Basking in Retirement on Belize’s Southern Coast

December 19, 2014
by Belize Hub +

Eighteen years ago Penny Sue Leonard visited Belize for the first time, on an assignment to teach nursing practices at hospitals.

She was so impressed that a year later she left Orlando, Florida, and permanently moved to Punta Gorda in the south of Belize.

“Something drew me in. The fact that it is so far off the beaten path. I fell for this part of Belize. I already loved the whole country, but Punta Gorda just pulled at me.”

While she was initially attracted by Belize’s beauty and the warm waters of the Caribbean, another big draw for Penny was that English is the primary language. And the lifestyle in Punta Gorda is affordable. “It is so much less expensive to live here than in the U.S.,” she says.