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A visual tour of Placencia Village on a beautiful, perfect Tuesday morning!

Remaxvipbelize: Beach side view
In chronological order, starting North of the village at Caribbean Beach Cabanas, and ending at Above Ground Coffee House (yum!). Especially good if you are stuck in a blizzard today.
The shore in front of Caribbean Beach Cabanas…..wow.
Remax Vip Belize: Canibbear Beach Cabanas
Remax Vip Belize: Placencia Village Sitting Area
Remax Vip Belize: Outdoor Shower
 Heading towards the village, South, from Caribbean Beach Cabanas…
Remax Vip Belize: Caribbean Beach Cabanas Bucknor
Remax Vip Belize: No Riding or The Sidewalk
Remax Vip Belize: Sunova Beach Gift Shop
 Love these lights…..great “free” lighting idea
Remax Vip Belize: Bare Foot Bar
Remax Vip belize: Join the Bakerman Fresh Bread
 A must do-Rick’s Cafe. Awesome pizza!
Remax Vip Belize: Do-Rick's Cafe
Remax Vip Belize: Do-Rick's Cafe  backside view
 Pickled Parrot….for all your Sports Tiki Bar needs.
Remax Vip Belize: Pickled Parrot Bar & Grill
Remax Vip Belize:  K'ohk' Tiliw Gift Shop
Remax Vip Belize: Coffee House
 Inside Above Grounds….looks like a Treehouse!
Remax Vip Belize: Looks like a Treehouse
Remax Vip Belize: Cafe
 The veranda at Above Grounds….does not suck.
Remax Vip Belize: Cafe sitting area
I couldn’t help but take all these :). I hope it brightens up some days for people heading down!
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Reviews of Fusion, Tranquilo, Lost Reef Resort, and the perfect weather this week!

Remax Vip Belize: Lost Reef Resort, and the perfect weather this week
It was a gorgeous week! Clear water, mostly clear skies, people were everywhere on the beaches this week. Today, Sunday, has been cloudy but no complaints after this week we had! Here are a few shots of the crystal clear skies we saw:

Remax Vip Belize: Tranquilo
Remax Vip Belize: Belize Coffee Table
Remax Vip Belize: Belize Beach coffee table area
Remax Vip Belize: Belize

Dave got home on Tuesday, and it was so nice out, I got him to change right into his trunks and head to Fusion. It did not disappoint! There were several groups there enjoying drinks and the great pool. It looks like Miami beach, you will NOT be disappointed to spend an afternoon here, we are planning on taking a large group of our friends there in a week! Don’t miss the mojitos…wow. Here are a couple pics of what you see as you lay out:

Remax Vip Belize: It looks like Miami beach
Remax Vip Belize: It looks like Miami beach Pool side area

Also on the list this week was Tranquilo. If you want a truly unique experience for you or for your guests, GO THERE. We called Geof on our way to the pier, and we easily found the little boat “3 Things” that takes you to the Placencia Caye dock–about a 2 minute ride. Oh, we saw this on the way to the restaurant in the 2 minutes….no filter….(this is a dolphin, not a great white.)

 
Geof, the manager, was so warm, gracious, and welcoming!
Remax Vip Belize: Geof, the manager, was so warm, gracious, and welcoming!

The sunset we caught was perfect, and Geof even took us on a fun little adventure to see a bit of the Caye and the development there. Some great history there already! The staff were great, and Dave loved the margaritas. At sunset you get a free sunset shot–AWESOME…I drank it like a drink, it was so good. We both had the tuna and the shrimp puppies, and both felt it was one of the best dishes we have had in Placencia. It was a really quiet and relaxing evening, so special and truly unique. This is a MUST DO and we will be taking our friends there as well! Look at these images!!

Remax Vip Belize: Placencia sunset View
Remax Vip Belize: Placencia Restaurant
Remax Vip Belize: Placencia Hotel room sunset view
Remax Vip Belize: Placencia Restaurant sunset view
The menu….GET THE TUNA!
Remax Vip Belize: Menu

The weather was so nice yesterday we continues our outdoor activities…starting with breakfast at De’tatch. You can’t go wrong, it is a classic, but just to reiterate….look at this fun!

Remax Vip Belize: Starting with breakfast at De'tatch
Remax Vip Belize: Detatch
Remax Vip Belize: Maya Beach

We then took our kayaks up to Maya Beach and found a spot to launch, This was not as successful as the rest of the weekend….lol. The wind picked up and we were fighting waves on the lagoon for about 90 minutes before we gave up, not really going anywhere ;). I did get a lot of seawater in my face/mouth. Dave told me afterwards, that he saw a really strange reptilian creature raise his head up out of the water, and figured if he told me in the moment, that would have ended the fun earlier. He was right. He did see two dolphins too–although just the fins, so perhaps we were being circled by sharks as well as alligators. We decided to head up to Riversdale, before we disappeared into the lagoon, to see Lost Reef Resort, as we have heard good things.

