Hi all!
This forum was invaluable to me in planning my trip to Belize. I had a fabulous two week vacation in which I explored a good portion of this country. I can't say enough good things about the people we encountered, the experiences we had, and the food we enjoyed!
I traveled with another friend of mine, both of us in our 30s. And as two females, we never ran in to any issues. We felt completely safe everywhere on our trip. The only thing we encountered was a lot of questions about why we were not married with kids. We used some good bug spray and managed to avoid too many bug bites.
To start from the beginning....
We flew into Belize City and rented a car from Jabiru. We received a great little four wheel drive car that carried us for 9 days around the country, but we only paid for 7. The owner was very conscious of giving two women a reliable car, and that it was! We drove immediately down to Punta Gorda. The drive took us about 4.5 hours because it got dark and we avoided driving too fast on unfamiliar roads. We encountered some really crazy drivers, speeding buses, and a lot of speed bumps. The road was fully paved except for a small section with a "diversion" because of a washed out bridge.
Being in the Toledo district during the rainy season did not prove to be a problem for us. We got some great thunderstorms at night, but we had beautiful days. We stayed at the Tranquility Lodge in Jacintoville, just outside of PG. Sheila and Rusty were great hosts. We spent a few nights in a lodge room with AC and a few nights in a thatched casita with no AC. Both accommodations were comfortable and clean. In the end I prefered the casita because it felt closer to the jungle and the sounds. They provided breakfast every morning, accompanied by great stories and advice.
We had a Mayan guide who took us to some of the villages in this area. Celiano Pop was a nice and very knowledgeable guide. We had a lot of fun making chocolate and corn tortillas. We also visited a few of the Mayan sites in this area You should definitely visit Coleman's Cafe if you need a place to eat... amazing food!
We made it to Placencia, just for a day. It was beautiful but the sand was coarse.
Afterwards we headed to San Ignacio where we stayed right in town at the Casa Blanca Guest House. The owners ensure that everything here is secure and clean. Its very quiet given its location. I would recommend it, along with Hannah's across the street. But for breakfast, definitely go to Pop's!
While here we went to Caracol with Mayawalk Tours. We had a great guide. Caracol is remote and harder to get to, but its worth it. It is an awe inspiring place. Our trip to ATM was canceled because of rain. It was the only thing we wanted to do that was interrupted by the rainy season... not too bad! Instead we visited Blue Hole National Park for some hiking. We also went to Xunantunich.
We spent some time at Crooked Tree, and a night at Crooked Tree Lodge. Our stay there was highlighted by the company of other guests. However, the Lodge still needs some work. There are no signs directing you there so it took us an hour, on this little penninsula and the directions of six people, to navigate very rutty, muddy, bumpy roads to find it. It is a beautiful place but very much a work in progress. The owners seem a bit overwhelmed, the cabins are still missing some basics like a place to hang your towel...
And finally, our last few days were spent at Maxhapan Cabanas on Caye Caulker. We took the water taxi over and Tropic Air back. Flying was much more convenient. LOVED the accommodations at Maxhapan. Louise, the owner/manager, is great. She provides bikes, beach towels, and lots of advice/information. The rooms were very clean, just a little dark if you closed the shades to turn on the ac. Each room has a hammock on the front porch. Definitely a very relaxing spot. On Caye Caulker, check out the catch of the day at Rose's and enjoy breakfast at Amor y Cafe.
We had a great trip. I can't wait to go back!
