We survived the first mile to Captain Morgan’s Retreat and now we have another mile to conquer. Some mornings, when we feel ambitious, we tackle a couple miles farther north, but these pictures will give you a glimpse of our second mile from home. We always hope for a nice breeze and it has recently been blowing from the north or the west.
Adjacent to Captain Morgan’s is an old, old property that was once owned by the heir to the Perrier water fortune. It changed hands in the 90’s when a man with a vision to help others decided to spruce it up.
He renovated a structure to live in with his family and added 1200 solar panels. Hurricane Keith, which struck in 2000, wiped out the panels and severely damaged the property.
Back in the day, it was primarily a non-denominational religious resort for physical and spiritual renewal. They also assisted families struck by cancer and gave them a nice place to vacation.
The developer built a chapel, several pools, tennis court, and all the amenities of an active resort. And everything is sadly crumbling. To make matters worse, Hurricane Earl took out the long wooden dock last year.
Numerous visitors and expats ask about this place because it looks like it was a vacationer’s paradise once upon a time. Many beach walkers and runners pass by daily from the resorts that surround the property.
The barrier wall is collapsing, weeds are growing, and the chapel is locked up. Rumor has it that owners of one of the large resorts on the island have purchased the parcel.
The dilapidated property ends at the south end of one of the nicest resorts, Coco Beach. The 2012 season of Bachelor aired on TV and Bachelor Ben stayed in one of their condos. Ben took the girls on dates all around the island.
I’ve been inside a couple of the condos and the swim up bar area is now heated. The larger pool in the back has a slide inside of a rock formation. Kids and adults love it!
I hope the guests at Coco Beach don’t mind the noise next door. This development has been in the works for at least five years with a long way to go until completion. It was originally supposed to be surrounded by water with cute gondola boats, but that idea must have been scrapped.
The Wyndham name is now displayed on the front of a fence facing the beach. I noticed that a fifth floor is now being added to the two beachfront buildings since the town government approved taller structures after these were built.
Belizean Shores Resort is owned by the same real estate group as Coco Beach and the newly named Wyndham Grand. They are located side by side, with the new construction in the middle.
A friend of mine stayed in a condo here and rode out the hurricane last year. The dock was wiped out and a new, heavy duty dock is still underway.
The next lot was nothing but greenery until the day I took this picture. Evidently, the owner is going to build on this land or use it for something. I’m anxious to see what happens!
Seascape is the next community with a small number of villas. It has been filmed on househunters international, but we rarely see anyone occupying a villa. The groundskeeper is busy raking the beach every morning.
Now we have reached the Blue Dolphin, a vacation rental owned by a dentist. I believe there is a smaller house in the back and his office must be located in it, closer to the road. Some of my friends are his patients.
Right next door is a home that looks like it has been closed up all summer. I bet the owners show up during the winter months.
It’s time to see another resort. Las Terrazas is really nice with a good restaurant and pool. The green wall is covered with advertising but it is really hiding the foundations and pipes from several units that were never built. Scenes like this can be found all over the island when developers run out of money.
I love the black and white exterior. It looks so crisp against the blue sky.
Most resorts have kayaks and paddle boards available for guests. The reef is about a half mile from shore and easily reached by both, as long as you watch out for boat traffic.
Solaria is a quaint little development with rounded buildings. The tiny little pool is located up front on the left and it has a roof over it. Maybe the pool was an afterthought?
One of our favorite restaurants for years was Rendezvous. The owner died suddenly a couple of years ago and it has since opened as Coco Cabana. I’d like to come up later in the day to see if anyone plays sand volleyball.
We just made it two miles! Time flies when you have so much to see (sorry for the picture overload). Now we get to count the two miles back home…
