Blog

It is getting pretty quiet on the peninsula right now. We knew coming in that September and October are really slow months, because the weather is typically at its worst, the breeze dies down, it gets muggy, bugs get worse, and a lot of restaurants and businesses take weeks to months long breaks this time of year. We have had a LOT of rain the last few days, and on top of that, something called Sargassum has taken over the Caribbean Sea! Shores all over the Caribbean, Florida, Texas, etc are getting hit with it, and we haven’t been spared.Sargassum is a sea grass that links itself together out in the Sea and is a barrier for turtles and other creatures. Because of increased temperatures in the Sea, a huge island of the stuff “broke free” and so islands and islands of the grossness are washing up on shores. It is messy, smelly, and I feel really badly for anyone coming here right now for their idyllic beach vacation :(. Thankfully, while it is really bad this year, it is temporary and doesn’t mean that some disaster is going on 🙂

Here is an interesting article about it from just north of us, in Ambergris Caye:

https://www.ambergristoday.com/content/stories/2014/august/19/wheres-the-beach-sargassum-problems

There are great pictures of it in that article, and here are some pictures that I debated sharing, because it is so bad 🙂 but I will, because it is fascinating!!

Here’s what it is actually like to leave your life behind and move to paradise.

The best things about moving to an exotic place

2.) It also feels GREAT to let go of stuff-this is an obvious answer but it is VERY true. I can now get around with just a few suitcases and I am really careful about buying anything that won’t fit in 350 square feet. I admit I do have a small storage closet at home but I don’t even know what I am missing in it. I got rid of my beloved car and house, I gave away many things that felt really important to me. I don’t miss anything!! I do need my cell phone, computer, and my dog, and maybe some clothes. Everything else I can really live without.

 

3.) Not having that itch in the back of my head that I am wasting time or not doing something really cool with my time on the planet. Everyone’s goals and comfort levels are different; this dream of mine is not the dream for everyone. There are many discomforts involved as well–but for me, I dreamed about living on a beach since I was a teenager and spent a lot of time daydreaming about palm trees and warm weather. I always got mad this time of year that I was preparing to hibernate for yet another depressing winter. I would think at every milestone date that I wasn’t doing anything new or different, and my behaviors weren’t matching what I really wanted for myself. After my move to paradise, this feeling has dissipated 🙂

4.) I already mentioned this, and I don’t mean to be smug, but I HATE HATE HATE winter. This is the first time in my 37 years that I will not have impending doom this time of year that winter is coming and everything sucks. I used to get very upset when weather would ruin things because great days were few and far between. Now I don’t bat an eyelash!

5.) I have also gotten a feeling of confidence in overcoming all the objections that make a person NOT follow their dreams. I DID give up a lot to come here and I was really scared and insecure at times, but I did it anyway because I trusted my gut. It has made me better able to set boundaries and limits and say no, and be more bold and confident.

6.) The international friends we have made down here, and the ability to walk down any night of the week to a beach bar and meet new people has been spectacular. I love people and new friends, and we have made some friendships already that make us feel at home. We had a barbecue before our last trip to Cleveland and nearly 20 people came, from all walks of life and all over the world, and I am able to think about and talk about things I didn’t even know I was interested in!

7.) Some randoms–the sound and smell of the beach everyday, wearing beach clothes and never having to dress up, being tan, walking or biking everywhere, being around tourists in great moods, seeing my dog able to be outside all the time without shivering and also bringing him everywhere with me, seeing and hearing palm trees, and farmer’s markets…among many others 🙂

8.)Really getting a chance to start over with new routines, rethinking what goals are really important, not getting caught up in the grind and boredom, (really a complete lack of boredom), seeing what I am really made of and pushing through challenges in a new way.

1.) Air conditioning.

 

2.) Feeling clean all the time.

3.) Calling people when I feel like it and not thinking about the bad connection on my cell.

4.) Whole Foods.

5.) Of course, family and friends. This is the biggest. Especially after this last spectacular visit, the easy connections, history, old inside jokes, comfort level….we really, really, miss them.

6.) Cleveland has been on fire and is pretty much awesome in every way. It has shed its bad attitude about itself and new fun things are happening all the time. We missed the boat on our timing there.

