In recent years, the Placencia peninsula has been undergoing a boom. Building lots have been sold by the score to foreigners who think they’d someday like to live by the sea. Real estate costs here are moderately high, however. Beachfront lots cost $800 to $1,000 per front foot, making a seaside lot around $50,000 or more. Lots on the lagoon are less expensive.

There is little North American-style housing available for sale or rent, and most expatriates are building their own homes, with building costs ranging $35-$75 or more per square foot, depending on type of construction. One Californian is building a 15,000-square-foot “retirement cottage” on the beach.

Cayo in Western Belize

Cayo has a lot going for it: wide open spaces, cheap land, few bugs and friendly people. This might be the place to buy a few acres and grow oranges. The major towns are San Ignacio, with a population of about 12,000, about 10 miles from the Guatemala border, and Belmopan, the sleepy capital of Belize, with a population of around 6,000. 

Agriculture, ranching and, increasingly, tourism are the major industries here. About 20 years ago, the first small jungle lodges began operation around San Ignacio. Now there is a flourishing mix of hotels, cottages and jungle lodges near San Ignacio and in the Mountain Pine Ridge, along with a lot of natural attractions and outdoor activities -- canoeing, caving, hiking, horseback riding, to name a few. The country’s most accessible Maya ruins are here, as well as Caracol, in its heyday a larger city-state than Tikal.

Between Belize City and San Ignacio, Belmopan is the downsized capital of Belize, but the attractions are in the surrounding countryside. The Belize Zoo is here, as are several excellent jungle lodges. Along the scenic Hummingbird Highway are barely explored caves, wild rivers and national park areas. Small farms are available for $10,000-$50,000.

Punta Gorda

Rainy, beautiful and remote, Punta Gorda in far southern Belize is the jumping-off point for unspoiled Maya villages and for onward travel to Guatemala and Honduras. Over the next few years as paving of the Southern Highway to Punta Gorda is completed and the road is extended into Guatemala, this area is expected to take off, both in terms of tourism and as a place for expatriate living. “PG,” as it’s known, is Toledo District’s only population center, with about 5,000 people, mostly Garifuna, Maya and immigrants from Guatemala. Maya villages, hardly changed for centuries, are located around PG. Cayes and the south end of the barrier reef offer good snorkeling and fishing. Lumbering and fishing are about the only industries.

Undeveloped land is inexpensive, with acreage beginning at a couple of hundred dollars an acre. Few North American-style homes are for sale. Quality rentals are expensive due to lack of supply and demand from missionaries.

Other Choices 

Hopkins: On the southern coast of Belize in Stann Creek District between Dangriga and Placencia, Hopkins today is what Placencia was like just a decade or so ago. Expatriates are moving to Hopkins, a friendly Garifuna village that got telephones only in the mid-1990s, and to real estate developments nearby. New small seaside hotels are going up in Hopkins and Sittee Point. Although at times the sand flies can eat you alive here, you can get in some excellent fishing and beach time, with day trips to the nearby Cockscomb jaguar reserve and boat trips to the reef. You’ll love Hopkins if Placencia is too developed for you.

Private islands: The days of buying your own private island for a song are long gone, but if you have money to burn and the willingness to rebuild after the next hurricane, one of Belize’s remote islands could be yours, beginning at about $100,000. Developers also are selling lots, starting at $4,000, on Long Caye and a few other small cayes.

-- Lan Sluder