The best thing about living and retiring in Ambergris Caye is the weather. It is always warm. Although it may be humid, it is always warm. There are times during the year when the bugs are out, but and if you are prone to getting bitten you really have to look after yourself and put on some bug spray. They are not really that pleasant if you are prone to getting bitten. After my five years of living here, though, they do not bite me anymore.
The water and the water sports is another best thing about living in Ambergris Caye. There are several communities here that will suit anybody. So whether you like water sports or you are an artist, you will find something in Ambergris Caye that is suitable for you.
Another good thing about living here in Ambergris Caye is the proximity to other places. If you are living in Ambergris Caye, you are only a 12-minute flight away from the mainland and from the mainland, you can take a 2-hour flight that can take you to Atlanta, Georgia, Houston, Texas, or Miami, Florida. You are never too far away from the main international airports that give you access to the rest of the world.
The island of Ambergris Caye is a real melting pot of people from all over the world. They are all here because they want to be here. So most people here are particularly happy. Even the local Belizeans who work here choose to be here, even if they have families on the mainland. In
general, people are happy here in Ambergris Caye.
As far as cons, there are cons to being on a small island. Everybody wants to know your business and they will talk sometimes, but I find that a comforting thing that everybody here looks out for each other and they are there to help you when you need it. If I cannot find my daughter one afternoon, I will just ask somebody or put it on Facebook and somebody would say, “Hey! I saw your daughter here.” It is quite comforting for me.
If, on the other hand, I don’t want to get involved with the community, I can stay at home and cook and do my own thing without everybody being in my business. I do not know if that is a pro or a con, but I do find it comforting for the most part to be living in a small island. I feel safe as well. Safety is something that I very much value here in Ambergris Caye.
The technology here is very good. Our Internet is improving all the time. Skype is a new thing over the last couple of years that Belize now offers. International business is now easy to conduct because of Internet connectivity.
Another very good plus of Belize is that we are in one of the safest financial jurisdictions in the world, so Belize if a nice place to keep your money.
And again, everybody knows each other. If, for example, you are thinking of getting into the medical tourism industry, you just go ahead and see our town mayor, who will make an introduction and you might be having tea with the prime minister’s wife the following day because your business might be something that she is interested in, too. There is a real sense of community here.
I don’t have many bad things to say at all. If one day you cannot buy oranges in the store because they are not available, then you buy lemons or bananas and that is just a way of life here. Things are not as quick as you might like them, but that could be the reason why people move here to retire.
Americans and other expats are treated quite well in Mexico. There are many private expat organizations, not just here in Merida, but across Mexico. One example in Merida is the Merida English Library, where many young Mexican professionals come to practice their English and the expats practice their Spanish by talking with each other. .png)
The dress code in the Algarve is “smart casual” or “casual.” There’s no one with a tie here unless that person works in a bank. If you come along with a tie then we’ll know that you’re from another city or another part of the country. 
Within the creation of any great work of art, you can usually see certain elements of that great work in several previous works, but none of those previous works have all the elements at one time. It is the same with great beaches. You probably have your own list of the elements that make up a great beach. Here’s the list for my wife, Jet Metier: 