Ocean Home Magazine profiles Sanctuary Bay

Sanctuary Bay was highlighted in Ocean Home Magazine earlier this year and I wanted to share the article with you. In the story John Usher, the President of the Sanctuary Bay project, shares his mission statement for Sanctuary Bay with the reporter:

“Our mission is to preserve this piece of paradise by building high-quality resort living while leaving behind a minimal environmental footprint. As such, we chose to develop only a small fraction of the 14,000 acres, and leave six-and-a-half of the seven miles of coastline untouched.”

Link to article:

http://oceanhomemag.com/sanctuary-bay/

Sun Spots

Hi everyone!  I hope that this posting finds you well.

I was recently speaking with the people at Sanctuary Bay and the project is proceeding very well.  They just released the updated Master Plan for the community which can be found at www.sanctuarybay.com/docs.  I'll be blogging more about the Master Plan later in the week, but I wanted to pass along an article from the the April 27th edition of Canadian Business magazine which I recently stumbled upon.  The article describes some of the great investment opportunities in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean; including Belize.  I thought that some of you may find this article helpful and wanted to pass it along.  

Sun Spots - By Ayah Victoria McKhail

Canadian Business, April 27, 2009 Edition

Despite plummeting real estate prices worldwide, not everyone's willing to give up on this traditional investment. Some are setting their sights down south, buying up properties in popular hot spots such as Belize .... 

Link to full article:

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/managing/strategy/article.jsp?content=20090427_16702_16702

The Financial Post Reports That "Life's a Beach In Belize"!

In October (2008) the Financial Post ran a great article on Belize called "Life's a Beach In Belize".  It includes an insightful recap on the following:

1. Belize's history (nice and concise)

2. Overview of it's eco-tourism industry

3. A snap-shot of some celebrities who have decided to invest in Belize

4. Insight into the real estate market

5. Overview of retirement programs

It's definently worth the read if you have already invested in Sanctuary Bay or if you are considering it.  

Cheer,

Chris

Belize Hotels and Resorts Amongst The Best In The World

On the night of the Oscar's (Feb 22, 2009) I thought it would be fun to share some great news about how Belize ranked in the 2009 Traveler's Choice Awards!

TripAdvisor's 2009 Travelers’ Choice Awards has recognied Belize as having some of the best hotels and resorts in the world.  Some of the Traveler Choice Awards categories that Belize was recognized for are:

• All inclusives resorts
  
• Luxury resorts
  
• Hidden gems resorts
  
• Romance resorts
  
• Family travel resorts
  
• Best bargin resorts 
  

In total nine hotels and resorts were recognized in TripAdvisor's poll.

So what does this mean for Sanctuary Bay investors?  In my opinion, such great press re-assures me that there is growing demand for the "Belize experience" and this demand holds well for Sanctuay Bay property owners:

• The tourist industry in Belize is still in its infancy and this ranking certainly reinforces the fact that Belize is approaching the developmen of their tourism industry in the right way.  Already it is being recognized as a top destination.
• As more people explore Belize there may be greater demand for owning property in the country -- thus driving up property values even more for investors who are 'getting in' during phase 1 and phase 2 of Sanctuary Bay.
• For those of us who are planning on building our homes sooner rather than later and renting out our places, there seems to be an existing and growing market for high quality resorts/homes.  

All this to say, the reports that argue that Belize is an undervalued and up-and-coming destination seem to be bang on!