7.) Target-the store. I love going to one place and knowing what I am going to see there. It is a crapshoot here and you can’t count on finding freaking anything.

8.) That comfortable routine that I said I hated….I knew when it was time to work, when it was time to relax, there was a comfortable stability in that. If I have an off day here it is up to me and only me to pull it together-no external structure.

9.) Knowing that if there is an emergency, the US is where you want to be. It does sit in the back of your mind that the police and medical presence here is not what we come to expect in the US.

10.) Good roads 🙂 and, good drivers with police to enforce them.

11.) Knowing that if I see a stray dog, I can call someone and get it taken care of. Here, you do occasionally see animals that are hurting and if you have a soft spot for them, it is like watching a Sarah Maclachlin (sp?) commercial that you can’t turn off. Same of course with poverty…

12.) Not having to worry about getting passport stamps and other residency requirements that we take for granted as a citizen.

13.) For Dave’s sake he would say–FAST FOOD!

14.) Indoor gyms.

These are not weighted in any way, some are a big deal and some are not. Overall….I am ecstatic at this choice. I would never have gotten rid of the itch to move away, and no matter what happens, Our move to paradise has been worth it 100%!!!!!

We are back to Belize after a couple weeks away, in Cleveland, OH, to attend weddings and connect with family and friends!!!We realized that our bodies did in fact adjust to the heat here, because 80 degrees felt COLD in Cleveland! Ridiculous! And now we have to readjust to heat index of 100. At least now we know it can be done. I am not sure how long it takes….will start to run that experiment…, onto our Placencia Vacation review:

Right before we left, we had a good friend here-Ray. Ray is a PhD and a very analytical person, so we were very curious what he would think of Belize. We had a great time with him and he stayed an extra week after we left to explore by himself. He wrote a vacation review for us, that I think would be very helpful to those coming down! Things to know about Ray….he has been all over the world, so he has places to compare Belize to; Ray is very “frugal,”:) and he is a germaphobe. So, if you can relate to any of these experiences(/issues), you might find his outlook helpful for your experience 🙂

Hey Laura and Dave,

While you have been up in the US, I have been enjoying life down here in Belize.  Most of my time is consumed by reading on the hammock and eating from the really non-tourist restaurants.  My top three of the local fare restaurants are Mary’s (next to the soccer field), Vern’s (in Seine Bight) and Mim’s (one minute from Caribbean Beach Cabanas).  Other than eating and reading, my most interesting day since you left was a motorcycle excursion.

I still had daylight left and needed to refill my gas tank.  So I shot up to Belmopan and grabbed some food at the Belmopan Market.  The market was not glamorous, but definitely worth the fifteen minute drive, to get some local fare.

We are going back to the US for a visit and we have been keeping track of what we can’t get down here, to shop for at home. I have been asked a few times what things to bring to Belize that you can’t find here, and it is a common courtesy to ask your friends if they need you to bring back anything when you go for a visit.I have been trying very hard to simplify while we are here, so by no means is this an exhaustive list. I also haven’t bought any clothes for 3 months….today I was told that there was a 4 inch hole in the back of my shorts in an unfortunate place. I am now down to 3 pairs of shorts. This is a must buy 🙂 Different things are obviously important to different people; this is just a snapshot of our experience.

I so miss Target 🙂 It is really the only store I miss. I like going and getting everything I need at one place. When I get to go to (blissfully air conditioned) Target.

Here is the definite list of things to bring down to Belize:

• Flea collars (for the dog, not me)
• Dog treats made in the USA (no judging of other countries dog treats, just a precaution:) )
• Queen sheets-hard to find sometimes, in the variety at home
• Acrylic paint-pretty expensive and hard to find here
• Sunglasses-these are pretty pricey here ($10 US–Ok that is not expensive, but I go through these really fast so I buy like $3 ones at home)
• Razors-much cheaper at home and the brand I like is not here
• Frisbees-can get cheaply
• Snorkel gear-cheaper at home
• Curtains-same reason as the sheets
• Hand held can opener-for some reason the ones down here don’t hold up we have heard!
• Eye drops-this comes from Chris, who needs them due to an eye condition, you can’t get good ones here
• Clothes-you really can’t buy a large variety of clothes here
• Flip Flops-same reason
• Faucets-not a good selection here
• More bathing suits-and not frilly ones, more like down to business sporty ones
• Some things that we didn’t think we would need, already own, but are now bringing down:
• Air pump
• Label maker
• Board games
• Satellite radio
• A computer to TV hook up
• Iron
• Hand Vac
• Kitchen stuff like canisters, tongs, grill equipment, cookie sheets, casserole pan
• Hiking boots
• Galoshes
• To go coffee mugs
• A few other random bar and cooking tools

