ALBERTA FAMILY FINDS THEIR PIECE OF PARADISE
New Honduras development offers ocean views and lush, green environment
Sprawling views of breathtaking natural beauty and a sea that’s bathwater warm. That’s been the experience for the Labonte family, who have a lot in a new Honduras development called Njoi Santa Fe Beach Residences.
“Numerous times, I went for a swim at midnight or 1 a.m.,” says Mike Labonte of Red Deer. “You float on the water and look at the stars. It’s just paradise.” Mike and his wife Jilleen and have a child named Charli.
Njoi Santa Fe Beach Residences is the followup to a project by the same company called Njoi Trujillo Beach Residences, which is three kilometres away. The first two phases of the development is composed of 78 lots.
“We’re moving really quickly,” says senior partner Gino Santarossa of the interest in Njoi Santa Fe. “And the reason is this property is just beautiful. It was 100 per cent ocean views from every single lot.”
The development stretches across 61 hectares of scenic mountain property. Pricing on lots in the first phase starts at $85,000 US and in the second phase the lowestpriced lots are $98,000 US. The land options range from 100 feet to more than 500 feet above sea level.
“It was very green and lush,” says Mike of his first look at the property. “The rainy season, from what I understand, is only two or three months a year. But it stays green and lush year-round.”
Mike quickly became a fan of the beach, which he says is essentially untouched. There’s no need to worry about finding a spot to spread out a towel on the sand.
“There really are no tourists in the area yet besides the backpackers,” Mike says. “So people who use the beaches are locals.” He also likes the sand and describes it as clean.
And the water made an impression. Mike says it’s not rocky and it’s easy to walk a couple hundred feet out and be waist deep.
“It’s very still because it’s in the bay, so there isn’t a lot of waves or movement,” he adds. “It just sits there like a hot tub.”
As far as the benefits of being so close the bay, that’s only the beginning. There are a wide variety of activities offered in and along this stretch of water, says Santarossa.
“We have a coral reef right in front of our property and take people snorkelling out there all the time,” he adds. “We have one of the world’s largest star fish colonies in the bay and usually we’re followed by a pack of dolphins when we take our clients there.”
And for residents at the development, their things-to-do list is about to get longer. The development is in the early stages of planning a golf course for the area.
“To add a golf course to this prestigious development is a huge benefit to homeowners,” says Santarossa. “Wherever there is a golf course, seems to me that prices rise.”
Plans are also in place for a condo development, pool, spa, gym and restaurant.
And when it’s less about paradise and more about needing the essentials, they’re well within reach. The development is about nine kilometres from a number of important downtown amenities, such as a market and hospital in Trujillo.
Development of the first two phases of Njoi Santa Fe are slated for completion by January 2016, which is when buyers can take full possession of their property. But construction on homes can start as early as this June.
After signing off on a lot purchase, buyers have five years to build their home. All homes have a modern contemporary design through Hugo Coello and Associates.
“We’re not going to build (right away), we’re probably going to a wait a couple of years,” says Mike. “Maybe go down there a few times and rent other people’s properties just to see what we want to build and discover how we want to build a house. We’ll have it as a rental and have it for ourselves to go down two or three weeks a year.”