Where to stay for first vacation

LD Of Canada wrote:

Hopefully in December we can take our first vacation to Belize.....................to start checking it out for a future retirement in 3 plus years.....i like swimming sunning boating and relaxing........any suggestions of where to stay????

Based on your criteria I would suggest checking out the Cayes of Ambergris Caye (San Pedro) and Caye Caulker as well as Placentia and Hopkins on the mainland as they are on the coast.. Corozol is also on the coast but does not have much for actual beaches. Based on that I would also recommend that exploring mainland destinations is easier from the mainland. I personally would stay in one of the mainland locations to explore the mainland for a week or so, and then go to the Cayes for a couple of days to explore San Pedro and Caye Caulker.

In my experience swimming, sunning, boating and even relaxing are great at first but get old quick, In my case despite saying for years "I can't wait to lay on a beach and sip little umbrella drinks' after about three weeks I needed to find other things to occupy my time.

That been said I do recommend checking out some of the inland areas like San Ignacio in Cayo. Belize is small and a craving for the water can be satisfied quite quickly with short trips. There is no one answer as far as the best place, only your experience after visiting each location for an extended period of time away from the comfort of resort life, will you know what is the best fit for you, based on your comfort level, budget, general health, and other factors.

In general, the Cayes are obviously beautiful, but will cost more and be more touristy, the south is more tropical but also gets more rain than the north, and the west is more rural. So there is lots to consider before a final decision can be made and why many of us say to rent in a location for a year before buying anything.

I hope this helps.

Yes thank you....im hearing a lot of great options and I have more questions for you as they come to me

LD Of Canada wrote:

Hopefully in December we can take our first vacation to Belize.....................to start checking it out for a future retirement in 3 plus years.....i like swimming sunning boating and relaxing........any suggestions of where to stay????

Hi LD- My husband and I just got back from a trip to explore where to live too. I love the Cayo, it's beautiful and loaded with lots of things to explore. But there's something about the smell and sound of the ocean. We checked out Punta Gorda, Placencia, Riverdale, Hopkins, Dangriga, Sarteneja, Corozal, Consejo and San Pedro....plus a few villages that we wandered through along the way. Some of the towns were "big" some are remote, some have more resources than others. You might think about what resources you need, how frequently do you need them and what proximity do you want? For instance, I really like Hopkins but you have to go to Dangriga for much of your shopping and services. while that might be a bike ride away for the locals it's a car ride for me