Rio Dulce for hurricane season?

[Sea Wisp]

Any current experiences to share on putting into a marina for hurricane season on the Rio Dulce?
Marios was mentioned to me and said to be quite affordable....affordable is good! Will live aboard and also leave boat for a little travel at times....thanks in advance for input!

[Matt Johnson]

We loved Tortugal. It's has beautiful grounds and an amazing staff that takes great care of their customers boats.

Mario's is more social....another reason we liked Tortugal.

Matt

[colemj]

Mario's was completely dead during the 2013-14 season - no social stuff at all.

Mario's is now literally dead, since it shut down this year.

Marina prices across the board took a large jump in 2014 in the Rio. Still much more affordable than most elsewhere.

You can go into the Rio, stop at any marina and pay for a bit, then move to where ever you want at any time. Very easy.

Mark

[belizesailor]

In years past it was not uncommon for marinas to be booked full for hurricane season by April (Tortugal specifically used to book up early). In the past few years, since the economic down turn, this has not been the case. Who knows what this season will bring, but still slower I expect. Though Marios closing will likely have an impact on rates and availability.

Havent checked their current rates, but Catamarans was a great deal a few years ago. Friends kept a 40' mono there for $150/mo. Nice property too, not sure why they priced dockage so low.

[sv Winterlude]

We loved Catamaran for two hurricane seasons, but that was a few years ago. Definitely worth checking out...

[colemj]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Havent checked their current rates, but Catamarans was a great deal a few years ago. Friends kept a 40' mono there for $150/mo. Nice property too, not sure why they priced dockage so low.

Catamaran, along with all the other marinas, raised their prices substantially last year. They are now charging $300-350/mo, which seems to be almost collusionally what the others are now charging…

I think another marina opened up this year, so Mario's closing may not have any impact.

Mark

[Dhillen]

Mario's is dead? I spent several seasons there back in the late '90s. That place, and its "Cayuco Bar" was the center of most of the action back then. I was there when Daphne and her husband (Brits) sold it to Brian and his wife (US). They looked like they were really going to try to make a go of it.

I wonder what happened?

Dhillen

[Triumphant]

Marios, Mangos, and what used to be called Susannas (La Joya?) in the Lagoon all closed this year and Vista Rio is closed at the moment, however there are still marinas spaces available from $200 USD a month upwards

Nana Juana are also offering deals at the moment to store boats ashore and have plenty of room

If you are thinking of leaving your boat, in my view, one of the key things is how the marina will look after your boat whilst you are away, standards vary and costs vary. In the summer you can watch the mould grow!!!!

My suggestion would be on arrival, to anchor out off Brunos or Shell bay and visit the potential places and ask around before making a decision.

[chuckr]

We visited the Rio Dulce for a month or so but I would not want to hurricane season there. Not my cup of tea.

We stayed at Catamaran and it was close in but far enough away. The thing we liked the best was the security. It was second to none and when we were there they had a guard at night with a shotgun and was willing to use it to protect the boats and the facility.

So if you check them out check on security. Catamaran was great and Kevin the owner was a great weath of information on how to travel through out the countryside.

[Sea Wisp]

Thanks to all for the information!

[gentlerain]

Great place to store a boat. Nanajuana has very limited slips but out of the water plenty of space. Good security and lovely grounds. After 8 months on the hard there the boat was mold free as we had a cover down to the top of the life lines and mushroom vents fore and aft so good ventilation. After being in Panama it's MUCH better.

[Seymore]

Do you have to be able to speak Spanish fluently?

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Seymore

Do you have to be able to speak Spanish fluently?

No, I know gringos who've been there for ages and still cant speak Spanish. ;-)

[sv Winterlude]

Originally Posted by Seymore

Do you have to be able to speak Spanish fluently?

No, Belize Sailor is right. But we found that learning some Spanish significantly enhanced our time there - chatting with locals was fun and enlightning.

[colemj]

Guatemala is the best place for learning Spanish because the local dialect is the "midwest of Latin America". By that I mean that they speak in a measured pace and pronunciate words very clearly and do not use much slang. It was a revelation to go there because I could actually understand them compared to all other Latin American countries.

There are scores of Spanish immersion schools in the country if you wish to learn.

Mark