| 46er581119:55 UTC21 Mar 2010 | Just got back from 19 days in Belize and would like to share some of my thoughts on the places we stayed, the tours we took and the places we ate at. We found this forum to be very helpful in making some decisions about our trip so I hope some of our experiences will help others. I was traveling with 2 other women, we were all in our 50's.
We spent 6 days in San Ignacio at the start of our trip. We stayed at Martha's Guesthouse and were extremely pleased with that choice. We stayed in the junior suite which was very clean, comfortable with free WiFi, A/C, cable TV,mini fridge, coffeemaker and microwave in the room. There is a fair amount of late night street noise but with the A/C on it was no problem. Our room and several others had balconies overlooking the road, which was great. It is situated just off the main sreet so you are close to everything in town - shops, tour companies, restaurants, banks, taxis, buses - everything. Martha has a second apartment building and I believe all the rooms have balconies, but it is a bit farther away from the town and tour companies and restaurants. The guesthouse was medium priced, but divided by three was about 60 Bz/prson/night. We took 3 tours with PACZ Tours and they were excellent - Tikal( our guide was Juice), the ATM(guide was Chico) and Mountain Pine Ridge( guide was Oscar) . The guides were all very knowledgeable, professional and fun. They enjoyed sharing their history, culture and were open to any questions. Tikal is wonderful, we recommend doing that with a guide as the history and significance can't be appreciated by the average person even if you purchase the self-guided tour book. The tour included the cost of the tout, exit fees, lunch(restaurant in Tikal), transportation and guides. We wanted to go Ziplining while in Belize and PACZ recommended a place just outside of Tikal, which was conveniently located and cheaper than the Ziplining at Jaquar Paw. Great fun!!!! The ATM was as fascinating as everyone writes. We would just underscore that it requires reasonable physical fitness, a bit of a bold spirit as you will be swimming/hiking thru water, climbing thru over rocks and narrow passages all in pitch darkness with a head light. Incredible sights and history so it is well worth it. Again lunch(sandwich, fruit, one bottle of water )all fees included in price. The water included is only at lunch so bring extra yourself. The PACZ tour office has free water to fill up with, so bring your nalgene and your set. Lastly the Mountain Pine Ridge is a series of stops through the reserve, beautiful sites, and the guide points out animal/plant interests, historical items and answers all questions. You will see waterfalls, and stop at a waterfall with swimming holes, where you can swim if you like. Again lunch(sandwich/fruit/plantain chips) and one bottle of water are included.
If you are there on the last Saturday of the month be sure to visit the town's public market and sample some of the local foods and take in the lively atmosphere. Across the street from the market is a small restaurant called Annie's Belizean Food and Pizza - they make great cinnamon rolls there, very cheap, and offer a great spot to people watch .
We ate at Han-Nahs which was excellent, and served Belizean food as well as a bit of thai and indian foods(8-20Bz). Everywhere serves Belikin beer(3.50Bz), rum and usually has wine. We will note that the wine is mostly from Chile and the vintages from 2008/2009 and cost 45Bz in restaurants and 30Bz in grocery stores). Eva's was okay but is nicely located on the street so it is lively,and cost 8-15 Bz. Erva's was also excellent. It is a small restaurant located on a side street and the food is fresh, and wonderful, the kitchen is visible and is clean. It is a bit more expensive 12-30Bz. There is a small, but great breakfast place called Pop's just around the corner from Martha's which serves breakfast and lunch (opens around 6:30AM). We ate several breakfasts there and they were just great - get the breakfast sandwich (less than 12 Bz). We stopped for an afternoon snack at Hode's which was nice. It is largest restaurant we saw and has a playground for kids, and a electronic game room, and also a small casino. Serendip across from PACZ tours had excellent service and specializing in Sri Lankan food. It has a small amount of indoor seating and a larger amount of outdoor seating in back. But if you have had enough Belizean food and yearn for and love Italian, Amore Mio is the place to go. It is very small, so consider reservations, but it is excellent. The chefs are from Italy and prepare everything from scratch and will happily tailor to your desires.
We mostly travelled using the bus system. You read lots of things that speak poorly of the system, but we found it easy to use, cheap, and accessible. The schedules are on-line, or ask anyone and they all are willing to help you. Each bus has a driver and a money collector. The money collector kept everybody in line, watched our luggage and we told him our destination and he came to get us at the appropriate time. The fact that pretty much everyone speaks English and is friendly is a great plus. Also on the bus you see and experience alot of the culture. If you are traveling from Belize city to Palencia or further south the express is definitely faster and more comfortable, but is a bit more costly (22 Bz) . The road down to Placencia is presently under construction and so it is very bumpy. It will be nice when it is done. You can get on and off the bus anywhere by standing on the roadside and waving the bus down.
