Thanks to a number of helpful advisory comments from one of our followers, Liz and I were tipped off to a really valuable money-saving opportunity. Marie from Hot Card Belize told us about their outstanding discount card that is virtually universally accepted at businesses and restaurants on Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker.

You can pick up one of these cards for US$50. The upfront fee is quickly covered the moment you start planning your trip! Book a room with one of several different Hotel or vacation rentals and save 10 – 25%. The Hot Card can get you a 10% discount on Tropic Air, making your arrival on Ambergris or Caye Caulker that much cheaper and more pleasant! Once there, you can save on rental cars, golf cart rentals (the only way to get around the islands), and bikes. The card also gets you great restaurant benefits such as free drinks, two-for-one specials and 10% discounts on meals. Several different adventure vendors offer outstanding discounts to cardholders. The one I am most excited about is Ecologic Divers who are offering an astounding 15% for trips paid in cash!

Probably one of the best benefits of the Hot Card is its shopping value. Take this card to the Lagniappe Provisioning grocers or the Galleon Duty Free for all of your food and beverage needs. This is perfect for Liz and I as Cocotal Inn and Cabana’s has kitchenettes to serve our meal or between meal needs. Finally, a number of different retail stores offer sales discounts to Hot Card carriers.

Liz and I haven’t quite figured out all the ways we’re going to save with this card, but by initial estimates, it’ll be much more than the US$50 price tag! We will carefully document where we are saving and how much we estimate and report in a later post. Once we get back from the trip, we’ll report how much we actually saved. We’re confident it’ll be well worth it.