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I can't believe you're all taking this a$$h*l* so seriously. Ignore him - that's more than he's worth.

...except I get more useful info from "him" than everyone else on this thread combined.

Thanks for some great comments on my original post. I was NOT attempting to compare AC with Mexico, merely stating a fact, that Mexico is way cheaper for food and drink than AC. The fact that Sams Club is full of Belizians only goes to prove this.

If money is of no issue to you (which seems to be the common consenus on this forum) then who cares about paying way over the odds? Who cares if 1 company have a total monopoly on beer, soft drinks, drinking water and shrimp? And who cares if the corrupt Belizian government have the monopoly on phone and internet usage, and choose to continue where Lord Ashcroft left off. Who cares about ludicrous import taxes or even complete bans on Mexican beer? Sounds more like communism to me, total and utter control in the hands of a few.

As the saying goes "Power Corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely". In the end, without competition, prices go through the roof, and everyone has to just accept it.

Winston? You express yourself well and I may actually agree with some of your points. That said, to my mind, you are speaking more like a disenchanted resident of Belize, rather than a tourist just recently back home from vacation in San Pedro.

I'm not disagreeing with your position that some things are expensive. It is the reasoning you have chosen in support of that position that leaves me a bit perplexed.

I'm curious as to how your mind works and so I ask: When it comes to your home country (may I assume USA?), do you approve and admire every policy, practice and governmental action? Do you berate people in your home country that chose to live up in the hills or out in the suburbs instead of in the more poor neighborhoods? When choosing a vacation spot, what criteria do you use prior to picking a location? If you were to learn that someone, for example, had chosen Cuba or Venezuela for vacation, and loved the experience, would you then take them to task for their choice because of the government and/or policies of those countries? Do you always advise that people spend their vacation dollars as parsimoniously as possible and thus their vacation time in places that potentially deliver less ambiance than they might actually seek?

And, what is it that you would have *tourists* do about the government and that Belize itself is a small country that still experiences growing pains?

Though I really hate to have this be my first post on this forum, I confess my girlfriend and I are having a difficult time stomaching Winston1984's continued spewing of uninformed drivel.

First, he has no grasp of economics nor history. He utterly fails to comprehend that the Belizean government (in its infancy, compared to the US or the UK) has granted certain monopolies to protect Belizean jobs. Every country has resorted to that tactic from time to time, though maybe Winston1984 is from Mars, where everything is apparently to his own personal liking. I first thought perhaps he was from unGreat Britain because he used the word "sod", but ultimately he sounds more like an ugly American due to his complete lack of logical thinking. His choice of Wal Mart as an example of the better way of doing things further reinforces his personal, selfish prejudices. Wal Mart may be great for its shareholders and perhaps even for its customers, but is lethal to neighboring established businesses and even its own employees, who have won multi-million dollar unfair labor practice lawsuits against the company in the US.

But this isn't about Wal Mart or history or economics. It's about an unhappy vacationer who chose poorly, and has decided to whine about his experiences publicly, and to place the blame everywhere but in his own lap. However, lack of planning or education on his part does not by default make this a problem on our part!

We made our first vacation trip to Ambergris Caye in April of 2008, and I daresay we've never had a better time or been to a place that made us more happy in our lives. We made the decision only after months of exhaustive research. We were well aware that most everything, and especially airfare, was going to cost somewhat more than for nearly any other (third-world) vacation destination. What we discovered was that in reality, the cost of food and lodging was honestly no more than most locations here in the US. That is not a bad thing. We hope and believe it means that someone in Belize is benefiting from our vacation money, which is good for the local economy. We don't expect to come to Belize to screw anyone out of our hard earned money, just because those conditions may exist in other (especially third-world) vacation destinations.

Aside from all the typical things there are to enjoy on Ambergris Caye and Belize in general, our passion is sailing a Hobie catamaran inside the barrier reef, and I can tell you we had more fun than ought to even be legal in that regard. But more importunely, we have never, anywhere, encountered more friendly people -- people who sincerely greeted us cheerfully before we even had a chance to see them coming. And we mean people from every single walk of life; not just merchants expecting us to drop dollars on their counters. It was humbling, and heart-warming beyond belief! And knowing what ordinary wages are for natives on Ambergris Caye, we made a point of tipping lavishly (by US standards).

Winston1984 is actually doing most of us a favor, by scaring away people who think like he does. Why would anyone want more visitors like him around spoiling it for the locals and visitors who actually want to be there? Continued dialog in this thread seems pretty pointless to me. Anyone with half a brain can pretty quickly decide which side of this fence to sit on. We're vacationing on Ambergris Caye again this April, and cannot wait to get there. Thankfully, Winston1984 will not be there to spoil our enjoyment!

Colin & Rhonda

Amen Cosmic Cats. You expressed my sentiments exactly.

Colin and Rhonda, you nailed it. Is the reward (tangible or non) worth the cost? For those of us who enjoy the sea, the reef, and most of all the people, we are more than willing to pay a little more. If you want a cheaper vacation you can definitely find it, but you get what you pay for (if you are very lucky). I could spend a week in my car, at a rest stop on the freeway for virtually nothing, but I wouldn't call it a vacation.

AMEN! Colin & Rhonda.
Hopefully your post will conclude this topic and no longer continue to give Winston the spotlight!

Colin and Rhonda, cudos!! You've expressed my sentiments as well.