Next stop was Hopkins, a very small, isolated Garifunan village. We took the bus from San Ignacio thru Belmopan to Dangria and changed buses at the station and went to Hopkins. The cost was about 6Bz for each part, maybe a bit less. In Hopkins we stayed at the Tipple Tree Beya. It is right on the beach and is sooooo beautiful. You walk out your room to an incredible view of the water. There are beach chairs to sit on and watch the sun rise in the morning and many hammocks to swing in. There is no A/C and the rooms are very basic, but the oceans breezes and ceiling fans did the trick. Tricia our hostess was very friendly and helpful. The village is very simple. You cannot drink the water in Hopkins, so either bring refillable nalgenes or purchase disposable water bottles. Tricia offers to refill your nalgenes(1liter) for 1 Bz. We will note that trash in Hopkins is a problem. The villagers have no system for removing trash, so whatever you can do to reduce disposables is a good thing. There are several resorts, several small places like Tipple Tree and the villagers. Hopkins has many dogs and roosters and chickens. The roosters crow all day starting at about 4AM, so if you are noise sensitive get a room with A/C or a pair of earplugs. Or do like we did and get up for the sunrise and stay up. Our only regret was not staying in Hopkins longer than 2 days. The villagers are very friendly and helpful. There are several homes that offer traditional dinners in their homes for about 15-20Bz, ask your host/hostess and they will arrange it for you. We rented bikes for the day, great way to see the village and surrounding areas (15Bz/day). Thongs Cafe` serves a good breakfast and has WiFi.(less than 12Bz) . Maggie's Fast Food which is a bit south of the village on the road had excellent quesadilla's and burritos but not so fast since it is all made from scratch(< than 12z) . The biggest surprise was the Driftwood Pizza Shack which is to the north of the village right on the beach just pass the Garifuna drumming center. It's owners are a young twosome from the states. Oliver came to Belize from New Orleans but is originally from England. He is the bartender and very entertaining. Denise does the cooking and her pizza rivals any you can get in the states. All the Belikin beer and rum treats you could want with your feet in the sand. Awesome fun! There are several tour places to snorkel/scuba and fish with there. The beaches are beautiful, and in front of the resorts they are maintained so any junk floating in from the water is cleaned up. You can easily swim here where you can't as well off the Cayes. Hopkins is not a resort high spot, but it is beautiful and simple, and the tour activities are there. The nightlife isn't, but if that is not your bag then check it out.
Then we caught the bus to Placencia Village. We had to take a cab out the few miles from Hopkins village to the main road. Wherever you stay can arrange a cab for you in advance. It cost 10Bz. We caught the Ritchie bus to Placencia(3 Bz) which took about an hour and dropped us off at the door of our resort. We stayed at Deb and Dave's Last Resort. It is very reasonably priced but is very basic and you share a bathroom(30Bz ) . There are many places to stay in Placencia and many people just punt and go from place to place looking for vacancies. There always seemed to be vacancies, but it's risky. There are several laundry services around and you can drop off your laundry and pick it about later (5Bz/load). We had a dinner and breakfast at De Tatch, on the beach, which was very good and they have WiFi. The gelato at Tutti Fruitti was some of the best I have ever had, clear favorite in the town, and open late. The fish at Omar's Creole Food was excellent, fresh caught and made by Omar and sons(20 Bz). For breakfast be sure to try the cinnamon rolls at both the Sweet Dreams Bakery and John the Bakerman. The Sweet Dreams Bakery will make you a breakfast sandwich any way you want it and they are opened early if you need breakfast before a snorkel trip out. The Shak is also worth a breakfast visit. It is also on the beach and has great fruit slushies in addition to good breakfasts. (<12Bz). We also had meals at the Pickled Parrot(fun, laid back)6-20Bz, RumFish Y Vino(eclectic, NYCish),25Bz, La Dolce Vita Restaurant (over Wallen's Market) quiet homemade Italian,20Bz. We took 2 tours while there. The weather can limit the tours for safety reasons. The Monkey River Tour with Night Owl Tours(60 Bz includes fruit/juice/water), lunch was extra. Lion was our guide along with Raymond. The Howler monkeys were the highlight of that trip. We took another full day snorkel trip with Placencia Tours, I think they had better prices than many other tour places 100Bz. They are located on the sidewalk, Theresa is the tour operator, very friendly. She got her mother to make us Conch soup! Reni was our guide. We went out to 2 of the local cayes - Lark and I forget the other. It included a BBQ lunch on a small private island and about an hours worth of snorkeling at each location. It was a very enjoyable day.
On the last leg of our trip we caught the Hokey Pokey Water Taxi to Independence(10Bz) takes 20min and you catch a cab to bus station and then catch the bus to Belize. The express bus from Independence only runs 2 or 3 times per day costs 22Bz and takes 3 hours. Then a cab to the water taxi. The Water Taxi to Caye Caulker runs about every hour and costs 25 Bz for round trip(save your ticket). The trip takes about 45minutes and can get crowded, but we had no problems and our luggage was always secure.
