Sanctuary Bay

also from calgary and have heard mixed reviews about sanctuary bay.heard owners are in jail in usa.we own land in northern belize close to corazol.very nice area and not very expensive.also many expats living there.

Have not heard anything good about it.

we took the tour and then ran like he??.
we bought a beach lot near hopkins after looking in plencia

I'm a new member and am also curious about Sanctuary Bay. I have done quite a bit of research and am unsure as to why you ran like he??. Could you give us some more concrete information?

Check out Cerrossand.com This is going to be a nice place to live and retire. Very close to Corozal Town.

mindfulinbelize wrote:

I'm a new member and am also curious about Sanctuary Bay. I have done quite a bit of research and am unsure as to why you ran like he??. Could you give us some more concrete information?

we took an all day tour with them,they were very professional and showed us a very large area of belize.then we went to the site where the lots would be sold,there were no lots being built on and no beach lots.we were told most of the lots were sold and we needed to hurry to get on of the last ones.they took us to the back of the property and showed us a lot with NO view other than trees about 1/2 mile from the beach. all the lots were needed to be cleared of trees to build on at our expense,then we would still not have a ocean view.we did not believe that all the lots have been sold so we did some checking on the owners and RAN LIKE HE??

Hi, A few years ago I almost bought a lot there.  These people are crooks.  They almost stole my money, but after several months I got it back.  They also subtracted some of my deposit for handling charges.

They have been reselling the same lots!  Very conniving thieves!  I hear somewere jailed!

Stay away!!!!!!!!!

I Googled Sanctuary Bay and read the news reports. Sounds like a place to stay away from for sure.

Hi coldinalberta,

I hope that you received some useful informations.

Good luck,
Harmonie.

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We also took a 4 day tour - they wined and dined us, and took us to their private island, and couldn't believe we were the only ones in the group who refused to buy into their scheme. They pushed and pushed - very expensive land - $200,000US for bare land and you had to build at least a 2000 sq. ft. house (your own expense). Not for us - we wanted to downsize. They were digging the marina. The whole area was a big mud hole. The only houses that were there belonged to the principals. When we got home they actually sent us a contract to sign offering us a property (that they said was not yet on the market!) for $50000US and said that if they did not develop the area, they would replace it with one of the $200,000 properties and GIVE US BACK the $50000 in one year. Talk about too good to be true! We also ran like he!!
We bought a few months later in Cayo district - an acreage with a small 2 bedroom house for a small fraction of that price. We love it!
We went on another "tour" by a developer from Cayo District who had sent us brochures that made it look like a small village and market were already there. When we got there, it was a field that had just been mowed, and the place where the "village and market" were supposed to be was a pasture that was not even mowed. There was one tiny house in the process of being built. We went back there just to see if anything had been done a year later and it was still the same. The small house was built but was vacant! Have not heard anything more about that one.
Lesson learned: be wary of developers trying to sell a "dream" - it will probably never be more than a dream and possibly just a scam. Don't be taken in by the smooth talking - do your homework!

bmcraig wrote:

Lesson learned: be wary of developers trying to sell a "dream" - it will probably never be more than a dream and possibly just a scam. Don't be taken in by the smooth talking - do your homework!

This is so true and excellent advice.  Been coming to Ambergris Caye since 5/2010 and living here since 8/2011.  During that short time, we have seen quite a few developments go bust or just not get built despite beautiful signs and lots of promises.  We are so glad we didn't buy into one of these "dreams" and instead bought in an established resort complex with completed buildings, amenities, and happy owners. 

It was interesting to get your take on Sanctuary Belize, because I have heard so much about it, both positive and negative.  There are stories like yours, and I've personally met a couple of folks who toured down there and totally drank the Kool-Aid.  I hope they don't lose their shirts!

I have no personal knowledge of or involvement with this particular development but the advice I give is the same as proffered by many other contributors to this forum over a long,long time. Research,research,research.
My wife and I, I am pleased to say,have been coming to and enjoying Belize since 1998. We bought a condo on Ambergris Caye shortly after our first visit but ONLY after we had conducted research about the developer. What other developments had he built? How did the owners feel about their investments? Then, and only then, did we take the plunge. Pleased to say that it turned out to be a great investment for us.
We approached things in the same manner when we decided to build our own home here on Ambergris Caye and needed to select a building contractor.
We spoke to people that had built on the island. Some very kindly let us look at their homes.We narrowed down our list of potential building contractors and met them. We looked at the projects they were working on and we spoke to their clients. And then we made our choice.
This selection process probably took us around 16 months but we are pleased that we made this investment in time.
The build of our new home commenced 11 weeks ago. It could have started much earlier but I am pleased that we took the time to research.

http://www.abelizehomeforus.wordpress.com

I live in Sittee River which is very close to Sanctuary Bay-

We are boat people and did not want to spend a fortune on our residence in belize.  So we have a cute house, boat, dock on the river and easy access to over 30 cayes-  We are also really close to the reef and the big lagoons in our area- Plus we are very close to the Jaguar reserve at Cockscomb basin-  we think it is a terrific area.

