Just got back from belize and would post my travels to give back to the TT community:
first landed at B city than hopped on a flight with maya to caye caulker. the flight was great. got an air view of the area and great 1st impression of belize. we didn't have reservations so we walked to the opposite side of the island and walked on the beach all the way to the end noting the places we liked. at the end we opened our LP and decided on one or two that we like and went and priced them out. we ended staying at Blue Wave near 'the split' end and loved it. we got a beach front room w/ hammock queen bed cable tv and functional washroom and shower for 87 BZ $/night. it was great.
i did my PADI cert with belize diving services and they were awesome. i did the quick 3 day one and studied at home before going online. day one consisted of 4ft of water and some classroom time (on a picnic bench in the sun). day 2 was 2 dives at around 25 feet right out in front of the beach by the break and day 3 was 60 ft out at the break again. i was disappointed that i didn't get to go to hol chan or any others but it just depends on the groups that sign up. obviously if i was certified i could go to any of these places specifically. my teacher was fantastic and by the end many of the guides knew me by name and made an effort to talk and be polite. A+ service and it only cost $610 BZ$. also, my friend signed up but didn't make it past day 1 and they didn't charge her for the tank she used which was, in my mind, was over and beyond.
as for eating, many good restaurants from booth #8, a guy selling food on the street at 12 BZ, to the various places cooking on BBQ's in front of the place. the cdn place was great for me as i got to watch hockey one night!!!
my friend rented kayaks from chocolates and they worked and were cheap. as a whole, caye caulker was amazing and just like those typical laid back islands with relaxing the main focus......def a place to retire to!!
then we took the taxi to B city, cab for 8 BZ to the bus station and chicken bus to the Trek Stop near San Ignacio.
the trek stop is far outside the city, but a cab is only 5BZ and drive by often. the place itself was clean and had wi-fi and was super 'jungley'. the owner tino was great, organized our ATM with a friend of his who did a great job for 75$ US. the guide knew exactly what he was talking about and was a great sport.
we went to tikal. we did it on our own. 20 US to cross (depart tax) then with 2 of us got a ride to tikal for 20$ US each, but the driver waited and took one other guy too. we decided to stay overnight and it was expensive (61US) at jaguar inn but worth it. we waited till 3 pm to go in and byu then all the crowd was gone and we had the place to ourselves which was amazing. there is not a single tourist in any of my pics!! if you wait till 3 you can go the next day too. the next day we woke up and were going to wait for a cab and try and get home, but the hotel had arranged to drive a couple for 60US. i asked if they minded if we joined, through the cabbie a free 10$ and paid the other couple a little too. so it was random, but i think it can work like this quite often.
finally, to get back to the airport we used williams shuttle, contact available through parrots nest website. he was fantastic. i emailed him before we left and his quote was a little high, so i declined and told him why. while we were on the trip he emailed me and said he had to go anyways to pick ppl up (he lives in San Ignacio) and gave us a fantastic deal. however, once meeting him, the original money would have been worth it. picture a big dutch robin williams!! william was hilarious, so many jokes and it really was a great ride to the airport. i highly recommend travelling with him. i hear he'll stop at the zoo too if you want on your way out or back?? just email him and enjoy!!
thats about all. one suggestion is to do the jungle first, then the islands because they are the true laid back vacation part before going home to work!!! 4 days in SI/Tikal and 4 in CC were just enough......
Vs
feel free to PM me for more info!!
