The Bay Islands, lying just off the Honduras coast in the Western Caribbean, is an archipelago that consists of three major islands, Roatan, Guanaja and Utila, and numerous smaller islands. The islands sit close to the western edge of the Cayman Trench and are surrounded by world class coral reef. The reef is part of the Great Western Barrier Reef, the second largest Barrier Reef in the world after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The coral reef surrounding Roatan is renowned for its world class scuba diving, while the many cayes and beaches around the islands are a snorkeler’s paradise. Here’s what we’re doing to keep the reef intact and healthy for generations to come.

Until fairly recently, the Bay Islands remained largely undiscovered except by scuba divers and some intrepid travelers. Now, they are booming and recent expansion is continuing rapidly. As of May, 2007 the islands became a “Tourist Free Trade Zone” a tax haven, where there are no taxes including income or sales tax, with the exception of a modest capital gains tax. The population on Roatan has increased to four or five times what it was forty years ago and is becoming more diverse with each new inhabitant. Roatan in particular, is being discovered as a great place to invest, retire to, or have the best of both world’s, with many people moving here to buy property, live and invest, all while living the “Caribbean Dream” lifestyle, at the same time. The island of Roatan has a history that is addictive once you begin to delve into it. Payan Indians are the first to be known to have settled here around 400A.D. The current English speaking population is a blend of British, Spanish, African and Payan Indian cultures. British and Spanish settlers invaded the Payan as their countries fought over possession of Roatan in the 16th Century. Thousands of pirates, including Henry Morgan, have occupied much of Roatan, through the centuries and during the high times of the Buccaneers and Pirates of the Caribbean. Slaves dropped off by the British from St. Vincent first settled Punta Gorda, on the north coast of the island before settling all around the northern areas of Honduras. These friendly, welcoming ‘Garifuna’ people play a big part in the cultural make-up of the island today.

According to CNN Money, “The Honduras Bay Islands are the top international markets for second home buyers.” Because it is a place in the sun, overlooking the cresting Caribbean Sea, this is the closest thing to perfect that serious settlers and second home buyers are likely to find.