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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 🙂

We then met up with Madalyn, Tom, Kate, Chris, Sonia, Hayley, and Gari and got on a beautiful 42 foot catamaran…it was an amazing boat and it was a highly recommended experience! We went with Michelle and Ed, and they took great care of us. It was such a memorable time and if a day of sailing, swimming, and snorkeling. We got quite a workout at the snorkel stop as the current was pretty rough 🙂 Gari got a few mouthfuls of water and I kept stepping on things that were sharp 🙂 (note to wear flippers and not be a hero next time 🙂 )

Here are a bunch of pictures of the day:

So poor Sticks had to go to the dogsitters for the day….with all the excitement with moving and new guests he hasn’t slept much. He was a tired pup this morning!

Today is Sunday and we relaxed most of the day….we were pretty worn out and needed a day off 🙂 Saeed delivered the bamboo and it will be a looong work week this week….but at the end we will have a finished casita! Sadly we dropped Tom and Madalyn off and they are missed! Kate has till Tuesday and is going to try to go to Laughingbird Caye for one more snorkel 🙂