Lagoon Side Living on the Placencia Peninsula

The Bamboo House at Amik Kil Ha’.

You are seriously thinking of buying property on the Placencia Peninsula?! Congratulations! There are so many things that need to fall into place before you can get to a point financially, logistically and emotionally where you can invest your time and energy in a home in Belize.

As you are probably aware of by now, the Placencia Peninsula is a 20 mile long, narrow piece of paradise with the amazing Caribbean Sea on the east and the beautiful Placencia Lagoon and Maya Mountains to the west. Just like there are two sides to every story, there are two sides to the Placencia Peninsula! The Caribbean Sea is gorgeous and many people choose to make their home alongside it. But what about the other side?! As I spent time here, I began to hear from more and more people who were choosing to live on the lagoon. What makes it so special?

Amik Kil Ha’ lies between the Placencia Lagoon and the Caribbean Sea with all lots fronting on lagoon or canal.

For the six people I spoke with to write this article, the most common theme is the peacefulness and tranquility of the lagoon. With less extreme winds (moderated by the tree cover mid-peninsula) and less big development and road noise than the ocean side, residents lagoon side are able to experience the majestic beauty of this large body of water with the Maya mountains rising only 20 miles away to the west.

The prevailing winds are from the east and as they hit the shoreline of the peninsula, they are moderated by the land and vegetation. The main peninsula road lies along the back side of most of the ocean front lots, resulting in more traffic noise near these homes. The road is the only transport artery down the peninsula and the transport trucks and large construction vehicles must gear up and down continually as they travel over the speed bumps that lie every kilometre or two along it.

Many of the lagoon side lots are nestled in the forests of the peninsula and enjoy a more sanctuary like environment. Along with this comes greater protection from tropical storms and hurricanes.

Also cherished by people living on the lagoon, is the abundance of wildlife; manatees, parrots, egrets, lizards, iguanas, fish, herons and more. There is a small crocodile population in the lagoon but everyone mentioned they are rarely seen and they never feel frightened or threatened by their presence. The fabulous mangrove ecosystem of the lagoon creates a vibrant environment for the wildlife.

Everyone spoke a lot about the SUNSETS! Nici loves how every day the sunsets are lengthy, unique, often astonishing and very majestic. As the sun sets over the Maya Mountains and the clouds turn a rainbow of colours, it is a good time for a ‘happy hour’ Belizean moment!

The sunsets are glorious daily!

Stephanie mentioned that even if someone gave her and her husband an ocean front lot, they would still choose to live on the lagoon. Stephanie grew up in Guatemala City and her husband is from London, England and they have found their perfect lot on the Placencia Lagoon where, after four years of living on the peninsula, they are now building their ‘dream home’. Interestingly, Stephanie mentioned that most of the peninsula realtors live on the lagoon.

April loves the protection from the constant Caribbean winds on the beach side but still enjoys moderating lighter breezes at her lagoon home. She loves the ribbon of mangroves that surrounds all the canals and shorelines of the lagoon and her husband, dog and newly born daughter have a ritual of an early morning walk beside the mangroves to start their day. April feels like she has the best of both worlds where they live on the lagoon; quiet, fabulous sunsets, and privacy yet the ocean is a ten minute walk when they feel like dipping their toes in the Caribbean!

A question that is often asked is are there more bugs lagoon side?
The people I spoke with that have lived on both sides say ‘no’. There are actually very few bugs either side but the sunrise and sunset no-see-ums are something to protect yourself from!

Maintenance! It is common knowledge that when you live by the sea,
you replace your pumps, hardware, screens, AC units, fans, and anything that can rust, often! A bonus that comes with living away from the direct ocean winds is that cleaning and upkeep is much, much less! One lagoon resident estimated she replaces things a 1/4 as often as ocean side friends. If it can rust, it will rust!

Julie mentioned she feels the break-ins are significantly lower on the lagoon side of the peninsula owing to the fact that properties are more hidden away in the jungle and forests of the peninsula as well as usually being smaller scale and less likely to invite intruders. Jeanne was quick to mention that she loves that everything she owns lasts longer away from the sea air and that she is more of an evening person so the fantastic sunsets are what bring her daily joy!

Come take a look at Amik Kil Ha’!  You will be amazed at the beauty……

When I posed the question to Gilles, a Landscape Architect who has worked on properties on both sides of the peninsula, he reminded me how a view with 3 different vistas is much more interesting than a view with one. When one looks out from Amik Kil Ha’, the mangrove collar around the land, and the mangrove islands across the lagoon are framed by the Maya Mountain vistas in the distance. Thus, the rule of 3!

