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Longtime Placencia Hotelier Transitioning to Farm Life
By JOLIE POLLARD Editor in Chief The Placencia Breeze pollard.jolie@gmail.com
J
acki Tipton is selling her property in Placencia Village. It’s a newsworthy move as the well-known fiery and outspoken red head has been nurturing her beloved hotel at the spot since she opened her first room 20 years ago in 1998. Jacki says she is proud of what she has created, but now she plans to open a new chapter in Belize with farm life. Jacki was born in Bethesda, Maryland in the United States, but eventually gained Cali status after some time living in Northern California where she worked as a clothing and fabrics designer.
Rooms at Casa Placencia have been attracting travelers on a budget and prospective home owners on the Peninsula for years. (PHOTO: BEN KIM/ ESOTERIC PHOTOGRAPHY)
Jacki Tipton opened Casa Placencia in 1998. The U.S. native said the decision to sell did not come easily. (PHOTO: BEN KIM/ESOTERIC PHOTOGRAPHY)
It was in the 1980s when she made her first visit to Belize after a friend had purchased property in the Mountain Pine Ridge of the Cayo district, that she felt the calling. “I always knew I would live here, something about the sweet smelling air, soft sea breezes, genuine
and friendly people of all cultures and the gracious, laid-back lifestyle so appealed to me,” Jacki recalled. “I considered the challenges of moving to Placencia with no road. Back then we took a boat into the village from See CASA PLACENCIA UP FOR SALE on page 29.
A stroll through the yard at Casa Placencia reveals Jacki's love for gardening and hints at her passion for farming. (PHOTO: BEN KIM/ ESOTERIC PHOTOGRAPHY)
