Spacious open floor plan style home high over the banks of the Belize River, secluded and serene yet close to everything! Enjoy morning coffee or an evening beverage on the 700+ sq. ft. deck watching the river flow by, lots of birds flying up and down the river or roosting in the tall trees, and perhaps some howler monkeys declaring their territory nearby. There’s also a “cool” spa on the deck that’s perfect for relaxing and cooling off.
Our home has two bedrooms with American queen beds and en suite baths plus a half bath for guests, a large living room overlooking the river, dining room, American-style kitchen with granite counter tops, and a laundry room with washer and dryer. The living room, kitchen and bedrooms all open to the decks. Every room has cross ventilation and ceiling fans. The bedrooms have A/C as well.
We are located just 6 miles from the capitol, Belmopan, with its wonderful Tuesday and Friday produce market, lots of restaurants, embassies, and numerous stores and shops. San Ignacio, the heart of Cayo, is 20 minutes away and there you'll find magnificent Mayan ruins and the Green Iguana Project, as well as several excellent restaurants and a terrific marketplace for produce and local crafts.
We need a couple or single to take care of our 2 dogs and 2 cats (feeding, litter boxes, affection, vet trips if needed), distribute pay to the gardener and housekeeper, and water plants as necessary. Most importantly, we need the house to be lived in and the animals to receive lots of affection. The dogs are German Shepherds and they are guard dogs, so part of the responsibility is to ensure they are penned whenever someone is expected on the property. They are very loving and affectionate with people they know but are very protective of the property and that's exactly the way we want it! Of course there's cable TV and internet.
The house sitter is responsible for feeding all the animals twice a day, scooping the litter boxes and changing the litter boxes as needed, buying pet food as needed (with funds supplied by us), becoming familiar with each animal's personality and eating habits and taking any animal that needs it to the vet.
We have two German Shepherds and two semi-indoor cats. The property is completely fenced so the dogs run free unless someone is expected, such as the gardener or housekeeper. In that case, the two GSDs need to be penned. The dogs do not need to be walked but they really enjoy getting lots of affection, sleeping in the bedroom, and so on. The cats pretty much do their own thing, primarily in the house or on the deck. We try to make sure the cats are inside at night before bed.
Beyond that we need the sitter to water the plants occasionally when we have a dry spell and just generally stay on top of things. We need the house to be occupied. It is particularly important that there be someone in the house every night.
We have two vehicles that hopefully will be running properly and be available for use. The good news is that the bus stop is literally just in front of our home gate and the little shuttles run by all the time too.
We are located on two acres in a small village. The community cemetery is next door. In general the area is quiet but we do have some road noise - occasionally obnoxious trucks. Our home is set way back on the property and the main rooms are on the opposite side from the road. We have lots of fruit trees so you may be able to enjoy delicious mangoes, avocados, papaya, pineapple, guava, and golden plum as well as bananas and plantains.
Food is very seasonal in Belize and very fresh. I enjoy cooking so the kitchen is very well equipped. We spend most of our time outdoors on the main deck which has a table and chairs for 6 under a large gazebo, and the spa/hot tub. In the evenings we usually have a "toddy" on the front entry deck to enjoy the view in that direction.
The house is full of artwork collected in our travels. It's very open and comfortable. All the rooms have cross ventilation and ceiling fans. The bedrooms also have air conditioning for those hot evenings. We have a washer and dryer in the laundry room as well as a wash sink.
We are located about hours from the good beaches at Hopkins where you can charter a boat to go fishing, snorkeling or scuba diving on Belize's famous reef. Mayan ruins abound including such outstanding sites as Xunantunich, Cahal Pech, Caracol and Lamanai. The Belize Zoo is small but delightful. There's a monkey sanctuary and all kinds of eco-tourism, cave tubing and zip lining opportunities. The world famous "Crystal Cave" (officially Actun Tunichil Muknal or ATM Cave) is just up a side road in our village. The main tourist destinations of Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker are primarily accessible via ferry from Belize City so they're too far for a day trip.
We cover all expenses except your food and beverages, gas, and your Visa extensions which now cost US $100/person/month! So after your initial 30 day visa, you will need to go to Immigration to extend.
Our dates are flexible. Typically we plan to leave about 4/20 after spending a few days getting our house sitter oriented. Then we usually return about early-to-mid Oct. We prefer a couple simply because we think having company is good but we've had numerous single house sitters and it's worked out fine.
We look forward to hearing from you if you think our house sit sounds like a good fit for you!