Lastly, we are bringing cornhole baggos and we are going to build cornhole boards–Cornhole is at most parties in Ohio–I don’t know how prevalent it is anywhere else but we are going to bring cornhole to Placencia!! I can’t wait!! it is the perfect environment for it 🙂

This will be another post at some point, but some things that came to mind of what we DIDN’T need and brought back…

Long sleeves

Dressy clothes

Dressy shoes

Blankets

Jewelry

Nail polish and remover

Hair dryer/curler/straightener

Perfume and body spray (Off Woods DEET and SPF are my perfumes now)

Much less socks and underwear than you think you’ll need

(there is a definite theme here.)

And last thought on this topic….what I was anxious about doing without, but found I don’t miss…

Makeup-specific brands

Perfume and nail polish

Doing my hair all fancy

Wearing different varieties of clothes and dressing up

All of the super healthy food I ate at home (Vibrant Greens, quinoa and kale, Whole-Foods type stuff)

Protein Shakes

Good haircuts

Manicures

Specific skin regimen stuff

Really awesome detergent and dryer-dried clothes (hanging the clothes makes them crunchy but who cares)

The gym (just exercise outside)

The awesome coffeemaker we had-the coffee down here is good even in a drip machine

A huge kitchen

A big house 🙂 (As long as I have a big bed 🙂 )

My own garden (with all the farmer’s markets and year round warmth….no complaints 🙂 )

Do you like our list of Things to Bring down to Belize? Leave a comment below!

In other news, this week we have been having  a great time with Ray. We had the Rotary Beach Olympics, where local businesses sponsor their teams and the winner gets a trophy, bragging rights, liquor, and a fun time. It was HOT Sunday, but beautiful, and here are some shots of the day:

Only to find out that it was our friend Chris and his friend Tom! They stopped up and had a visit, they were awesome at maneuvering the boat!

We also went to the new restaurant on the lagoon side of Belize Ocean Club, and it had a BREATHTAKING view of the Maya mountains….gorgeous place to have dinner!

The week is already flying by. We plan on finding some new free places to snorkel while Ray is here…and we are going to attempt to organize a beach BBQ while Ray is here, before we all leave 🙂

You can really blow a lot of money on any vacation by taking excursions every day, going to expensive dinners every night-but realistically, most of us need to find at least SOME fun and cheap Placencia activities to do on the “off days.” Some people are OK with lounging by the pool or beach for days, but others want to do adventures, so here are some ideas you can use! I recommend taking at least a couple excursions, but you can have a very fulfilling and meaningful vacation doing these too! (note, I used some googled stock photos so credit for some of these pics goes to the internet )

1.) Rent a bike! You can rent them at Captain Jak’s (northern village on the main street). We offer bike usage to guests for free as well. So what do you do when you bike around? Some ideas:

-bike down to the pier and watch the fishing boats

-have a picnic on the MANY beaches-stop at street food stands and farmer’s markets, where you can eat very cheaply

-bike up to Mariposa and have a drink during happy hour-they have a pool and good specials!

-for the adventurous-bike all the way to Maya Beach–bring your own snorkel gear, or rent it from the gas station down by the pier–you can snorkel off of Maya Breeze, or further south, at Los Porticos. You can see a bunch of coral and fish!

-You can also bike to Maya Breeze and rent a kayak for cheap, and kayak to False Caye–a 30 minute paddle and you can see amazing underwater life!

