More than 50 years on the beach
A seaside retreat like no other
Sometimes, where you hang your hat when you’re on vacation doesn’t matter one lick. Sometimes, a place to sleep is exactly that — a place to go to bed at night and wake up in the morning before heading and doing whatever it is you’re doing with your time away from the rat race.
But sometimes, where you stay really
does
matter. Once in a while, a retreat from the daily grind isn’t about the next thrill you’re after or a morning tee time. Every now and then, a vacation is about the view off the balcony or the chance to snuggle down into the sheets and just do absolutely nothing.
Everybody’s vacation is different, right?
The Villa with a view
On Roatan’s authentic East End, there’s a lot to do. We’re always just as busy as we want to be. And, for guests who stay in the Main House at Ocean Breeze Villa, the only itineraries are the ones in their heads.
We’re a water taxi ride away from zipline or kite-surfing thrills, a fly-fishing adventure on the flats, a shipwreck scuba dive or funky little bar crawl that’ll take you all over Oak Ridge and beyond.
But, for some, the Villa is all the vacation they need.
We want our guests to feel right at home and drop their worries the instant they pick up their luggage from the carousel at the airport. That’s why, when you come to stay at the Villa, it’s your house … your oasis, right on the Caribbean, replete with the ability to do as much (or as little) as you please.
And when you step outside onto the Villa’s beautiful covered porch, you’ll catch the vibe. The turquoise waters of the sea open up to the south, where, on a clear day, you can see the mountains of mainland Honduras.
The Villa’s own dock gives guests access to the turquoise waters of the sea. Snorkeling happens at the house. So does fishing — happy and hungry bonefish often pop up onto the shallow flat and gobble down shrimp and crabs right along the modest surf line. Want something a little bigger? Grab one of the Villa’s kayaks and a fly rod and paddle a couple hundred feet out. Here, everything from jack crevalle and barracuda to hard-fighting black tuna are waiting to hit a well-cast Clouser.
Years of history
The Main House (and the Guest House located behind the Main House) has been in the Bell family for the better part of two decades. After searching the Caribbean for the perfect retreat, Jerri Bell and her family came across the Villa on the calm and quiet East End of Roatan. In 2005, they made an offer, and the Villa has been in the family ever since.
But before the Bells entered the picture, the Villa had been a “going concern” for years, and its previous owners employed a full staff and let the house out to visitors who, like a lot of tourists looking for something a little different, found Roatan and wanted to make it home, at least part of the time.
The Villa was built in 1970 by Patty Spore. She sold it to one of her first renters, a gentleman named Mike Miller. Miller eventually sold the Villa to Todd Nelson in the mid-1990s. Nelson then sold the beachside retreat to the Bells.
All the while, owners of the Villa employed a staff, including housekeeping and kitchen help, groundskeepers and their families — in fact, Mabel, who heads up the Villa’s housekeeping and kitchen crew, grew up on grounds. Her mother, Gina, worked at the Villa for decades.
A proud community pillar
So, when you come to stay at Ocean Breeze Villa, you’ll be staying in a retreat that many have called “home” for a long time. Like all of our guests, you’ll become an instant part of the East End community — a tight-knit band of big-smiling locals and expats who have discovered Oak Ridge and love it so much that they’ll always leave a bit of their hearts behind.
No, you don’t have to live here to catch the vibe … to blend in with people so welcoming and so happy to have you as a part of their world, even for just a few days.
Come see for yourself. Your perfect retreat awaits.