Last but certainly not least is the cost factor. Generally ocean side lots are as much as double the cost of waterfront lagoon or canal lots and this leaves money for just plain living!

Amanda Harris,
February 2017

We’ve just arrived back in Placencia, Belize after a summer up in wilds of Vancouver, British Columbia.  It’s so wonderful to be back!  Before I quickly become acclimatized to life in the tropics, I want to share my thoughts and feelings from the first 24 hours on the ground.

The wonderful little Tropic Air office in Placencia.

Heaven!  Can’t wait until they ripen.

We arrived to a very welcome site at the small Placencia airport where our friend and landscape architect Gilles from Manaka Design, had brought our truck to greet us. Not only was it full of greenery from our development Amik Kil Ha’, there was a bunch of bananas from the land waiting for us!

On the practical side, because we are staying very close to the Caribbean Sea with its’ salt air, the metal fixtures in the house have furthered their march to destruction with rust and many things have a slight coat of mould after 6 months of inattention. All easy to fix and clean and the place is feeling like home already! Gone are our fall clothes and warm comforter, replaced by shorts and flip-flops!

The sense of community here is enchanting!

But… the strongest impression made upon arrival is the friendliness of the wonderful Belizean people. Greeting us, welcoming us back, smiling and waving and nodding. There is a welcoming energy here, both from the other gringos and the locals, where they welcome people to share in their good fortune. The torrential November tropical rains have started, the humidity is surprising and the feeling of coming home is all around.

There’s no place like home!

Amik Kil Ha’ – Maya Beach, Belize

You are thinking of visiting Belize. You are thinking of moving to Belize! What can I get to eat you ask!? What do the locals eat? Can I get some ‘comfort’ foods from ‘back home’? What are the prices like? Is the food fresh and available??

All very important questions! First let’s start with location. As you know, ‘location, location, location’ is a factor in many things! Like other Central American countries, there are vast differences between services depending on where you are. Corozol, San Ignacio, San Pedro, Placencia and Caye Caulker are all very favored spots for visitors and ex-pats in Belize, and just as you might expect, there are more and more foods that appeal to the palate of these Belize-loving people in these locations. Here is a little video of a stroll down a food aisle in Placencia. Prices for imported items are, as you can imagine, much more than for local foods. But….if you want Oreos or feta cheese, they’re available!

What about GMO? Organic? Fresh? Affordable? A large variety of fresh fruits and vegetables can be found throughout Belize. Going along with the theory of supply and demand, the closer you are to centres where there is a demand for a greater variety, the more likely you will be able to find it. There are at least four fabulous fresh fruit and vegetable markets offering a huge variety of food in Placencia. From cauliflower, broccoli, peaches and apples to bok choy, avocados, zucchini, tomatoes and mangoes, these markets are reasonably priced, busy and fresh and open long hours and most days. The owners are hard working people finding fabulous food for their consumers. Prices vary depending on distance traveled and availability. Organic foods are starting to happen more and more in Belize and the Farm House Deli in Belmopan has bringing a market to Placencia with lots of fabulous foods including cheeses, breads and organic vegetables from their FARMacy at Barton Creek. It is my understanding that GMO is still banned from being used in Placencia but there may be GMO in products being imported into the country like in the states and Canada. There are more and more options for food happening as the demand increases. A wonderful new ‘health food’ store in Maya Beach on the Placencia Peninsula, called Healthy Addictions and owned by Anita Lowen, is bringing in all kinds of foods that people are wanting. Check out the shelves! Due to the large import costs into Belize, these foods are not cheap, but they are available! We bought a heavy duty industrial strength orange juicer last winter and enjoy freshly squeezed orange juice every morning for dimes! It is amazing! Last but not least, when you feel like going out for a quick, healthy, tasty and very affordable Belizean take-out lunch or dinner, this is the best! The very accessible Rice ’n Beans, cole slaw and BBQ Chicken!!!

First of all… take a minute and guess what you think might be the best part of spending a winter in beautiful Belize.

Some might think it is the sunny, warm days, the Caribbean Sea with its many shades of blue, and the endless warm days and nights. Dropping by the Maya Beach Bistro for a mango margarita with my two lovely daughters when they come to visit, is definitely a favourite. But no…. it’s not the best part.

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How does it work to live in Belize half the year and Vancouver, Canada the other half? Will I feel like I have a home? Can we afford it? Will my friends still be my friends when I return to Canada each spring? What about my health care?

These are some of the questions that I have asked myself in the past couple of years, and I think they touch on concerns that others have felt in considering the amazing option of keeping an address in North America and also having a home in a sunny, warm place like Belize.

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