-Bike to Belize Ocean Club, where you can hang out at their pool, paddleboard or kayak off their beach for free-just buy a couple drinks at their awesome bar 🙂

-Bike to Seine Bight and visit the Goss chocolate factory-right by Blue Crab Beach

2.) Fishing- if you bring your own pole, you can fish anywhere you choose, and if you take your fish to JD’s, they will cook it for you. If you stay with us, we have a beach barbecue you can use for free! You can also talk to the fishermen at the pier and get fish from them too 🙂

3.) Visit Sunset Point behind the soccer field…you can walk out on the dock and get an amazing view of the sunset….see here!

4.) If you can stomach taking the bus-take the bus to the Inland Blue Hole-this is a turquoise hole where you can swim, you can hike, this is a really great cheap thrill!

5.) Happy hours at Tipsy Tuna and Barefoot Bar–the scenery can’t be beat….beachfront comfortable chairs where you can chill out and people watch….always something entertaining to see!

6.) Yoli’s on Friday night….there is music and great specials, this is a highlight for most people!

7.) Lunch delivery–I mention this a lot….get lunch delivered to your door, HUGE portion….for $5 US! You can try all the local food and not really leave your chair.

8.) At Caribbean Beach Cabanas, we have snorkel equipment, floats, palapas, beach chairs, etc that come with your room. I would recommend staying at a place that offers this kind of amenity because it allows you to have a couple very fun and free days. A SUPER FUN thing we do frequently is to snorkel out and collect shells and coral, which are also great souvenirs 🙂

9:) Speaking of souvenirs–do yourself a favor–visit any grocery store and buy a bunch of small bottles of hot sauce for people back home–less than a dollar and it is very local and fun present 🙂 Other ideas–small jars of guava/mango/habanero/banana/coconut jellies, which are a couple bucks.

10.) Go on a dolphin watch–ask around when you are here–there are times of year where you can almost swim with them right off shore!

So, what do you think of our Fun and Cheap Placencia activities?

In other news, we are finally on Trip Advisor, and thanks to some internet magic, we are rated #14 of 24 specialty places in Placencia! The more good reviews we get the higher our rating so come on down! 🙂

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g291977-d6954263-Reviews-Caribbean_Beach_Cabanas_of_Placencia-Placencia_Stann_Creek.html

We are also now on VRBO-

https://www.vrbo.com/613065

And finally, Here was a picture of a great sunset from the last couple days….

 Nighttime under the palapa…..

And, Ray, Dave’s best friend from childhood, made a last minute visit to us and we are having a great time with him! 

 

Most people will come to Placencia for relaxation, because the minute you turn to drive down the peninsula, you are surrounded by beautiful images of the water, gorgeous homes and hotels, palm trees, birds, the shoreline, etc. I have heard that Placencia is where people from the rest of Belize go to vacation. It may not be a place people visit to necessarily have a food or drink experience (no craft beer here– only Belikin beer can be sold…..but there are other unique drinks here); you can’t get all of these elsewhere, and it will really enhance your vacation(to have authentic local stuff as opposed to chains!) This Food and Drink list is based on my experience in the last 6 months, as well as the opinions of visitors and locals that I have talked to…

(not based in order of importance 🙂 )

10 Food and Drink Must Do’s in Placencia — A list

1.) Marie Sharps–a carrot based hot sauce made locally. It is so, so good, much better than tabasco or any other regularly used sauce in the US. There are many varieties, and at Ming market they sell small sample bottles for $.90 US–this is also a great souvenir to take home!

2.) Tutti Frutti Gelato-it is as good as it looks in the picture! It is ridiculous. The owners bring their ingredients from Italy. It is in the heart of town, right by Rumfish, and you can walk there from our place!

3.) Coconut rum with coconut water and a lime (preferably out of a real coconut!) Barefoot bar calls this “Crazy Coconut.” Not all the bars have coconut water. If you can find Marlin on your trip, he will sell you a large container of coconut water for $5 US, and you can keep this in your fridge and mix it with local coconut rum all week. You can also buy coconut water at any local store. The local brand Old Master is the tastiest coconut rum in my opinion 🙂 At our resort the first thing we do when you settle in is make one of these in a coconut!

