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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday October 14, 2006 - 37 Snail soup just one of the treats awaiting in lovely Honduras T he tiny lovely country of Honduras is getting ready for company this week. For the first time, they are hosting the Central American Travel Market and have invited the international press, and wholesalers such as Conquest Vacations, and Sunwing Vacations to come and see what Central America has to offer. It has a lot to offer, and as many of you readers know, I've fallen in love with Honduras, and come once a year. I was invited to the Travel market, and came in early to visit Tela. It has been fun to come to Tela, to watch them get ready to strut their stuff before joining the international press, on the island of Roatan. Tela used to be a banana port, but in 1974 Standard Fruit pulled out leaving 4,000 people out of work, and struggling. Now a large portion of the old plantations are growing African palm used to produce vegetable oil, but you still see traces of the old days. Since I started coming five years ago, there have been noticeable changes, as Tela is the perfect spot for large tourism. Five new banks have opened this year, and new little restaurants and cafes are opening monthly. There is a huge development coming which will put Tela on the map down the road but in the meantime this is a magical long stay destination, real value for dollar, others are discovering it's fun for a week or two as well. The prices are still amazingly low compared to other destinations, not only do you not feel gouged, you can actually shop. Rum is still $4 a bottle, and internet access is $1 an hour.. The streets at rush hour are still filled with bicycles, and you see horse carts downtown. It has a lovely long beach, and is close at hand to many must see famous sites. I was here in March at Honduras Shores Plantations, a real favourite of mine. Over the years, I've gotten to know the staff, the neighbours, and small city of Tela, it feels like home, and I wanted to give something back. So, I spent two weeks studying survival Spanish, and teaching Honduras Shores staff English. I don't know who learned more, but all of us had fun and learned a lot. I was to teach two separate groups an hour each, but it often stretched to two, for each class, and the class had to be firmly pushed out the door. They were all anxious to learn, and their levels were very different, but it didn't matter, the office staff with lots of English helped the maids and farm workers, who had very little. And you could hear them practicing all over the property. It was so successful, the lessons have continued and Honduras Shores will be offering classes in survival Spanish this winter to their long stay guests. Honduras Shores Plantation is just ten minutes out of Tela. The property itself is gated and in the middle of privately owned villas there's a group of 12 rental casitas (little cottages) just a minute from a huge ecological lagoon (think fishing) and a short 80-metre walk through the property to the long quiet stretch of sandy Caribbean beach. The casitas are just three years old. There are eight one-bedroom units and four with two bedrooms. They have air conditioning and ceiling fans, a living and dining room, and fully equipped kitchens. There's cable TV and the returning Canadians some for 12 weeks and for the third time were told this year there are two more English channels, so they'll be able to watch Oprah. The maid comes daily and even does the dishes. As usual the Canadian managers have been busy making changes. The pool beside the casitas is finished and the landscaping lush and looking as though it has always been there. Nothing beats floating on your back and looking at the mountains in the distance, unless of course you're having a moonlight swim in the beach club pool with a drink in your hand. They listen to the suggestions from their Canadian guests, and have added canopies to the decks, and a generator so that when the power goes off, as it does in third world countries, they can keep the ice cubes cold and the air on. Since I left at the end of March, they've built at least 10 more villas, and whereas the first villas built were nice, modest, two and three-bedroom numbers, the last couple of years owners have been outdoing themselves, some look like castles, and get more and more opulent. The landscaping is simply gorgeous and a walk along the cobblestone streets is a treat. Now they brag that three ambassadors have built weekend retreats, and several other hotel owners in town have built get-a-ways on the property. What makes a visit here really special though, Canadians tell me, is they can take the bus to town, or call for a reasonable cab. They meet the villa owners and get invited in for a drink, they walk the beach, go to church, try out the restaurants in town, as Tela is known as a culinary destination, its specialty is snail soup. Shopping is good, groceries cheaper than in Canada, and there is pretty well nothing you can't find. So what does it cost? Depending on the season, you can spend a month for $4,000 or less for two, and that includes scheduled air, and airport transfers. For more information call 905728-0506, or check the website www.hondshores.com -- Sam Ion can be reached at sion10@cogeco.ca. WHAT'S NEW AT AIR CANADA VACATIONS FEATURING IXTAPA Air Canada Vacations will fly non-stop from Toronto to Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo starting December 16, 2006. Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo is the perfect place to be for an authentic Mexican fiesta. Celebrate any milestone - Mexican style with family and friends. Choose from a selection of Air Canada Vacations 7-night packages at 10 resorts. The charm of this destination is that it is unspoiled. Air Canada Vacations has a nice mix of all-inclusive and EP properties. All of the hotels are located directly on the beach except for Las Brisa Resort which has its own private beach and the Club Intrawest - a beautiful boutique hotel that is in the Zihuatanejo area. The beach in Ixtapa is on a fantastic 3 km bay with truly amazing sunsets. Just across the street from the hotels are shops, restaurants, bars and flea markets. There is enough night life to keep those looking for lots of fun very happy. This is truly a great destination because everything is within walking distance. There is no need to hail a cab or take the local bus to get to the various places. Additionally, there are two golf courses in the area that offer great package rates for avid golfers and most of the hotels that ACV carries do offer guests golf discounts as well. INTRODUCTING SARASOTA Sarasota (Florida) is all-new to Air Canada Vacations. Non-stop weekend flights from Toronto start November 4, 2006. Air and Car packages include Aeroplan Miles and Avis Car Rentals. For More information, give us a call!! BEAVER TRAILS TO THE CARIBBEAN: Six-year-old Aedan Smith holds a copy of The Oakville Beaver that he took on a Caribbean cruise aboard the Costa Mediterranea. He holds on tight in the wind on the top deck while at sea, off the coast of the Cayman Islands. Take along a copy of The Oakville Beaver on your next vacation and send it in for publication to Beaver Trails, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4 or e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. Visit McTavish At: www.mctavishtravel.com TRAVEL PROFESSIONALS Your guide to local travel experts and the best deals to your perfect getaway! Relax... you're with us 221 Lakeshore Road E. wwwhookedoncruising.com Voted Best Travel Agency Best Cruise Company Best Travel Agent Thanks Oakville! Hopedale Shopping Centre 1515 Rebecca Street, Oakville 1 Convenient Location in Oakville: Glen Abbey Travel Inc. 2441 Lakeshore W. Bronte Village Mall Oakville, ON 905-337-2228 (905) 827-1100 fax: (905) 827-4982 e-mail: travel@mctavish.com 146 Lakeshore Rd. E. 905-842-4999 lakeshore@travelchoice.ca 905-827-7272 www.uniglobeglenabbey.com