Belize Expat Forum

wannaretirenow
Joined 2018
Posts: 5

6 years ago

newbie doing research

6 years ago

I just joined, but my husband and I have been doing retirement research for some time now. We're still a couple years out, but want to research and visit places first. We're not just looking at Belize, but it is on our short list. As we have not been there yet, we are planning a trip for the end of the year. We are considering the typical stops - Ambergris, Placencia, San Ignacio, Corozal and/or Hopkins. As this is too many places for even a 3 week trip (max - likely 2-2.5 weeks) we need to really consider what is suitable for us personally as a potential place to live, (rather than a nice place to visit), and pare it down.
I promise I won't ask all the same old questions. I will tell you what we're looking for. Of course we're looking at what is important to us, and what fits our lifestyle. We don't want to be too far from the ocean, as we love water sports of all types. We don't want to be in a super busy, touristy area, but we don't want to be in the middle of nowhere. We're not looking for a gated community. As we're living in quite a growing community now, we're looking for a bit of space to breathe. We're not talking a huge acreage, but at least a big lot or an acre or 2. Not a condo.
I've been reading other posts here and there was a good reply to one that summed it up pretty well, but now I am less sure about finding a good match for us. Ambergris looks too busy/touristy. Cayo is too far from the ocean. Placencia looks better than AC for us, but is it still too touristy and/or expensive? Corozal looks appealing, with access to Mexico and ocean location, but what is the water access like there? What about Hopkins? with ocean access and not so many tourists it checks boxes. I'm going to keep researching, but I'm not seeing a lot of posts about either. If they are not as popular, why is that?

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Contribute
Help others in Belize by answering questions about the challenges and adventures of living in Belize.