4.) On to the Drink part of “Food and Drink”….at Rumfish they have premixed drinks at the bar, with fresh ingredients, and they make all kinds of margaritas and mojitos. The best one is a watermelon mojito and the orange jalapeno margarita. Ask what the mixes are that day, you can’t go wrong 🙂

5.) Eat gibnut because it is a good story (you can tell people you ate rat). Gibnuts are cute, weird, and gross all at the same time. They taste fine and it is a local delicacy that even the Queen ate when she visited Belize, where it got its nickname The Queen’s Rat. It looks like Bambi and a rat had a baby. Just eat it. There is a spectacular local place to get local food called Mim’s–it looks like a shack from the outside but it always has a line of locals and tourists for lunch.

6.) Seaweed shakes–either from the Shak or Brewed Awakenings–they are so good and also nutritious. I felt I was coming down with something not long ago and after one of these I felt fine. Psychosomatic or not, they are fun and that is what matters. Brewed Awakenings is always crowded and has all kinds of coffee drinks that are way better than Starbucks–even their espresso shots–it should get its own listing.

7.) Espresso martini from Maya Beach Bistro–this is a drive but you are going there anyway, so do yourself a favor and get one! This one is courtesy of Shannon, an espresso martini connisseur, and we agreed that it was the best ever.

8.) Stewed chicken, rice, and beans-if you don’t add this to your Belize food list it is just not legit. A fun way to do this is–call Dawn’s Grill, Crow’s Nest, or the Galley, and ask them to deliver you lunch on a day you are lounging at the beach. For $5 US, these three places will deliver you the food and all three of these places are very good. Throw some Marie Sharp’s on it. It also comes with potato salad or coleslaw–mix that all up with the rice and chicken juice if you really want to have a good time. I have been eating this lunch about 4-5 x a week for several months. I still love it and despite white rice’s bad reputation for making people fat, I have never felt better and am in fact not fat yet. This also comes with a fried plantain which deserves its own listing. Yum.

9.) This one is a real sleeper and really sets my list apart. I originally thought that the tortilla chips down here were not so good. Then, I found these:

These are the best tortilla chips ever. One day you are here, stop at one of the many farmer’s markets and buy 2 large avocados, an onion, a couple tomatoes, some cilantro, and a lime. Maybe a jalapeno if you are so inclined. Mash all this together and add some salt. Then, get a belikin and sit on your beach chair and feel smug because you made this happen for like $5 US.

10.) The last item on our Food and Drink list is brought to you by one of our guests: Our guest Kate said that this wine was the best she had ever had, and the only place they have it is at La Dolce Vita-I am adding this to the list because there is a complaint that wine is not good here and it is expensive. This was good and not expensive, yay! They bring it over from Italy. That is two things on the list brought from Italy if you are keeping track. They are known for good food and wine, so that makes sense, and, you can have it in Belize instead of across the globe.

Some other random going ons here. Ray, Dave’s best friend from childhood, is coming to visit this week so Dave is like a kid on Christmas. We leave soon for a visit to the US and 2 weddings, and then we are back to start the end of low season and our first high season! We are starting to get some reservations for December through February and we couldn’t be more excited!

Dave and Vic are working on building brand new custom beds, kitchens, and built ins for the cabanas. It looks amazing but I am going to try to hold off on the pictures until it is done. I will add this picture of the bedroom in the casita–yes, we jammed a king bed in there temporarily, because it is the only bed we can tolerate sleeping on together, between our abnormal heights and the dog. Even though it is the smallest bedroom I have ever had it is my favorite 🙂 I mean, a turquoise ceiling??

And finally, this was this morning 🙂 Are you thinking “awwwwww!” I bet you are! The poor dog has oil based paint all over his back and legs, due to me painting the door frame yesterday (we held him for 99% of the time needed to dry. How does that 1% always get you??) so my next project is going to be to deal with that.

Because after watching YouTube and Jaws, like me, the above fish will actually look more like this to you: (Also an actual barracuda but I am sure this one doesn’t swim near shore.)

P.S. If you’re in the mood to watch TV, why not watch our own appearance in HGTV’s beachfront bargain hunt?

Belize is a little different than other places in that when most of us think of an exotic vacation, we may picture luxurious resorts and hotels, expensive restaurants, trendy bars, etc. I created this article to get some information out there on what to pack for a Belize trip.

