As we near retirement age we are researching places to live. We have been to Belize before and thought it was beautiful. We are taking a cruise in March and will be in Belize for the day. We would love to be able to meet up with someone who is living there already to get some details that websites and books just don't reveal. Of all the places we are researching, Ambergris Caye seems to be the most expensive. Is that true? We want to rent (long term) but do not want to buy. We are open to where we would live but want to be able to walk to the stores/markets, restuarants, etc. Most places I see for long term rent advertise burglar bars, etc. and it makes it sound like the area may not be safe. Are all areas like this? Is this the norm? Any suggestions on how to find/hire someone to give us the lowdown and show us around?

It would probably be best to book a trip to BZE after your cruise so you can really do some research!

AC is most expensive, and as the population increases safety can be an issue, however some areas are safer than others...

Cruise ships dock in Belize City and its very unlikely you will get even a remote impression of what living on ambergris caye is like.
at best you can get a quick visit to the heart of San Pedro town which is touristy and expensive but still will not see much of what its really like here.
San Pedro is about less than 10th of the island and nothing similar to the residential areas.
Try and get a taxi from San Pedro and get a quick look at Tres Cocos.

Thank you for your response. I know we need to come back to Bze for a regular visit and if we decide this is the spot, we will. At this point that is what we are trying to decide.....come back and research more, or, this isn't the place for us. We have been there before and loved our first impression.

Thank you. We can do that as long as we can get a taxi service that would be safe. We had a terrible experience once in Barbados concerning a taxi driver. Can you recommend one?

Do you want a taxi driver for San Pedro or Belize City?

We visited Belize by cruise ship for one day. It was an amazing experience. We worked with a wonderful company and had a private driver and guide who was friendly and knowledgeable about everything. I will try to see if I can get the contact info for our driver.

How unfortunate. I don't think we've ever had more friendly (or more honest) cab drivers anywhere than those of Belize.

I sent you a message with our driver's info.

Is Tres Cocos an area (city, town) or a development (housing)? Where is it in relation to San Pedro? I appreciate all information.

I'm sorry, bwman0220, I never received it. Can you resend?

I think San Pedro. But we are open to other areas.

That is wonderful to hear! Barbados taxi drivers could take lessons from the drivers in Belize!