By Lynette Blinne

Most people have a picture postcard image of their ideal beach vacation, replete with lounging and reading on sandy white beaches, sipping tropical drinks while gazing at a gorgeous sunset, after snorkeling in warm, turquoise waters. Well, welcome to Un-Belizable Belize during low season. (April to November) While many head to tropical escapes during the winter, I highly recommend that you summer in Belize.

I tell you this,amigos: there is no water like the gently rolling, bathlike, calm Caribbean sea here. The diving at Blue Hole is euphoric and snorkeling is truly a unique experience at Mexico Rocks, Holchan Reserve, and Shark Ray Alley, where you swim with nurse sharks and sting rays, who really do let you pat them and splash around with them. Tulu, a local boat captain, guide, and masterful sailor, offered a detailed commentary of the colorful fish and live coral as he knowledgeably heightened my navigation through underwater adventures where I’m certain I found, uhmm, Nemo, and a wide assortment of other exotic sealife.

At Isla Bonita, otherwise known as San Pedro, (“Last night I dreamt of San Pedro,” sings Madonna), you can throw away your watch, forget television, cell phones, and computers, and kick back for breathtaking views and the carefree experience you can normally only dream about. Could there be a more friendly island than Ambergris Caye, a short 15 minute hop from Belize City by Tropic Air, Maya Air, or Island Air? Not even! An added bonus is that everyone speaks English with Queen Elizabeth on the coins and Belize bills and, most importantly, U.S.dollars stretch twice the distance here. You will want to extend your vacation, buy here, retire here, live here, or return time and time again. A warning: When you return to reality, you may not be able to get your mind on anything else as you will be forever visualizing the beauty and gentle grace of this still largely undiscovered paradise.

I embarked on my journey with a swift flight from Dallas to Belize City via American Airlines (under three hours) which is considerably shorter than Dallas to Honolulu, trading a much more commercial atmosphere with high prices for a utopian paradise, very reasonably priced, with rates varying for every budget. Forget renting a car: you rent a golf cart or bike to tour around Ambergris Caye and it’s flat out fun, especially when you drive your golf cart onto the hand pulled raft ferry to the north side of the island. (3 minutes) You can always take an island cab, however, and I promise you will never find friendlier native cabdrivers, eager to share information about their favorite restaurants, sites to visit, or island gossip about whatever you wish to know.

Arriving at my destination, Banana Beach Resort, about two miles south of San Pedro, I knew I did not choose this sanctuary of bliss – it chose me. For weary, stressed souls, this is more tonic than the best massage, therapy session, or yoga. It is truly for the connoisseur of the exquisite in hospitality, gentle kindness, and tropical beauty to replenish your soul. The reception desk, staffed by Yosinia, Dorcas, Shawna, and Veronica, just simply could not have been more responsive and capable. They want you to love your stay and they see to it you do.

In the Monkey Business Shoppe at Banana Beach Resort, tours are arranged happily by Sandra, Mario, and Ricardo, who make any arrangement appear effortless. Want to try cave tubing? That’s definitely fun for adventurous souls or how about a short trek to the Mayan ruins at Lamanai or Altun Ha by water and land filled with rainforests teaming with animals, such as howler monkeys and coatimundis, little part raccoon-part anteater looking creatures. At the Maruba Jungle Spa, you can stop off and receive spa treatments and rejuvenate at leisure from your trekking, whether inland or by boat. At Banana Beach, you can stay put or travel all around, using the resort as a base while you plan day trips up and down the coast, investigate inland, or just explore the island of Ambergris itself......

Security guards, Gene and Egbert, courteous and reliable, are there to ensure your safety at Banana Beach Resort, although San Pedro and vicinity are virtually one of the last, great safe places, it seems, to walk about day or night. Of course all this builds up an appetite for some of the best food to be found in a single location.

I have never visited any destination where every dining experience was such a pleasure. My only disappointment was that I could not try out each and every restaurant. Of course, low season is lobster season and I believe I ate my weight in fresh seafood caught daily, such as red snapper, grouper, and lobster. And, O.K., I’ll admit it. I gained at least five pounds eating my way to nirvana. On the weekend, I traveled about 30 minutes by boat to Caye Caulker, a lazy, sleepy, sandy, backpacker haven, to engage in a serious culinary treat – Lobsterfest – where the lobsters are enormous, barbequed right on the grill. Served with rice and beans and slaw, you forget simple amenities like cutlery and just want to sit around and listen to reggae on the beach, wolf down your enormous lunch, and indulge in a hedonism that is absolutely addictive.