Belize also has some interesting (awesome) cultural differences that make a trip here a bit unique. There appears to me to be a huge difference in the materialism between the US and Belize. In the US I think most would agree that we are judged on what we have, drive, are wearing, are carrying, etc, and others decide if we are worthwhile to get to know based on these factors. I do not see a lot of mixing of socioeconomic statuses in the US. Not the case here! In fact I have gotten the impression that if I were to walk down the street decked out in luxury brands, I would stick out like a sore thumb; it is NOT considered impressive or that you are a worthy person to know if you do this, and in fact I would look like a douche bag very out of place.

One of the nicest restaurants on the peninsula is the Maya Beach Bistro, and on our first trip here, after being told about this restarurant, I turned to Dave and said, “well let’s go up there for lunch, but I have to change.” I had been on a bike ride and had on what I would normally wear to the gym. The local guy who told us about it said, “Don’t be silly. In that outfit you will be the most dressed up one in there.” This sums up the fashion here. It is so true. If I wear a dressy sundress to the beach bars here, I am not comfortable and feel out of place. the more casual you pack, the better! I can’t stress that enough.

Also, you will want more casual, comfortable, clothes like you would wear to the gym or to do yard work (seriously!) and more bathing suits than you ever thought you would need. Only flip flops or whatever sandal you wear, and some running shoes if you are planning on doing hiking. I live in a bathing suit, cotton tank top and shorts almost every day. Bring twice the amount of bathing suits you think you needs, and half the amount of nice dressy clothes you think you need! No need for any long sleeves from March-Oct at least.

Here is an easy list on what to pack for a Belize vacation

-Every bathing suit you own. And buy a couple extra.

-Several–at least one for each day you are here, unless you do laundry-pairs of comfortable shorts (you will sweat A LOT and will not want to re-wear).

-The same number of tank tops or tee shirts.

-A sturdy pair of flip flops or Tevas, or whatever really comfortable walking sandal you have. I would bring a back up pair, and also a pair of running shoes you can hike in. I also brought a pair of water shoes and I recommend this. If you are interested in some no shit deep jungle hikes, maybe even a pair of galoshes.

-Bring a travel umbrella and a poncho–everyone looks like a tourist in a poncho but sometimes, who cares–it really can save a day from being ruined into being salvageable if you can be outside.

-Sunglasses, sunscreen (like 4 bottles), deep woods off (3 bottles), Avon Skin So soft or baby oil (the only repellent for sand fleas–DON’T leave this one out!), benedryl (in case of jellyfish sting).

-Bring one long sleeved shirt if you are here in the winter months–don’t bother from March-Oct–I have not needed or worn long sleeves since we have been coming here at the end of January. Sometimes people like to snorkel in these too.

-Bring all your scuba diving needs if this is your thing. Bring snorkel gear in case your hotel doesn’t have it (we do!!)

-A surge protector is recommended–we have had no problems here, but during a storm the electricity can be erratic, and it can fry your electronics.

-Bring lots and lots of ziploc bags. We provide these for guests—but in case of rain you will want to put your cell phone in one, if you go kayaking this serves as a waterproof bag, in your room–you will want to put any food in this as the bugs have food radar that is not of this world.

-For females–seriously, coming from a former high maintenance hair and makeup person—do not bother bringing a hair dryer, curler, straightener–I have not used one in 6 months and I am seriously high need in this area. you will not do anything but let your hair air dry once you are here, and if you try doing anything fancy with your hair, it will look like crap in 5 minutes. The more natural the better. A little mousse or gel if you have curly hair and let it air dry looks the best. Straight hair people–not sure what to tell you as this is really foreign to me. But hair doesn’t stay straight down here unless it is natural that way. For makeup, some lip gloss with SPF and some waterproof mascara really will be enough. Don’t bother with a manicure or pedicure as it will last 2-3 days down here!