We stayed at the seaside Cabanas( ~70bz/person/night) which is located immediately to the left of where the Water Taxi terminal is. Free refills for water, and continental breakfast included, though the breakfast was not a highlight at all. It was a great place to stay with A/C, cable TV, very clean, bar on site, pool, and minifridge. It was situated close to just about everything. Of course the main village of Caye Caulker is not very big. The first thing we did after checking our hotel was head to the split and the Lazy Lizard which we had read so much about. It is a place not to be missed - quite the atmosphere and should not be missed on your trip to Caulker. It was lively, full of friendly people and the food and drink was good also it had live entertainment at times. Our tours there included a night snorkel (65 BZ included drink)with Tsunami Adventures which was fun and different. We had a full day snorkel with Raggamuffin Tours to Shark Alley, Hol Chan reserve and one other stop(90Bz). It was great with Captain 'Patrick', a great guide that will entertain you the entire time. The wind was calm that day so the sailboat needed a little help from the outboard motor. Included were snacks, lunch , lots of fruit, water, juice and on the way home rum punch. I'd recommend them to anyone. We did another full day snorkel with Carlos at Hi Caco Tours(180Bz includes lunch, fruit and water). It is more expensive because of the distance out in the Carribean you travel, but it is worth it. Carlos is an incredible talented diver and seeks out things to show you. Carlos showed us many different things around the reef. We went to Sergeant Caye, Geoff Caye (where we ate lunch also) and the Swallow Manatee Reserve. At Swallow Manatee Reserve, Carlos very patiently waited around and maneuvered his boat using a long pole to get us close to several of the manatee. It was fantastic.
Caye Caulker is very narrow island allowing you to watch the sunrise, and walk a short distance and catch the sunset that night. The views are breathtaking. Safety wasn't an issue. I ran earlier in the morning without problem, and walking in a group of 3 in the dark in the town or on the beach by town was also without problem.
Food on Caye Caulker will meet most anyone 's desires. You can shop at the grocery store which are very limited, fresh fruit stands that are wonderful or stick to restaurants and street vendors. The liquor overall is expensive, but the stores all sell beer, wine, and lots of rum so you can make your own and hang out. The food in general on Caye Caulker was very good. There are many places to eat. The street vendors are many, as are some hole in the wall places where you mix more with locales. We tended to avoid these as the refrigeration/santitation are a bit leary, but they always had full tables, so take your chances. If you stick to chicken and rice/burritos you can eat dinner for 10Bz or less. If you want more variety and really experience the seafood you will spend 15-25Bz for dinner. Eat at Glenda's for breakfast, all you read is true(10Bz). The food was good and her cinnamon buns were great. Most restaurants serve breakfast as well as dinner. Happy Lobster serves a nice breakfast as does Agave 12Bz. We got back late one night and ate at Wish Willy's(15Bz). His other customers were all leaving but he made a great meal for us. Two of us had lobster tails (2 each) which were grilled with garlic and with pasta topped with veggies also in a oil/garlic sauce. Our other friend had chicken. It was about the best meal we had yet. Even better, Willy had the coldest Belikin beer of our whole trip. Then Willy sat down and chatted with us. We exchanged greetings for the rest of our trip whenever we passed him walking or biking thru the village. He is a good man but quite a character. The Bamboo Grill located on the beach had swings for bar stools, but the food was okay not standoutish( 15Bz). Great rum drink specials. High kudos goes to Rose's which is right next to Habaneros. You pick fresh caught seafood/fish from that day and they throw it on the grill in front of you. Delish!!!! Sandro's take out(there is no take out though....he needs to repaint the sign), simply the best, freshish italian food. Sandro's is very small and he and his wife do all the cooking in view. He has no liquor license but if you wish some he sends you to the store behind and you bring in whatever you want. We actually ate there twice (20Bz) because it was so good. Sandro is a delightful man. Deep sea fishing is what brought him to Belize from Italy. He says he is just on vacation there - has been for 2 1/2 years now. He has the best pasta dishes and if there is something you would like different and he can make it, he will or he will make suggestions.
Now for the San Pedro vs Caye Caulker debate. We took the San Pedro Express water taxi over to San Pedro as we were curious to see what it was like. It is way bigger, more busy, more vendors, more bars, more restaurants, boats, tours, and way more crowded with tourists and golf carts and more expensive. We didn't care for it too much. We did some shopping and ate lunch at Celi's and returned to our much more cozy Caye Caulker. If you are staying in the towns and want faster paced night life go to San Pedro, easier going, slower go to Caye Caulker. Really slow....go to Hopkins and stay!!!
19 days in Belize went quickly. If I were to go back I would do the ATM again, stay longer in Hopkins and even longer in Caulker like the rest of the transplants from around the world.
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| santamonica81111:02 UTC24 Mar 2010 | Terrific post. Incredibly helpful. My only suggestion (which goes for all posts like yours) is to maybe also include the exchange rate at the time you went (as re the US dollar, or Euro, or Pound). Obviously, it's very easy to check it ourselves. But your post has so much information, I suspect that people will use it as a resource for several years. And at that time, it's obviously much more difficult to try and figure out what the exchange rate was at the time of your trip.
Again; thanks so much. I've already made about 7-8 notes, which will influence my upcoming trip.
-josh
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