This post may trick you into thinking you are looking at a 12 month calendar of tropical places. That was what our group kept saying during our tour of the Cayes this past week…..we took an hour boat ride out to Ranguana Caye…..we saw dolphins on the way…
Caught this snapper!
Then arrived at a jaw dropping island….I mean, the island of our collectice dreams. It was AMAZING! You can stay on Ranguana in rustic, stilted cabanas for $100us a night, or visit for the day, and snorkel with bonefish, lay out with the pelicans, and enjoy the most clear water and eye candy environment imaginable!
We then went over the Silk Caye, where we snorkeled with turtles the size of cars, 8 foot stingrays, and nurse sharks!!
**Note, these are courtesy of google images, but this is exactly what you will see!
We then stopped at Hatchet Caye for a beer and ceviche, and had more great views!
This was an amazing outing that I suggest, most tour operators will be happy to arrange it!!
Placencia’s Sidewalk Arts Festival was this past Valentine’s Weekend….great job to all the artists and volunteers! It was crowded and happy, great weather, and everyone I talked to bought a lot of fun stuff. Here are some images from the sidewalk near Tipsy Tuna…
This week marks one year since Dave and my first visit to Placencia. I can see why we never left….February is so pretty here! The water has been great, perfect weather….great sunrises…here are some recent pics….
I happened to snap a couple shots while out and about, that show off some of the other gems in Placencia…here is Cozy Corner, don’t miss their conch and lobster fritters!!
And here was a pretty shot from the water at Paradise Resort….
And at Caribbean Beach Cabanas, we are so excited to announce the official opening of our third rental, the Casita! It is officially on the site and ready for guests. We welcomed our first guest this week after having it friend tested…..so far the guest is loving it!! We are about half full already for the next few months…..there is definitely NOT a guest problem in Placencia. Guests still marvel at how quiet it stays during the day even though most places really are full! One of the mysteries here.
If you want to get excited about a trip somewhere warm (BELIZE!!!) what better way than to enjoy than pictures of other people having fun?Our Cleveland friends just left and we had the time of our lives. I am sure the rest of the group is as exhausted as I am after 10 days of nonstop fun :). I already posted the first few days of pictures….here is the rest of their trip!!
First picture of the whole group, with Lacey! Coconut drinks on the beach…..
Some beach fun….
She let the beach dogs lick her face. Not recommended.
Then we headed to Tranquilo…..wonderful as ever!!! The sunset….
Cozy and fun tables…..
The obligatory sunset couple picture.
The group did a ton of outings and excursions….including Monkey River and Laughingbird. SOMEONE (me) had to stay and run CBC so I did not go :)…..but here were a couple great pics they got…
Laughingbird…..lots of fish sightings!
Monkey River….where they saw lots of monkeys!
We enjoyed a last great breakfast at Friends Near the Pier, and met the new owner, Ryan, and his family. Very nice people, and this is a great, vacation-ey place to have breakfast!
I mean, please. Try to concoct a better vacation breakfast place.
Sadly, we said goodbye to Jeff and Dina. We had no choice but to move on to other vacation good times 🙂
Lacey and her new friend.
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A very local experience if you can do it….Rayneil, near the pier–if her window is open, get lunch! It is about $3.50US for stewed chicken, rice and beans.
Great sunrise Lacey and Keith caught from the front of their balcony.
Pretty sunset….
One of the highlights of the trip… Doyle Gardiner’s DTOURZ Night rainforest hike and RIVER TUBING! We were fortunate enough to be the first group be has taken on the river tubing portion. The night hiking was scary enough (Don’t ask him about the eye shine. This just means, you see thousands of eyeballs looking at you as you walk. Not exaggerating.) We saw monkeys, PLENTY of spiders, a scorpion, and night hawks. At the end of the hike, Lacey said to me, so we are REALLY doing this? Meaning, yes, we are going to strip down, get on tubes and get in the river for about 45 minutes. It was exhilarating, scary, awesome, freakish…..definitely for the adventurous! We all loved it. DEFINITELY recommended if you like a rush. Here is us at midnight….getting out of the water!
