Who said San Pedro is Expensive?

Whoever said that San Pedro is expensive is crazy! As a tourist destination Ambergris Caye is very affordable. My traveling feet took me to “Sin City” Las Vegas this past week as I took a week off from work. Boy it was great! It was my first visit to the famous strip where entertainment is top notch and the experience is one-of-a-kind.

But looking at the cost of things during my getaway, I did realize how expensive it is to eat, play and drink out there. Pretty much the cheapest thing in the US is grocery shopping. Everything else is pretty much priced the same or higher when you hit the tourist areas. Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining; I worked hard, saved up and spared no expense to have a maximum good time.

My point is that Belize, or San Pedro in particular, is not as expensive as most people make it seem. And if you take into consideration that US citizens double their money here with the $1US to $2Bze; what more can you ask for?

We all know that airport food is expensive, but $20US for breakfast or $15US for a hot dog! Come on. That’s rough – then there is coffee for $6US, a shake for $10US and $9US for a beer. A round of beer for my group of five came close to $50US at a club in Vegas. OMS! That can get me two cases of Belikin in Belize. No wonder we see tourist carrying cases of Belikin to their hotel rooms, it’s cheap!

The buffets are cheap in Vegas, but for the same price or not much more we have great buffets here on the island like Pineapples Breakfast Buffet and the great Brunch Buffet at Rico’s Bar and Grill. Eating at Chili’s, TGIFridays, or Tony Romas is at times more expensive than eating at great eateries in San Pedro like Elvi’s Kitchen, El Divino, Celi’s Restaurant, Lily’s Treasure Chest and Mambo Restaurant. All super eats at great prices.

Taking that special tour, trip or attending that special show during vacations is always more expensive, but definitely worth it. It’s something special from your vacation destination that you take in and take memories of the experience with you. Belize’s one-of-a-kind experience is it’s natural beauty and ultimate retreat getaway, that is what we have to offer. And it’s not expensive, not at all!

Getting here is another story; it just seems at air fare could be cheaper and the Belize Tourism Board could work a little more in getting these airfares lowered. This would definitely entice more tourists to visit our Jewel. It’s cheaper to fly to Cancun, not cheaper to stay, eat and drink. But if you can get there at a cheaper rate, then why not? So making travel to Belize more affordable is a good step forward to increase our tourist arrivals.

Viva Las Vegas! Viva La Isla Bonita, Belize!