Belize is definitely the most island-y place we've ever been to, so of course it's one of my favorites!
We stayed on Ambergris Caye in San Pedro, and basically everywhere you turn, you can see the ocean. The best way to get around is with a golf cart or a bike (which was my favorite thing about the trip) and the snorkeling is unBELIZEable.. sorry, I had to throw that in at least once. ;)
The people are incredibly nice and the seafood is fresh and delicious. Possibly the only downfall of the entire trip was that the mosquitoes were THICK. To be fair, we were there right after a major hurricane and everything was very wet. But definitely bring your bug spray (wipes if you're carry on only people like us).
We stayed at small boutique hotel and loved it. It's super affordable, we had our own small kitchen, and the best part was that it was close enough to the Barrier Reef that we could kayak out (with the free kayaks) and snorkel on our own. It was the best snorkeling we've ever done! Try one of these Airbnbs: a caribbean tiny house with a private dock, make a beach bonfire at this super cute rental, or stay at this new boutique if you’re looking for a small hotel with a restaurant, pool, and bar all on site.
Ambergris Caye is a small island but certainly has no shortage of things to do or restaurants to try!
-Dive is amazing
-Bike down through town to nearly the tip of the island. Then after you've worked up a sweat stop at Coconut Cafe on your way back to the cabanas. They have a pool and super affordable prices, so you can cool off while you sip on an ice cold Belkin. Bliss.
-Marbucks for a great latte.
-Doc'ks has amazing lobster, my husband actually says this was the best meal of his entire life. Go on Sundays when they grill out on the beach.
-Blu resort. Great view, food, and beach to hang out on.
-Stop at Wild Mangos for a "panty rippa" cocktail
-Papuseria Salvadoreno was probably my favorite, ridiculously cheap and authentic.
-Truck Stop is a really fun, hipster friendly food truck park serving up belizean food and ice cream. If you're there on the weekends they have Sunday Funday with corn hole tournaments and food specials.
-check out Pako's tiki bar beach spot for happy hour
-Estells beach breakfast fry jacks! Another one of my favorite meals and I loved sitting right on the beach
Other tips:
-Flying on an island hopper plane from the main airport in Belize to Ambergris Caye was seriously a breeze. I was freaked out at first but it was a smooth flight and the views were amazing! You won't regret it.
-Liquor really is cheaper at airport, so buy some when you land and take it back to your cabana for some homemade mango smoothies.
-Hol Chan reef is so beautiful and a great excursion. Our hotel recommended Coral Divers, they picked us up right at our dock and our guide Ruben swam with us all afternoon. I can't say enough good things about them.
-Manatees! This was my absolute favorite part of the whole trip. We called Coral Divers again on our last day to take us out to look for wild manatee. It was one of the craziest moments we've ever experienced and worth every penny. Once our boat driver spotted one, we got in the water and swam around him for nearly an hour, careful not to get too close. Just watching him glide around was seriously magic.
Here's a link to the pinterest board I made before our trip. There's a lot of stuff we didn't try ourselves, so if you're looking for more ideas it's a great place to start. One of my favorite parts about traveling is the planning process- so let me know if you have any specific Belize questions and I'd love to help you if I can.
I'll have guides coming for Puerto Rico and Mexico City in the next few weeks so be sure and check back!
