Initial Visit-Request for Suggestions

We have stayed in The Aquada two times now in Santa Elena Cayo. They have a web site you can book through. We stay there as we organize our move to Belize. Easy on the pocket book, clean, nice staff, pool. This will have you be close to many sites inland of Belize. It is a long drive to the northern or souther parts of Belize from there. Therefore you may want to change hotels.

If you really want to explore Belize by car you must get a 4 x 4. Other than the main highways plan to take a long time to drive - the roads are very rough. Lots to see though.

Thank you!

renting a 4x4 suv in Belize city will cost $100 a day.

If you stay in Corozal, I can not recommend the Almond tree too highly.  check them out on Trip Advisor.

the 5 primary areas of Belize vary widely.  I do not know how you could really get to know them without actually staying there for awhile.   We did research prior to our first visit, and we selected Corozal based on cost and availability of goods from Mexico.  then we rented a house for 1 year.  Plan to buy within 2 years.

I am a retired vet and I would strongly reccommend that you leave your small dog at home in the care of a boarding facillity or relative that you trust.  There are tick problems here that can be coped with as a resident, but as a traveler it would be dangerous, for you & the pup.   The best way to find a rental is to keep asking around.  our house was posted on the door of the National Hardware store.  We met a missionary in a restaurant who told us about this venue.  He also introduced us to people who had small dome homes for rent in the area.  Eleanor Williams is the local Century21 realtor who also knew about some rentals.  Eleanor is ethical & competent. 

the cab driver I use knows many people and places.  The guy who installed our butane gas tank for our kitchen stove has introduced me to many people.  I also get info from the blogs.

If you decide to come to Corozal, I would be happy to share what I have learned.  let me know.

If you wanted to drive around Belize (not just the paved highways), what kind of vehicle would you recommend? You are right the 4x4 we have rented is expensive, but it sure works better than the older 2 wheel drive we rented the first time we went.

I agree, talking with people in Belize is the best source of knowledge. Each time we go we meet new people and we learn so much more.

We are making our initial visit in July and will definitely check out the almond tree.  Thanks so much for the info, as corozal seems to be the place that will meet our needs.

Any suggestions on banking?  Is there one that seems better for expats?

Hello Mommy2all6 >  i would suggest you to start a new topic with your questions on the Belize forum. Thank you.

InterestedInBelize wrote:

Hello All,

We have been impressed by the number of forum regulars that are willing to spend their time to offer suggestions to 'newbies.'  We have been researching living in Belize, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and the Philippines.  We feel Belize may be the best choice.

Your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for:

We plan on making our first visit to Belize in October or November.  We (two of us) will fly in with our pet (small dog).  Our intent is to stay in a hotel for three to seven days and locate an apartment or home to rent for a few months, maybe even a year.

If you are bringing your dog you have to have a health certificate from the Vet. You want to get this a few days before you travel. Plus I had the FDA stamp of approval on mine when I brought my Malty Pooh with me. There will be a charge to bring the dog in, I think it was 60US but not sure.

You need to check in advance with hotels most do not allow animals. Depending how long you stay, you would need another health certificate from a vet here to take the dog home. I found a hotel when I first arrived here that took us in on a trial basis because of my dog. But she is house trained and well behaved and everybody soon loved her. So they broke their rules and rented me an apartment.

to Interested in Belize,   

I agree with Hawk. 

I can not stress too strongly that until you are settled, plz do not bring your pup.  The danger from tick born illness is real and vicious.   when you live here full time there are methods to bring your risk close to zero, but not when traveling from place to place.  I am a retired veterinarian.  I kept a pup with tick fever in another Caribbean country.  Leave the pup with someone trustworthy.   the expense is well worth it, in safety.  best luck in your travels

Kristinanadreau:

I would really like to hear more from you as an expert, about the ticks and any other recommendations you have. We will be bringing in our Vizslas when we come. We are in Alberta Canada were we don't need to give any tick or heart worm prevention. We just look over our dogs after a day in the field for ticks. I have never seen one on any of our dogs in 40 years.

