All Bookings are managed by Gecko Vacation Rentals. The House can be found on many websites including https://geckovacations.com/property/31-castaway-villa---4-bedroom-beachfront-villa/. Any questions about reservations can be directed to Reservations@geckovacations.com or by calling 972-383-4443.
Castaway is located at Mile marker 13.9 on the Placencia Peninsula in the Stann Creek District of Belize.
Mile 8 - Peninsula Starts
Mile 10.5 - Caribbean Way
Mile 13 - Plantation
Mile 13.9 - Castaway Villa
Mile 15 - Maya Beach
Mile 17.5 - Cocoplum
Mile 19 - Seine Bight
Mile 21.5 - PLJ Placencia Airport
Mile 23 - Placencia
Mile 24 - Placencia Pier
Addresses in Belize are different than most places in the world. The address of the house is "Mile 13.9, Placencia Road, Ocean Side, White House, Castaway Sign" (Same Logo as website). or simply share a Pin Drop or by searching Castaway Placencia Belize on Google Maps https://maps.app.goo.gl/FJgUpzgP7sasXgcW9
Belize is currently switching to online immigration forms which should be filled out before you arrive at customs and Immigration. The old paper forms that required one form per traveler are scheduled to be phased out March 1, 2024. The new digital form requires one form per family and they can be found at:
https://belizetravel.immigration.gov.bz/Belize_Digital_Forms/
- Intended District in Belize - Stann Creek
- Intended Town - Placencia
Our Concierge can help you book you transfers from BZE airport (Philip SW Goldson International Airport) to Castaway Villa
Hopper Plane: Placencia is a short 25 minute hopper plane from BZE airport. Flight schedules view and purchase online at https://www.mayaislandair.com/ or https://www.tropicair.com/. After arriving at Placencia Airport your party can take a 20 minute cab ride to the house.
Private Transfer: Placencia is a 2-2.5 Hour drive south from BZE Airport. With a private transfer the driver will meet you outside immigration and bring you directly to the house or any stops you have prearranged with them.
Car Rental: Another option is renting a car at BZE Airport if you are wanting to see different parts of the country.
Our Preferred Way Going To Placencia: For larger groups, we prefer to take a private transfer from BZE Airport directly to the house. This ends up being cheaper and approximately the same timeframe as the hopper plane if you take into consideration the time for the international and domestic flights and the travel time it takes to get from Placencia Airport to the House.
Our Preferred Way Going Home: Going back home we prefer to take the 25 minute hopper plane from PLJ Airport to BZE airport. Most private drivers want to take your party to the airport a minimum of 3 hours before your International flight departs. This means your party leaves the house 6 hours before their flight. For the hopper plane you need to arrive at least 30 min before your domestic flight.
The house is provided with a 6 person golf cart with seatbelts on the front 4 seats if anyone wants to buckle up (Required for cars but not golf carts currently). The golf cart is also has a Bluetooth sound speaker built in (See Section on Streaming). The Golf cart can be taken anywhere from Caribbean way down to the Placencia Pier. All golf carts have identical keys so make sure you use the provided lock to lock the steering wheel.
Driving In Belize: Belize driving laws are very similar to the US but we recommend you review them. You must be 18 years old to drive and we use a standard US drivers license that you must carry with you at all times. If you get pulled over without a license you may be detained until you can prove you have one.
Additional Vehicle: If you would like and additional Golf cart they can be rented directly through Gecko or from a local company like Captain Jaks.
The water in the house is generally considered safe to drink, All Faucets inside the house are fed from the same water source that feeds Hyatt Placencia Resort which is treated but we can not guarantee its purity. Purified water is provided at the house for guests. All exterior spigots at the house are fed from a rain water cistern and is not potable.
Belize uses the same voltage and plugs as in the US. Any standard device that works in the US will work in Belize.
US paper currency is widely accepted in Belize especially in tourist areas. The Belize Dollar is pegged to the US Dollar at 2 to 1 ratio (a $2BZD item will cost $1USD). $100 dollar US bills are scrutinized and if they show any wear or tears they can be rejected.
Most modern cell phones will work in Belize, as long as they are GSM capable, but International calling rates will likely apply if you do not talk to your carrier. Most carriers offer temporary International plans that can be set up before your trip.
Alternates to International Calling - WIFI Calling: Most carriers will allow you to use WIFI Calling and not charge you international rates. If you are doing this double check with your carrier and make sure WIFI calling is available and enabled on your phone. You will most likely need to turn on airplane mode and turn off data roaming but you carrier can walk you through this.
Calling People/Businesses Located in Belize: Most people in Belize use a free app called WhatsApp for calling and messaging. You can set up the free account to use your same phone number as your home country. This app can link to your phone list and you can call / message anyone at home that has the app over WIFI. One of my favorite features with this App is it will allow you to send full size videos up to about 4 minutes.
Note: Belize uses country code +501 which is also an area code for central Arkansas. This makes calling people in Belize a bit difficult without using WhatsApp. Also calling back to the US you may have to insert a 1 or +1 before the phone number before it will dial out (Also not required while using WhatsApp.
The house has a commercial grade WIFI 6 Mesh Network installed to ensure that there are no dead spots in the concrete house. Every Bedroom has a WIFI hotspot with an additional hotspot in the main area and in the back yard so you can surf the internet even while sitting on the end of the pier.
Music - We would recommend downloading some playlist to your phone before coming to Belize just to cover yourself. Depending on the streaming service you use it may not work while in Belize. Also if your streaming service does work you will want downloaded playlist while using the golf cart because the connection cuts in and out driving down the peninsula.
Movies / TV Shows - Most streaming services work in Belize but the content on the streaming service varies and certain shows may not be available. The house does have cable TV and Apollo TV which has most US local channels, sports games, Movies and TV Shows on it (If this service is logged out it cannot be remotely relogged in).
Fishing is allowed off of the pier. We keep miscellaneous fishing supplies in the guest outdoor storage. If there is anything you are missing there are bait stores on the Peninsula. Fishing licenses are required in Belize. They offer daily ($20BZ / $10 US) or weekly ($50BZ / $25US) that can be purchased online at https://apps.coastalzonebelize.org/. Belize has strict regulations regarding fishing. If fishing away from the pier we recommend hiring a licensed guide.
The 66' closest to high tide are considered "Queens Land" and are public property. You can walk down the beach in any direction as far as you want to go.
All piers in Belize including ours is privately owned but open to the public to access the water since it is located on public property. Most people are considerate and will not use the pier if they see the house is occupied. If on the rare occasion you run into any issues please let the management know or simply ask the people if they can use one of the other piers.
Weather apps often show rain for Belize because it has a subtropical climate, meaning frequent short bursts of rain are very common, especially late in the evening and overnight during the wet season (June to November), many weather apps show rain due to the potential for quick showers. -
To show this we are currently in the process of installing a weather station at the house which will show hourly rain totals over time. We anticipate this station will be installed in Early 2025 but historical data will take time. In the meantime there are two private weather stations in the area that show historical weather data:
TheTikiToucan, Placencia
https://ambientweather.net/dashboard/5e34db87ae3ac5be88d94280024850f9
Hopkins, Hopkins, Stann Creek District
https://ambientweather.net/dashboard/710a1aabf68bbbdfa67ae2e38fb6b9b1/tiles
The closest grocery to the store to the house is 1.7 miles south in Maya Beach called The Peninsula Store which was fully remodeled in 2024. If you cannot find what you are looking for in this store there are several other options on the peninsula.
Belize is in the Central time zone but they do not follow daylight savings time. In the summer Belize is in the same time zone as US Eastern time Zone.