My wife and I are looking to come an live in Roatan after I retire in two years moving from South Florida. We visited 2 years ago and stayed in West Bay Beach area at a resort. It was kind of a touristy area and are looking to do something less touristy. We are coming back next month in September. This time we are trying to find an area to stay like maybe Sandy Bay or something not remote where we can get a better feel for the island and what different areas it has to offer to live in. We do like the option of being near restaurants or places we can walk or have a short drive to. We also are friendly and don’t want to be isolated. We are looking to be on the ocean front or definitely must have an ocean view. Can you give me some ideas where on the island I should look or what you would recommend? We are renting a car this time and will drive around the island to see other areas too. Appreciate the help.
Just moved from FL… drop me a note if I can help… rjg848@gmail
I highly recommend Annie Miles who works with Re/MAX…ask her about White Rock Hills…plenty of ocean view sites and its located in mid-Sandy Bay so you are near restaurants, bars, grocery stores, etc. Ocean front is getting much harder to find in the west of the island. annieroatan@gmail.com or whatsapp her at 504-9996-8252. Mention my name.
Thank you Carol. I found a place called The Sanctuary in Sandy Bay…on the beach!!!
Super excited to see what living outside of a hotel or resort on the Island is like. I rented a car and I’ll be exploring the island to see the different parts to see what appeals most to me. We definitely want to be on the beach when I came after I retire. Just don’t know where exactly. Any ideas or thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Scott
Well Sanctuary is on the beach and it is in Sandy Bay……so you’ll get to see how you like it. East end is very far away from most things including groceries, bars and restaurants….you want solitude if you live in the East side. West Bay is just a tourist destination; not to say there arent ex-pats living there but not on the beach…they have hillside ocean views in beautiful million dollar homes. And many of those ex-pats are actively working at their own bars, restaurants, real estate, etc.
Other areas include Gibson Bight and Mangrove Bight or West End. Good luck in your exploartions.
What exactly do you mean when you say “East End is very far away from most things”? Where is East End located? Do you mean East End as opposed to West End (Half Moon Cay etc.)? If so where does East End stop?
We don’t want solitude as we are people people and enjoy having neighbors. Do you consider The Sanctuary place we are staying as solitude?
I see Gibson Bight and Mangrove Bight on the map too. Do you mean that these areas or different form East End in that there are much more people and things to do there?
I just don’t know yet and am still trying to learn the island. Appreciate your help!!
The east end is EAST of French Harbor….way east…… its Santos Guardiola actually…places like Paya Bay, Calabash Bight, Camp Bay, Punta Gorda, Punta Blanca, First Bight and Second Bight, Oak Ridge, etc. It’s far away and goes to Helene and another out island. Look at a map Scotty.
As I stated; The Sanctuary is in Sandy Bay…right in the middle of plenty of people, restaurants, groceries, hardware stores and the like. Gibson Bight and Mangrove Bight is west of The Sanctuary. Anything on the west side of the island (the Roatan side) is more populated with people, ex-pats and stores and conveniences.
Study a map showing the whole island……
Thanks Carol. Believe me I have been looking at the map for some time. Just unsure of what I’m not sure of!! You have been a big help so far to me. Thank you.
We’ll start at Sandy Bay and go from there. Is there any kind of ex-pat get togethers or way we can find people who already did all the leg work that we need to do? Or are there just plenty of ex-pats and we’ll run into them all over the island??
Thanks again Carol. 
When you get here, go to Sundowners in west end. Plenty of expats to talk with.
We own Turtle Casa in Sandy Bay (www.TurtleCasa.com). Check out Papa Bones (especially Sunday evenings) for Sandy Bay’s ex-pat hangout as well. Welcome!!
I have several places in different spots in Sandy Bay.
Quiet and relaxing both all near the water they are close enough to town but far enough away to have your own private space.
Contact me if you are interested
711cami@gmail.com
Scotty, did you make any decisions while you were there? We are also retiring in 2 years, and are hoping go live in Roatan. We are visiting in March. Anything you saw or didnt get to see that you would recommend? What were your major take-aways?
Hi,
I rented a house in Sandy Bay for a week and rented a car. It was our second time to Roatan and we stayed in a resort in West Bay the first time for only 4-5 days. I thought that renting a car would allow me to see different neighborhoods on the island that maybe I would like. The road around the island is basically one or two main roads and getting off of these onto smaller roads seemed sketchy as we did not know the area. We did not find anything we thought we would like that is somewhat similar to here in Florida. If you looking for inline shopping centers with big grocery stores or anything like that you won’t find it. Not a deal breaker but just a realization of what the island is like. So as of right now, I don’t have any idea where I’d want to live if I went there. I think it takes more than two trips to the island to decide. I would likely do my searching different next time also. Forgot to mention that both my wife and I sick (stomach pains and diarrhea) about midweek and had 3-4 days of rain to make things even harder. I think possibly the water there??? I brushed my teeth using tap water but drank and cooked with bottled water. Don’t drink any tap water.
It might be a good idea to speak to a realtor or someone like that who can sort out the island into areas you might consider. YOU might need access into gated areas if you’re looking in those also. You I would contact them before gong and set up a few different times to do this. The people in Roatan are very friendly and very nice and polite. I love the culture but such with a big move I’d need to be more certain before I decided to move there. I wish you luck in your search. Let me know what you find when you get back. Maybe it will help me also in my search.
Scott
Good Morning Scott,
Email me if you are interested in either of these properties. The pricing is less for long term but the photos and description on Airbnb give you an idea of the places. These are brand new homes not far from everything but a quiet beautiful home steps from the semi private beach and pier.
https://airbnb.com/h/tropicanablue.
https://airbnb.com/h/tropicanasunb
Contact me if you are interested. 711cami@gmail.com
Cami