And finally, we spent the last night at Tipsy Tuna at the Rotary auction, which was a big success! Here are some pictures from their second floor–highly recommended place to sit!
And some other fun on the last day…..Paddle boarding at Belize Ocean Club….
Kayaking in the front of the cabanas at Caribbean Beach Cabanas…..
Hanging out in the front of the palapa….
We already miss them very much!! We had a great visit. We are lucky enough to have Cleveland group #2 coming in April! The weather has been picture perfect here, so more great images to come!
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.
Heading towards the village, South, from Caribbean Beach Cabanas…
Love these lights…..great “free” lighting idea
A must do-Rick’s Cafe. Awesome pizza!
Pickled Parrot….for all your Sports Tiki Bar needs.
Inside Above Grounds….looks like a Treehouse!
The veranda at Above Grounds….does not suck.
I couldn’t help but take all these :). I hope it brightens up some days for people heading down!
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:
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:
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!
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!!
The menu….GET THE TUNA!
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!
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…
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 🙂
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!!
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!
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)….
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 🙂
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 🙂
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.)
Here are some of the horrible things I have had to look at while he has been vacationing in the snow….
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!
#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.
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:
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!!!!
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.
No sea grass sea. Don’t be discouraged if you come down and there is sea grass, it may be gone tomorrow!
Caribbean Beach Cabanas, actual photo!
Looks like a fake screen saver but actual Belize.
Also looks fake but we actually took this picture.
No snow here.
2.)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!
Rumfish…everyone knows this one!
Maya Bistro…pictures don’t do it justice.
4.)Pick at least an excursion or two….here are some ideas….
Sea N’ Belize Glass Bottomed Boat…
Monkey River Tour…
Cockscomb….
5.)Google Placencia images 🙂 Do this ad nauseum, as needed. (images by, google images 🙂 🙂
6.)Download some books for your kindle…here are some I really enjoyed to get me excited!
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)
As dressy as it gets…
Ignore Pinterest when you see this….unless you are here for a wedding. Too dressy! Don’t Belize it.
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.
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 🙂
Just a few fun things happening around Placencia these days…..!
Anna from Cleveland came in for a visit! We had a great time. Here she is at arrival…
The few days she was here flew by. She loved the Cockscomb tour with Doyle, and we also went to the Belize Ocean Club and a lot of touring of the beach bars 🙂 Anna works her butt off in Cleveland so it was great for her to hang out on the veranda and just relax. She took the kayak out and loved walking the beach, and we had a beach barbecue one night…we have learned not to push people to do too many excursions as this place was really made for relaxing! Here we are the night of the cookout:
However, with that being said, to not push people to do more excursions…..Kelly and Titus just moved here from Indiana. Titus’s dad had a dream to have a glass bottomed boat to sail around Placencia and he built it from the ground up, right here in Belize, with local wood! The boat is absolutely amazing. Kelly and Titus invited some of the business owners and workers to go out and experience the boat, and I HIGHLY recommend it!! We took a relaxing 30 minute cruise out to several spots, where you can see from my pictures, you are almost snorkeling above water!
The Sea’n Belize Boat….docked at Frigate Caye…the water is about 8 shades of awesome there!!
View as you look down at the boat floor…
You never know what frightening things you will find under the boat…
Some of the super fun passengers with us, including super fun Pam from Rumfish 🙂
The Captain….he did a great job!!!
We stopped at a creepy but fun to explore caye–Frigate Caye– so fun to see what a deserted island looks like! It would be frigate sweet if someone would renovate it back to a workable bar for boaters!
As we came back in, we toured the shoreline, which looks so amazing from the water…
To top it off, the dolphins that live near the pier, with their pup, came and swam with the boat for a long time!!!
The tour is about 4 hours and goes in both morning and afternoon. You can find Sea’n Belize here.
Another tour they took last week:
The Placencia Marathon was also this past week, and it was SO MUCH FUN to help at the water stands…the runners were so gracious and grateful and the proceeds go to scholarships for local teens to attend high school!
