Exploring moving to Roatan

Roatan Expats Forum
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#1

I know Covid has brought the world to a stop, but when this pandemic is finally under control (hopefully soon) my wife and I will be making a trip.

We are truly in the very beginning stages of exploring a move to Roatán.

From my reading it seems much easier as a retiree which would give me several more years to prepare.

I wanted to know if anyone on the forum actually retired early and took the leap of faith of moving to Roatán and starting a business and new life there to just get out of the rat race?

I know that is a pretty broad question but if anyone has a story like this I would love to hear about it if you wanted to share it.

Thanks

Eric

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Pro's and Con's suggestions on where to live as semi-retired, part maybe full time expats
#2

We bought our property and have built our first Casita, but are stuck here in the US waiting to get to Roatan. They’ve seemed to look to the US for direction on this Covid thing and have even taken more drastic measures than we’re currently experiencing.
Although we’re still optimistic about our move there, we were hoping to find a place a little more independent from the US.
That being said, Roatan is an incredible place. We’d love to share our experiences thus far.

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#3

Hi Eric, hope you don’t mind if I piggyback on your thread here. My husband and I are considering taking a leap of faith and not waiting for retirement to make a big move out of the US. We are in the early info gathering stages too. Maybe we could share info with each other once we find out new things. Chris Cash

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#4

Sounds great, absolutely. I’ve been so busy with work and dodging hurricanes I haven’t made time to focus on this in a couple weeks. My next step will be planning a trip back to Roatan hopefully in December.

My wife and I have a business we are researching starting there so that is the next logical step.

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#5

Oh curious about what business you will be starting? I can sell real estate there and I am also an Interior Designer and have a marketing background so I am not worried about finding work but my husband is not sure what he will do there.

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#6

Well, we have a few in mind, one being a bar/tavern and a couple of other service industry ideas we are exploring. Much more research is needed before we are ready to nail the exact one down.

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#7

Looking to move to Roatan next summer. Thinking expats would be able to give the best advice as to who to contact and where to live. Any advice for getting started?

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#8

You’ve come to the right place to start your journey and research. If you have specific questions after you poke around the forum, let us know and we will gladly answer any questions.

Welcome to Roatan!

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#9

We used (realtor) Lisa Blythe who was very helpful throughout our purchase. We found our First Bight property on the Roatan MLS and flew out to see it. First Bight is approximately in the middle of the island and close to an international school for our teenaged son.
A week spent driving from one end to the other would be my advice. I would also suggest a 4x4 and not a car with little bitty tires (like we had) for the journey.
Good luck in your search. Feel free to ask any other questions that you may have.
Attachment of the view from our first Casita.

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#10

Jumping on this one to monitor it as well.
We will be traveling to Roatan in Jan for 2-weeks, then in May for 4-weeks. We have a desire to find a home on St. Helene. Beachfront, acreage, small, remote, pier, boat access only. We will be staying at a B&B on St. Helene for a few days to get the feel and walk the community as much as we can.

We will be heading to BJ’s in Oak Ridge each Friday night to meet up with the East End ExPats for any guidance and ideas.

PEACE & Be Safe

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#11

BJ’s Backyard in Oak Ridge on Fridays?
Trico Bar and Grill in Jonesville Point on Tuesdays?
Are those correct? Anywhere else to meet East End ExPats?

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#12

Hi,

Jumping on this thread too!
I’m hoping to travel to Roatan with my dad early next year sometime, COVID dependant, but as soon as I can.
I am a single, female in my early 40’s looking for somewhere to retire early to, or at least cut down work for health reasons. I have done lots of research and think Roatan may be a very good possibility.
I am a bookkeeper so may be able to do some of that remotely (so very interested in what the wifi is like). I am looking to rent my house in the UK out for most of my income however.

Any advice/guidance would be appreciated as well as how safe it would be for me to make the move on my own as a single female.

I’m very much looking forward to visiting this beautiful island soon.