Lost Reef Resort is what I imagine when I think of Belize :). Rustic little beach cabanas, a bar that looks made from a ship, a cute little pool with hammocks, pelicans, dogs, and iguanas walking around. Earl the bartender was so great. The weather calmed down and we had a perfect afternoon there. I recommend this highly as a rustic little afternoon getaway!!! Check these out…

Remax Vip Belize: Light House Lost Reee Resort
Remax Vip Belize: Light House Resort Pool
Remax Vip Belize: Light House Resort Relaxing area
Remax Vip Belize: Light House  Resort
Remax Vip Belize: Light House  Resort  Beach
Remax Vip Belize: Light House Resort Beach Palm tree
And finally, anyone who wishes I would post more Sticks pictures…(Just me perhaps)…I have decided the dog does enough memorable things to warrant his own little Facebook page :). He just makes everyone smile, so for anyone who finds this kind of entertainment worthwhile, here is his new facebook page 🙂

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sticks-in-BZ/793918960644782

Sticks at De’tatch…being pensive perhaps, about the possibility of success with his new page.

Remax Vip Belize: Dog Relax in Chair

Can’t wait to see our Cleveland friends in less than a week!!

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Some tropical pictures and fun to lighten the winter!

Remax Vip Belize : Fun to lighten the winter!
Look, I don’t want to be smug, but it has been GORGEOUS here recently. The weather has cleared up, it has been really warm and comfortable, and the beach and water have been pretty sea grass free!! So why not a positive post with a few pictures? OK!Let’s start with a real stunner, I stole this from Lee Nyhus :)…this was taken from Tipsy Tuna today, they built a new second story eating area overlooking the beach…if this doesn’t cause you to make your plane reservations I don’t know what will!!

Remax Vip Belize: Warm and comfortable, and the beach

Although I have spent 90% of my days in the last two weeks painting/urethaning/cleaning/etc the casita, to get it ready for its first guests….Sue and Sharon showed up this past sunny Friday and convinced me to go to the Mariposa pool with them….look how upset I look!

Remax Vip Belize: Mariposa pool

We had a great time….my pictures I took of the pool didn’t turn out, but here is what it looks like (via google)….

Remax Vip Belize: Belize Pool side view
Remax Vip Belize: Belize house Pool side view

Here are some delicious shrimp fritters from their menu (I ate 80% of this plate. Plus dinner.) She also has great wine! It is such a fun place to spend the afternoon, or for dinner. I should note, Sticks is only allowed in the dining room at certain times 🙂

Remax Vip Belize.: Delicious shrimp fritters

Have to thank Sharon for this coconut drink….THIS is what I am working towards lol!!! Mine are still sloppy and don’t sit up 🙂

Remax Vip Belize: Coconut Drink

My poor husband has been in Cleveland to work on a few projects…and I have really been enjoying his weather updates from up North….here was one of my favorites!! It was LITERALLY 115 degrees warmer here that day when you took into consideration the wind chill and the heat index….!!! (Yes, that DOES say wind chill -21.)

Remax Vip Belize: Lake Wood Wind Chill Advisory

Here are some of the horrible things I have had to look at while he has been vacationing in the snow….

Remax Vip Belize: Belize Hotel Park View
Remax Vip Belize: Belize Beach Nature
Remax Vip Belize: Belize Desert

Also, one thing I keep hunting for is new things I can make with the ingredients available here. You can find ALMOST everything, but not quite like the US, and it is helpful to find good staples that are always available. I came up with two things that would be good for those that live here and also visitors…

#1–YUM! Throw a bit of coconut oil in a pot with a lid. Put it on a burner, put some popcorn kernels in, and voila! Until I hear otherwise, coconut oil is supposed to keep you alive and young looking forever. This is also really cheap!

Remax Vip Belize: Popcorn Kernels

#2–I had a few random ingredients and wanted pizza. I also realized I didn’t know how to use the oven in the new place. I am convinced if I mess with a gas appliance, I am capable of blowing buildings up. So, having to wait until Dave returns for the oven lesson, I threw some corn tortillas on a pan, put some tomato sauce on top, then a bit of cheese, tomatoes, and green onions. I let it sit on the pan for a few minutes, and this was like wayyyy better than it even should have been!

Also–you really only need the tortillas, cheese, and sauce, and these can ALWAYS be found easily. Pizza is easier to find now than when we first were here (Galley delivers now YAY!) but this worked for me. I am sure the poor visitors get sick of eating out every night, so here ya go! Pizza without an oven 🙂 Also good on a hot day when you just don’t want to turn it on.

