Copyright (c) 2008 Denise Clarke

Guanaja Honduras, a Bay Island paradise, located in Central America may be the next HOT SPOT for affordable retirement. Many Baby Boomers are now at retirement age and others are just looking to retire early, but how? The economy is sluggish and the US dollar has reached all time lows. They have workedhard to save for their golden years and now, faced with this financial crisis, the golden part is now tarnished and we are just left with years.

The question is,what are we, the new "old folks" really looking for in retirement? How about warm tropical breezes and the pristine blue waters of the Caribbean Sea? Would you like to trade in that rocking chair on the porch for a hammock swinging gently under some rustling palm trees or the clicking of knitting needles for the ZING of fishing line? We may be getting older, but our generation is healthier than ever, and we still want a little adventure in our lives!

Guanaja, a small island off the coast of Honduras, may just be the answer. Land is still inexpensive on this little island paradise and, so far, it has managed to fly under the mainstream radar screen as far major land developers.

Do you dream of a seaside cottage where you can walk out your front door and take a leisurely stroll down the beach or maybe a cabana on a hillside where you can cultivate orchids and pineapples? Guanaja has both! The highest point on the island is sixteen hundred feet and in addition it has many fresh water waterfalls with terrific drinking water. It also boasts the world's second largest barrier reef which protects the tiny island from large wave action and along with this reef come the colorful fish and live corals that would keep any diver or snorkeler happy for years to come!

Fish, did I hear you ask about fish? Less than three miles offshore, the Caribbean Sea drops off to thousands of feet. Billfish, tuna, dolphin, wahoo and a myriad of other migratory fish cruise these deep blue waters waiting for an anxious angler to troll by and then there are bonefish in the flats around the island. There is something for every type of fisher person. What about birds? Look out your door and see a riot of colorful parrots flying from tree to tree and hummingbirds, those tiny flying jewels, flitting from feeder to feeder. With enough patience these tiny birds will feed right from your hand held dish!

Affordable retirement should also include the option to hire help at a reasonable rate. To employ household help or grounds keeper is about one hundred and fifty US dollars per month and they soon fit right into the family.

Medical care in the form of walk in clinics is available on the island and for bigger emergencies, the hospital in La Ceiba is only forty miles by boat or air. Many of these physicians have been trained in the United States or Cuba and the healthcare is extremely reasonable. A friend who was recently playing soccer was hit in the head with the ball leaving a two inch gash. A visit to the walk in clinic where he was examined, x-rayed, stitched up and given medications for infection and pain. The bill totaled three dollars, YIKES!

If you are looking to live large, and are up for a bit of adventure and on a pristine Caribbean island, Guanaja Honduras may indeed be your affordable retirement spot.