Hi everyone,
I took early retirement a few months ago from my work in Canada and am interested in exploring Belize to seek out a place to spend the winter months. My wife has not yet retired so I would like to find a safe place that I can assure her she will enjoy in future winters. I am naturally a cautious person but don't enjoy being constantly on "High Alert" as I have been when travelling in Mexico. Even after many, many trips to Mexico on our last trip, things almost got nasty right in the parking lot at the Cancun Airport.
What I would like to do is land in Belize city, which I have heard is not the safest place, spend the night, then with a packsack, use public transportation to head out and explore without any prior reservations in hotels, my questions are:
In January are there sufficient vacanies that a traveller not need worry about being stranded without a place to stay?
Are "walkins" charged much higher rates because they have no choice?
Can a single person plan an average $100US a night for a room?
Any suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks
Patrick
Touring Belize in January without reservations
Patrick, January is technically high-season for tourism in Belize, so while you probably will encounter issues with some of the more popular accomodations, you certainly will be able to find somewhere to sleep.
If I were you, I would first figure out your itinerary and what locations in Belize you want to travel to. Then try to identify the top 3 accomodations you want to stay at in each location. Then, have their pricing with you (which is almost always publicly advertised on a website somewhere) so that when you do walk-in, you will have that with you and appear knowledgeable-that way you\'ll get a fair rate.
Even on the island of Ambergris Caye, you can find rooms for $50-60 usd a night. Corozal and San Ignacio, you can find rooms for $35-40 usd (in fact, my company Red Roof Property Management has a one room cottage with kitchen for $40 usd a night, 5 night minimum). Your budget sounds fine.
Have fun! Sharon Hiebing
Thank you Sharon, I like and appreciate your organized approach. I have been researching so much about Belize I have lost my sense of organization, Thank you again for putting me on track. Also, I find the information very encouraging.
By the way where is the cottage located?
Patrick
Glad to help. Sorry about that - the cottage is in San Ignacio Town. Direct message me if you want more info (I can\'t post links here). Thanks! Sharon
Sharon and Dorian,
Dorian, i am including you in this post because it sounds like you have a similar plan for exploring the country.
I am planning on coming to Belize in late March and spending about 10 days touring with the idea of possibly moving there in a year or so. Sharon i have , i believe , communicated with you about my plans a few months ago. anyway, my plans for christy and I are to arrive and rent a car and start driving around the country side - north and south. Maybe staying in one place as a hub for 4 or 5 days and then going to a second hub at the other end of the country. We would explore out from the hubs each day and return at night. So what is car rentak like in Belize and what towns would you suggest we use as the 2 hubs. During the 10 days we are going to try and get in a few days of scuba also. any and all advice would be welcome, including names of a few expats who might want to communicate. TX and Happy New Year
Yes, Bob, I think we met on another forum, if I remember correctly. If you are coming with an eye towards relocating to Belize, I wouldn\'t pick your hubs based on geography (north or south), but rather which towns meet your needs and criteria, such as cost of living, amenities, way of life, etc. Each area of Belize is distinctly different, so if you only have ten days, you\'ll want to be selective about where you stay so you maximize your research.
Otherwise, you\'ll be driving all over the country, spending money on fuel (which is not cheap), and only being able to spend very little time in each location. If you can identify in advance the \"quality\" areas for you and your desired lifestyle, you\'ll get more out of the research trip, and you may have time to squeeze in that scuba diving. You\'ll have plenty of time to see the rest of the country later, if you move here.
This is something I go in depth with my clients about prior to them booking their travel (which I also can help them with). Rental cars are pretty straight forward and work about the same way as they do in the States. Hope that helps. Sharon
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