Remax Vip Belize: Pizza without an oven

Finally, a totally gratuitous chihuahua picture. I have been taking too many pictures of the dog, because I was certain Dave missed him as much as I would if I were gone (he doesn’t. But I like taking the pictures.) This one was just a real gem….Sticks’s vet said chihuahuas have bad teeth and it would do him a lot of good to have them frequently brushed. Anyone who has tried to brush their dog’s teeth, knows what a treat this is for both of you. I feel that I captured the mood of this interaction here:

Remax Vip Belize: Pictures of the dog

Dave returns in a day and half, yay! And, probably due to the above mentioned weather in Cleveland, we have three group of friends from Cleveland coming in the next 6 weeks and I CAN’T WAIT to have fun down here with them!!!!

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10 ways to get excited about your Placencia vacation!

Remax Vip Belize: Belize Island Beach

One of my favorite things over the last couple months, has been getting emails from future guests, with fun questions about how to improve their trip, and general excitement (right now, all the Northern climates are thrilled to escape the polar vortex).I know I am not alone in this, but when I travel, I become obsessed with the place I am going and I read blogs, forums, and look at images of where I am going, to daydream about it. To me this is part of the excitement of the trip!

So, specific to Placencia, Belize…here are some ideas for those of you heading down!1.)Download a favorite image and make it your computer and phone screen saver or background picture 🙂 Here are some of my favorites…

Actual Placencia sign you will see…everywhere.
Remax Vip Belize: Welcome you to Placencia Stann Creek
No sea grass sea. Don’t be discouraged if you come down and there is sea grass, it may be gone tomorrow!
Remax Vip Belize: No sea grass sea
 Caribbean Beach Cabanas, actual photo!
Remax Vip Belize: Caribbean Beach Cabanas
 Looks like a fake screen saver but actual Belize.
Remax Vip Belize: Fake screen saver but actual Belize
 Also looks fake but we actually took this picture.
Remax Vip Belize: Belize Desert
 No snow here.
 Remax Vip Belize: Belize Beach Nature View
2.)Daydream about having your coffee here…
Remax Vip Belize: Daydream about having your coffee here
3.)Pick a few spots to have your special night out dinners….here are a few favorites….(google pics)
Secret Garden is, in fact, a secret garden!
Remax Vip Belize: Secret Garden
 Rumfish…everyone knows this one!
Remax Vip Belize: Rumfish
 Maya Bistro…pictures don’t do it justice.
Remax Vip Belize: Maya Bistro
4.)Pick at least an excursion or two….here are some ideas….
Sea N’ Belize Glass Bottomed Boat…
Remax Vip Belize: Sea N' Belize Glass Bottomed Boat
 Monkey River Tour…
Remax Vip Belize: Monkey River Tour
 Cockscomb….
Remax Vip Belize: Cockscomb
Remax Vip Belize: Cockscomb
5.)Google Placencia images 🙂 Do this ad nauseum, as needed. (images by, google images 🙂 🙂
Remax Vip Belize: Placencia
Remax Vip Belize: Placencia Beach
Remax Vip Belize: Placencia Beach sunset view
Remax Vip Belize: Placencia Hotel outside view
6.)Download some books for your kindle…here are some I really enjoyed to get me excited!

7.)If you are on Facebook twitter or instagram “like” some of the local places….here are a few active and fun ones….

Twitter…
Facebook…
Instagram…
You can go this site…
And get all of the latest pictures people are putting on Instagram with #placencia..they are awesome!

8.)Buy some vacation clothes and start packing way before you need to 🙂 Placencia is extremely casual and is known as a barefoot or flip flop town. Here are some ideas for what to wear or bring….

Casual times…(courtesy of pinterest and google)

Remax Vip belize: Vacation Clothes
Remax Vip belize: Vacation Clothes
As dressy as it gets…
Remax Vip Belize: As dressy as it gets
Ignore Pinterest when you see this….unless you are here for a wedding. Too dressy! Don’t Belize it.
Remax Vip Belize: A wedding. Too dressy
9.)Don’t read weather reports. You will see that it is supposed to rain every day. And, it does rain a lot of days anywhere tropical. But, unlike in Northern Climates, where if a front come in, you can guarantee it lasts for days, down here, “rain” just means a shower or two but 90% of the day is gorgeous. Plus, the forecast changes EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.
Remax Vip Belize: Northern Climates
10.) Pack in your carry on, or really accessible in your luggage, a fun beachy outfit to put on, the minute you land in Belize. The tropical air hits you the second you get off the plane (you exit planes outdoors in the small airport). You will be very, very sad you wore all those layers and socks and boots. You will feel like a caterpillar needing out of its cocoon. You will immediately feel like you are on vacation! Then, have a Belikin while you wait for your Tropic Air flight 🙂
Remax Vip Belize: All those layers and socks and boots