By staying with us, you are now part of our Belize adventure! How did two teachers from the Boston area end up investing in Ambergris Caye? We came to Belize for the first time in 2001 without a travel plan beyond landing in Belize City. After traveling around the entire country, we fell in love with the people, food and laid-back atmosphere in Belize. We dreamed of returning often, (3 visits was not enough) and 21 years later, we turned our dream into reality by purchasing this home on Ambergris Caye.
First, it was the Scuba School Belize!
Call it Covid brain or something else, but being locked down during the pandemic made us start to think more about our priorities and goals in the next chapter of our life. With luck we found our realtor, Rob Colon, and after seeing a few properties (virtually) it didn’t take us long to see the potential in this property.
Located just a short walk from the bustling center of San Pedro, we are just one block from the Caribbean Sea. Only a five minute walk and you arrive at the pristine beaches of Alaia Resort or enjoy the yummy croissants at The Baker. Our property is surrounded by fresh produce vendors and homemade taco stands. No need to rent a golf cart because you are literally a stone’s throw from anything you might need while you are staying on the island. Even though the house is located on a busy road, once you walk through the gates you are struck by how private and peaceful the garden and pool area become…a little urban oasis!
Casa Coccoloba
It was called Mermaid’s Lair, but we liked Coccoloba better. The house is on Sea Grape Dr. Kelly’s sister is a wildlife biologist, and she told us it’s the scientific name for the Sea Grape plant. Hence, Casa Coccoloba was born!
After we had a name, we spent the last month COMPLETELY RENOVATING it into a rental / house we can retire in someday. The only thing that hasn’t been updated is the structure. We decided to purchase all new appliances, fixtures, cookware and dinnerware. The beds have all new memory foam mattresses. We’ve updated the furniture and added additional outdoor seating options (adirondack chairs and a hammock in the garden and crate furniture on the roof). The front of the house underwent a facelift with new windows, fresh paint (being done as I write). New red roof tiles will complete the fresh new exterior. The upstairs bathroom is getting a makeover as well. We really want our guests to be comfortable during their stay!
But the best part is the crazy pool, installed to teach new divers how to dive. While it looks like a shallow, above-ground pool, it actually goes 3 feet into the ground, making it 7 feet deep with an awesome ledge for hanging out.
The other thing we absolutely love is the outdoor shower. We have one in New Hampshire, so it’s almost the only thing we used to shower for 2 weeks we spent in Belize.
To top it off, we spent every morning drinking coffee on the roof deck. It was almost irresistible to yell, “Good Morning, San Pedro!” to all of the golf carts driving by every morning, and the freshly outfitted Alaia staff walking to their job. In the evening under the stars, we had drinks and talked about our day.
While we are not fancy like some of the places available on the island, we want to be a private, comfortable, pleasant place to stay as you enjoy all that Ambergris Caye has to offer, without breaking the bank! You can’t beat the location! As a family of 5 who love to travel, we wanted to provide the kind of place we love to stay on our adventures!
Mike and Kelly Barth
Please check out our property and on Airbnb through the links below.
Casa Coccoloba can be rented as a full house:
https://airbnb.com/h/casacoccoloba3
Or, the one-bedroom half duplex downstairs: https://airbnb.com/h/casacoccoloba1
Or the two-bedroom half duplex upstairs:
https://airbnb.com/h/casacoccoloba2
Our Property Management Company is Nellie’s Property Management in San Pedro. We connected with Millie and Nellie from the start, and we love that they have lived in San Pedro their whole lives.
https://nelliesproperty.com