JTOG Day 42: Snorkeling & Exploring the Pristine Bay Resort

Yesterday I arrived on Roatan as a make-believe pirate and transformed myself into a modern day tourist and golfer coming to the Pristine Bay Resort and playing The Black Pearl. Today is simply a day to enjoy being at the resort, exploring it a bit with Alejandra ‘Ale’ Zelaya, the Sales & Marketing Manager and going out onto the Caribbean Sea for a little fun snorkeling.

On the ‘Journey to Olympic Golf’ it seemed that respites at nice golf resorts appeared when needed to replenish my energy and give me some downtime to simply enjoy the day. My stay at the Pristine Bay Resort, like time at the Four Seasons Resort & Spa Dallas (JTOG Day 10) and La Reunion Resort & Residences (JTOG Day 35) in Guatemala, came at the perfect time. I enjoyed being able to sleep in and wake up to walk a few steps to the magnificent beauty of the Caribbean Sea.

These respites also gave me time to plan the next legs of my Olympic Golf Odyssey. I had sketched out a plan for Torch and me to make it to Rio with a 10-day cushion for anything that came up along the way. Hopefully it would not be another mechanical repair like the ones needed in Mexico City (JTOG Day 22 slanted back tires) and Guatemala City (JTOG Day 32 brake system). Realizing the distances between major cities in South America, some days were spent just getting half way to the next stop like between Quito, Ecuador and Lima, Peru. Actually the distances between Lima and Santiago, Chile and then to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil were broken down into three days of driving. I was still of the mindset that Torch and I could make it to the Olympic Golf Course in Rio together.

CLICK here for a Video Interview Showcasing the Pristine Bay Resort with Alejandra Zelaya

Ale was awesome and gave me a very detailed and informative tour of the  properties available to purchase and rent at Pristine Bay. The properties ranged from one-to-four bedroom villas to beach villas to private residences. Getting inside all of them all I can say is that they are beautiful, exquisite and unquestionably as comfortable like my room at the resort’s main building. Check out the video and see for yourself. Pristine Bay is only a two hour flight from Miami, three hours from Atlanta and four hours from New York City. Definitely a half travel day and half resort day coming and going for vacation or to own a second home, put it in the rental pool to receive income to offset your investment.

CLICK here for a Video Interview with Jimmy Mikkelson, GC Supt. & Shaper for Dye Designs.

Ale took me out to the 4th hole to meet and interview Jimmy Mikkelson. Like Perry Dye he grew up in a family business where he learned to drive bulldozers at an early age. Jimmy went to Colorado State and became a golf course Superintendent working for the Dye family in New Jersey. When they found out he could drive a dozer he became part of the team traveling around the world building golf courses that change countries (JTOG Day 37 Perry Dye interviews in San Salvador). As a shaper, this is the man who makes the find slopes, dales and curves to the fairway and green complexes that you and I are confronted with as we play the game of golf. It is well documented that ‘the lie dictates the shot,’ well it is Jimmy Mikkelson that dictates the lie!

Ale suggested we interrupt our tour so that I could join a foursome of golfers heading out on a scuba dive with the Black Pearl Divers. I was living the advertised ‘Green & Blue Life’ of the Pristine Bay Resort—come mix the best greens… with the best blues—combining golf, luxurious living and the blue waters of the Caribbean Sea.

I am not a diver, not even for golf balls in water hazards. I leave both activities up to the professionals or well versed amateur enthusiasts. Though I did enjoy the boat ride and flopping around a bit on the surface with my snorkeling outfit and taking a couple of hold-your-breath dives to see the coral formations and exotic and colorful fish. For all you divers out there, I did overhear Captain and Lead Diver Mike speak of some very interesting dive targets like ‘The Wall’ and ‘The Maze.’ No sunken boat with a treasure trove of old gold coins found though I did enjoy the time at sea, the open water and views of Roatan and the resort from the water.

In the latter section of the tour, Ale took me over to the Las Verandas Hotel and Villas where I met Keila Thompson, the General Manager. This property within the Pristine Bay Resort consists of ocean view rooms, suites and villas with an incredible series of infinity pools.  Las Pergolas, the main restaurant at Las Verandas offers exciting Caribbean/Americas fusion cuisine underneath and outside its sloped thatched roof.

Today was a resort day, tomorrow another golf day playing The Black Pearl at the Pristine Bay Resort.

Dinner time, please join me salivating over the food pictures below.

Gosh that was the best tortilla soup ever!

There are some more stories in the pictures below this request to make a donation to The First Tee… please make a donation today. Much appreciated.

I am looking for 100 new friends in the next 100 days to make a $100 donation (or any amount that you are able to make) to The First Tee. Each day I will be reliving the original “Journey to Olympic Golf” and hope to find a new friend in golf. Is that you? Please join me in giving back to the game we all love.

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