Stay safe,

Sandra

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#13

Hi Sandra, I am also a single female seriously looking to move to Roatan next year. I am self-employed with multiple websites that enable me to earn online. I also have the same concerns about where on the island is more suitable for a single female to live safely. I will probably rent for a year to get to know the island well and then hopefully buy a property and settle down. Finding an initial long term rental with reliable wifi is essential. One of my sites provides online SEO/ranking services, I had been thinking of providing free training classes to other ex-pats from time to time in order to get to know people, your bookkeeping skills could be an additional asset to the training and help you to make friends at the same time. Something to think about! I am a little older than you at 62 but still feel like a 35-year-old, ha. Good luck with your research if I can be of any help let me know. Best wishes, Lesley. North Wales UK.

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#14

Hi,
Going house hunting first week in April, coming from northeast coast USA. 20 degrees now. Hope to hook up with some expats
Gary

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#15

Hi lesley,

Sounds like we both have a similar thinking as to what we want to do! Your idea sounds great, what a good way to make friends.
I would love to keep in touch with you and how you’re getting on.
Have you been to roatan yet?

Best

Sandra

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#16

Hi Sandra, How lovely to hear from you, it would be great to keep in touch. To be honest, I have never been to Roatan, my plan was always to move to the Cayman Islands. I visited three years ago and knew I would want to return on a long term basis. However, the legalities of moving to Cayman have changed considerably over the last few years and the financial requirements are out of my league at this point. After doing lots of research Roatan seems to be one of the easiest islands with regard to getting residency. My plans are not set in stone, I plan to move to Roatan with the hope of settling if it turns out that it is not the right place for me I will search alternative places in that part of the world. Roatan appeals to me for many reasons and I am really looking forward to visiting in early 2021 with the view of moving late spring. At the moment I am just trying to find out as much information as possible, I need to clarify the residency requirements and find a long term rental with access to reliable wifi in order to maintain my business. Have you visited yet? I would be very interested to know your opinion, or why you also chose Roatan.
Best wishes, Lesley.

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#17

Hi Lesley,
I’ve not been either yet, plan was to go this year but COVID has put the anchors on that!
I can’t afford to cut back the amount I am having to work if I stay in the uk and also the weather plays a massive role too, the cold makes my condition a lot worse.
I researched the most affordable places to live that were hot all year and ruling out going east, due to language barriers and also the fact that I am vegetarian, which I found quite difficult to navigate when I was in Thailand, the Caribbean was one of the places that kept came up.
I’ve never been to any part of the Caribbean but have always wanted to go for about the past 10 years. For one reason or another, mainly due to work commitments, I have not found the time to go. Roatan came up in a lot of the searches I did and the more I read and researched the more appealing it sounded to me. I made a list of the things that are important to me and I’ve found Roatan ticks most of the boxes.
I plan to rent an apartment and stay for a month or so so I can see the different parts and where I like the most etc.
I’m probably not looking at moving as soon as you are as I need to plan and wrap up my business and I also have a 13 year old jack Russell that I couldn’t bear to leave behind and I’m hoping he’ll be with me for at least a couple more years. Gives me time to visit a couple of times though in between and make sure I have covered everything.
Will keep you posted as to when I plan to go - who knows what will happen at the moment with Covid etc. I was really hoping o visit in March but not sure if that will be possible, fingers crossed!
Speak soon,

Sandra

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#18

Greetings and Happy New Year! I was born and raised on the Gulf of Mexico in South Central Florida. At 5 years old, I had a mask on and a tank on my back. Rostand has always been a dream vacation destination for decades. Now as we approach retirement, I’ve discovered the possibility of retirement on Roatan. I want to bring my wife down this summer to explore the possibilities. Any suggestion on the best area to stay in the would give us convenient access to explore? Also, a realtor that could help us get on track?

Joe

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#19

I am also considering St Helene. Listings there seem to be sparse. I’m curious how you’re going about finding anything on Helene. I’m having trouble.

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#20

When you get there, stay out on Helene. There is a B&B there (not Airbnb), “Wine Down Beach” - Candice and Robert.
Once it’s known you’re looking for a property, you may hear from some of the families on the Island.
Use an attorney and realtor to ensure you’re safe with any real estate venture. The lineage of the property may go way deeper than what it appears to be.

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