To start our full time travel we went back to a country we visited before, Belize.
This time we went to the islands to explore. We stayed on the mainland previously and ventured to Placencia, Maya Beach, Hopkins, and Belmopan. There are differences in all of those places and as we learned this time around the islands are all different even though it is the same country.
Caye Caulker is a tiny island closest to Belize City and accessible by water taxi or small aircraft. We chose the water taxi as that was more budget friendly. Spending 5 days was plenty for us to explore the tiny island and get to know the area. Unpaved streets and the cost of a golf cart rental (expensive at $50-100US) are things you just have to endure to get around. At sunset there were stingrays swimming in a little public area people would touch but we just let them swim over our feet. I believe nature is best just observed. While there aren't many beaches on the island you can go out on docks and swim, which is necessary due to the amount of sargassum seaweed buildup on the shorelines. Sargassum is an issue in all of the Caribbean now and it is causing a lot of problems. It also smells awful. There are lots of mangroves so be warned the bugs are definitely more prevalent so bug spray in the evening is especially important. Two favorite restaurants were:
Ice and Beans for bagel sandwiches, matcha, coffee, and smoothies with lots of vegan variations upon request. Even vegan soft serve!
Shado Beni - Caribbean Tapas Lounge had the best ambiance and the Trinidadian/Caribbean tapas were all made from scratch and amazing!
Ambergris Caye- San Pedro was the next stop! We Stayed for a month and explored all the local spots and met many amazing people while learning things about ourselves and what we want out of life. Taking the water taxi over to the next island was less crowded and hot as we took a bigger boat this time. The neighborhood we stayed in was called Bakkatown and it was right on the bay side of the island. San Pedro is the main township on Ambergris Caye. This is where most of the locals are and the majority of the shopping and restaurants.
There are not a lot of beaches in general here either but by Queensland law all the beaches are public. This means you can chill out in front of any spot legally as long as you are being respectful. Most resorts allow you to use their beach as long as you purchase food or beverage, some have a day pass you can purchase as well. The best way to enjoy some ocean breeze we found was to go to the little pier bars. There are a lot of palapa bars to choose from we had a few favorites of course. We did find a lot of the restaurants had the same food because of everything needing to be imported from the mainland. This is also why we found that the cost was higher than the mainland to offset the import costs. If you have diet restrictions, you will have a harder time finding places and shopping for groceries can be challenging. Always check the expiration dates because they tend to keep very expired items on the shelf, we learned this the hard way.
The sunrises and sunsets were beautiful and something we really looked forward to everyday. Nightlife was vibrant, and people were so kind and proud of the island they lived on. ThÃs is not a sleepy, quiet place! To get to the north side or south side of the island you do need a golf cart so that is again an expense to factor in whether you stay for a month like us or just a week or two. You can ask your host or the hotel if they have a preferred company as there are tons! ($50-100/daily depending on the season).
Secret Beach is on the northwestern part of the island about 30 mins from San Pedro on a golf cart. It is quite remote still and undeveloped and there is a ton of construction everywhere. They are very excited to have begun the paving process as the roads are pretty gnarly and need it badly. Everything in that area is still off grid. There are no stores really and the popular beach spots have the same pub grub and bar choices as most beaches. Everything closes after sunset as well. I will say it's the best spot to swim as the water is free of the terrible sargassum seaweed and it is crystal clear, calm, and shallow. It was still busy, and we went in the off season. The facilities were ok but run down a bit. A local told us about a place a little unknown place called Sunset Palace Beach Club (https://sunsetpalacebeachclub.com/). It was chill but the same type of run-down facilities. The iguanas there are not afraid of you and will stalk you for food! There is a sea wall here with some very janky ladders into the water and I did get bit by some large sand fleas. Overall, it was way less crowed than the main part of secret beach, so it was cool. Likely in ten years the Secret Beach area will look completely different, be easily accessible, and be on the power grid. Until then it is a trek, and I wouldn't want to stay out there honestly. Great for a day trip though!
Favorite spots in San Pedro:
Oh Bomabai! (ohbombai.com)- Great Indian food and a bit hidden. Very large portions so we got two meals out of an order. Incredible vegan options which made me very happy as vegan food is hard to find in Belize!
greenespressocafe.com/home- Awesome for breakfast or lunch. Great sandwiches, bowls, smoothies. They will also deliver locally through WhatsApp - you will want to have this already as most people and businesses communicate through this only and it's Free!
www.elfogonbelize.com- Incredible service! This is an adored local spot, and we quickly understood why. The seafood is fresh, and the drinks are great. The frozen red sangria was my fave and the salbutes were out of this world good. They will also make variation's of their dishes depending on your dietary needs.
www.elviskitchen.com-One of the oldest restaurants you will find in the area, started as a hamburger stand is now a more upscale dining experience so it is a little pricier and sometimes you need a reservation.
www.facebook.com/sunsetloungebelize/- Went to an 80s-90s night here. Cool views and setup for dancing. The drinks were very expensive and in tiny plastic cups. Service was not so great. This place gets very lively at night so if you're looking for a club type atmosphere this for you! It gets pretty live!
Cool pier bars we loved to catch some of nature's air conditioning at:
Ol' Tackel box
www.facebook.com/people/The-Ol-Tackle-Box/
Overseas Bar and grill- Multilevel decks and great happy hour
www.facebook.com/61550420761026/menu/
Palapa Bar and grill- Cool spot for happy hour, local cover bands, and you can watch the fish in the water at night. You can swim there but it is a small area off the dock steps.
Rumdog- A little more north on the island but has it's own parking for your cart.
There are more, these just made the list for us.
A cool spot in town to go grab a Belikin Beer (Belize's national beer) and relax on a little beach with a swim area is Ramons resort. The staff was nice, and they have a restaurant and restrooms. Cool place to spend the afternoon. ramons.com
Belize will always be the place where it all began, and we will return someday. Onward to Mexico to explore the Mayan Riveira and the Yucatan Peninsula!
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