Greetings from the Belize River Valley, where the green of nature is louder than a parrot’s laugh and the papaya-colored sunset warms your soul.
The environment here is something to behold. Watching plants grow and blossom in front of your eyes, and wildlife flying in the sky and scampering in the woods, you can’t help but feel the freedom, beauty, and opportunity flourishing here in the valley.
When I first came out here to visit my friend’s ranch over 20 years ago, I could clearly see why the flora, fauna, and ancient Maya thrived here—the place really “spoke” to me.
At the time, few people were settling in Western Belize; the vast majority were buying near the Caribbean Sea with its cayes (islands), beaches, and reef. That’s when Robert Frost’s old words drifted back to me like a friendly echo in the tropical breeze: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”
So, about 15 years ago, I pitched a tent at a few different spots along the riverbank, on a Maya mound, and in the meadow of what was then a cow pasture. It was a great way to connect and get a feel for the place—and now that open pasture from 2010 is a thriving off-grid haven of elegant homes, tropical gardens, green forest, bountiful orchards, and friendly neighbors who have traded the rat race for simplicity and independence.
Transforming that cow pasture into a green and vibrant community meant working together with residents planting and nurturing gardens, trees, and friendships for 15 years, which has made all the difference and has created the welcoming, self-sufficient little hamlet in the Caribbean heartland we call home.
Here, residents generate their own solar power, harvest rainwater, and grow food in the fertile Belize River Valley soil. It’s a life of self-reliance without giving up comfort, connection, or security.
The Carmelita Gardens motto has always been “Independent Together” and just like the more than 50 independent homes in the community, the residents’ independent-together lifestyle has also become a reality.
Some moved into their homes and settled into a life of restful solitude, while others are social butterflies. Some enjoy regular board-game gatherings, while others have their routine kayaking trips or pickleball games. Some work remotely while others play and party hard. Increasingly, our owners are engaging in volunteer activities such as teaching music, providing elder-care workshops, participating in archaeological programs… the list goes on.
No matter how independent or together, everyone has made a difference in the life of our community, and many have made a difference in the lives of our neighbors in Santa Familia Village. So whatever your interests and no matter how independent or together you want to be, Carmelita Gardens is a great place for you to be you.
Today, Carmelita Gardens is home to nearly 60 residents from around the world, each building a lifestyle rooted in nature and inspired by possibility. One of the possibilities these prescient pioneers saw was a paved road instead of the rugged dirt road they first traversed to reach their properties. With hope against hope, they took the risk that the road would one day be paved—fully aware that buying in front of the Path of Progress comes with risks… and only possible rewards.
So for the early adopters who can now pull out of Carmelita Gardens onto a paved road leading to nearby towns, tourist hubs, commercial centers, and points beyond this is a dream come true.
Anyone who has ever taken a risk on a dream knows how fortunate one is to get even part of a dream, let alone the whole thing. Now imagine getting something beyond a single dream—we are not only getting a paved road but a new bridge as well.
You’re invited to come experience Belize for yourself… to walk the land, meet the community, and feel what life here could be like. Carmelita Gardens is a shared dream becoming a lived reality: a place of freedom, friendship, fun, and a bright future.
Sincerely,
Phil Hahn
Founder, Carmelita Gardens
