As you can see from my posts, Sabal Beach was my “happy place”. For 10 years (bar two covid years) I made my pilgrimage to Sabal Beach. Miles of white sand, a sea of Caribbean colours, a cabana that offered comfort and, most of all, all the privacy anyone could want.

After 5 years of only visiting Sabal Beach for varying times, I began to split my time between Placencia and Sabal Beach and spent longer in Belize. The quiet mornings at Sabal Beach with gentle breezes filtering through the louvres are a memory to savour. Long walks alone on a deserted, white sand beach were relaxing and healing especially for someone who regularly travelled the world through the stress of airports, new cities, new colleagues, different work. There was no corner store, no resupply available.

Prepping for a trip to Sabal Beach was always challenging … what did I want to eat? how much food did I need for however long I was staying? What substitutions could I make when what I might want to eat was unavailable in Placencia? And, of course, there was the bill!

Getting on Jason’s boat (he is now running Adventours Belize) I could feel, as we left the dock, my stress level go down and relaxation set in. Jason is a wonderful boat captain – no matter the sea conditions I always felt fully safe in his care. He also had a keen eye for passing wildlife and a willingness to share his knowledge of the local fauna.

Often, the owners also used the boat pick up run to bring in supplies … water, toilet paper, food for the caretaker, gas cylinders. Arriving at the dock I was greeted by a big smile from the caretaker, Sly. Similing although he knew that all that stuff – suitcases, my purchases and the owner’s supplies – had to be got to the cabana or main house by him and his wheelbarrow. One year the sea was so high Jason could not get the boat to the dock safely and beached it requiring Sly (and I) to unload it in waist deep water! What a landing adventure.

Then, peace, quiet, the beach and the sand. The bird life and the aquatic life. My feet in the surf, keeping a careful lookout for crabs, star fish, and manta rays with their evil glares.

The owners originally lived on the property but moved into Placencia in 2018 or 2019. Although I missed their company and they were not intrusive at all … an evening beer on the dock as the sun set was all I usually saw of them … it was time they moved on.

I continued to go down to Sabal Beach until 2024 when the owners sold it. It is now very different under new owners and I simply cannot afford to go back. With cabanas having been built just to the north, the atmosphere had changed last time I was there and I knew the future would look quite different. That is progress and, as a boss of mine once said “the only thing that is guaranteed is change and it will happen”.

How true! I miss the Sabal Beach that I knew – but the memories of my “Happy Place” will remain with me always as I now, regularly, come down to stay in Placencia for a good part of the winter to avoid the ice and snow.

Thank you, Sabal Beach