Me before Belize: (note straightened hair, makeup still on face/not greasy, relatively together looking)

Me after living here 4 months: (Note wet hair in a bun, sweatiness, sea water coming through my shirt because I have a bikini on, an outfit I used to wear to work out in, and harder to see but no makeup-this is pretty normal)

Back to this list — What to Pack before coming to Belize

-Bring a small backpack/athletic bag/tie string bag for your adventures. Always carry a ziploc bag, bathing suit, and towel, along with the SPF, baby oil, and bug spray wherever you go on your trip. Read more on the essential things to bring down to Belize.

In Belize you just get used to feeling kind of sticky and dirty, but it is in a fun way!! You do need to keep up on the SPF and the bug spray, and because you are on the coast pretty often, you are frequently on the sand. You just become a dirty mess with all of this. It becomes the new normal and hopefully by the end of the trip it doesn’t bother you at all 🙂 I was on the fence of being a prissy person when I got here. This place has thoroughly shaken me of that. My nails and feet are always dirty, I am always sweaty and sticky, but I love it now 🙂 Being cold is WAYYYYYYYYY worse! I just take a shower every night before I go to bed and this is always the best shower in the world.

It was a heat index of 106 yesterday….and this is the only place I have been where somehow you can tolerate it without air conditioning! You get to close so close to the sea here, and the breeze is so constant, that it really is bearable.

 

I have been working on a Frommer’s-like guide to Placencia, Belize, to give guests and friends when they come here. This list will always be subject to change 🙂 It really helps when you go to a place you have never been, to get personal advice from someone who lives there. In Belize, you are not subject to hearing things like, “You really have to hit the new Margaritaville/outlet shopping/Applebee’s/water park/etc”….everything is very authentic, no chains of any kind, which is why it is SUCH a special place. Here is my first draft!

7-day Placencia Activities Guide — Best Vacation Ever!

Day One

-Walk the beautiful beach, wander the sidewalk a little

-Hit a grocery store and farmer’s stand (walking distance from us) for coffee/water/fruit/booze…..if you are a beer drinker, ask Wallen’s to deliver you 2 cases of beer for the week (if you have a fridge….it is $52 bz a case)

-Go for a casual dinner at either Tipsy Tuna or Barefoot Bar. At Barefoot, do yourself a favor and order a crazy coconut drink (coconut water, coconut rum, and lime), a pantyripper (the national drink-pineapple juice and coconut rum) or a margarita (theirs are REALLY strong and good.) Most people love Barefoot’s smoked chicken nachos. At Tipsy, get a mojito, and if you order dinner at Tipsy, consider the vegetable burrito bowl-my personal favorite 🙂 It is magical. These two places are a great start and give you a feel for the village–locals and tourists all hanging out together, local music, beach dogs running around everywhere, general happiness and a great atmosphere.

-If you are still hungry go to Tutti Fruitti, for the first of your 15 visits here on your trip  (best gelato ever.)

Day Two

-Get up and have breakfast at Detatch, right on the beach. Then wander into town–if you still need it, get a coffee at Brewed Awakenings or Above Grounds (or both). Tour operators have offices all over town–if you haven’t booked, wander around and see if any of the tour offerings look good. Make a decision and book SOMETHING (see recommendations below) for Days 3, 4, and 6. I would book either Silk/Laughingbird Caye for Day 3. Also go down and look at the pier, and enjoy the many souvenir shops all over town.

-If it were me–I would then pull out my Kindle, get a beach chair and totally relax. Most people wish they scheduled in more time for a lazy beach day. At our resort, we have beach chairs, tubes, floats, noodles, snorkel gear, hammocks, palapas, etc, and it is important to make a day really enjoying the water and beach. -If you are a restless type, rent a kayak from Captain Jak’s and take it out on the lagoon–you can stop at some of the little islands and even bring your lunch with you. You can also rent bikes or a golf cart and explore the peninsula. Or, get a massage in town.

-Go to a nice dinner in the evening! Some favorites are Rumfish, Secret Garden, La Dolce Vita, Mojo’s, and Maya Beach Bistro.

