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This list is based on the feedback we’ve received from guests over the years. We always ask during a guest’s stay, why did you pick Belize? We love the answers so much, we wanted to share them. Most people only have a certain amount of vacation time and it is precious, so we hope this helps you decide on your place this year!!1.) The number one reason is ……Belize is one of the few unspoiled, authentic places left, that are still considered accessible to travelers. There are plenty of rustic places in the world, but many are quite difficult to get to, and few people want to spend a full day or two of their precious vacation time getting to the place. You can get to Belize in a half day or less of travel, and the minute you step on the land, you can feel the difference. It is just different enough to be a challenge, but friendly and small enough that you feel like an expert by the time you leave.

What do I mean by spoiled and authentic? There are only a couple chains of hotels in the whole country on Ambergris Caye and Belize City, no where else – everything else is run like a small mom and pop place or boutique hotel. Many restaurants and tour groups are run by families, and the overall experience is the small town, personal feel people seem to pine for, that barely exists in most of the US tourist places.

2.) Natural beauty – If you check out a map, you will be intrigued to see how much coastline Belize has, and then just try to count how many islands (cayes) Belize has! Not to mention the jungle inland, the mountains, waterfalls, reef (see below), and the charming little villages that you will see as you ride through the country. You drive past farms that look straight out of the 1950’s, tropical foliage that has every color of the rainbow, tropical plants and palm trees, and it is the least population dense place in the western Hemisphere, which means you never feel crowded! This is not even mentioning the tropical birds, the amazing sea views, beaches, mangroves….

3.) World-class fishing – While this is not an area of expertise for me, what I do know is that a great deal of Belize tourism is for fishermen. If you do a quick google search for Belize fishing, you can get pretty amazed by the stories and pictures you will see. Our tiny village of Placencia is well known for its fishing, and people come here for world-class fishing, with a ton of local fishermen who run amazing guided fishing trips.

4.) 2nd biggest reef in the world – Belize is well known for having the 2nd biggest barrier reef in the world, and then there’s the Blue Hole. This fact alone makes it one of the top places in the world for snorkeling and diving. The number of excursions you can take for these adventures is practically endless, and divers repeat their trips here again and again.

5.) Combining an island/jungle adventure – many guests say that they love how they can spend half their trip in the jungle, and half on the beach. Belize has a history of attracting adventurous spirits who want to have challenging excursions while they are here. The caving is also a factor as caves like the ATM cave tour are considered some of the best in the world. Then, after the adventures, guests can also go relax on amazing beaches with just a tiny commute in the middle.

6.) English speaking, US money accepted, and you can drink the water (in Placencia) – I combined these because these are all often repeated. While not any one of these is enough to place a country on top – when you combine all three, what happens is guests feel comfortable here, and find that it takes some of the stress of traveling out of the equation. In places similar to Belize – you have to come prepared with SOME bits of other languages (every tried checking out of a store where you don’t speak the language? You have no idea what you owe and you have to get a pen to have them write it, then have the correct local currency!) When you compare travel to other places to these comforts – and experience waking up thirsty in a place where you just ran out of bottled water (or make the awful mistake of drinking it!!), or having bad exchange rates, or not finding someone speaking enough English to help you – you certainly appreciate these comforts.

7.) Short easy flight – more flights are opening up every year to Belize. We get a lot of Floridians and Texans because they have a super cheap, easy flight and can be here in about 2 hours!! Even from the Northern US with a connection, you can leave the US at 6am and land in Belize City by 10 or 11am. While people love exotic tiki places – compare this to getting to Tahiti or even Hawaii!

8.) Wanting an alternative to the all inclusive gig – when you have visited places on a cruise ship or an all inclusive hotel – it can feel a whole lot like being anywhere in the US, even if you are somewhere exotic. Everything is catered to be comfortable to the North American traveler, and while this is sometimes perfect for what you are looking for, other times, you can feel like you already can predict the whole vacation before you even leave. I can promise you….Belize will NOT be that experience 🙂

9.) Diving with whale sharks – although many places near us are places you can see or even swim with whale sharks, many places do not allow you to scuba dive with them. This sets Belize apart as this is one of the world-class diving experiences that you can do this, and people come from all over the world for this dive.

