Annabel at West Bay, Roatan

More Fun On Roatan - *annabelroatan.com*

Vacation Yoga on Roatan - https://mailchi.mp/a718dad99e13/vacation-yoga-on-roatan

Vacation Yoga on Roatan

Fresh new photos of our beloved "Annabel."

One Enchanted Evening on Roatan

What do you really want on your next vacation? What do you really need? Perhaps the answer is as simple as it is profound: a special place for re-connecting; just the right time for re-igniting a relationship; or possibly, the simple grace of sitting in a West End cafe looking at the sun set over the sea. All by yourself. Nobody bugging you.

Ah, yes . . . the sea. Vacation right on the very edge of the sea. For one hundred and eighty degrees . . . half the world . . . all you see is . . . sea.

You sit on your porch swing. Nothing between you and the sea, but waves that throw themselves against the rocks in a war that seems endless, but we know that the end will come and which will win—but not in my lifetime (or yours) or our children,’s children, perhaps, not even then, but someday the sea will wash over the top of the hill behind our beloved “Annabel” and Johnny and Martin (the landscapers) won’t have jobs. Don’t worry about them. They’re vigorous, enterprising chaps; they’ll be on the first canoe to the mainland. And don’t worry about “Annabel,” our pretty rental home for your vacation on Roatan Island. Roatan! Yes. Google “Roatan.” You’ll find it about forty miles off the coast of Honduras. Long skinny thing, isn’t it? Look down at the western tip of the island. There’s West End, and, three miles away, West Bay. Together, these two burbs are the center of much fun and coolness. Keep looking. There in West Bay, drive past Infinity Bay (All-Inclusive, lah dee dah), make a right turn at the top of the hill, swing around Lighthouse Point, ogle the pretty homes along the Iron Shore. In less than a mile, you come to the stone gates of Turtle Crossing. “Annabel” is the fourth home, on the right, on the water, on the rocks where the waves crash etc. The sea! The sea waves crash. Thank God, we’re back to the sea!

So, you sit on the swing and look out at the sea, and think about such things as the enormity of time and space, and so much more, and you realize that you are about as close to getting it as you’re gonna: eternity, infinity, causality, destiny . . . all of it. You go “whoa!” and take a deep breath and that’s the exact instant your partner brings you a cold glass of “sun tea” that she’s been brewing all morning down on the steps. Scoot over, making your intentions unmistakable. Come, sit by my side.

Together you talk about the sea, and life and stuff, and then you get past that and go on to truly important things. Later, you go out to dinner at one of the cutest little restaurants on the beach. Have drinks. Watch the sun go down. “Ah . . . what has Chef Paul fixed for us tonight?”

The lovely Island House crew that takes such good care of our guests.

Roatan life.

A lovely night on Roatan -

A lovely night on Roatan

Best of Roatan Island - https://mailchi.mp/f4c6216397a4/best-of-roatan-island

Annabel at West Bay, Roatan updated their website address.

Stay at our place and have fun with David Flores and Fabi Diaz on the fabulous diving and snorkeling island of Roatan.

I saw my first lion fish on the reef in December!

Hunting Lionfish in Roatan Scuba diving in Roatan, Honduras in September 2013. Stayed at ReefHouseResort.com in Oakridge, the less touristy side of the island. Watched the dive master,...

Honeymooners at Banarama (just down the hill from Annabel. "We were in Grand Cayman yesterday, and this place is a hundred times better."

What Cruise Shippers say about Roatan! Hear what Cruise shippers Gary and Pepper have to say about their first impressions of Roatan!

Skyscrapers on Roatan?
One morning at 5:45 am, we opened the curtains, and there was a skyscraper floating by our back veranda. It was 14 stories tall . . . or should I say, 14 decks? The Norwegian Pearl was cruising into one of the two ports that serve Roatan. The big passenger ships that ply the waters of the Western Caribbean Ocean eventually make their way to our island to disembark their vacationers for a day on our lovely beaches.

Visitors fill their day with many choices: snorkel adventures, scuba diving excursions on the incomparable reefs, deep sea fishing, animal parks, sea kayaking, treetop zip lining, stand-up paddle boarding, swimming with dolphins, or just hanging out on the white sands and fine eateries at West End and West Bay.

Then, after the sun sets, around 5:00 pm you can sit on Annabel’s porch swing with a cool drink and watch the beautifully lit-up ships heading back out to sea.

These visits are crucial to our island economy. Every tourist who spends money on Roatan means income for everyone on Roatan.

(Psst! Here’s a tip: contact David Flores or Faby Diaz at Chillaxing Tours for the best deals and most fun excursions!)

