Where to Live in Belize? San Pedro, Ambergris Caye

Ambergris Caye, Belize

We have been to Belize several times and have stayed on both the mainland and on the islands.  Belize was not our first choice of where to retire, it was originally Key West, Florida.  But I was just never sold on the idea of retiring to Key West and we had never really considered the option that we could move to another country and retire.

Last year we starting reading and looking into Belize and after making another trip to Belize, this time just staying mainly on the island of Ambergris Caye in the town of San Pedro, Bill and I decided Belize is where we wanted to be.  We felt like Belize had the best of everything to offer, it has the islands, jungles, Mayan ruins, they spoke English, easy access to the US and we could afford to live there.  We thought, what more could we ask for?

Ambergris Caye is Belize's largest island in the Cayes and is the most popular destination in Belize, for expats and tourist.  It has the largest expat community with a resort island atmosphere.  Belize has the second largest coral reef system in the world.  The reef lies 1/2 mile east of the Ambergris Caye shoreline and runs the entire 25 miles length of the island.  This has made San Pedro Town the dive and water sports capital of Belize and Central America.  The Great Blue Hole, Turneffe Islands, Shark Ray Alley, Hol Chan, Marine Reserve, Mexico Rocks, and Lighthouse Reef are only a short boat ride away. 

San Pedro reminds you of the Caribbean of 30 or 40 years ago, before the boom of international travel.  There are just three main north-south streets which are lined with wood houses and shops painted in bright tropical colors.  Most people get around town on foot, bike or golf cart.

Ambergris Caye has the sun and heat of the tropics, but is cooled by the trade winds off the Caribbean Sea.  Temperatures range from about 75-95 degrees during the day year round.  The rainy season is May to February, with most of the rain following in the late afternoon and evening.  Southern Belize may get up to 140 inches of rain a year, Ambergris Caye only gets about 40 inches per year.  The water temperature stays pretty much around 82 degrees year round.

Other post you may be interested in:
Where to Live in Belize?  Caye Caulker
Where to Live in Belize?  San Ignacio

Photo of the Day - "Belizean Betty"

"Belizean Betty"

Betty Lynn Lovin, our granddaughter doing a dance.  She just started dance classes a few months ago and loves to show her stuff.  Betty is our only granddaughter, she lives in Austin, Texas and will be two years old in January.  Her daddy is a master diver and has dived the "Blue Hole", a large underwater sinkhole in Belize.  The Blue Hole lies near Lighthouse Reef and was made famous by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and is considered one of the top scuba diving spots in the world.

"The Blue Hole" in Belize is considered one of the BIZARRE AND UNUSUAL DESTINATIONS AROUND THE WORLD

Bizarre and unusual destinations around the... - Topix

The Blue Hole is a popular dive spot in Belize and is located in the middle of Lighthouse Reef.  It looks like a giant pupil in the sea.  The Blue Hole is a perfectly circular limestone sinkhole and is more than 300 feet across and 412 feet deep.  The temperature in the Blue Hole at 130 feet is approximately 76F year round.