When I Went: Late May 2011
Was That the Best Time of Year to Go? This was a fantastic time for a visit, for two reasons: no crowds and cheap rates. It was the last week of the so-called “low season” for tourism.
Why I Went There: I’d heard from a number of friends that Belize was a beautiful country with a favorable exchange rate. And only one of those friends ended up in the hospital with a spider bite, so I figured my odds were pretty good. We picked a resort on Placencia Peninsula because we were looking for a remote getaway without crowds or city lights.
We Stayed Here: A little gem called Laru Beya Resort. It really is a tropical paradise. You’ve got the ocean on one side and practically the equivalent of the rainforest on the other. We’d count iguanas while eating lunch on the balcony. The staff is unbelievably friendly and has been there for a long time. Ask for Lizbeth!
[mapimage url=”http%3A%2F%2Fmaps.google.com%2Fmaps%2Fapi%2Fstaticmap%3Fsize%3D200x200%26sensor%3Dfalse%26markers%3DPlacencia%2CBelize%26zoom%3D7″]You Won’t Want to Miss: Snorkeling (or scuba diving, if you’re into that) in the Barrier Reef. We saw a school of barracudas, a giant stingray, and a lobster. I felt like I was on the Discovery Channel.
Eat Here: Placencia really is a resort town, and all of our meals were either at the resort restaurant or provided on our tours. I highly recommend the ceviche, a citrus seafood concoction, and anything involving coconut bread.
Play Here: Laughing Bird Caye National Park. The name is a bit deceiving, as you are probably picturing marked trails and uniformed park rangers. In reality it’s a palm tree-laden island in the middle of a reef with crystal clear water, white sand beaches, and workers who don’t wear shoes. It’s a popular embarkation point for snorkeling and scuba tours.
If I Went Again: I’d take American Airlines so I could fly directly to Belize. I’m so serious about going again that I changed banks to get frequent flier points for American instead of Continental.
How Did You Get There From Dallas? We flew Continental Airlines, which was a bit of a pain because it wasn’t direct to Belize City. We missed our connection in Houston due to delays with our first flight and had to spend the night in an airport hotel. Thankfully the resort was really cool and allowed us to add a day on the end of our trip for no extra cost. Once we got to Belize City, we took a prop plane on Tropic Air to Placencia. We were the only passengers unless you count mail crates. It offered a great view of the coastline and the rainforest.
