last week after months of dedicated work from a team of volunteers in and those living on the island in Honduras.
The idea only began in December, but it became a reality only months after conception. “The island is excited about the whole prospect, I’m thrilled beyond belief,” Makowecki a Canadian volunteer said. “It’s only been three years since the project started, to look back and think of right now, it just absolutely boggles my mind,” he said. “How the whole town jumped on board, it just feels good to be doing something.”
Over the weekend, the community in Roatan had a ‘baby shower’ for the clinic, to fill it with furniture and items which will undoubtedly be needed. One third of babies born in Roatan die, and many whom don’t are left poor and HIV positive. The construction company who built the Infant Care Center is actually providing their services for free, with one member of the crew planning to adopt a child from the project.
Mayan Ruins in Roatan
June, 2009
ROATAN, Honduras - Roatan’s newest and finest cultural attraction will give visitors a little taste of Honduras all in one place. Developed and operated by the iconic Anthony’s Key Resort (AKR), Maya Key is located in the harbor of Coxen Hole, Roatan. Opened to visitors in the first week in June, 2009, Maya Key boasts reconstructions of Copan’s famous Maya ruins, a native arts & crafts studio, a traditional Maya village, and a wildlife rescue center displaying many of Honduras’ diverse wild animal species.
“Honduras is a small but diverse and culturally rich country and we want to pay tribute to that,” says Samir Galindo, General Manager of AKR. “We are very proud of our country and we want the world to get to know us better, and this is a convenient and quick way to do that.”
Maya Key will operate on a beautiful 11.5 acre private key conveniently located just three minutes across the bay from the Roatan cruise ship terminal, home to the familiar Fins and Flippers program operated by AKR. This key offers two secluded beaches, excellent snorkeling from a scenic pier, a 70,000 gallon swimming pool, a 5,000 square foot lounge deck and lush garden paths bursting with indigenous flora. Within minutes guests can enjoy the sand and surf of the Caribbean upon arriving at the cruise ship terminal.
Twenty years ago AKR pioneered Honduras’ only research and educational dolphin program, the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences (RIMS). The Institute is a unique on-site research and educational facility with the only dolphin program in Honduras. As one of Roatan’s first dive resorts over the years Anthony’s has expanded to include the RIMS, the Roatan Museum, a fully-equipped medical center, dolphin activities and now Maya Key.
The all-inclusive dive resort is located 35 mi (56km) off the coast of Honduras on Roatan, Bay Islands, part of the second largest barrier reef system in the world.
Second Cruise Ship dock construction advances
April, 2009
Roatan, Bay Islands.- At a cost of over 50 million dollars, the construction of Mahogany Bay, the second cruise ship dock on Roatan, it represents one of the biggest private tourism investment in the last few years and will allow for three cruise ships to dock simultaneously on the island and a total of 200 a year.
The modern facilities are being constructed at the Coral Cay are and will also include a commercial center and other facilities that will allow the number of cruise ship tourist to visit the Island of Roatan to go up to 700 thousand in less than two years.
Carnival Cruise Line, the most important cruise line is in charge of the construction. Carnival owns the largest cruise ships around the world with ships holding anywhere from three to five thousand passengers.
The project advances where supervised by the Honduran secretary of Tourism, Ricardo Martinez in a recent visit around the Bay Islands. Martinez said, the laying foundation of the project fulfils all the evaluation and environmental impact requirements.