From a Small Store to Helping Thousands Explore Ambergris Caye: The Story Behind Aviz Golf Cart Rental
Today, visitors arriving in San Pedro often see golf carts everywhere.
They’re parked outside resorts.
Driving through town.
Heading north toward Secret Beach.
Waiting near airports and water taxi terminals.
For many visitors, renting a golf cart feels like a normal part of visiting Ambergris Caye.
But that wasn’t always the case.
The story of Aviz Golf Cart Rental is closely connected to how Ambergris Caye itself has grown over the years—and how visitors have changed the way they experience the island.
2008: Local Business Beginnings
Before Aviz Golf Cart Rental existed, our family operated a supermarket in San Pedro.
The store served local residents, workers, and visitors arriving on Ambergris Caye.
Tourism was growing rapidly, and conversations with travelers often revealed the same challenge:
How do you get around the island?
Many visitors arrived excited to explore but quickly discovered that transportation could shape their entire vacation experience.
2010: Helping Travelers Online
In 2010, Sammy began helping visitors arrange golf cart rentals through Facebook and direct online communication.
At the time, many travelers were planning Belize vacations online for the first time.
Questions poured in:
- Do we need a golf cart?
- Can someone meet us when we arrive?
- How do we get to our hotel?
- Can we visit Secret Beach?
- What if our flight is delayed?
The more travelers asked, the clearer it became that transportation wasn’t just a rental decision.
It was part of trip planning itself.
What Visitors Taught Us
One lesson appeared again and again.
Visitors rarely rented a golf cart because they wanted a golf cart.
They rented one because they wanted freedom.
Freedom to explore.
Freedom to stop when they wanted.
Freedom to discover places beyond their resort.
Many guests arrived expecting to stay close to town.
Instead, they found themselves exploring beaches, restaurants, neighborhoods, and attractions they never planned to visit.
Over time, we realized that transportation was helping shape the Ambergris Caye experience itself.
2014: A Dedicated Rental Business
As demand continued to grow, Sammy and his brother Mark expanded the operation into a dedicated golf cart rental business.
The focus was never simply renting carts.
The focus was helping visitors navigate Ambergris Caye with confidence.
Many of the services guests still appreciate today grew from those early years:
Arrival coordination
Airport pickups
Water taxi pickups
Flexible delivery options
Pre-arrival communication
These weren’t marketing ideas.
They were solutions to real traveler concerns.
2015: Bringing Reservations Online
The launch of SanPedroGolfCarts.com made it easier for visitors to reserve transportation before arriving in Belize.
Instead of searching for transportation after landing, guests could plan ahead and arrive with confidence.
This became an important step in making the arrival process easier for travelers.
2020: Building the Infrastructure Behind the Fleet
In 2020, the family supermarket transitioned into a golf cart parts, supplies, and service operation.
This strengthened the operational side of the business and helped support a growing fleet serving visitors across the island.
As more guests explored farther from town, reliable maintenance and support became increasingly important.
Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award – 2020
That same year, Aviz received Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice recognition.
The award reflected feedback from travelers who repeatedly highlighted:
- communication
- convenience
- airport coordination
- water taxi coordination
- helpful local advice
2021: Expanding Where Visitors Needed Us
As visitor travel patterns changed, Aviz expanded beyond its original location.
New offices opened:
- Across from Tropic Air
- Across from the Catholic Church
The purpose was simple:
Be closer to where visitors were arriving and staying.
2022: Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice Award
As tourism returned to Belize, Aviz again received Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice recognition.
The award reflected continued positive experiences shared by travelers from around the world.
2023: Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice Award
For a third time, Aviz earned Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice recognition.
While awards are appreciated, the most important part was what they represented:
Years of trust built through thousands of guest interactions.
2024: Avis Becomes Aviz
In 2024, Avis Golf Cart Rental officially became Aviz Golf Cart Rental.
The name changed.
The mission did not.
Helping visitors explore Ambergris Caye with confidence remained at the center of everything we do.
2025: Supporting Air Travelers
To better serve domestic flight arrivals, the Barrier Reef Drive location moved across from Maya Island Air Terminal #1.
This improvement made pickup and return more convenient for travelers arriving by air.
2026: Expanding North
A new office opened at 5.5 Miles North on Ambergris Caye.
This wasn’t simply business growth.
It reflected how visitors were using the island.
More guests were staying north of the bridge, exploring farther, and choosing accommodations throughout Ambergris Caye rather than only in central San Pedro.
The new location helped us better serve those travelers.
Why This Story Matters
Over the years, Ambergris Caye has changed.
New resorts have opened.
Vacation rentals have expanded.
Secret Beach has become one of the island’s most visited destinations.
Visitors now explore more of the island than ever before.
Aviz has grown alongside those changes.
The offices, website, service facility, awards, and rebrand are all milestones in that journey.
But the lesson remains the same as it was in 2010.
People rarely remember the golf cart itself.
They remember the places it helped them discover.
And helping travelers experience more of Ambergris Caye continues to be the reason Aviz exists today.