10.) Repeat guests – read our reviews, people often say they don’t like returning to a place again and again, but they come back to Belize – a lot. There is something about the warmth of a small village, where people get to know your name, and you can call a beach dog your own after a few days, where you are still treated as a special guest (not one of a million!) that make Belize feel like you stumbled on a secret!

Often we get asked “How do I stay fit in Belize?” by our guests. (and if you just want to lay on the beach, there are PLENTY of people doing that and nothing more.) Here’s what we learned from our past guests about their favorite ways of staying fit while they are in Placencia…1.) Bike riding – Placencia is a 16-mile peninsula, with one road all the way to the “top”- this is a GREAT ride, very interesting for people and sight seeing. There are plenty of places to stop on the way up and get water, have lunch, jump in a pool/the sea. Most people will stop when they get to the “Placencia Hotel,” this is north of Maya Beach in the “Plantation” area of the peninsula. If your hotel doesn’t offer free bikes (many do) you can rent from a place in town.

Stay fit in Belize

2.) Kayaking – this is recommend first thing in the morning as it is much calmer in the morning, and gets more rough throughout the day. You can paddle over to Placencia Caye and snorkel, or go along the coast up past Turtle Inn and be nosy! There are a handful of places in town to rent these, and a few hotels that offer these complimentary.

3.) Paddle boarding – kind of the same as above, but you have to stand (obvi) and be a little more coordinated. Side note, you can do all these things complimentary at CBC!

4.) Yoga – there is GREAT yoga in this village. Placencia “runs” on Facebook – and how awesome is this – you can join THIS page to get the latest info on all the classes! Here’s the latest as of this blog post…

ALL YOGA STUDIO SCHEDULES:

EUCALIPTO:
Mon 6:30am Vinyasa
Tues 7:00am Hatha
Wed 6:30am Vinyasa
Thurs 7:00am Hatha
Friday 7:00am Gentle Flow 4:00 kids yoga
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PLACENCIA YOGA:
Monday:
6:00am – Ashtanga (half primary led class) with Aaron
9:00am – Basic Flow with Aaron

Ugh there is a big tropical storm Franklin headed our way tonight…..which is always a good time to consider what you can do in the rain around here??? Also, what should you pack if it is calling for rain in the forecast when you are here?? Here you go!

Top 15 things to do in Placencia Village in the rain

1.) Jaguar Lanes in Maya Beach – this is indoor bowling fun! Great pizza too, you can get a cab up there. (pic from their facebook page)

2.) INDOOR DINNER – I’d take this opportunity to visit the new spa called Naia and eat at 1981, where they have a fully enclosed restaurant. It is super cute, and somehow Mayan Modern! (pic from their facebook page)

3.) Pickled Parrot – this is not right on the sea, so you aren’t going to get the lashing wet sea breeze. This is a huge, dry palapa bar and everyone in there is always fun and cheerful. The crowd favorites are Thursday trivia, the meatloaf (great rain comfort food), and you can play with Mia and Ziggy, the awesome dogs that live there and will play fetch with you for hours (wait till you see Mia’s piercing stare right through your soul.) (pic from their facebook page)

4.) Rent a car – right in the village you can rent a car from a couple places who will bring it right to you Barefoot Car Rental – this is a great opportunity to explore the 16 mile peninsula, and what is weird is you may find it sunny up in Maya Beach when it is raining in the village, and vice versa! Below are some ideas that may get you out of the rain in the village….(pic from their facebook page)

5.) Hiking at Bocawina

6.) “Secret” waterfalls (not that secret) and visit a bamboo forest…

7.) Hiking or an excursion at Cockscomb

8.) Go inland even farther – you can go to Ian Anderson’s for the day, and do a cave tubing (about 2 hours, probably not at all the same weather there unless we are dealing with a monster storm)

9.) Head to San Ignacio for the day – this is a pretty drive, and from there you can do the ATM Cave Tour, Xunantunich, and many Cave Tours. We like Trip N Travel.

10.) Tipsy Tuna – put on your lil poncho and head out, because there is plenty of dry space and it is always fun to people watch. People will always be there! And Tipsy has an indoor part with a sandy floor and a pool table! (really hard to find a pic of this. From Pinterest.)

