Orchid Bay Casitas Bound to Go Fast
Date: 03/13/2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
Orchid Bay, Belize
Read more about Belize in International Living Postcards—your daily escape
When Suzan and I went to Belize a few weeks ago, it was partly to revisit Orchid Bay, a residential project on the Bay of Chetumal just outside Corozal in the northern part of the country.
Now that I’ve seen it again, I’m amazed at how three major changes have boosted the desirability of Orchid Bay by an order of magnitude since Suzan and I first visited in 2006.
On our first trip there, Orchid Bay was just beginning to get carved out of the jungle. It was always a wonderful concept and a beautiful piece of land, but it took a long time to get there by road. For lack of a way across a local river, you had to drive completely around a nearby lagoon to reach civilization.
And not much clearing had been accomplished at that time…it was hard to get a sense of the project’s master plan of various neighborhoods and home lot sections amidst the thick undergrowth.
But a collective effort by locals, including the Orchid Bay management team, got a ferry put in across the river that shaves a good hour off the drive time to the nearest town. That’s huge…it puts the project within easy reach of shopping and services and kicks up its “I could see myself living here” quotient by several notches.
Much of the internal road system for the project has also been cleared since Suzan and I were last there, and now the amazing layout of the place actually makes sense from the ground. This is another order-of-magnitude change for Orchid Bay…a lot-owner here can now actually walk to and stand on his or her lot.
The third huge change for Orchid Bay is the best one, in my opinion: the addition of the Casita Village to the project’s master plan. This is such a good idea that I don’t know why every large development doesn’t do it.
The Orchid Bay guys are constructing 21 one-bedroom, 982-square-foot casitas grouped in a small neighborhood on the project’s eastern shore that is anchored by a restaurant, swimming pool, and clubhouse.
Several of the casitas are already under construction, and Suzan and I fell in love with the casitas when we saw them. The prices are excellent: $164,000 for waterfront, $144,000 for second row, and $134,000 for third row. The difference between the first row and the third is a matter of a few steps…all three rows would be called waterfront in some projects…and they’ve been laid out to preserve everyone’s sightlines of the bay.
Again, this is such a good idea I don’t know why every developer doesn’t plan to build a little neighborhood of affordable, turnkey, high-quality single-family units onsite in a highly desirable part of the project as soon as practically possible.
These casitas are nice enough that you can do almost anything with them…enjoy one as a vacation home, live in it full time, or rent it out to other vacationers or to people who want to be onsite while their Orchid Bay custom homes are being built. And since home lots at Orchid Bay start at $39,000, having both a casita and a home lot is possible for less than $175,000.
The coming restaurant, pool, and clubhouse will make the Casita Village at Orchid Bay one of the first real neighborhoods in the project…one that will be a beautiful place in and of itself, but will no doubt provide huge momentum for the rest of the project.
Did I mention what a great idea I think this is?
The Orchid Bay guys do small, personalized tours of their project every full moon. I’m not kidding. And that’s a great idea, too. One of my best new memories is standing by the bonfire on the Orchid Bay beach one evening, drinking a cold Belikin beer, listening to the waves lap the shore, and watching a cantaloupe-colored full moon rise over the Belizean jungle.
“Wow,” I said to Suzan. “This is like an expat dream. The only thing missing is the smell of barbecue.”
That’s when they lit the grill.
Dan Prescher
Publisher, International Living
P.S. The guys at Orchid Bay aren’t hard to reach, and it’s easy to get on one of their full moon tours. Get more information on Orchid Bay.
The Orchid Bay developers will also be at International Living's Ultimate Event in Cancun, May 28–31, and they’ll have a tour of Orchid Bay directly following the event.
Editor’s note: The IL Ireland office is getting ready for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. As the spirits are high, we are offering you up to 20% off our favorite products in the International Living Bookstore.
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