Hi everyone! It’s been a minute but I’m back with my first blog post of the summer! I know, I know, I had big plans to publish weekly blog post AND I really spent my summer traveling and didn’t do a lot of blog posting. It’s life. Good news is, I have lots of content to share with you guys, and am excited to start with the best vacation of the summer, Belize!
+Getting to Belize- The easiest way to get to Belize, is to book your plane ticket and enjoy the ride. The most popular airport, Belize International Airport is located in Belize City. Our connecting flight from Dallas was about 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Getting to the beach once in Belize City- You will have two options to get to the beach, known as the Caye’s (say it like Keys) in Belize. Once you arrive in Belize City, there are several flight companies who offer flights, almost hourly to the Caye’s (Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker.) The flights to the caye’s cost about $80 US dollars and it takes you a short 15 minutes to arrive in the Caye’s and are tons of fun and well worth the experience. You a can also take a ferry to the Caye’s cost about $15 US dollar for a ticket each way. A ferry ride will take 2-3 hours to arrive to the Caye’s.
+Renting a car in Belize– Belize International Airport has many car rental offices just outside of the airport. You can make reservations online ahead of time or book at the airport as long as they have cars available.
+Things to consider when renting a car in Belize– If you plan to take your car across the boarder to Guatemala, you will need to purchase insurance and a permit. You also need to have a letter signed by a lawyer and that can only be done during the week and ahead of time. The Belizian people will help you to complete this task if needed but it definitely need to be done ahead of time. Secondly, they will ask you if you are planning to go off roading and if you need four wheel drive, and you are going to say no, and then you will end up on unpaved, rocky road while driving around the country!! Promise. There are so many unpaved roads, even getting resorts, and rain and you will need some kind of SUV.
+What to do in Belize– There are many things to do in Belize, on the beach and inland. Most people visit Belize for some beach life and a peek at that aqua blue water. When traveling to the Caye’s you have a few options such as Caye Caulker, the Amberguis Caye’s and a few others. There is no shortage of beach activities such as snorkeling, fishing, visiting the town when you arrive to you beach destination, it will all depend on how you plan on spending time on the beach.
Driving inland you can also drive to different beaches across the island coast such as Hopkins. The drive is beautiful along the Humming Bird Highway!! You will also find smaller, less visited cities, such as the city of San Ignacio. This is a great option of a city to stay in if you are planning on traveling to Tikal (stay tuned for my Tikal Travel Guide) or visiting the ATM Cave. I was able to do both on my trip and they were both amazing. ATM Cave is like nothing I have ever experienced, as you explore a cave discovered by the Mayans and is believed to be part of the Mayan Underworld. It was unreal!! And they don’t allow cameras so I’ll only be able to tell you about it. If you are up for an adventure this is for you. You will walk across rivers, swim to the entrance of the cave, and climb through water and boulders to The Cathedral and The Crystal Maiden and a peek at Mayan artifacts and rituals. It’s so scary and so amazing at the same time. Definitely, an experience I’ll never forget.
+Where to stay in Belize-Since we were driving around the country while, across the border into Guatemala, back to the coast and then to Belize City and lastly, to San Pedro, we stayed at three different locations. Some Airbnb’s and some hotels/resort. I highly recommend all of them, ending the day at these great places really added to our stay.
- San Ignacio-Suzy’s Villa (Airbnb)
- Hopkins- Jaguar Reef Resort
- Ambergues Caye- Matachica Resort
+ What to eat in Belize– As long as you like seafood or chicken you’ll find plenty to eat in Belize. I honestly ate lobster every day!! Market price was about $15 US dollars so how could I not! Anything seafood you can think of, you can find, shrimp curry(you’ll be surprised), crab claws, shrimp tacos, calamari, anything. They also eat a lot of chicken in Belize so many places have delicious chicken dishes. Don’t be afraid to try the street food. We ate lots of street food, mostly tacos. They were delicious and perfect when we were tired from a day of adventuring and on our way back to the Airbnb.
Over all I loved my time in Belize. If I were to do it over again, I would do it the exact same way, with some inland adventure and a little beach time. The people from Belize were so kind and helpful and helped us with any little hick up during our stay, and helped everything along the way.
