Looking for an exotic vacation destination, that won’t break the banks and won’t require you to learn an entirely new language??… then Belize may be an option for you.
Located in Central America, Belize boast as the only officially English speaking country with one of the longest barrier reefs and a vast jungle waiting to be explored for all you enthusiast out there. Geographically it shares a border with Mexico and Guatemala, with Honduras hanging out right below. Surrounded by Spanish speaking countries you will find that most, if not all, of the Belizeans speak Spanish as fluently as they speak english.
One of the most note worthy interesting facts about Belize, though existing as a mainland country, Belize also has over 200 islands and Cayes, located right off the coast of the Caribbean island with some islands being inhabited and others uninhabited (except for indigenous animals of course). The most popular touristisy of those 200 islands & Cayes are Ambergris Caye/ San Pedro and Caye Caulker. After a very thorough research and a lot of back and forth, sprinkled with indecisiveness I settled on Ambergris Caye.
Ambergris Caye is one of the most popular destination for Belize tourism mainly due to the big lure of snorkeling and scuba diving. Remember I said it has one of the longest barrier reefs in the Western hemisphere. Ambergris Caye definitely provided that small island feel and you were reminded of that every day!.. No big chain restaurants, and no cars!! thats right.. no cars..whats the mode of transport then?? GOLF CARTS!!. It’s like the locals exist in a world all their own, thriving, relaxed and care-free.. sign me up please.. The cobble stone streets are just wide enough to fit 2 golf carts, side by side ,with the occasional golf-cart traffic… The local town, San Pedro is filled with shops, restaurants, bars and everything else in between, with most hotels, resorts, B&B’s located to the East or West of the town. I had a great time on this breath-taking island, but there are some things I wish I knew prior that would have made this trip even better…
1- Excursions
Belize has many things to see and explore, such as Mayan ruins, Cave tubing, ziplining, jungle safaris and many more, but all of these excursions are located on the mainland of Belize and not on the smaller islands, where I stayed. So what does this mean for your excursions?? Wellllll, you will have to fetch a 1.5hr ferry ride back to the mainland or take a 15 minute plane ride, roundtrip. This can be costly (if you take the plane ride) and inconvenient ( if you take the ferry) adding to the overall cost of your excursion and time off your actual excursions.
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Split your trip in 2! Stay on the mainland for a few days, explore all the jungles, mayan ruins, tours and caves you desire, and when your heart is content head over to the islands for some good ol’ beach fun.
2- Food
For some reason or the other Belize does not have any fast food chains. No I don’t mean there is 1 McDonalds or 1 Burger King in the remote part of the island..I mean there is no fast food chain on the mainland or any of the 200 islands/ Cayes, AT-ALL! PERIODT! Instead what you will find is a pleathora of good ole home cooking creole food, with somebody’s grandma or auntie in the kitchen pumping out some delicious local cuisine. Every where you look there is a shaby looking stall, usually surrounded by a crowd of locals, serving up a local speciality, whether it be rice & peas with stew chicken, empanadas, burgers or fry jacks, I tried them all and its allllll delicious. The best part, for all you dieters and watchers of your weight, everything is Fresh, so none of those hidden ingredients that pack on the pounds, yay! But, with fresh cooked food, comes longer wait times.
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Order or get your food before you are hungry hungry. So if i’ts 1 pm and you know in the next 2 hours you will be ready to eat go get that food NOW!! This gives you time, while the food is being prepared and avoids you from getting HANGRY..So by the time you get your hands on that mouth watering deliciousness you’ll definitely be hungry.
3-Getting Around
Like I said this island main mode of transportation is by golf carts with the occasional full-size cars for taxi and trucks for local constructions. The roads are easy to navigate and you really can’t get lost. There are many local golf-cart rental business so getting one is a breeze..
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Do not get your golf-cart from your hotel!! The up-charge is outrageous. My hotel charged me almost a $100 a day whereas a local business charges as low as $30-40 a day.
