What's it like to live in Placencia, Belize?

Placencia is a 16-mile long peninsula located about three quarters down the Belizean coastline. The peninsula at its narrowest point is about 100 feet wide at its widest point, about three quarters of a mile. To the east of the peninsula is the Caribbean Sea and the barrier reef which extends out from where we are located 18 miles until the shelf drops off and you are in deep water. To the west of us you have a beautiful lagoon. You would have brackish water, which is a combination of...

Placencia is a 16-mile long peninsula located about three quarters down the Belizean coastline. The peninsula at its narrowest point is about 100 feet wide at its widest point, about three quarters of a mile. To the east of the peninsula is the Caribbean Sea and the barrier reef which extends out from where we are located 18 miles until the shelf drops off and you are in deep water. To the west of us you have a beautiful lagoon. You would have brackish water, which is a combination of fresh river water, rain water and sea water. As you continue looking past the lagoon you would see the Mayan Mountains, where the sun sets, which is spectacular.  We also have the sunrise, with the spectacular cayes and the barrier reef. Placencia is very much coastal living.
 
The entire peninsula ranges from about 1 to 3 feet above sea level. Some parts of the peninsula might be higher than that at 5 or 6 feet, but not too many parts.  The tides go up and down only three or four inches because we have an 18-mile barrier reef, so there’s nothing to create a tide. As a result, we don’t have high risks or any type of coastal flooding or any surge of water coming in the peninsula because it has to be filtered through 18 miles of barrier reefs.
 
We are in Central America, so it is reasonably hot; about 89 to 94 degrees Fahrenheit. The level of humidity is anywhere from 70% to 78% pretty much throughout the year. The term “Rainy Season” is a little bit of misnomer. We have clients who come here and giggle because they heard “Rainy Season” and they thought it’s Costa Rican style where it rains a lot and then it stops, which is not true. The Rainy Season here in Placencia means that we get only more rains, but the rainfall comes in the evenings.
 
The High Season in Placencia happens right around Thanksgiving until mid April.  We get a big influx of snowbirds who come for vacation to get away from the rain, the wet, and the cold from the US and Canada.
 
On the peninsula of Placencia we have what we call the Placencia Village, where you will find very nice restaurants. They serve Indian food, Caribbean food, Spanish, Creole, Italian, Chinese, American, etc.  We even have a gelatin from Venetia and a true Italian ice cream just to die for. They would not be able to sustain themselves if they didn’t serve good meals and they would quickly go out of business.
 
There are very good resorts down here, too. There is the Turtle Inn, which is owned by Francis Ford Coppola, and brings in all the high-end movie stars. We don’t get to see them here once they get into their resorts; they are left alone to stay there, which is fine. We also have the Placencia Hotel & Residences. Many people may have seen those videos online. It is a very nice high-end resort, with the only free marina boat dock. Also, there is Robert’s Grove and there is Mariposa.
 
There are a lot of really nice, high-end resorts in Belize in addition to those on the Placencia Peninsula. San Pedro, on the island of Ambergris Caye, or Caye Caulker are much more of a family destination, a retirement location, or a location where people would want to stay for three to four months out of the year. It’s for people who are not coming down just for the spring break two or three week vacation, but rather for people who would like to come down with the family; the grandparents with the kids, with the cooks, with the maids and hang out and play at the beach. They really enjoy their lifestyle for a more extended period of time. It’s a bit of a generalization, but it’s true. 

I loved living in Placencia. I became a mom in this village. My kids grew up here with absolutely no stress. They got everything they wanted, which is very good. I moved out of Placencia because my kids needed to go to school and the quality of education in Placencia is too low. I found that we needed something more than what the schools in Placencia offer. But if you are going to Placencia for retirement, it’s a great place to be because you will have no stress. The bars,...

I loved living in Placencia. I became a mom in this village. My kids grew up here with absolutely no stress. They got everything they wanted, which is very good. I moved out of Placencia because my kids needed to go to school and the quality of education in Placencia is too low. I found that we needed something more than what the schools in Placencia offer. But if you are going to Placencia for retirement, it’s a great place to be because you will have no stress. The bars, restaurants, and the beaches in Placencia are very nice.
 
My typical day in Placencia was not like everyone else’s because I was still working to attract tourists and retirees. It would be hard for me to live in Placencia without a job because it is too relaxed. You can swim in the sea, walk your dog, talk to the neighbors, run to a club, go to a bar, drink rum, etc.
 
In the winter, days are shorter so we wake up early and go to bed early. Many people who are retired at 3 PM you go to a bar, at 4 PM go back home, then have a nice dinner, and by 8 or 9 PM, they will be asleep. Placencia is an extremely relaxed place, so if you are a person who likes that then you will like Placencia.  But if you need a little more excitement, then Placencia might not be the place for you. I say the same thing to my clients. I try to find out what they like.
 
A funny example was when one my clients, a gentleman, said he wanted to feel the sea, and he had a green thumb. As soon as he told me that, I told him that a better place for him would be Corozal or San Ignacio because in Placencia, you are going to have a stroke over trying to grow tomatoes or any plants because it is very salty in Placencia and the soil is purely sand. Placencia is just a little above sea level. If you take a shovel and start digging, it wouldn’t take long for you to see water.
 
What it's like to live in Placencia really depends on what a person does. If you are a painter, go to Placencia. If you like to relax and meet a lot of expats, go to Placencia. Shopping is still dicey. You just have to drive 3 hours to get to Belize City or you can go to Mexico but if you feel you need these types of businesses around you, well, they do not exist in Placencia. Placencia is composed of a lot of houses, bars, and restaurants. That, and the beautiful scenery and lifestyle is what we have to offer to tourists and residents. If you are going to live in Placencia long term as a resident (as opposed to just being a tourist), you won't go on a tour every day.