# Thought's on Belize?



## bastroum (Apr 30, 2015)

I know it's in Central America, however, thought this is the forum to post it in. We are thinking of visiting Belize. Anyone have any thought's has to how long, where to stay? We only know what we read and don't know anyone who has visited. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


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## Passepartout (Apr 30, 2015)

Oughtta be just about the opposite of Las Vegas. Wet as opposed to dry, Green opposed to brown. Low-rise and laid back instead of high-rise and hectic. Ocean instead of desert. Don't plan on being able to pick up your dry-cleaning at 3:00 a.m. or have breakfast at 9 p.m.


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## bastroum (Apr 30, 2015)

passepartout said:


> oughtta be just about the opposite of las vegas. Wet as opposed to dry, green opposed to brown. Low-rise and laid back instead of high-rise and hectic. Ocean instead of desert. Don't plan on being able to pick up your dry-cleaning at 3:00 a.m. Or have breakfast at 9 p.m.



Perfect! Sounds great.


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## Conan (Apr 30, 2015)

Belize is just down the coast from Mexico's Quintana Roo/Mexican Riviera, but it's an English-speaking country formerly known as British Honduras (1862-1981). 

The choice for visiting Belize is how to divide your time between the mainland (Belize City and the interior jungle) and one or more of the island Cayes (Ambergris Caye being the best known).

We flew into Belize City and flew inter-island to Ambergris Caye. There are several informative TUG reviews of Villas at Banyan Bay, including mine from our stay in March 2012.
http://www.tug2.com/ResortReviews.aspx?Villas at Banyan Bay&ID=12905


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## artringwald (Apr 30, 2015)

We did it as a stop on a cruise, and weren't impressed with the mainland. Didn't see any of the beautiful beaches that you'll find on the offshore islands. We took a river cruise through the "jungle", but you could see the highway and telephone poles the whole way. We did see plenty of manatee and iguanas, but it wasn't exactly what we expected.


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## moonstone (Apr 30, 2015)

We spent 2 weeks in Corozal (12 miles south of Mexico) last fall. We rented a very nice 2 bedroom,2bath, full kitchen, guest house (the Copa Banana) since there were no timeshares available. The northern end of the country is flatter & gets less than 1/2 the amount of rain as the south end, so fewer bugs, snakes... 

Corozal is a very small town but the people (locals & lots of expats) are very friendly. It is cheaper living than the touristy Ambergris Caye. The only thing I didn't like was that the water (Chetumal bay) wasn't that beautiful Caribbean blue. A few years ago we spent a day in Belize City on a cruise stop -not the nicest/safest place in the country! 

If you are on facebook there are several Belize groups where you can get any questions answered.

We liked the area so much we are going back for 3 months next winter.

~Diane


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## buceo (May 1, 2015)

bastroum said:


> I know it's in Central America, however, thought this is the forum to post it in. We are thinking of visiting Belize. Anyone have any thought's has to how long, where to stay? We only know what we read and don't know anyone who has visited. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.



We go yearly to ts's in Cancun/Playa and really love the Yucatan (and its Caribbean!).  We instead did two weeks in Belize a few years back.  I am a big advocate of two week vacations.  We mainly stayed on Ambergris, a few nights on a very small Caye called Tobacco Caye and a couple nights inland (Orange Walk).  A friend in our group grew up in Belize. I looked into ts exchanging, but instead just rented out what we had and stayed in hotels.  Lots to choose from on the tourist Cayes and inland there are eco-type resorts.  Friends have enjoyed those.  I was mainly there for scuba diving. The island hopping planes are a great tour in themselves. Great trip.  My hope is to drive to Belize with its Jaguar Preserve as my final southerly destination. That has yet to be seen, but my car is ready.


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## classiclincoln (May 1, 2015)

Spent Xmas week there a few years back.  Stayed at Captain Morgan's and loved it.  Very laid back.  Good restuarants and we chartered a plane to see the Blue Hole.  AMAZING view from 60' up.  You can read the review in the Marketplace.  Would definitely return; like it much better than Mexico.


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## bobpark56 (May 2, 2015)

*Things to do*

We enjoyed our tour to Lamanai when last we spent 3 weeks on Ambergris.

If you are a snorkeler, don't miss a visit to the Hol Chan marine reserve. Better snorkeling there than any place I have seen yet in the Yucatan.

And be sure to bring home a collection of Marie Sharps hot sauces. They are the best I have found anywhere, and much cheaper in Belize than elsewhere. For lowest prices, buy them at a local grocery, not at the airport.

Great beaches, but don't expect great swimming from the shore. Too much sea grass.


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## SciTchr (May 3, 2015)

*Belize is worth a stay!*

We spent one week on a catamaran out of Placencia, which is south of Ambergris. The next week we spent in the interior of Belize near San Ignacio. We chose Crystal Paradise, a beautiful jungle lodge run by a Belizean family, the Tuts. If you are a birder, this is an amazing place and Eric Tut is a good birding guide right there on the property. Great meals and a lovely setting near the Macal River. From this base you can explore the ATM cave, go cave tubing, or visit several Mayan ruins. We also visited the Botanic Gardens and a butterfly farm. We spent a night in Guatemala at Tikal, which I highly recommend. We also visited Xunantunich. Get a guide book or look online. There is so much to do and see in Belize. They also speak English as their national language and the US dollar is accepted along with the Belizean dollar. Great vacation for us! And, as another poster mentioned, be sure to buy lots of Marie Sharp's hot sauce. It is delicious and can be found cheap at markets and little stores. Even restaurants sell it


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## Egret1986 (May 3, 2015)

*Thanks for sharing your travel blog*



SciTchr said:


> We spent one week on a catamaran out of Placencia, which is south of Ambergris. The next week we spent in the interior of Belize near San Ignacio. We chose Crystal Paradise, a beautiful jungle lodge run by a Belizean family, the Tuts. If you are a birder, this is an amazing place and Eric Tut is a good birding guide right there on the property. Great meals and a lovely setting near the Macal River. From this base you can explore the ATM cave, go cave tubing, or visit several Mayan ruins. We also visited the Botanic Gardens and a butterfly farm. We spent a night in Guatemala at Tikal, which I highly recommend. We also visited Xunantunich. Get a guide book or look online. There is so much to do and see in Belize. They also speak English as their national language and the US dollar is accepted along with the Belizean dollar. Great vacation for us! You can take a look if you like. The boat part is February 7-14 and the Crystal Paradise part of the trip is February 14-20. And, as another poster mentioned, be sure to buy lots of Marie Sharp's hot sauce. It is delicious and can be found cheap at markets and little stores. Even restaurants sell it.
> 
> http://rickplusruth.blogspot.com/



Great stuff!


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## maja651 (May 6, 2015)

artringwald said:


> We did it as a stop on a cruise, and weren't impressed with the mainland. Didn't see any of the beautiful beaches that you'll find on the offshore islands. We took a river cruise through the "jungle", but you could see the highway and telephone poles the whole way. We did see plenty of manatee and iguanas, but it wasn't exactly what we expected.[
> 
> Did your tour go to Monkey River?  I am asking because we too will be stopping in Belize on a cruise and booked the Monkey River tour.  If it is as you describe, I may just cancel it.


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## Conan (May 6, 2015)

If you go exploring in the mainland jungle, spray on lots of deet insecticide.
http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/13/7537941/how-to-incubate-a-parasitic-fly-under-your-skin


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