Roatan News and Articles
Nikki Beach Resort & Spa is set to open in Roatan
The new Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Roatan is scheduled to open in April of 2010 and will offer five-star hotel service, design and accommodations with exclusive resort style environment. The resort will have more than 100 luxury suites, penthouses and villas with ocean view, spa, a mega marine for yachts and a nature park and reserve of 11 acres.
It is no surprise that this prestigious hotel chain has chosen Roatan to open their next resort & spa considering the natural and scenic beauty of this island recognized recently by New York Times and CNN Money as one of the most promising travel destinies.
The representatives from Nikki Beach Resort & Spa have mentioned they will create a private place where visitors will be able to enjoy the natural beauty of the island and the beautiful turquoise water beaches along with the incomparable entertainment Nikki hotels offer.
The resort will be surrounded by the second largest barrier reef of the world. Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Roatan will offer snorkeling and diving, an equal balance of nightlife and wildlife. The Nature Park and reserve is home to more than twenty native exotic animal species.
Todd S. Murray, developer of Nikki Beach Resort Roatan said he has had the pleasure of traveling around the Caribbean in search for the perfect place to create the next world class luxury resort. The natural beauty of the island captivated them when they first visited Roatan and knew this was what they where looking for.
Murray said “With TradeMark Developers, LPA International, Pluribus and Nikki Beach leading the way, we are well positioned to launch a project that will truly be a new luxury standard in the island”.
Incomparable service, amenities and luxury are part of the experience of the resort. At your arrival, a personal assistant will greet each guest with a glass of Champaign and will be available around the clock for the duration of their stay.
Guests will be able to lounge and relax at the infinity pool and enjoy the view of the island and indulge in global cuisine at the resort’s Café and capture de Honduran spirit while dancing to music at the Ultra Lounge.
“The pristine beauty of the island of Roatan and its status among those who know make this new location fit for Nikki Beach” said the president of Nikki Beach Hotels & Resorts. “We welcome our guests to our new Caribbean location where they will be able to combine adventure and pleasure for a unique and diverse experience”.
Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Roatan is the most exclusive development to date and provides a great economic opportunity for Honduras.
“The glamour, style, first class cuisine and incredible energy that Nikki Beach Hotels is known for helps us establish the status of the island of Roatan as a perfect destination for the upscale international traveler”.
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Heavenly Roatan
By Janine S. Pouliot
Sun May 11, 2008
Roatan, Honduras – there are times when you dream of escaping to a perfect tropical island in paradise just like you see in the movies, The Island of Roatan, right off the coast of Honduras is just that.
One beautiful hot sunny day, the ocean a turquoise color filled with colorful tropical fish. I was sitting in a restaurant supported on pole stilts above the water in the town of West End.
The crystal clear water looked good to swim in, and then I remembered I left my bathing suit back at the hotel so I just jumped in the beautiful sea fully clothed.
When I finally stepped out of the water with all my clothes wet I then headed to a little hut selling T-shirts and shorts. A few minutes later I had dry clothes on for only a few bucks and ready to go for lunch.
The Island of Roatan is located at approximately 30 miles off the north coast of Honduras and is the largest island forming part of the Bay Islands (Utila and Guanaja are the other two).
The island is 33 miles long and 4 miles wide, this laid back and breathtaking place of the world attracts travelers, backpackers and divers from all over the world.
Roatan has the second largest reefs in the world and is being discovered increasingly by tourist around the world.
Presently most accommodations are small beachfront inns with the amazingly beautiful Caribbean Sea a few feet away. Most hotels, inns and dive shops offer dive excursions and lessons, deep sea fishing charters, snorkeling and other activities.
Roatan is accessible from the United States with direct flights from Atlanta and Houston. Roatan also has direct flights from Italy every week.
This beautiful island is very different from any other traditional Caribbean destinations. Here you can interact with the local residents whom speak English.
Some places where you can enjoy of the activities with your family are Gumbalimba Park where you can play with the monkeys and parrots, watch the tropical birds that roam freely around the park, ride the zip line through the jungle, and enjoy water activities. Another place is Anthony’s Key Resort where you can enjoy the daily dolphin shows or go on a dolphin encounter.
A few minutes away on water taxi from West End is West Bay where I found the most amazingly beautiful beach I have ever seen, and as a travel writer for the past 20 years specializing in the Mexico and the Caribbean, I’ve got to say I have seen a lot.
Later I met up with a tour operator who runs day tours to the mostly deserted islands and signed up. We headed to the open sea and pointed to Cayos Cochinos two densely palm-and-fern covered islands with 13 cays that have been declared a biological reserve. We did some snorkeling and swimming for a while, after that we had lunch prepared by the local Garifuna people.
The Garifuna are an ethnicity different from the Latin population of Honduras, they derive from Africa, where they captured to become slaves for the New World in 1635. On their way to the New World their ship wrecked on the reefs of St. Vincent where they mixed with the local carib Indians, creating a new culture and language. They where forced off St. Vincent and relocated in Roatan generations later.
Our lunched consisted of fresh lobster and several side dishes that where served on wooden tables right in from of the crystalline water.
Just 15 minutes away on a small plane from Roatan to the Honduras mainland and The Lodge at Pico Bonito, located at the Pico Bonito National Park, you can find a rainforest rich with foliage, wildlife and tropical birds. The lodge is part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
It was raining when I arrived at the rainforest and giant banana leaves dripped water, some trees dropped their fruit and the place smelled exotic and earthy.
The next day the sun was shinning and I had my breakfast at the main house taking in the view of the National Park right before I went hiking into the virgin mountainous rainforest.
Getting to Roatan from the United States: Delta Airlines offers direct service from Atlanta. Continental Airlines flies direct from Houston. A connection is required from Boston.
Staying there: visit Honduras Tips for hotel information.