Don’t be fooled because of its size. You can get from one end of Belize to the other in a half day by car or a half hour by plane (the country’s domestic air travel system is its most developed infrastructure). Despite this, Belize has many faces.
First is Belize City—poor, underdeveloped, and, in parts, unsafe. I don’t mind the place. Beneath the gritty surface, I detect a long-faded charm. Or maybe I project one. Either way, I enjoy passing through, but I know that, for many, the best part about traveling to Belize City is leaving Belize City.
Belize is perhaps best known and best loved for its Caribbean islands, especially Ambergris Caye, the largest and most developed, boasting both long beaches of soft, white sand and an established and growing community of expats and foreign retirees. This is the Caribbean at its best.
Belize’s long mainland coast is marked by two points of particular interest. South of Belize City is Placencia; north is Corozal. Placencia has grown up in recent years to become the mainland’s best-appointed beach town, catering to tourists and all the trappings that come with them. Corozal boasts easy access to Chetumal, across the bay in Mexico, which can be a big advantage in case of medical emergency. On the other hand, day-to-day, you’d likely feel secluded here. Maybe that’s a plus for you… maybe a minus.
The northern coast around Corozal sees about 50 inches of rain a year. The southern coast, Placencia and south, can see three times that much rain or more each year. Maybe that bothers you… maybe it doesn’t.
Inland is the Cayo District, a dramatically different region where life revolves not around the sea but the river. For some, river views don’t substitute for ocean vistas; others prefer them.
In other words, each region of Belize has its pluses and its minuses. Island living is always more expensive than life back on the mainland, meaning Ambergris is the most expensive lifestyle choice in the country. Most expensive and also most developed and turnkey.
Cayo offers an opportunity to enjoy a healthy, fulfilling, back-to-basics, and self-sufficient lifestyle, thanks to its abundance of fertile land, water, and sunshine year-round. Cayo is also Belize’s most affordable lifestyle choice.
At our upcoming Live And Invest in Belize conference, with the help of friends and expats who’ve already taken the leap and restarted their lives in Belize, we’ll showcase all the various faces of this country, to help you get an idea for how appealing and how diverse are your Belize lifestyle options. We’ll introduce you to expats and retirees spending time and building new lives across the country.
Infrastructure Not A Strong Suit
Paved roads are a good indicator anywhere of where the path of progress is headed. The British left great legal, educational, and governmental foundations in Belize, but not much in the way of physical infrastructure. Considerable investment has been made in recent years to improve this country’s roads and bridges. Still, though (to help put things into perspective for you), Belize has but four highways. The most significant artery in the country is the Western Highway, which connects Belize City (the largest city), Belmopan (the capital), and San Ignacio (the largest town in Cayo).
Not only road infrastructure, but infrastructure in general is limited in Belize. This is a small country where the infrastructure is most kindly described as “developing.”
No infrastructure, limited services and amenities, and little market demand (meaning limited product supply) could be interpreted as negatives. However, in Belize, particularly in Cayo, these things are a big part of the appeal. Once you get to Cayo, you don’t mind that there’s no infrastructure. You don’t mind that the culture is more concerned with conservation than consumerism.
That is, you don’t mind… or, if you do, you’re not happy. If you’re interested in a lifestyle supported by the diversions and distractions of a big city, Cayo is definitely not for you and maybe nowhere else in Belize is either.
Ultimately, to determine whether or not Belize is for you and where specifically in this mixed-up little country you might feel most at home, you’ll have to get on a plane, as I did more than 30 years ago, and come see what’s what in Belize for yourself.
Meantime, I, with the help of my in-Belize network of experts, expats, colleagues, advisors, and friends, can do my best to help you get to know this country through our Live And Invest in Belize Conference.
More than that, I hope to help you not only realize and recognize what Belize has to offer… but also to take a position… and perhaps even a leap of your own.
The coast, the islands… the reef, the rain forest, the Mayan ruins… the people, the culture, the history… the options, the opportunities… for investment, for adventure, for residency, for banking, for reducing your tax bill, for building a business, for reinventing your life…
The good, the bad…
Belize from end to end, top to bottom, up close and in real time.
I began a love affair with Belize over 30 years ago that has developed and deepened into one of the most important relationships in my life. I know Belize well, better than anyone else you’re likely to meet. I know the real Belize… and I love her just as she is.
Until next time,
Kathleen Peddicord
Founding Publisher, Live And Invest Overseas