They are both dear to our hearts (as I am sure you have seen in your practice) and want to ensure we give them as good as care as we would ourselves. Prevention is far better than cure. We are not bringing them until we actually move there.

Thanks

flyaway with Vislas.  tick fever is babesiosis, a ricketsial disease of blood cells.  It is fatal when untreated.  while treatable, the treatment is not always successful.  There has been a shortage of doxycycline in no. america since January 2013.  This antibiotic is also used to treat malaria in humans. 

Prevention is imperative.  your vet has products that will repel and kill ticks.  Advantix and Vectra are 2.  I think there are others now.  If it were my dogs I would apply the preventative a week before coming to Belize.  Also, the dogs need to be manually examined at least daily for ticks.  get a tweezer, long handled forceps, and be prepared to pick ticks and put the blighters into a jar of alcohol.  pay special attention to their feet & ears.  If your pups later appear to be very tired all the time, take them to the vet for a blood exam.  to learn more check out babesiosis on Wikipedia.   Fortunately you have dogs with fine short hair, so tick detection is easier.  my spelling is atrocious.  sorry.  Hope this helps.

Kristinanadreau:

That is fantastic information. Thank you so much. I have already purchased a tick remover specifically for our move to Belize. You are right, their nice short hair will be much easier to find. Vizslas need to cuddle with their masters, so I don't see a problem with checking them daily as they will spend their nights in the house. Thanks for the web link. I will be reading it.

I suspect that many dogs in Belize have this disease then. I noted that they all act so tired. I thought it was the heat and the dog food sold in the stores. I specifically watched how people treated their dogs, and the 'strays'. I was happy to see that there was no active abuse.

If I can, I will pick your brain some more. We are planning on having a few litters of Vizslas while in Belize.

I had given my dog a pill from the vet before I came down. To prevent fleas and ticks.

But I was told frontline is available here, I was going to go find that product on the first. It has always kept my dog tick free, but not worked 100% against fleas.

I'd also like to add most of my neighbors have dogs, they are active and barking all the time. Most are locals and don't seem like they could afford an expensive Vet.

Plz make sure the product you use for fleas also kills/respells ticks.  some people tell me they use one product for a month and then another the next month since the active ingredient differs from product to product.  prevents building a Resistance. 

Some of the products do not last an entire 4 weeks and start to go down hill at about 3 weeks, so you have to keep your eyes open plus your calender.  I have heard there is a colllar that works, but I am skeptical.

Local dogs without veterinary care, "yard dogs" (not strays) have a much shortened life span.  food and shelter are often an issue.  Plz keep in mind that the average wage is $2.00-2.50 US an hour.  A highly skilled builder/electrician may only make $65 Belizan a day!  less than 1/4 the US rate of pay.

Flea & Tick meds are about $12 a dose.  so I can understand what I see.

After my last posting on this topic I went to Wiki to check their info and found some of it incorrect, in the details.  then I trolled the net and there are some home remedies being promoted that will NEVER work.  plz do not spend $80 on garlic to spray your back yard!!!

I know that the chemicals in the flea and tick preventatives are toxic to our pets as well as the insects.  Long ago, I made my choice that since it came to a choice of reducing life span by a few years due to the chemicals or a life of misery and disease with no preventative.-----  that my choice was a shortened but better life.  also from a practical view, I do not want ticks hatching in my house and on my body!   

Plz see your local vets here in Belize.  They will have their opinions about what treatments work best here.

Again thanks for the post. Also thanks for addressing the issue of the chemicals effect on the pets. Much appreciated. We have already gone to the local vet office and introduced ourselves. We let them know the type of dogs, and that we will be breeding them. They are close and very willing to work with us (so they say). I think they will want to work with us, since we will have the money to pay them.

I agree, the cost of the dosages is a great factor for most of the locals. Not blaming them, just making that observation, and wanting our's to be as healthy as possible.

We too are traveling to Belize soon,  like you we have explored the option of rental cars, where to stay, who to talk to  etc.  Our move is in the near future to look at properties and get to know the area.  We have as you do many questions  from sat phones, locale, safety etc. Look forward to any and all help out there. excited to have an opportunity for change.