It looks like this year will be the year I take a vacation in Belize.
I would appreciate any tips from anyone who has been there (or better yet, lives there.) I like just about anything, but I really want to avoid anything that is obviously a tourist trap. I like to scuba dive, hike, and kayak.
Where to stay? Where to eat? What simply cannot be missed? What is best to avoid?
Gimme the Straight Dope on Belize, please.
My partner and I vacationed in Belize about 9 years ago, and it is still one of my most favorite vacations ever. We stayed on Ambergris Caye at Victoria House. This was one of the most relaxing, stress-free trips I’ve ever taken.
We snorkeled while there, which was pretty cool. We road bikes into town (San Pedro) which was difficult due to the sandy roads and our complete lack of fitness! Mostly, we relaxed on the beach and watched satellites as they crossed the sky at night. I’ve never seen so many stars! If we ever go back, we’ll definitely go on an excursion to one of the Mayan ruins.
My one piece of advice would be to go in the winter months, if possible. We were there in October, and the heat was almost unbearable, even that late in the year.
I did a 10-day vacation to Belize back in January 1997 and had a great time. It was a guided trip with Slickrock. http://www.slickrock.com
It was an very good time. Class IV kayaking on the Macal River and kayaking the Caves Branches River were my two favorite activities on the mainland. Out on Glover’s Reef it was sea kayaking, snorkling and wind surfing.
If you’re going on your own, I wish you luck. Belize is a very poor 3rd-world country, not a tourist-friendly resort location like Aculpulco. Belize City is not very safe. You’re going to have a tough time trying to rent modern equipment like kayaks and mountain bikes unless you go to a resort area like the Turneffe Islands. Even trying to take kayaks through customs could be a problem, since they may suspect that you’re trying run an unlicensed tour business. I also felt that most of the local were very aggressive about gouging tourists, even compared to places like Mexico. I wouldn’t recommend going during the rainy season.
We’ve been looking into Belize, too, after someone mentioned it in my Vacation Ideas Needed thread. I’d like to hear more about it. The activities sound neat, but I’m kinda worried about stuff like transportation, food costs and how the locals act. When we went to the Bahamas (10 years ago) the locals were VERY aggressive about “asking” for tips and treated us rather poorly.
is marijuana use legal in Belize?
I’ve only been there once for a diving trip, but I talked to a number of the guests about how they set up their vacations. For starters, I would recommend at least a two week visit for all the activities you would like to do. This breaks down to 1 week of diving, and at least one week of land-based activities. The reason for setting aside 1 week for the diving is because you’ll want to stay at one of the outer atolls. The boat rides from the mainland would be far too long (for the best diving).
I stayed at Turneffe Island Lodge and it was awesome. The lodge is relatively small (only like 20 guests total), and the lodge IS the entire (small) island. So it’s nice and secluded, and you’re very close to the dive sites (like 10 minutes). If you want more information, I’d be happy to give more details. But to boil it down: great food, great dive op., very friendly staff, nice quiet location.
In talking to the other guests while I was there, most were doing a week at the lodge, and then either had or were going to do a week in the “jungle”. Visiting ruins, checking out the rainforest, horseback riding were all on the agenda for the land-based part. Didn’t hear much about kayaking, so I can’t help you with that.
The only other piece of advice I can give is to not plan to spend a whole lot of time in Belize City. It is NOT a “tourist destination.” Let’s face it, Belize is a very poor country. And being downtown in the largest city exposes you to that poverty. I went into town to find t-shirts and stuff, and it was pretty bad - worse than poor areas of Mexico that I’ve visited.
I’m going to visit Belize (only for a day) very soon. My ExBF and I are taking a cruise that leaves on 1/26/04 for 8 days to Panama. We’ll be visiting Belize City; Limon, Costa Rica; and, Colon, Panama.
I hope to go cave tubing in Belize and see the Mayan Ruins, but if I have to choose one excursion for the day, I’d choose the ruins.
If you want to e-mail me after we get back (2/2/04), I’d be glad to give you any information from my trip!
Bon Voyage to me! lol!
Yogini
I’m going to Belize a week from today! We’re staying four days on Caye Caulker at Shirley’s Guesthouse, then 5 days at DuPlooy’s www.duplooys.com and then 5 days at Kitty’s on Placencia.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA -
I had a huge post about Belize and the hamsters ate it.
madmonk-
My wife and I stayed at Duplooy’s a few years ago. Only 3 nights and we wish we would have stayed a 4th.
We had 3 ‘activities’ at Duplooys.
For folks going to Ambergris. -
We spent about 12 nights in SanPablo. We had a condo on the north side of town. Close to the grocery store. Worked out great. I did not consider the diving fantastic, but certainly a lot of fun.
I strongly recommend renting some bicycles and going to ‘Sweet Basils’ for lunch. It’s on the north end of the island, across the canal.
Have fun!
ehhhh, not SanPablo on Ambergris, SanPedro.
madmonk -
By the way, it’s a long drive from Belize City to DuPlooys. Might be up to 2 hours. Yeah. 2 hours isn’t much on everyday time, but when you are done flying, and want to get to your destination… There is a lot of anticipation. Two hours can seem like a real long time. Especially if it’s dark and you can’t see anything.
My wife remembered the name of the driver we had. Phillip, or I guess Philep (excuse my non existant Spanish). I would not be surprised if he was still there. He picked us up at the airport in Belize City. He works for DuPlooyes. Very nice guy.
On the way back to the airport, after he picked us up from canoeing, the spare tire carrier on the van dropped off and started dragging on the road. I helped him fix it. He may remember us because of that. If Phillip is still there, that incident may jog his memory. Tell him ‘Hi’ from Doug and Patty.
Have fun!
I went there about 16 or 17 yrs ago. If it’s still there, DO NOT stay at Ramone’s Reef Resort. If you dive or fish it is a great place. Definitely go to the Myan ruins if you can. When I was there, water was only on for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening (at least on San Pedro) so you had to have a very precise shower plan. The local cuisine and herbs are very interesting and different. Give them a try. To repeat, if you dive or snorkle, it is awesome. Definitely don’t try to go the “bargain basement” route, it’s cheap enough anyway, splurge. Have a wonderful vacation.
My father co-owns Lighthouse Reef Resort (www.scubabelize.com) . My experience with Belize is limited to the resort, Belize City, and the zoo. The zoo is wonderful and very open, but requires riding a taxi to the destination.
Here’s something to give you an idea about Belize:
-Most everyone speaks English
-Cars don’t have AC
-The tallest building is the Ft. George Hotel, which is 5 stories
-There are lots of con artists in Belize City
-There are some open sewers
-Don’t drink the water, to be on the safe side
In planning our trips, general idea recon, etc., I have found Lonely Planet’s Postcards to be very interesting, and they also have fairly active forums (Thorn Tree) and useful links.
Don’t read the Belize postcard section while eating, personal stories of botflies will put you right off your feed.