Crystal Auto Rental in Belize or How We Got Fed on Christmas Day

Good Bang for Your Buck?

Would I Go Back?

Before I get into the story of how we were fed, I’ve got to comment on the decor.

I dare say you will never see another rental car company quite like this one. If a plant nursery, antique shop, and museum all got together and had a baby, it would be the lobby of Crystal Auto in Belize City. Plants everywhere, amidst vases, statues, and other relics. So wonderfully unexpected of a rental car company!

Outside is business as usual.
But altogether a different scenario inside.
The welcoming committee. They won’t bother you, but get a little too close to the white one and he’ll give you a piece of his mind!
A veritable greenhouse.
Statues and carvings abound.
Get a feel for local Belize.

Mesmerized as I was with the decor, my ears perked up when I heard there were free cupcakes, banana bread, and sweet lemon ginger iced tea for the customers. Homemade! And very tasty, I might add. The banana bread, especially, had me coming back for (yes, I’m not ashamed to say it!) thirds…and possibly even fourths. I’m not sure if this is an everyday occurrence or just for Christmas, but we scored big time!

Lemme at 'em!

And that’s not all! After I finished the paperwork process with Rina and looked over the car, we found we were the last customers around, and as we were getting ready to hop into the car, Rina asked if we had eaten lunch. We had planned to pick up something on the drive to San Ignacio, but she warned us that markets and restaurants would all be closed on Christmas day…and then offered us a Christmas lunch on the house! Whaaaaat?

The awesome ladies at Crystal Auto had prepared themselves a traditional Christmas meal of ham, turkey, mashed potatoes & gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and (being in Belize) rice & beans. And they served us each a plate because they didn’t want us to starve. What non-food business does that?

Saved from starving!
Santa Rina renews my faith in humanity.

No, they didn’t pay me to write them up a good review. They didn’t need to – their Belizean hospitality spoke volumes for them. Given their wonderful service, I would have been deeply saddened if I’d had to report mechanical issues with their rental car, but I’m happy to say that the 4WD Jeep Patriot that we rented from them served us wonderfully for the rest of our 12-day trip with no problems.

Our rental car - after days of rain and mud. Served us very well, indeed.

Thanks for saving us from starving on Christmas, Crystal Auto ladies! Ours was a case of being at the right place at the right time. (By the way, this post was to recognize exceptional customer service. It is not a suggestion for folks to go to Crystal Auto to chow down, so don’t you dare tell them I sent you for free food!)

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