When most people think of planning a trip to Central America, Belize is often overlooked. Our family loved Costa Rica so much that we wanted a similar vibe and distance, but different city – enter Belize. The minute you arrive, you will welcomed with the warmest locals, stunning dense jungles, insane Mayan ruins, gorgeous blue seas, and more.
The best part about Belize is that it’s not too far from the US, there’s something for everyone in the family to enjoy whether it be lounging by the pool drinking cocktails or being adventurous by doing a 6-hour hike through the water and rock climbing through caves (more on that later). The ultimate family-friendly vacation spot for everyone!
Where to Stay:
There’s two main places you can stay – the mainland and then the island.
We stayed in San Pedro, the main town in Ambergis Caye (the island) and we loved it. The Las Terrazas Resort was located perfectly on the beach and had great staff and service. The reason we picked a resort on the island was because it’s closer to all the water activities, the neighborhood had a ton of lively bars and restaurants, and we’ve always been beach-y people.
The only thing with staying on the island the entire time was whenever we went to the mainlands for jungle activities, it took a couple hours to get there. We had to drive to the airport, get on a quick flight, then get to the jungle. If you’re doing a 5+ day trip in Belize, I recommend spending a few days at a place on the Mainlands and then a few days in San Pedro to eliminate the back and forth.
And if you’re doing a friends trip here, I’d recommend staying on the Caye Caulkher island – it’s the party island (so I hear).
What to Do:
Secret Beach: You HAVE to go to the secret beach, which isn’t really a secret, but actually a top tourist area of Ambergis Caye. There’s a TON of bars and restaurants with Instagram ready tables in the water, cabanas, a beach bar with a real island feel, and so many water activities – paddle boats, aquatic obstacle course, kayaking, canoeing, and so much more.
Hol Chan Marine Reserve: Another Belize MUST, one of the coolest snorkeling experiences ever because you get to snorkel and feed the sharks and sting rays up close. It’s a quick boat journey from the island to the reserve and one of the most-visited snorkeling and diving areas in Central America.
Blue Hole: Everyone says if you go to Belize, you have to dive the Blue Hole, and unfortunately, we didn’t get to because most of didn’t complete our scuba certification and It’s quite advance. It also takes a whole day to get certified on the island (if you’re not already certified) and then the adventure itself is a whole day experience so it was too time-consuming for our short time there. BUT I do recommend getting certified before getting to Belize and carving out a full day here if you’re an advanced diver because it’s supposed to be incredible.
Ziplining & Cave Tubing: Ziplining is a classic touristy thing to do everywhere in Central America, I felt as though these zip lines were not as amazing as Costa Rica but it was a part of the cave tubing package. Cave tubing, on the other hand, is an iconic experience in Belize – there are so many dope Mayan caves everywhere with so much history that you have to hike and tube through to really understand and become one with the jungle.
ATM Caves: HANDS. DOWN. THE. BEST. EXPERIENCE. EVER. This is for my advanced swimmers, hikers, and adventurers. You basically start your journey on the mainland with an hour long hike to the sacred ATM caves, then you’ll swim and rock climb through the cave for a couple hours while looking at all the Mayan ruins of previous sacrifices. You aren’t allowed to take any phone or camera, and just have a small flashlight (and tour guide) to guide you. Then you crawl through the cave and see skeletal remains of more sacrifices and the best part is at the end… you’ll see the skeleton of a Mayan princess! It was a surreal experience to immerse myself into history and have such an exhilarating adventure.
Where to Eat:
- Rain Restaurant & Rooftop: One of the top Caribbean rooftops in the area for fine dining, I personally wasn’t a huge fan because the options for vegetarians were pretty limited but worth it for the drinks and vibes.
- Sunset Lounge: Great lounge to visit post-dinner/later at night, great music, drinks, and vibes.
- Elvi’s Kitchen: LOVED this place, some of the best vegetarian food on the island, great for lunch and dinner and the staff was so accommodating.
- Truck Stop: My favorite place because it’s filled with 4-5 food trucks that sell Ice Cream, Asian-Fusion, Caribbean, and Mexican food with live music. A great late-dinner hotspot.
Traveler Tips:
- The mode of transportation throughout the island are golf carts, bring speakers to make it a vibe every time you go around the island.
- They have a curfew of 12 a.m. so pay close attention to that because everything shuts down.
- Do. Not. Forget. Mosquito. Repellant.
- Local alcohol is generally cheaper so stay away from brand names like Tito’s.
You can find more details on my Instagram (@nehaltenany) under the ‘Belize’ highlights.
