Roatan Is Amazing - Why Haven't We Been Paying Attention?!
Updated: Apr 24, 2023
I was working, I swear!
In our mingling amongst our expat and real estate friends we often get invitations from developers to come and see what they’re up to. This invitation came via our great friends Ed Eakin, Al Sneeden and Kris McAulay who have been working diligently to bring a phenomenal project to life on an island that very few seem to know is there.
I traveled down with my fabulous companion, the effervescent Marion Napoleon (ask us over a drink about how everybody assumed we were married), and made quick new friends of Holly Fritz and Lindy Chapman, all of whom couldn’t have been better, more fun compadres.
Traveling in and out of the Roatan airport was super easy and customs lines were short and fast moving. Sweet Holly greeted us as we exited with a variety of beverages, tchotchke bags and the warmest smile. She said the drive to Pristine Bay and our resort, Las Verandas would be about forty minutes, but I swear we arrived in twenty.
Here's the thing, Las Verandas is a beautiful resort that’s apparently just been sitting there for years and nobody knows about it. It‘s situated at Pristine Bay, across from the French Harbor, in the center of the island and is gorgeous and comparable to any place we’ve stayed in other more touristy destinations…but there were never more than a dozen other guests around and we had the run of this palatial tropical estate. If you need a dose of tourism, you can head down to the West End where the cruise ships dock. But, over cocktails Friday night, Lindy commented, “I kinda don’t want to tell anyone. I feel like were we’re staying at a great friends home - a very rich friend!” Seriously, there are acres and acres of pools and beach front and restaurants and lobbies and you will never find yourself competing for a chaise lounge or begging for attention from a friendly staffer.
Al and Kris are part of Proposera, which has seeand n the opportunity presented by Las Verandas (apparently there is a none-too-galant past) and all are working diligently to put her back together. She’s really great looking already on her way to re-realizing her fabulousness as the anchor for a whole new expatriate destination.
BUT, the big lean-in news is the stunning new installation of suites, being designed by Lane Pettigrew who boasts a storied pedigree of projects completed all over South Beach and the Caribbean. Check out the Kao Kamasa Spa, one of his most recently completed projects, for an amuse bouche of what's what’s to come - no, really, go take a look! For more eye-candy, go HERE.
These eighty-five glorious homes will be carved into the hillside of what used to be a helipad adjacent to the lobby at Las Verandas and the also adjacent beach club. You can have as many bedrooms as you’d like, up to up to five, and square footages range from 900 up to 3,200, not including the ample terraces that feature private splash pools overlooking the ocean!
No effort has been spared to ensure that the project is respectful of its setting and wealth of gorgeous, indigenous building materials - teak flooring sourced from the rainforest, onyx native to south coast of Honduras, jade, etc. Units will be accessible via a stunning network of bridges (Lane doesn't do "corridors") and lush landscaping anchored by a a cascading waterfall that will flow down the hillside, through the lobby. One hundred percent of the homes will have front and rear, floor-to-ceiling windows taking advantage of oceanic cross breezes and the breath-taking ocean views. There are more than ample installations of moonflower trellises, patches of grassy green lawn and palm tress on all nine levels, all kept at their verdant best by a reverse osmosis repurposed water capture filtration system. Floor plans are laid out in next-generation, beyond great looking, open concepts with an emphasis on connecting the indoor spaces with the oversized terraces - this is how people live here. Breathable closets (this is important in a humid tropical destination) feature Honduran red cedar organizational configurations. There will be ample garage space for those with vehicles and a car-share for those without.
Those of us who savvy enough to join forces with Al, Kris and Prospera early on, will be handsomely rewarded for our smartness with Founders Club Membership which will include a full compliment of access to Las Verandas, the Beach Club and we haven't event talked about the Pete Dye designed golf course or the "Top-Golf'esque" driving range and a slew of other amenities; stay tuned - more to come! We'll be keeping things up to date on our site under International Real Estate, and there will be local cocktail parties to talk about the project and trips down to see it first hand. Make sure and let us know that you would like to be on the LIST - once the place is opened up, we've got a feeling that opportunities will disappear quickly!
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