The price of the typical lobster dinner in the islands is about $15 US and I came away from Cocina Caramba’s lobster, which was drenched in garlic butter, positively satiated with what Renee and Patty present in kindness and culinary mastery to customers. Renee was the chef at Elvi’s Restaurant in San Pedro for years and then opened his own place, which is a must-go. This little happy restaurant in San Pedro deserves special mention. Mickey’s, another local eatery, is a small restaurant very reasonably priced with seafood and flan to die for, and the Jambel Jerk Pit Restaurant was recommended to me by a couple from New Orleans – outta sight tasty lobster and grouper with a spicy zing. But, you can stay within the confines of Banana Beach Resort and eat every meal at El Divino, whose grouper is divine and then some. I also loved the fact that breakfast was included at Banana Beach with fresh fruit and mouth-watering warm cinnamon buns, scrambled eggs, and beverage, or you can order the yummy banana pancakes, etc., from the menu. I also felt totally safe about the drinking water, which can be drunk from the tap although bottled water is ever available from the restaurants and hotels.

I met other travelers at Fido’s in San Pedro, lazily sipping Bellikin local beer, while they chatted away at the outdoor tables overlooking the sea. Fido’s palapa bar just invites relaxation with lively music at night to welcome all guests as does Crazy Canook’s at Playador Hotel, who hosted the wildly popular Aziatic and the New Concepts, a punta-rock Belizian band, one evening. Now there’s a group who will dance you down til you’re sweat-soaked and still begging for more. You can buy their CDs on the spot or at the airport in Belize City on your way out. Islanders swear listening to their music will make you a new person and they are performing all over Belize during the entire month of November.

Let’s say, however, that you just cannot bear to say goodbye to this unique island and you cannot say enough is enough. In fact, half the people I met extended their stay for extra days in Isla Bonita and were already planning their next trip. Inevitably, you realize that you must own a piece of this island dream. And why not? You should know that the Belizian government encourages American ownership and tourism and makes it easy to buy in Belize. For excellent information on buying, retiring, or vacationing in Belize, two most helpful websites include: belizefirst.com, with Lan Sluder’s articles and book on Belize covering every topic you could anticipate about Belize, and escapeartist.com, which literally covers every conceivable topic about travel you could desire. Also, explore ambergriscaye.com for more info and maps.

To buy a two room suite at Banana Beach Resort, which includes a one bedroom, one bath furnished suite complete with oceanfront view and balcony, with L.R. that has fold-out queen and kitchen fully stocked, you can basically choose the price you are willing to pay. Courtyard suites are priced less expensively, overlooking the two pools, and prices vary from $59,000 to $150,000 or more, depending on the size and location of the units. Many feel the beach and swimming at Banana Beach are the best on the island; their website is bananabeach.com, offering full details about vacationing at this outstanding property. For buying units at Banana Beach, check with Amanda or Chris at Sunrise Realty ( sunrisebelize.com), which specializes in this and other properties on Ambergris Caye.

The greatest part of either vacationing or buying in Belize is that there is something for every type of budget, depending on how extravagant you want to be. Lots of varying size are available for sale as are small, inexpensive homes, and sometimes building is much cheaper than buying preexisting homes. So whether you want to spend a little or a lot will depend on your philosophy of life and your attitude about the necessities you feel define your needs or wants. There are available opportunities for buying on nearby cayes or in more remote areas that are extremely reasonable. And many people enjoy retirement in Belize as well as those who prefer to become permanentresidents, with a lower financial requirement.

I was fortunate to meet an ex-pat couple, Bill and Georgia, who live on Ambergris Caye and who started coming to this island years ago. They loved it and began an import business by bringing in necessities such as cranberry juice, paperbacks, and other items that were difficult to obtain. As with other ex-pats who live on cayes, they take short trips to Belize City for supplies, and the occasional trip to the U.S. for business. What they notice about most tourists is how quickly they begin to shed their uptight demeanors and begin to unwind within a day or two. When I asked them about the difficulties of relocating and selling their possessions, basically starting over in a new world and lifestyle, Bill remarked seriously, “It just takes wanting something and believing in yourself.” I couldn't help but be impressed with their courage and determination to succeed, remembering that someone once told me that your "stuff" just goes on to different people long after you are gone, but as Bill gently reminded me, "You only live once and life is short. When you come here, you just need to leave your attitude behind and assimilate."

There is no question that island living is different and adapting to the mellow atmosphere is both a joy and a reinvention of expectations and requirements. But, as with all things, you are wise to visit this wonderful area of Belize, roam about, and get to know the people and the environs, while adjusting to a friendly, healthy, environmentally-conscious, inexpensive paradise. Really, folks, ya gotta see it to Belize it!

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