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Tacogirl Belize blog Est. in 2007

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Cell Phone Charges in Belize

by tacogirl 31/08/2011
written by tacogirl 31/08/2011
downtown san pedro street view

Woke up way too early this am 20 min before my alarm was supposed to go off. I am getting ready to take the 7:00 am Tropic Air flight to Municipal and heading to see Dr. Marcelo Coyi at Belize Medical Associates for a check-up and some tests. My appointment was for 9:00 am but the Dr called me yesterday and said he was not going to be there then and he could see me at 2:00 pm the same day. When he found out why I was coming to see him, his recommendation was to come in for 9:00 am still to get my blood work done [because of the fasting part] that way I would not be starving at 2:00 pm. I will give details on medical costs later this week.

Now onto the real topic of this post.

In various Belize forums, I have read many posts on people asking about using their cell phones while on vacation and what the charges are.  Every phone service provider is different so charges will vary. More often than not everything works out and people do not run into trouble using their cell phones on their Belize vacation. However, there are some cases where people have gotten dinged with huge phone bills. I asked Dianne from quicksilver messenger / Go phone to share a few of those cell phone bill horror stories with you and why renting a Go phone is an easy cost-effective option.

Below are three stories from Dianne that illustrate this; they’re a bit extreme and not the norm, yet all of them are true.

1) I remember a lady who called us the day after arriving in San Pedro. She wanted to rent two Go Phones for her pre-teen grandkids. They had been texting on her phone from the US and found out her plan didn’t cover international texts. Each one was costing her $12US. The kids had the phone for a day and a half and they planned to be here a week. Yikes! We got them all set up so Grandma and the kids were both happy. On our Go Phones, a text to the US costs $0.31Bz ($0.16 US) and now the SMART phone company has bundle purchases for international texts; they’re even cheaper (50 int’l texts for $10Bz = $0.20 each)

2) I have another story for you. In the middle of a phone rental, doing the paperwork, etc., the son and daughter of the family got their hands on the Go Phone package, opened it up, and remarked with disdain, “This phone is antique!” Well, that’s an exaggeration of course but for the techy generation, it seemed true. Our phones are rubberized for durability as they have to pass through many hands and need to hold up to potential abuse. The family rented the phone; got extra minutes wirelessly from us often and at the end of the rental period were returning it. I watched while the son tossed the phone to his sister for one last phone call… and she missed it. The phone bounced! A sleeker model would have shattered and the parents would have lost the damage deposit; the rubberized “antique” saved the day. The family has been repeating customers for their last two vacations.

3) The best cost-saving story I have for you is an example of a self-employed businessman who planned to do a bit of fishing and diving while on Ambergris Caye for a long weekend yet needed to be in touch with his office back home. He checked with his US phone service provider prior to coming and yes, his phone would work here. According to him, he kept his phone on airplane mode for the two-hour trip from Houston to Belize, and the next hour or two to get to Ambergris Caye. During transit the businessman’s office called him, voice mailed, texted, and… sent a data dump to him. His phone bill was at $4000US in the short four hours from Houston! The resort he was staying with recommended us. He and his office set up a phone schedule and the businessman enjoyed his diving and fishing. He also found it far cheaper to call his office from a Go Phone here instead of the office calling him. US/Canadian phone companies have the ability to work with your mobility needs, but it can be expensive. It is usually more cost-effective to consider renting a Go Phone while in San Pedro rather than using your foreign phone here.

As we grow, we try to provide more service options. This year at Go Phones we have three new service provisions. First, we have expanded beyond email reservations to provide our clients with online booking through our website including a credit card authorization form to confirm a deposit or to pay for the rental before arrival. The only thing left for the tab is the amount of phone minutes (dollars); we provide $10Bz free talk time with every rental of three days or more.

Secondly, we have added the option of getting a phone number prior to arrival. We’ve had the request several times and this year we have been able to make it happen. People want to stay in touch with friends, family, business associates, the babysitter, the house-sitter and even the dog-sitter. We do have a small fee for this service as we need to pull a phone package out of circulation and ensure we our clients get their Go Phone number 5-7 days prior to their arrival on island.

Last but not least, the third addition to our service package is the inclusion of Ms. Sue Vasquez to Quicksilver. Ms. Sue has become a mobile Go Phone agent. She continues the tradition of meeting our clients at the airstrip for both rentals and returns. Ms. Sue also takes care of providing phone minutes (talk time) via wireless service to our clients before 7pm daily. Furthermore, Ms. Sue acts as a liaison with our other agents; Monkey Business at Banana Beach, Asian Garden Day Spa, Exotic Caye Beach Resort & Fido’s Gift Shop.