Day Three — 7-Day Placencia Activities Guide

-If you have the energy, go to dinner at one of the above mentioned places 🙂 If you want to do something quicker and more casual, go to Cozy Corner or one of the places on main street (Charo’s, Omar’s, etc)

Day Four

I would book the Cockscomb tour on this day. Doyle Gardiner is a friend of ours, and an amazing tour guide. It is a truly unique and spectacular experience. The tour starts with a nature hike where you will taste and touch all kinds of weird things….you hike through a tropical forest….do jaguar watches….get on a tube and get a sweet hour long ride through the jungle….and, if you are up for it, you can swim in a waterfall and slide down rock formations. It is a very memorable day! You also get a great Belizean homemade lunch.

Day Five

I would schedule another low key day OR if you are determined to have an active vacation—some options–go to the fish co-op and have a beach barbeque, go on an early morning fishing excursion and cook the fish you caught, take a golf cart to Maya Beach and wander the fun to be had up there (Mango’s, Maya Beach Bistro, Jaguar Lanes, stop and see Robert’s Grove on the way back). Another shorter tour option is to hit the Monkey River tour on this day, as it is only a half day. This tour takes you through the rain forest and town of Monkey River, where you will likely see a LOT of wildlife and possibly have monkeys poop on you. Most people report great stories from this tour, in spite of this. Also, try to get to the Shak for breakfast and a seaweed shake. Go to Yoli’s if it is a Friday night.

Day Six

You are getting down to the wire on having fun, so make this most of this day. This will depend on how adventurous you are. I would highly recommend you pick one important tour that also may be a drive. ATM cave tour, Blue Hole, Cave Tubing/Ziplining, Deep Sea Fishing, Whale watching/diving, Catamaran cruise, or a Mayan ruin are good choices. These will be tiring, full day tours, but WELL worth it.

Day Seven

Call Chris from Remax and schedule some visits to his listings, because by now you want to move here. Oh, wait, that was the end of OUR first trip here. For most rational people, you will probably either be leaving on this day or definitely need to schedule a low energy day. If you are lucky, and this is a Sunday, a MUST DO is to go to Belize Ocean Club for their pool party. This is not your college kid, pee in the pool, meathead kind of pool party. It is at a beautiful resort, right on the beach, clean, and all ages. They have food, and you can even paddleboard or kayak from their beach. It will make you extra depressed to leave Placencia.

I’d love feedback from other visitors or residents….I plan on making a formal copy (getting rid of the bad jokes) for guests.

In other Placencia news, we had the worst thunderstorm that I have ever been in last night. I thought our little casita was going to blow right off its hinges, but thanks to the swell construction, we are ok. It was actually AWESOME…if not for the chihuahua scared out of his mind, and the rain coming in through a few random cracks in the windows that we are chasing down, it would have been super. Everything was calm and beautiful this morning though…

He had to smell EVERY.SINGLE.PLANT. this morning before he would dare pee.

OK so now back to our mood yesterday. So we are sitting at the water taxi station, rained on and kind of angry. Our options are, go back and get in the car and drive 2.5 hours round trip to Dangriga, where there is another Immigration Office. But, windows are being delivered today and there is no telling when they will get there and we need to be there. We could also trust the Immigration Office that he would honor our attempt to get the stamp within the time period, and stamp us Tuesday. We also heard that you have a 3 day window around your stamp (not trusting that yet!!!) and we could head to Dangriga on Monday. None of these are palatable choices. And, we have another 2 hours to sit there waiting!! We both felt like it was a big waste of the day and money to get there.

Then, as often happens in Belize….so often that it is becoming normal…..something good happened right after a worst case scenario occurrence. A lovely man with a boat asked if we wanted to go back to Placencia, avoiding the 2 hour wait, AND he only charged us the LOCALS price to get over to Placencia! it allowed us to have time to drive to Dangriga AND get the windows! Yay!!

So, we grabbed the dog and went for a road trip to Dangriga. I have had good experiences in this town every time I have gone. No lines at Immigration, it was quick and easy, and friendly people. We were home before noon!! And Sticks got to have a road trip out of it. Several hitchhikers got a ride into Placencia as well. The Belizean lesson learned today was, CALL government/business offices before you put out time, money, and effort into travel to get there, to be sure that whatever task you hoped to get done, can actually be done where you are going 🙂

The rest of the day we felt like we were stealing time based on the low expectations we started with, so we got more done, and decided to relax and we were completely worn out from the week. Sticks appreciated our choice to stay in last night 🙂