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Posted By: CrackOfDawn Alcohol - 02/12/14 04:33 PM
grin we'll be down the last week of March. The last few years we didn't stop anywhere specific. There will be 7 of us drinking everything from vodka, wine, beer, J�ger....... Of course we will be in the bars but what's the best retail place? Thanks in advance.
Posted By: Phil Re: Alcohol - 02/12/14 04:38 PM
Premium Wines and Spirits in front of Fido's on Front St. Great fresh ground coffee too.

Wine De Vine for a different selection of Wines - no spirits/liquor - as well as cheeses just South of Town behind Ramon's
Posted By: Diane Campbell Re: Alcohol - 02/12/14 04:41 PM
Other than beer, best retail price for adult beverages is at the incoming duty-free shop in the International Airport.
Less than half what you pay for the same stuff in San Pedro.
Example - good wine - $6 US a bottle (same stuff is about $18 US here)
Similar savings on vodka, plus they stock Russian Standard which to my mind is the best, and is unavailable on AC.
They also have the usual other premium brands of whiskey, scotch etc.
You can get 5 or 6 bottles per adult. Hopefully that is enough for a week ......
Beer - best place is right from the distributor in San Pedro.


Posted By: ragman Re: Alcohol - 02/12/14 04:53 PM
Scott, I buy my wine at Discount Liquors which is located in the area of the Belize Yacht Club on the other side of the street. Beer at the distributor but if you get a case at the above it will be only a few dollars more I believe. 10% off on a case of wine.

Diane is correct of course you really should buy your wine at the duty free just before you go into customs at BZE. That will be the best price but the selection is sometimes lacking.

Good luck and have a good trip, it is all good.
Posted By: Hon Re: Alcohol - 02/12/14 06:13 PM
The wine selection at incoming duty free is often nil. On our last three arrivals, there was only a Chilean red...a cab sauv if I recall correctly.

We buy imported spirits for a significant savings over island prices. You are allowed 6 bottles per person.

On the island, we shop for wine at Premium Wines and Spirits. Their case discount is 16 or 17%. They offer free delivery in town.

We get our beer (soft drinks and mix) at the Liquor Shop just north of the roundabout. Their case price is about $10bz higher than the distributor but they have free delivery in town and cheap delivery as far north as Grand Caribe. ...and Norman is a really good guy who is working hard to support his family.
Posted By: Judyann H. Re: Alcohol - 02/13/14 01:55 AM
The import fees can be staggering....Our wine list includes wines from around the world,,,,A French Chardonnay, a California Zinfandel, an Australian Cabernet Sauvignon......Bring as much from home as customs will allow....And feel free to bring your bottle and enjoy it with us....No corking fee......With regard to the spirits you might find that our local Rum, triple distilled Vodka & of course the local Belikin Beer is much less expensive than many North American pubs......
Posted By: TravelinMan1 Re: Alcohol - 02/13/14 08:12 AM
The duties and taxes on wines are high here but the good news is that they are not based on the value of the bottle. The best deals for wine are the more expensive bottles. Drink Champagne or a bottle of Opus One as it will only be a few dollars more per bottle than you could buy it for back home. largest selection of wines and Champagnes is Wine De vine. If you buy a case you will get a discount.
Posted By: EarlyOut Re: Alcohol - 02/13/14 11:06 AM
Duty free at the airport is by far the cheapest. Here's the San Pedro Scoop's instructions:

Buying Liquor On Your Way Into Belize - San Pedro Scoop http://www.sanpedroscoop.com/2012/06/buying-liquor-on-your-way-into-belize.html
Posted By: klcman Re: Alcohol - 02/13/14 11:53 AM
I love the image on that blog page of the sign at Duty Free "Cartoon" cigarettes
Posted By: 6string Re: Alcohol - 02/14/14 02:27 PM
Just curious does anyone know for sure or is there a way to find out about the wine selection at the duty free? We tend to drink a bottle or 2 a nite and would love to save a bit of money, but I prefer california reds over the chilean if possible. Thanks!
Posted By: Diane Campbell Re: Alcohol - 02/14/14 04:31 PM
It's what they have at the moment. Sometimes good stuff sells out.
I've found California, Chilean, and Argentinian at various times.
Malbec seems to sell out quickly.
Posted By: Phil Re: Alcohol - 02/14/14 06:08 PM
Remember you have to repack the Duty Free in your checked luggage if taking a flight onwards, as there is no separation for Domestic and Intl departures here - so you have to go back through security and the US regulations on liquids of no more than a few oz in Hand luggage apply again. Three times I have had people arrive with broken bottles and all their clothes for the holiday wrecked.
Posted By: Loansum-Al K Re: Alcohol - 02/14/14 06:36 PM
Originally Posted by Phil
Remember you have to repack the Duty Free in your checked luggage if taking a flight onwards, as there is no separation for Domestic and Intl departures here - so you have to go back through security and the US regulations on liquids of no more than a few oz in Hand luggage apply again. Three times I have had people arrive with broken bottles and all their clothes for the holiday wrecked.