So, that’s about it on the “What’s new and wazzup”. We hope you check out our Quicksilver Messenger  and Go phones website. Better yet, visit one of our island agents or reserve your Go Phone online when planning your trip . Stay in touch folks!

Go Phone Belize Cell Phones

tacogirl mobile site option for cell phone surfers

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tacogirl

Laurie Norton grew up dyslexic and was very challenged by the school. She never dreamed she would move to Belize and become a writer. A year after her move to Ambergris Caye, Laurie became an entrepreneur and professional writer starting tacogirl blog in 2007. Since then she has helped many people plan their vacations or move. She also has been published in Great Destinations Belize Guidebook, Moon Guide to Living in Belize, Insight Guides, Island Magazine several times and USA Today. Currently Laurie resides in downtown San Pedro and enjoys being a "city girl" on a tropical island.

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19 comments

Randy LeBlanc 21/01/2016 - 8:06 pm

I’m presently planning on arriving in Belize on the 5th for a 10 days. I’m looking to rent a cell phone for the Belize area. Can you provide a point of contact?

Reply
tacogirl 22/01/2016 - 7:10 am

Randy check out the website http://www.quicksilverbz.com/ Diannle Lawrence owns the business and she does Go Phones cell rental plus other useful messenger and business services.

Reply
Alicia 06/09/2011 - 12:56 pm

Tacogirl, you and yours are more than welcomed to come to the wedding and reception. I have been a avid reader of your your blog and it has helped me get more acquainted with Belize and all things Belizean. it will be New Years.

Al, thanks for all of the advice, but a little too late to change plans now, rooms and reservations and all things wedding have been booked. We do plan on getting to Placencia while in Belize. Plus, I fell in love with San Pedro on my visit and it has special meaning for us. But thanks again.

Reply
tacogirl 06/09/2011 - 8:45 pm

Thanks for the invite Alicia, keep in touch closer to the date. Glad my blog has been helpful for you. Al Gene actually proposed at Victoria house on the island not Roberts Grove.

Reply
al salter 01/09/2011 - 2:28 pm

Alicia: Roberts Grove in Placencia is where to get married. It is where Gene Simmons proposed to Shannon Tweed. What more could you ask? Plus you want to get married in Belize. San Pedro is geographically in Belize but not existentially.

Reply
Alicia 01/09/2011 - 1:41 pm

Thanks Al for the advice, I went to Xunantanich this past March and was too scared to make it to the top LOL (fear of heights) so I know that would be out of the question for me. We went to San Pedro and stayed at Banana Beach and that is where the wedding will be. My fiances family is from Belize and his parents live in Belize City so we are looking forward to getting out of the cold (Chicago) and having a good ole party on New Years Eve.

Reply
tacogirl 01/09/2011 - 2:07 pm

Sounds Great Alicia. Getting out of the cold for a Tropical wedding will be a long lasting happy memory. Banana Beach is a nice spot to stay [we live very close to there and often enjoy a meal at to El Divino]

Reply
al salter 01/09/2011 - 11:13 am

Alicia: Laurie is not reliable in this area. I have been married several times and googling the subject actually leads you to New Zealand, Paris, Jamaica and Cancun etc. Not A/C or Vegas.

Reply
tacogirl 01/09/2011 - 11:39 am

Al I would totally pick AC, Vegas or Paris over Cancun for a wedding – not that I am planning on one 🙂 Never been to Jamaica or NZ.

Reply
al salter 01/09/2011 - 6:56 am

I should think Alicia that a more romantic spot for a wedding would be the top of Xunantanich pyramid in Cayo. Getting married in San Pedro is a marginal improvement over the Luxor in Vegas:)

Reply
tacogirl 01/09/2011 - 7:25 am

At the top Xunantanich pyramid in Cayo might be more romantic but I have attended some great weddings on the beach in San Pedro, lots of very cool locations to get married on Ambergris Caye. Vegas is damn cool place to tie the knot too. I went there once for the CES consumer technology tradeshow and had a blast.

Reply
Kathy Furlotte 01/09/2011 - 6:15 am

I also have rented a cell phone from Diane every year for the past 3 years. She always met us at the airport with the phone and picked it up the morning we were leaving from Banyan Bay. The cost for 2 weeks to make 1 daily phone call back to Canada was very reasonable. I will be booking with her again in Feb.

Reply
tacogirl 01/09/2011 - 6:46 am

Nice Kathy, always great when you find something works well to make your vacation easier.

Reply
Sue 01/09/2011 - 3:50 am

Thanks Laurie, Want to let all the tacogirl fans know that our website server is down. We can be reached at quicksilverbz@yahoo.com, Facebook or just give us a call. 501-669-0638!

Reply
tacogirl 01/09/2011 - 6:38 am

Great Sue thanks for the update. I am sure your site will be back up asap.