When you stay at Annabel you can confirm this, but for now let me tell you how our home got her exterior color scheme. First off, our new home was formerly painted in navy blue with magenta trim . . . lively Caribbean colors, indeed, but they overpowered the handsome Hondural pine deck and wooden roof overhang. We decided to highlight the wood by selecting more peaceful colors. Then one day in the parking lot at Eldon’s grocery store, CJ set eyes on the white and sea-glass green of the Honduran license plate. See for yourself . . .

Having fun on a boat ride through the mangrove swamp on the eastern end of Roatan.

Best private tours on Roatan. Our island friends David Flores and Faby Diaz know all the secrets, every hidden corner, on Roatan.

How do you get from the Roatan airport to “Annabel” in West Bay?

• For $30 Island House will send a vehicle to pick you up (and for an extra $5, the driver will make a stop at Eldon’s Supermarket so you can stock up on the way to the house).

• You can rent a car at the airport. Avis, Thrifty, and Econo all have kiosks in the terminal. About $25 a day.

One final note.

• The Immigration and Customs dance on Roatan is usually fast and smooth, but your passport must be valid for 6 months past your stay on the island.

This is what "Annabel" looks like when you arrive.

How do you get to Roatan?

• Fly.

• Roatan has an international jet port with direct flights inbound from Miami and Houston, and shorter hops in from Grand Cayman, San Salvador, and other nearby airports.
How much do round trip tickets cost?

• In our experience, between $650 and $1,000 for economy seats. We have flown from Sacramento via Houston (United) and from Miami (American), and from San Francisco via San Salvador (Avianca).

The costs for airline tickets depend on a number of variables:

• Your travel needs and preferences. Economical or first class all the way?

• Which is your departure airport? LAX is typically cheaper than San Francisco which is typically cheaper than Sacramento—but not always.

• What time of year are you going, and how far in advance will you book your flights?

• Trade-offs. Are you willing to trade long layovers for cheaper fares?

• Your skill and creativity and perseverance in booking on-line. You can book directly with the airline or with a wholesaler like Expedia, Travelocity, or Cheapo Air. You can purchase round-trip tickets, or you can put individual legs together, often mixing different airlines.

• Or you can call your friendly travel agent.

Our preference?

• We book on-line and start with Cheapo Air round trip itineraries to set a starting point.

• Then we compare round trip prices offered by specific carriers.

• Then we search for itineraries composed of one-way legs.

This approach takes a lot of work, but we think it’s worth it.

• One caution: look closely at the layovers. Some fares are cheap because the layovers are 7, 10, 20, 30 hours. We are not making this up. We don’t mind leaving at 1:00 am and flying all night, but we very much mind spending an entire day in the San Pedro Sula airport.

Internet and Direct TV at "Annabel" on Roatan.

Internet.

We buy 2 MB of internet for your use at "Annabel." Ruth or Brad at Island House Management will give you the username and password when you check in. The download speed at Annabel is sufficient for email and limited streaming (Facebook) and browsing . . . if you are patient enough. Down the hill at JavaVine you will find a WiFi hotspot that is free if you buy a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and usually a bit more muscular. Most upscale restaurants have free WiFi for their customers. Guest John Woodbury reports that TIGO (the provider) came by "Annabel" on January 15, made a few tweaks, and the house Internet is now up to speed.

Direct TV.

Before you turn on the TV, we want you to click your ruby slippers together three times while saying:

There’s no place like Honduras
There’s no place like Honduras
There’s no place like Honduras.

Okay. Turn on the TV with the small Sony remote. The “on” light will glow green on the TV. Put down that remote. Pick up the large Direct TV remote and power up the Direct TV box if it is not already on. This is the remote you will use for controlling the Direct TV feed.

The most useful button is the “Guide” function. Most of the “normal” channels are between 390 and 399. There are a bunch of music stations in the 800s and a surprising selection of commercial-free movies in the 500s. The rest of it is very, very odd. Have fun exploring the weird selections. There is also some hard-core p**n up in the higher channels, but it is purchase-only, so I wouldn’t worry about toddlers stumbling on to that stuff.

(PS. If you have trouble getting any of it to work, find a kid. He or she will fix you right up.)

The photograph of the satellite dish, freshly cleared of the exuberant Caribbean vegetation, is courtesy of our aforementioned guest, John Woodbury, who is at the helm of the S. S. Annabel on her maiden voyage. Thanks, John Woodbury!

The best musician on Roatan, Honduras? Hands down, Brian James. You can catch him most weekends at "Beachers" on the West Bay beach.

Here's the original "Villa" owned and operated by the original "Annabel" in Panama City Florida. The best days of my childhood were spent in and around The Villa.

