We Turned an Abandoned Pool into a Booming Beach Club

It took three weeks for me to start talking to my husband Shane again.

He’d brought up the idea of moving overseas, and I wasn’t quite ready to hear about it…

Shane and I have been married for over 26 years, and we’d been talking about an international move since the beginning of our relationship. We’d both grown up with the idea of living abroad—Shane’s parents lived in Scotland and Italy during his formative years, while my parents moved to Thailand right after I graduated from high school.

Our boys were in their early teens on that memorable night when Shane looked over at me and said, “I’m not sure why we’re waiting. I think we should do it now.”

Shane had sold his software company a few years prior… and he was feeling ready for something new. I, on the other hand, had two really great career opportunities, and was splitting my time pursuing both. I was not ready to pack it all up and move from our home in Dallas, Georgia to another country.

But after a few weeks of processing, I brought up the topic again. I took a deep breath, put on my big-girl pants… and threw my kids under the bus! Instead of readily agreeing to the adventure, I put it back on the boys. If they agreed to this crazy idea, then I would be on board. I was sure the boys would see it my way. After all, one was about to be a junior in high school and the other was starting middle school. No way they would agree to such a disruption, right?

We called a family meeting and reminded the boys of our dream to move overseas. We talked about how it’d affect them and what it would mean… giving up what they know for the chance to experience something most people never do.

They agreed wholeheartedly and said, “Let’s go!”

So even though it wasn’t my preferred timing, I knew I had to get on board.

In Search of a Business in Paradise

Research began in earnest. We knew we wanted to find a small property near the beach, where we could run lodgings and a restaurant. From our travel experience, being within an hour of an airport was also key. We decided to explore areas in the Caribbean first, as we wanted our location to be easily accessible from the U.S.

We took a trip to see a property (an eight-room hotel complete with a tiny beachside restaurant) in Cabarete, Dominican Republic, and visit the surrounding area. The trip went well, we made an offer, and the owner accepted it.

We quickly discovered that doing business in a Spanish-speaking country—when neither of us speak Spanish—was going to be difficult. All official documents had to be translated from English, plus, the fluctuating exchange rate made locking in the cost to purchase and refurbish the property nearly impossible.

Along the way, we learned that the Dominican Republic uses a leasehold structure for land… meaning we would be leasing the land from the government rather than owning it ourselves. It became clear that this wasn’t the best opportunity for us, and we were forced to walk away.

Shane was frustrated. It was easy to start second-guessing whether we were headed in the right direction. Maybe this wasn’t the right time. Maybe we should wait until after the boys were out of school. But a few months later, I began looking for the next location. This time Shane was reluctant, and I was the one pressing forward. I figured even if we weren’t going to move right away, we should at least explore potential locations.

About four years earlier, Shane and I had joined three other couples for a sevenday catamaran trip in the pristine waters of Belize. We’d immediately fallen in love with the beautiful water, incredible snorkeling, and friendly people… and the little fishing village of Placencia particularly captured our imaginations. So we booked a trip and set up an appointment with a local real estate company to look at properties.

Within 24 hours of being back in Placencia, we knew this was the place we wanted to be.

The relaxed pace of life, the friendliness of the locals and the expats, the unique mix of Caribbean and Central American culture… we were hooked. We spent days looking at properties and walking through the village. No decisions were made, but we weren’t in a hurry. We knew we had found our future home.

The village of Placencia is at the very end of a 16-mile peninsula and is only a mile from the nearest airport. The entire village is easily walkable, and even boasts one of the smallest main streets in the world. While golf carts are available, nearly everyone who lives in the village walks everywhere.

With its roots as a fishing village, Placencia remains laidback despite being one of the most-visited tourist locations in Belize. There isn’t much of a nightlife here, and shopping is bodega-style with a hint of bargain hunting. Almost everything in Placencia is open-air. Even the grocery stores have huge roller doors that stay open all day to let the breeze in. The constant fresh air is addictive… I now find it difficult to sit in enclosed spaces with recycled air.

One afternoon during our visit, we had some free time and were looking for a cool spot to relax. The sea was too rough for swimming, so we looked for a pool. There weren’t any other than those at the local resorts, but we did find a place on Facebook called “Fusion Beach.” Fusion Beach hadn’t posted to their Facebook account in almost two years, but we decided to check it out, as it showed pictures of a pool right on the beach.

We jumped into our rented golf cart and headed toward our new destination. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, it was obvious the business was no longer operating. The building was closed, the weeds had taken over, and the pool was empty of everything but a thick layer of green sludge.

It wasn’t until we got back to the U.S. that we started wondering about that abandoned property at the north end of the village. Shane put out feelers and we discovered that the property was, indeed, for sale. And the seed was planted…

Dipping Our Toes into Hospitality

There was a lot to like about potentially buying a business in Belize. As the country is a member of the British Commonwealth, Belize’s official language is English, meaning there’d be no need for legal documents to be translated. The exchange rate is fixed at two Belize dollars for every one U.S. dollar… so currency fluctuations wouldn’t be a problem. And the best news of all: Belize uses freehold land titles, meaning you own and have title to the actual land you purchase.

Since neither of us has a background in hospitality, we started to discuss whether starting with a bar/restaurant/pool/beach day-use business would be a good stepping stone to the accommodations space. We decided to make an offer. It was accepted.

We finally made our overseas move in June 2019. But the hard work was far from over, as it took three months to finish up the refurbishment of the property. Then there was hiring our team, securing permits, figuring out vendors, and developing our menu. Finally, Placencia Beach Club opened in September 2019.

We created the Beach Club to be a facility for anyone in Placencia looking for water access. For $5, guests have access to the pool and beach as well as a towel to leave behind when they’re done for the day. A fully stocked restaurant and two bars offer plentiful food and drink to enjoy while gazing at the sea.

Our most unique feature is a swim-up bar. Nowhere else in Placencia can you enjoy an ice-cold beer while cooling off in a pool… and literally be 30 feet from the Caribbean Sea.

Understandably, we’ve become a popular spot for both tourists and locals looking to enjoy time with family and friends.

A Record-Breaking Season

The adventure hasn’t stopped in the four years we’ve been here. We opened the Beach Club six months before COVID shut Belize down. During the shutdown, we re-invented our business every two weeks to keep up with government restrictions, while also doing our best to support our team with what little work was available. It was exhausting, and we were relieved when life started to return to normal.

This year has been our first tourist season without any COVID interference. People have returned in force… and the Beach Club has been setting and resetting records as each month passes.

At the start of our venture, we were at the Beach Club every day taking orders, serving drinks, managing the team, receiving supplies, and dealing with the seemingly endless list of tasks just to stay operational.

The hardest part of starting the Beach Club was getting to the point where Shane and I were no longer integral to the daily operation of the business. We’ve managed to build an exceptional leadership team that handles the daily activities. This has allowed Shane to focus more on growing our business, while I can return to the consulting work I love. Even when we’re away, the business continues as usual.

So, what’s next? Plans are fully underway to build lodging, so that guests can spend the night in addition to hanging out with us during the day. This will move us closer to being the small boutique resort that we originally imagined before moving here. The designs are complete, and we’re in the process of raising the funds needed to begin construction.

We still have a lot of work to do here in Belize, but Placencia is now our home, and we’re enjoying investing in the lives of our team of staff and in the community. With COVID now firmly in the rear-view mirror and tourism in full swing… the future is looking bright.