Four Reasons Why Belize is the Best Buy in the Caribbean

Monday, October 26, 2009

Dear Reader,

On my last trip to Belize, after a long day, my driver invited me to join him and his neighbors in their local bar. Bottled Guinness was the drink of choice. The group warmly shared stories of their heritage: a slave, a pirate and even a pirate of Irish ancestry. (I believed the story of his Irish ancestry from the fondness he showed for the black stuff). My driver had welcomed me into his world as a new friend. He wasn’t looking for a bigger tip. In fact, he wouldn’t accept a tip and insisted on buying me a drink. This is just one of the many reasons why I love Belize.

In fact, it’s the first reason why Belize should be on your radar. The people here are amazing. Belize is a melting pot of descendants of pirates, slaves, and conquistadores. There’s a quirkiness and edge to the people. They draw on a diverse ancestry for unique traditions of music and storytelling. In Belize, you won’t be looking in on these traditions from the outside. You will be invited in.

To truly experience a local culture, you need to speak the language. The most successful and happiest expats immerse themselves in the local community. As a former British colony, Belize is English speaking. There is no language barrier. You can hit the ground running.

Belize is a country of amazing natural beauty. From its Caribbean shores to its jungle interior, Belize is a nature-lovers paradise. Belize’s barrier reef is second only in size to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. On the mainland, unspoiled coast is backed by lush tropical forests and Mayan ruins. All this in a country of less than 9,000 square miles and 320,000 inhabitants. As with the people, the landscape has an edge (sometimes rough) to it. It isn’t sterile like the posh parts of the Caribbean. Belize feels real…the type of place you would come for more than a one-week all- inclusive vacation.

The best real estate values in the Caribbean are in Belize. You can buy a casita in Orchid Bay (a high-end master planned waterfront community) for $159,000. How about a condo for less than $100,000 on Ambergris?

Belize is my #1 Caribbean buy. For the next six weeks, the developer at Orchid Bay has agreed to offer Pathfinder readers a $10,000 voucher towards a casita at Orchid Bay. This brings the price of one of these little homes down from $159,000 to $149,000. This offer is valid until December 13th. Request your voucher here.

Ronan McMahon