Sanctuary Bay is quite expensive and you do not need to spend that much money to get what they offer- 

contact me and I will tell you more if you want info
[email protected]

We drove through the Sittee River area on the way to and from Cockscomb Basin in a taxi (we were staying at False Sittee Point, south of Hopkins Village).  It is a GORGEOUS area!  For anyone considering Sanctuary Belize, you should definitely check out Sittee River. One of the prettiest places we've seen in Belize, and we've been all over.

We are on are way to sanctuary Belize and want to be prepared. What can you all tell us what to expect?

Are you headed down for the 17 May Tour?  That's the one we'll be on, so if so, will look forward to meeting you

Paul

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Artteacher wrote:

We are on are way to sanctuary Belize and want to be prepared. What can you all tell us what to expect?

We did a lot of research before we went down on the tour last November.  When we got passed the sour apples and the naysayers and looked for the facts we found that some of the previous major investors made some decisions which may or may not have been related to Sanctuary Belize where they were attempting to hide assets from the IRS.  At least one of them was prosecuted, paid heavy fines, and spent some time in jail. 

When we were there for the tour I asked them about what my research had indicated. I was assured that those investors were no longer involved in the development in any way.  We were never pressured into making a decision but we did decide to buy a lot.  We are planning to start building on the lot later this year.

We went back down last month and we are happy with the progress which they are making on development of the joint use areas. 

We met several people on our two trips who we are looking forward to having as neighbors.  It is not going to happen overnight and we really wouldn't want it to.

There appears to be a significant number of people who move to Belize looking for a minimalist lifestyle.  I think that is great and I have nothing bad to say about that choice.  From what I have seen those people are not going to be interested in Sanctuary Belize.  I'm sure that there are numerous different reasons why people choose not to buy in Sanctuary Belize, or even choose not to move to Belize at all.  Unfortunately some people seem to need to justify their decisions by making it sound like their choices are the only right ones and that everyone else should see things the same way.

Do the research, be informed, enjoy the tour, and make your own decisions.

In summary: Sanctuary Belize had some bad investors in the past and it's not for everyone.   But we're pretty excited about building our future vacation and then retirement home there and if you decide it's right for you we'll see you there eventually.

Cheers,
Lucky Larry

Thanks for the Lucky Larry input on Sanctuary Bay.  My wife and I are going on the tour on 3 Jan 2014.  Like you, I have done a lot of research and so far I am very impressed.  It's tough to know how much creedence to put on some of the negative posts, especially since most of them are a couple years old.  If SB appears to be on track for what they are advertizing, we will indeed think very seriously about purchasing a lot or townhome.  Like many other bloggers here, our biggest concern is how to feel comfortable/confident that all the future plans for building and infrastructure will in fact come to fruition.

Let us know how you did in May,we are considering taking the tour?We are hearing all different opinions.

In case anyone is interested in seeing my property, which is a 1.6 acre parcel bordering the Sanctuary Belize to the south and includes 150 of river frontage, dock pilings and power and water to the property and a building site and driveway in at 1 way less investment than any of SB 's properties, you can contact me at [email protected]. I live here full time and would be happy to show you my property for $95K USD with financing available with 1 third down. It is accessed by the all weather road to Sanctuary, All Pines Road. Interested parties please email and I will send maps, plot plan and photos. Park your boat in your front yard and be to the sea in 15 minutes.
Also available is a 2.3 acre parcel to the back of this property, which would give you a total of almost 4 acres of beautiful high Jungle. There is a one BR/ 1 Bath concrete excellent constructed house and shop on this property and it is for sale for $125K USD. Buy both these, get 4 acres and 150 feet of river frontage for $220K and live in the small house while you build your dream vacation home on the river, then rent or sell the other house and acreage or keep it as a mother inlaw or caretakers place.  Call me if you like   501-523-7259