San Pedro: Ambergris Caye - Belize is a growing tourist destination that gets bigger and bigger every year.
Its gotten so much attention that big brands have started to invest in the island. We now have a Hilton resort and soon will have a Marriot, and a Windham Grand resort. With so many big brands building on the island, how do you find the old hidden charm that many tourist would flock over for?
My answer (and personal opinion): Private Vacation Rentals. There are so many options when it comes to vacation rentals and just like the local eateries, a lot of people dont know about them.
Just like the name brand resorts are investing in San Pedro, so too are local homeowners. Its nice to stay in a resort with all the amenities, but if you are really looking to experience what San Pedro has to offer, you should stay in a Vacation Rental.
Believe it or not, there are a lot of vacation rentals on the island that are more suited to cater your needs than big brand resorts. You get to experience the amenities you require + you also get some of that island charm that everyone comes to the island for.
If you look hard enough, you will even find alternative style homes such as this beautiful home made out of a shipping container.
Imagine having your own private beachfront along with your own dock. These are things that you can’t get at big resorts. Plus you get the added benefit of having more privacy. There are even vacation rentals that have their own caretaker and their own pools.
Vacation Rentals come in all shapes and sizes and one of the challenges that most people find (compared to a resort) is how to find the place. Most resorts will arrange for you to be picked up and brought over and as such eliminate the hassle of trying to find where you are staying. A lot of vacation rentals also provide a map to guests so that they can find their way over. I, personally believe that we should be using the best map out there: Google Maps.
I try my best to add as many vacation rentals to the map as I can so that potential guest can use google maps to find their destination. I also try to add hidden gems that most tourists will overlook. It’s easy to go to the large restaurants and dine on the beach. However, there are great places that are frequented by locals that have amazing food but you will hardly ever find them on google maps.
I often get called to take photographs of Vacation Rentals, Listings for Sale, etc and as such I get to visit and see all these amazing places first hand. I use this opportunity to create content that I can use on google maps to improve their visibility. I don’t tell my clients what I will do for them on google maps, I just do it. Next thing they know, they are showing up on google and feel super happy for the added visibility!
If they are already on google maps, then I simply update their listing with awesome photos without them having to do anything.
A lot of times, these places don’t even have access to their listings on google maps and as such have no control over the content or how to update and improve their listing. This is very true if the property is owned by locals. Its one of the reasons why there are so many places here in San Pedro that are not on google maps.
I personally am passionate about adding great photos to google maps. I love taking photographs and I do so on a daily basis. If I can use my photos to add hidden gems such as vacation rentals, local eateries, mom and pop shops and small businesses then its a no brainer for me.