Reply
Alicia 31/08/2011 - 2:36 pm

Thanks, this information was extremely helpful. I will be getting married in San Pedro on December 31st, but will be in Belize for 3 weeks and this will help keeping in contact with guest. And it will be good information to give out to the guest.

Reply
tacogirl 01/09/2011 - 6:37 am

That is great Alicia, congratulations on your wedding. Go phones are perfect for keeping in touch with a group.

Reply
Sharon Hiebing 31/08/2011 - 11:24 am

Thanks, Laurie, for sharing this. I have always highly endorsed Dianne’s Quicksilver services, and refer my clients to her frequently. These new changes sound great! I’m “liking” her facebook page now!

Sharon Hiebing
Relocate Without Rose-Colored Glasses

Reply
tacogirl 31/08/2011 - 5:32 pm

Great Sharon, Dianne will be pleased.

Reply

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Laurie was super helpful in providing places to eat, things to do and best yet had ongoing blogs that allowed us to... look back on other places that she pointed out. A fantastic resource for both first time and return visitors of Ambergris Caye!read more
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Fantastic service .I needed to find a place where I could buy a local sim card as my UK sim doesnt work in belize and... Tacogirl put me on the right path .Decided to walk across town and discovered so much more in beautiful San Pedro.Many thanks.BWread more
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We have been using TacoGirl for what feels like decades when planning our trips to Belize! It has only been a few... years but she is the first place we stop to see what is happening in our favorite vacation spot. She knows all the best spots to get away and do so many fun things - whether it is relaxing or exploring! We are planning our next trip with our twins and she was the first person I reached out to. Knowing we have a resource like her, makes trip planning a breeze!read more
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Found tacogirl while doing some research on an upcoming trip to Belize. This is the place for all the information you... need to plan your vacation. Incredibly helpful and responsive. I sent an email with lots of questions and received a very quick and detailed response that helped us finalize our plans.read more
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We have been following TacoGirl for years now and before booking any trip to San Pedro we check to see what is... currently happening. We love the emails to let us know when a new blog has been posted. Keep up the great work Laurie, we feel like we know you.read more
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I first got my Passport in 2012 and Taco Girl was my first connection back then Great then and Marvelous Now! She's... blossomed and developed into a wonderful contact for any and all information Belize. She goes above & beyond to respond with information that you need whether visiting Belize or relocating! I wasn't able to fund the move then but now that I have much more equity I am doing it.This time she was the 1st person I reached out to! Now I am selling and moving to Belize. She responds immediately! Like I do in my Pet Sitting Business! I was so impressed I followed her all this time. And was not disappointed!Pamela Nixonread more
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Wanted to give a shout-out to tacogirl belize for helping us! She is a plethora of knowledge and was super helpful and... responsive in helping us find longer term stay on the island. Thank you so much for your help!read more
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I've spent the last month exploring Belize. I'm retired & seriously considering moving down to Belize permanently from... the US. I contacted the local San Pedro expert "Taco Girl" to help me get started in finding an apartment to rent. With her help, I've located several places that meet my needs & budget requirements. Thank you Laurie!read more
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I am very glad I found you and asked you a question about a spice in Belize. You helped me figure out the name of it... and where i could buy it. You went above and beyond to help. Thanks again.read more
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I am so grateful for the time and energy Laurie has taken to share about her experiences traveling to and living in... Belize as well as provide thorough recommendations for planning a trip there. I was so thankful (and honestly surprised) that Laurie took the time to respond to several of my questions via email. I highly recommend reading Laurie's blogs and helping to support her business. Thank you Laurie!!read more
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tacogirl was very nice to share her knowledge with us and assisted with planning our trip to Belize; thank you for the... help and info, it was helpful and allowed us to plan utilize our time accordingly while both on the mainland and islands of this great country.read more
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As a Canadian—tired of long winters—I cannot wait to spend some time in Belize. I haven't set foot yet, but I am... yearning for lots of Caribbean adventure. Thanks so much to tacogirl for her endless enthusiasm and generosity of spirit. She is a constant stream of up-to-date information. Her knowledge and love of the area is priceless, and I will need her expertise for future endeavours!read more
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We started coming to Ambergis Caye in 2014 and stumble on to Tacogirls blog, so glad we did! We used her 15% discount... at The Premier Duty-Free shop in the airport! It worked great all we did was let them know we read it on her blog . She has great information awesome pictures, we have tried several places she has recommended, all were amazing. Highly recommend reading her blog. Kathleenread more
