Sept / Oct 2016 | Business View Caribbean

68 September 2016 - Business View Caribbean Business View Caribbean - September 2016 69 The Placencia Hotel, Residences, and Marina The beauty of Belize It’s unlikely that any other entity doing business in the Central American country of Belize has taken such advantage of the region’s natural beauty, nor offered such a compelling vision for its future development as The Placencia Hotel and Residences. Situated on the Placencia Peninsula, this 16-mile strip of tropical para- dise, sandwiched between the Caribbean Sea and the Placencia Lagoon, boasts tall coconut palms, pristine beaches, and now, one of the country’s most spectac- ular tourist and residential complexes. Madeleine Lomont has been with the Placencia from the beginning and, today, she is the Executive Assis- tant to its owner and founder, Marco Caruso, as well as Head of Real Estate Sales. “I met Marco and his family when they first came here at the end of 2000,” she says. “They absolutely fell in love with the coun- try and decided to start a small bed and breakfast. At that point, there were no paved roads, there was no electricity in the area, there was no water. So, a lot of infrastructure had to be done before anything could even start.” Caruso did start his empire with an 18-room hotel, which opened in December 2003. “From there his vi- AT A GLANCE WHO: The Placencia Hotel, Marina and Residenc- es WHAT: A complex of tourist hotels and amenities and residential homes WHERE: Placencia, Belize WEBSITE : www.theplacencia.com