Phil, last time we were there Tropic Air took them when we checked in and then handed them to us as we were boarding. Didn't have to go through security with our "stash".
Posted By: klcman Re: Alcohol - 02/14/14 08:30 PM
Update, Phil - outbound flights

TSA is now allowing alcohol purchased at duty free shops to be carried on the plane. Previously, you could carry it on at BZE but you had to pack it upon arrival in the US prior to boarding your next flight. Never made sense to a lot of us and apparently they have now seen the light.
Posted By: Bear Re: Alcohol - 02/14/14 10:27 PM
Originally Posted by klcman
Update, Phil - outbound flights

TSA is now allowing alcohol purchased at duty free shops to be carried on the plane. Previously, you could carry it on at BZE but you had to pack it upon arrival in the US prior to boarding your next flight. Never made sense to a lot of us and apparently they have now seen the light.



K, was that determination made recently? That would be great. We still got told on our way out after Xmas/NY that we had to xfer the bottles to our checked luggage prior to clearing customs and the TSA admissions check to our domestic connection gate .
Posted By: klcman Re: Alcohol - 02/14/14 10:28 PM
February 1

"Now, the TSA will permit international travelers to carry liquids in excess of 100 mL in their carry-on baggage, "provided they were purchased in duty-free shops and placed in secure, tamper-evident bags (STEBs),"..... according to the TSA website.
Posted By: Phil Re: Alcohol - 02/15/14 12:42 AM
Good news. Annoys the hell out of me that a US Agency can dictate what happens here - but hey.
Posted By: TravelinMan1 Re: Alcohol - 02/15/14 08:32 AM
cheaper is not always better. Bring a couple of bottles buy a couple at duty free (if they have something respectable)and check out the selection around town. All part of the travel experience.
Posted By: MyUserName Re: Alcohol - 02/15/14 03:42 PM
I am currently in the air, half way to Belize, and we just picked up a few bottles at the duty free store in Atlanta right before departure. They had a great selection, good prices, and I don't have to worry about it once we land.
Posted By: Noelle Re: Alcohol - 02/15/14 05:53 PM
Upon entering Belize I have been charged duty on stuff bought in US duty-free shops. I'm not sure how that's supposed to work but the only way to guarantee that it's Belize duty-free is to buy it in the Belize duty free store.

That said, I hope they let it through!
Posted By: Loansum-Al K Re: Alcohol - 02/15/14 08:29 PM
Originally Posted by Noelle
Upon entering Belize I have been charged duty on stuff bought in US duty-free shops. I'm not sure how that's supposed to work but the only way to guarantee that it's Belize duty-free is to buy it in the Belize duty free store.

That said, I hope they let it through!

Sometimes they will try to charge duty on just about anything. We had some friends visit us about a year ago and they had brought in a bunch of snacks for their kids and they charged them duty on the snacks! Not knowing any different they went ahead and paid it. I would have told them to f@#k off!
Posted By: Phil Re: Alcohol - 02/15/14 11:02 PM
Unless you are on a major tight budget or have very specific tastes, just buy it here. You're on holiday. Cut loose.
Posted By: Loansum-Al K Re: Alcohol - 02/16/14 02:26 AM
Originally Posted by Phil
Unless you are on a major tight budget or have very specific tastes, just buy it here. You're on holiday. Cut loose.

Phil, that is no excuse to try to charge bull shit duty on things that they should not even be considering.
Posted By: CrackOfDawn Re: Alcohol - 02/16/14 08:48 AM
OK Phil...... My original post came from a thought. We've been coming down for about 6-7 years. Every morning I get up and cruse around in the golf cart and go back to the hotel with breakfast, beer, vodka, OJ, champagne...everyone gets going and happy as hell. This costs about $200BZE per day. We dump a ton of money every year and will dump the same coins but just in different places. Either way AC gets the cabbage. My idea was not about being cheap just smart for BZE and me.
Posted By: CrackOfDawn Re: Alcohol - 02/16/14 08:54 AM
Judyann...We plan on coming for dinner with you a couple times. Last year in April is the first time we met. There will be 7 of us this year!! Do you remember who we are?
Posted By: Phil Re: Alcohol - 02/16/14 02:12 PM
Relax. I wasn't calling anyone cheap I was saying it's often easier to get it here rather than stop start at the end of a long days travel have to repack an already full bag etc etc - sometimes easier costs more but is worth it, sometimes not. Nobody trying to hide there's a Duty Free. Chill.

As for bs Duty. Well we do need a tax system to run the Country and luxury goods tax makes sense rather than taxing the hell out of the working man.
Posted By: MyUserName Re: Alcohol - 02/16/14 08:22 PM
Just for the record, they didn't give us any problems with our Duty Free purchase from Atlanta. We only got two bottles (mainly because I wasn't sure they would have a good bourbon in Belize) and declared them upon entry and sailed right through. I'm glad that we did get something in ATL since I haven't seen any bourbon here so far. Cheers!

P.S. Thanks for the recommendation on the liquor store north of the roundabout earlier. We stopped and picked up a case of belikin earlier Nice guys.
Posted By: Judyann H. Re: Alcohol - 02/18/14 06:50 PM
Oh Scott, I'm sure I would remember if I saw you folks....This first year being open has been a haze.....However, I can tell you we have enjoyed everyone of our guests and look forward to seeing you again soon.....Be sure and ask for me when you arrive....We look forward to seeing you.... smile
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