Belize – The Jewel of Central America

Our Belize Experience — Ambergris Caye, Caribbean water, island life, and a few things we definitely didn’t expect.

Belize was part of our Central America journey through Belize, Roatán, Costa Rica and Panama. Here’s what we experienced, what worked, what surprised us, and what we’d do differently.

Our Route & How We Got There

We flew from Peachland, BC, Canada direct to Belize. We landed on the mainland, and took a ferry over to Ambergris Caye (pronounced ‘key’). Any time we can get a direct flight ,we take it! And the price was reasonable; $350 CAD one-way.

Then we took a ferry to Ambergris Caye. It took about an hour, and it was a mid sized ferry, carrying I would guess about a hundred people. We went past Conker Caye, and we will mention this other main island later.

Where We Stayed

On AC, we stayed at Caribbean Villas, which is on the water and was quite nice. Our small resort was just outside of San Pedro, and that was a(n) (fun) experience.

This place did not have tropical vibes, in our opinion. Very well manicured, no jungle; all very impressive, but lacking in natural landscape.

What We Did

We did not drive our cart to (not so) Secret Beach. It was a 45 minute drive and rough in patches, a bit too much for my wife’s knee, so we declined. Some folks we chatted with said it was no problem getting there, others said it was a bone shaker. Those that did make it there were impressed with the beach.

We hung around our resort. It was a great place. Small, but comfy and we were well looked after. It was our first week and we were happy to pamper ourselves with some sun and not much else.

We forayed into San Pedro most of the days. They had some great ethnic food and a bar named the Runway Bar, as it was right next to the island’s little airport.

And .. anytime you can watch the NHL game while on a tropical vacation is a winner in my books! Go Oilers !

What Surprised Us

One of the more unusual things we came across on Ambergris Caye was a beach reclamation project. It wasn’t something we’d gone looking for — we simply happened upon it during our travels.

That’s one of the things we enjoy about travelling. Sometimes the things you remember aren’t the famous attractions at all. They’re the unexpected things you happen to see along the way.

The Golf Carts were surprising. More on that below.

The poor beach in front of our resort was disappointing. Actually, there were no good beaches in our area. The bottom was a bit muddy, and no one was swimming.

Getting Around

Golf Carts! the Wild West had nothing on the cart traffic at San Pedro lol. San Pedro is a cool little town, and to get around you either walk a ton or rent a golf cart. My wife just recovering in month 5 from knee replacement surgery, we rented a cart and it was fun, but a lot like the Wild West lol. Yikes, there were carts going in all directions, like each one was looking for a lost ball!

Food & What Things Cost

Food was tasty and reasonable, about what we would pay for similar food back home. Caribbean Villas had a very good bar and grill onsite, and our experience with food and service was excellent.

Mobility & Accessibility

Golf carts, as mentioned above. My wife and her knee were able to get around fine. If you didn’t get a cart, then you would be pretty much restricted to the resort area unless you were into a whole lot of walking.

What We’d Do Differently

Conker Caye. Supposedly a more laid back place without the crazy traffic. We would have split our week between AC and CC. CC supposedly has a lot more natural activities available , such as snorkeling.

Was Belize Worth It?

We are glad we went to Belize, but didn’t feel that our island stay was representative of the country or culture. Compared to the other places and experiences on our tour, Belize was the least impactful on our experience-ometer. Like wesaid above, perhaps a few days on Conker Caye would have changed that assessment, or more time on the mainland. We only stayed one night on the mainland, that being before we flew on to Costa Rica via Honduras. Our research had indicated that Belize City was a bit sketchy for security, so we just touched down for the night and flew out.

Quick Tips From Our Trip

Be prepared to rent a golf cart to get around. $670 CAD for a week.

Stay at both Ambergris Caye and Caye Conker.

Go to the Runway Bar. in San Pedro. Watch the small planes land and depart up close (and I mean close lol).

Caribbean Villas was a nice place to stay. Check it out.

Get your camera ready for the flight from Belize to Guatamala City. Unreal beauty flying low over the archipelagos!

More Moments From Belize

We’ll add more of our own short videos and photos here as we build out our Belize travel experience.

Next stop on our Central America journey: Roatán, Honduras.