Pictures by Maz Carr…I was too busy waving signs in runner’s faces…
1st place…wow.
Happy runner!
Obnoxious signs about beer. By us.
Also, last week, Mariposa had their first ever wine tasting, over 60 people attended…great food and wine, very fun time! We hope they continue to have these 🙂 Here was the view during the event!!
It was 20 degrees in Cleveland on this day. It is not even fair.
And, Belize Ocean Club has been busy lately!! They had the White party a couple weeks ago, and tonight is the Mistletoe Ball. Still waiting to find the pictures from the White party…
And in final news, Dave and I made a big move this week….literally :). We were fortunate enough to find a small beach apartment for us to rent, right in the back of Caribbean Beach Cabanas! It is twice as large as the cabanas, which for long term living, is necessary. I think I could write a book at this point about the perils of living for 9 months with no space/walls/time alone…..it was time to live like normal people again 🙂 I think it will be better for guests as we will not be RIGHT in their face, and in addition, we now have a very cute open casita on the beach for the high season, so come on down!!
Here are a couple pictures of our new apartment, in North Beach….(pictures by North Beach….we aren’t moved in yet 😉 )
For those living in winter climates, sometimes just looking at beachy homes can improve your mood. Admittedly….the weather down here this week has been a bit overcast and drizzly, and we experienced on Thanksgiving, the coldest day the locals had seen for a long time :).
So to improve all our outlooks, I am doing a post with some cute beach home images, and some of the fun to be had here in paradise 🙂
Of course, I am excluding Caribbean Beach Cabanas, as that would be unfair. 🙂
One of the things that drew me to Placencia was feeling so overwhelmed by the perfect beach homes here. Right when you see some of them, you immediately picture yourself on the veranda, sipping coffee….here are just a couple of my favorites….
Casa Del Sol…..pictures don’t do it justice! It looks like a Roman bath and a Spanish mansion had a baby.
Easy Living rentals…looks like a perfect beach dollhouse….
Colibri house…a rustic, fun, beach house template!
Great houses at Sunset Point, where you see this on one side of the canal…..
And this on the other!!
More images later. I don’t want to overwhelm anyone.
Additionally this week, we had some fun at Mojo, with two awesome people, Megan and Matt, who are visiting here from California. They got married here at the Belize Ocean Club and have come for a lengthier stay to see if this might be a place they want to relocate. I was lamenting about missing having wine and cheese, so they invited us over to the house they are renting on the lagoon. We had a spectacular view of the sunset from their 3rd floor porch, and I got to gorge on wine and a cheese plate! (note if you move down here, if you are into wine and cheese you will treasure it like never before here 🙂 )
Matt, Megan, and Dave, from the 3rd floor porch-lagoon sunset view
Kudos to Top Value who actually had Manchego Cheese that almost made my head explode.
Postcard awesome view of the lagoon and canal.
Later in the night at Mojo–Sonia and Katie (Ben’s sister)
We met another fun young couple who just moved here to look into real estate opportunities, Robin and Dean, from Ottawa 🙂
And finally, I wanted to throw out a kudos to the Placencia Humane Society! They have a monthly clinic and Sticks has been taking full advantage of this. He goes and gets his nails clipped so I don’t have to put up with him acting like I am cutting his paws off, and I took him in this past clinic for a teeth cleaning and tooth extraction. The veterinarian and staff did a GREAT job….his teeth look brand new and the baby tooth that was bothering him for years is finally gone. You have to get your dog sedated to get his teeth cleaned which is not fun, and i couldn’t help getting a picture of him post procedure 🙂
Showing off his pearly whites….totally under still…who doesn’t love a sedated chihuahua?
Later in the day getting pampered. Still crabby and spacey.
Tonight we are going to the Belize Ocean Club White Party, to celebrate their one year grand opening, and the owner, Ben’s, birthday. Should be a great time, and then our Cleveland friend Anna shows up tomorrow! 🙂 Also, the clouds lifted today so good feelings are back 🙂