The veranda wraps completely around "Annabel."

If you like swimming pools, ours is right across the street. Johnny keeps it immaculate. After a run or walk to the beach, a quick poolside shower, and . . . SPLASH! Ahhh, that feels so good!

Raul and the Pothole Brigade
Let me fill you in on Roatan’s dark secret. The roads are horrible.

The 4 mile stretch between West Bay and West End is dreadful, and the muddy 200 yard portion between West Bay Mall and Infinity Bay Resort is beyond description.

There is hope. West Roatan just elected a new mayor, Jerry Hynd, who promises to do something about the roads.

In the meantime, drive attentively. Some potholes out on the better-maintained main road (where you think you can relax) are deep enough to break an axle or blow a tire—we know this from personal experience.

The saving grace is Raul and a couple of other men who fill the potholes by hand on the West Bay Road. They dig dirt from the side of the road and wheelbarrow or bucket it over to fill each pothole. Of course, when the heavy tropical rains deluge the roads, the dirt washes away and they have to start all over, from one end of the road to another.

So why doesn’t the island government just pave the road? That is a good question.

So, for now, it’s up to Raul and his colleagues whom we fancifully titled the “Pothole Brigade” to keep the West Bay Road passable. You will see them out there almost every day.

Why do they persist in this Sisyphean task?
It’s their job. They are entrepreneurs who do it for your tips.
Please tip them as you go by.

How much? We keep small bills in the cup holder in our car. Ten Lempira (about $.45) is sufficient; Twenty Lempira (almost a dollar) is gratefully accepted.

How often. We try tip them every time we go by, but at least once a day.

As you can see from his photo, Raul is a cool dude.

Why "Annabel?" Annabell Dearing Smith lived much of her life in Panama City, Florida, where she owned and operated a small bay-side hotel with her husband Steve, and after he passed away, ran the place by herself. Annabel was, as they say, a character. She had long, long hair that she kept braided up in an imposing construction on her head, except in the morning when she brushed it out until it fell below her waist. I was amazed by that hair. After the ritual brushing, she’d pad down the hall, through the dining room, and into the kitchen where she would get a tall coca cola from the fridge, pad back to her room, climb into bed and drink it. Woe to the unfortunate boy-child who spoke to her before she had her morning coca cola!

The hotel she ran was called “The Villa,” a ramshackle three-story behemoth about which there are many stories. My favorite is that it was built shortly after the Civil War by a surviving son of John Brown, whose “body lies a-moldering in the grave.” (Read your Civil War history!)

As a kid, The Villa was my favorite place on earth. And Aunt Annabell was one of my favorite people. She was tough as nails, and she could be stern, but she was one of my best cheerleaders and she taught me things that help me to this day. And she taught me to work. Yes, most of all, she taught me that work was important, and satisfying, and how to do it well. (And to never set the blue plate in front of her. Aunt Annabell don’t eat off’n no blue plate!)

Oh yes, every time we went to The Villa I worked! Out in the vast yard, raking and weeding, but mostly in the kitchen and dining room, I worked directly under a cook named Ruby (or Pearl?) who was mean as a cottonmouth. I tell you what, that woman did not like clumsy little boys underfoot. Doing my best to stay out of her way, I set the big tables, served food, and washed dishes. Then, at last, I’d go out to play and swim and wander along the beach, and if I was very lucky, to go fishing on the “Sea Horse” with Uncle Steve, Cousin Tim, and my Dad.

In the evenings, we would gather out on the long side porch, chatting and swaying on the big swings that hung from the ceiling on chains. I learned how to stand up and pump the chains until I got those swings a’zooming . The kill-sport grown ups would yell at me to stop, “you’re gonna kill yourself,” but I just kept going as high and fast as I could. What a hoot.

In February, 2017, on a visit to the island of Roatan, we became interested in buying a tropical home as an investment, to use it as a vacation rental. Our realtor showed us several possibilities, but the instant I walked into this house, I knew it was the one. Inside, it had wood paneling and hardwood floors just like I remembered from The Villa. And outside, providing an incomparable view of the ocean, a long porch that wrapped completely around the home. And, of course, on that porch, a swing on chains. I was overwhelmed with a sense of déjà-vu.

What could we do?

We bought it.

During the past year, we have been restoring it, preparing it for business and as our family retreat. In her honor and memory, we named our place, Annabel.

Bob and Christine Jenkins welcome you to "Annabel," our vacation rental on Roatan Island, Honduras in the western Caribbean. If you have any questions, or you would like to reserve a week, or two, or three in paradise, do not hesitate to contact your local hosts, Brad and Ruth, at Island House. Go to annabelroatan.com or press the "Learn More" button above.