11.) Sit at ChaChi’s and people watch – you can eat pizza and gelato right under a pretty substantial “tunnel” – and you are in the heart of main street with lots of good people watching. They have a bar under there too 🙂

12.) If all else fails – get food from Ian Anderson’s new deli or EnE Chinese and watch TV – if you are prone to boredom in the rain, make sure you stay somewhere with cozy indoor space, good movie channels, and good wifi. You are probably tired anyway so use it as an excuse to Netflix and …..go to bed early – and now you can get up and watch the sunrise at 5am since you are so well rested! Actual pic from Hacienda veranda.

****Packing tips (pretty basic here) – it doesn’t hurt to throw in a poncho and some water shoes. Check with your hotel if they provide umbrellas – we do! These can also be found pretty cheaply at the local stores. A long sleeve dry wicking shirt also helps. It also doesn’t hurt to ask about the hotel’s TV and wifi opportunities, and whether there is any outdoor covered space so you can still enjoy yourself and not get cabin fever (we do have all). Also – bring a couple ziplock bags for your phone and cameras, and a nylon or waterproof string bag. This should cover it!!

My husband Dave offered to write a blog post today, as he was eating a street food burrito, that he said deserves its own blog post…. So, here it is, with some “editor’s notes” at the bottom…
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Much of travel surrounds eating. Meals out, new experiences, delicious exotic dishes – travel and food go together like rice and beans.And while Placencia has a number of restaurants that I think can go toe to toe with any international travel destination’s finest dining options (Ricks, Rumfish, Maya Beach Bistro) wherever I am, I gravitate to the cheap eats. No doubt, my favorite part of travel. Below is a quick sampling of my favorite cheap eats, and how to do it like a local!

Breakfast burritos….

A can’t miss! Look, if you’re headed out on a tour, getting ready to spend the morning kayaking beautiful waters, or want a great, quick, cheap meal for the next leg of your journey, breakfast burritos are the best. Stop at any street stand by the police station and make your order. They prepare it right in front of you, fresh, tasty and cheap. Burritos are $5 BZD. They are prepared with a large homemade-in-front-of-you flour tortilla, and include eggs, ham, onions, and sometimes the following – coleslaw, peppers, chicken, and Marie Sharps. So delicious! You’ll need to approach the counter and order – don’t expect a menu or any chit-chat. The staff is at work and they’ll probably make 150 burritos that morning – so keep it brief. Just order a breakfast burrito, with everything – they’ll put it together for you, wrap it in foil, and you walk away with it. Cash only, USD is fine if you have it, and you can eat there.

No surprise to read THIS article – Belize has broken its overnight tourism records – smashed them in fact! In April the overnight percentage went up 24% compared to last year!!!!!You can tell in the village, the energy and buzz is much higher than in past years during low season – mid July feels more like late November as far as the people. It is still NOT crowded – you can go into any restaurant and not have a wait, and you can have the beach to yourself most days, which is one of the draws of this village (paradise without overcrowding!). But, the amount of tourists in the village can be seen in far more filled up seats at the bars and restaurants.

The village recently enjoyed Lobsterfest, so lobster is back on the menus, yay! Here is a montage of village images from the last couple weeks – even if you are enjoying your own summer across North America, the exotic and rustic look of this place can make you want to come back…

Lobsterfest:
Gotta get a pic with the lobster…..

Get your face in this board….

CBC’s own Carlos Vasquez won the Amateur Rum Punch Contest with his “famous” racecar rum punch!!!

Lobster pizza, lobster rolls, lobster omelettes, lobster bisque, lobster fritters…..

We like to revisit this topic periodically – facts change over time, and we aim to keep our guests as well informed as possible so you can fully enjoy and relax during your time with us! Here is some recent feedback, right from our past guests, about what they wish they’d known before they got to Belize/Placencia:

I wish I’d known that…

So Placencia had a super charming, old-fashioned (and I mean old – like the rides and games you’d see in a movie from the 50’s-70’s – some might even call it reminiscent of a horror movie…..anyway…) we were thrilled to have it and I wish we had this permanently. Here’s some pics to take you back to old school carnival days (thanks Sue for the great pics!!)…..

Also this week was Mango Festival in Hopkins….this is pretty self explanatory. If you are headed here, you MUST get a local mango from the farmer’s markets scattered all through the village, they are truly one of the greatest things I’ve eaten here…..

And finally, here are some gratuitous pics from around the village, too charming not to share!

The weather has been beautiful this week! Although the sea has been a little rough, and is churning up some seaweed, the sunshine and bright colors in the village NEVER get old…