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It was my first time visiting Belize and San Pedro so naturally I had a ton of questions when it came time to planning... the travel. Taco Gril's blog was an invaluable source of information for all the travel questions in Ambergris Caye. I was able to learn a lot of basic information, as well as many tips and tricks. In addition when I reached out to Taco Girl for advice on finding a local photographer and a restaurant recommendation, she was very quick to respond and gave me many helpful suggestions. She also provided a lot more information from a local's point of view, which was much for valuable than than a typical guidebook. Thanks to her helpful suggestions we were able to celebrate my daughter's birthday at a nice restaurant, and had a great photo family session with a local photographer. I'm very thankful for all her resources and knowledge.read more
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I started coming to San Pedro Belize in 2007 and that is when I met the online presence of Taco Girl. Her blogs on the... island and area are very personable and informative. She gives out promo codes from time to time so watch out for those. You cannot go wrong with someone who was a tourist and now lives here for quality info. Thanks Taco Girl for helping make my trips memorable!read more
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I take the seniors from our academy to Belize every year for their senior trip. One of the first people I contact when... I start planning the trip is Laurie with TacoGirl Belize. She knows the island of San Pedro better than anyone else out there. Trust me, I have looked. If you are looking for the best restaurants, hang outs and shops then Laurie help plan your vacation.read more
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Love Taco Girl Blog @LaurieNorton!I've been reading this blog since I started visiting Ambergris Caye in Belize almost... 10 years ago. It is filled with helpful up-to-date information and recommendations that I wouldn't necessarily find on my own. Laurie Norton's knowledge and extensive network on the island provides her with the ability to share perks/discounts/coupons with her readers, which come in handy year after year. Things on the island change daily - new businesses pop up constantly and LaurieNortonstays on top of these developments. Whenever I plan my return trip to the island, I always check her blog first - and I recommend you do the same. Trip Advisor ain't got nuttin' on Taco Girl!read more
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Laurie's blog is my official “go to” source for tourist and local information on San Pedro. Of course, it’s always nice... to see her guides on “what to do” in San Pedro, but I also appreciate her “insider” advice and human interest stories on what it’s like living as a local on the island. There is so much information it's amazing! Thank you Laurie!!!read more
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I am considering a move to Belize and I have serendipitously found tacogirl.....what a treasure! She is full of great... advice, helpful hints.....knows everybody on Ambergris Caye and has a thousand useful recommendations and suggestions. Whether you are planning a vacation or relocating, you should make use of the many services she has to offer…..read more
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I’m so pleased to see tacogirl's blog on Google. Laurie's blog is my official “go to” source for tourist and local... information on San Pedro. Of course, it’s always nice to see her guides on “what to do” in San Pedro, but I also appreciate her “insider” advice and human interest stories on what it’s like living as a local on the island. I especially enjoy her guest articles, providing a different perspective of all things San Pedro. Her tipping quide is a classic, and don’t forget her Tropic Air flight code and on-island discounts. You’re not up-to-date with what’s going on in San Pedro if you’re not regularly reading tacogirl's blog.read more
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I have known Laurie (Taco Girl) for several years. She has been a wealth of good information for me in all of my... pursuits in Belize. I highly recommend her for any services you may require.read more
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Do yourself a favor. Read this BEFORE any trip to San Pedro - Ambergris Caye or Belize in general. Not saying “do what... everyone else says”, but Laurie has frank and honest info which will make your stay in country a little more fun, a little more informative, and often at a great cost savings. Best thing: it’s unbiased, honest, and factual. Personal note: thank you for your personal tailored help in answering mine (and my wife’s) questions.read more
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Taco Girl (Laurie) is amazing. She has so much knowledge about Belize and has great connections with many of the... businesses in Belize. Because of her connections she is able to offer many perks and discounts that you wouldn't have been able to find otherwise. She is super responsive and I always go to her for all my travel needs. From golf cart rentals, to spas, to places to eat. She's got the inside scoop on all!read more
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Since 2003, my wife and I have been to Ambergris at least once a year to experience the fantastic diving. About twelve... years ago we me Tacogirl on a blog giving us discounts on golf carts, local airfares, and restaurants. Over the years we have grown a friendship and I look forward to her weekly blogs about he changes on my favorite home away from home. The island changes every year, and she always shows you what to see, do, and eat.read more
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Belize Blog Est. 2007

belize travel specialist

ABOUT ME

I took the plunge and moved to San Pedro Town on the Island of Ambergris Caye, off the coast of Belize, Central America. Originally from Canada, I made the life-changing move to escape winter for good (in 2006) after one three week vacation. If you have any questions or want Belize help planning and booking, please feel free to contact me.

SPARKING MY DESIRE

A few childhood memories that shaped my desire to move to Belize from a young age. Sailing in the Virgin Islands, seeing a rainbow out the window of an island hopper as we flew from Virgin Islands to Puerto Rico, Christmas in Hawaii and many trips to Florida.

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