Bill W. Says:
I will be retiring in July and my wife and I love to travel. We’re not quite ready to relocate, but a month in Belize is something I’ve been looking at online for a while. My wife and I love the water, like to walk, and live pretty simply. What would you suggest we check out?
IL Belize Contributor Laura Diffendal Says:
Hi Bill, thanks for reading!
On your first trip, I definitely recommend you to check out Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, and Placencia, with a trip out to Cayo.
Here’s an itinerary based on what I did on my own first trip to Belize…
You will fly into Philip Goldson (BZE), the one and only international airport, and you can take the water taxi or the puddle jumper to San Pedro, Ambergris Caye.
I recommend you spend at least four nights in Ambergris Caye if you have the time to spend there. If you have limited time, I also recommend that you splurge on the fastest transportations between places (puddle jumper, not driving) to save about a day’s transportations—well worth it.
One of your days in Ambergris, you can take the ferry over to Caye Caulker. You can spend a whole day there, and that should be enough time to see if it appeals to you.
Visit the Lazy Lizard beach club right at The Split—the narrow channel that divides the island of Caye Caulker in two. I recommend taking the free little boat over to Koko King on the north side of The Split too, as this is becoming a popular place for expats.
On Ambergris, I suggest you stay right in town where you have access to everything by foot and you can meet a lot of expats. Sunbreeze Hotel, Ramon’s Village Resort, Palapa House, Blue Tang, and Caye Casa are all nice options walking distance to everything in town.
Go to Palapa Bar, Sandbar, Sandy Toes, and Wayo’s right by there (lots of expats), and make time to visit north and south of town, a short bike or golf cart ride away.
I recommend you do the half day snorkel at Hol Chan, and rent a golf cart for a day and see Secret Beach, as this area is exploding and expats are moving there. You can then ferry back to Belize City, and shuttle to Cayo, about two hours.
If you decide Cayo is not for you, you can take a puddle jumper or a shuttle to Placencia.
Get the puddle jumper to Placencia from San Pedro—this takes about two hours, as it has a stop at the municipal airport and is usually around $160 per person per way.
Note that you can also rent a car when you return to BZE, and I highly recommend this if you are a bit seasoned with driving outside the U.S.—you’ll have greater flexibility.
You’ll land right outside the village in Placencia if you take the puddle jumper, and I recommend you stay IN the village at first. Belizean Nirvana is very nice, Brisa Oceano is highly recommended, or The Ellysian is even more high end. Try Ranguana Lodge for a more rustic but budget-friendly place.
On one of your days there, rent a golf cart and drive up to Maya Beach. It’s going to take you some time, but this 16-mile peninsula is worth seeing.
Development is happening all over the peninsula, slowly. As you go from Placencia to Maya Beach, you’ll pass through Seine Bight. This is a Garifuna village and looks very “rustic.”
Although you’ll see signs of poverty, the villagers there are very welcoming and are used to tourists—don’t hesitate to stop.
Maya Beach is north of the peninsula and is very popular with expats as well. Placencia village is a mix of locals, tourists, and expats, and is the heart of the peninsula, while Maya Beach is less developed—basically expats and guesthouses with a few restaurants.
The Cayo/San Ignacio area is more challenging, but well worth the effort to check it out.
You can get a shuttle from BZE when you return from Ambergris Caye. You can then shuttle from Cayo to Placencia. This would be instead of the direct puddle jumper flights.
Shuttles are easy to book online. The most well-known are William Shuttle Service, Belize Shuttle Service, Roam Belize, and Discounted Belize Shuttle Service.
In Cayo, unless you want a romantic jungle resort stay, you can find great low-cost options like Midas near town. Ka’ana is a luxury resort close to town, and I highly recommend San Ignacio Resort Hotel as well.
Make sure you do the ATM cave tour if you are adventurous, as well as Xunantunich Mayan Ruins and Cave Tubing.
With that whistle-stop tour, you should get a good understanding of what Belize has to offer.
You could also check out Corozal if you have the time, but this is better for a second trip—expats tend to choose it once they have a better understanding of Belize. It tends to look gritty and disappointing, until you know where to go.
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