Belize is full of colorful scenery, beautiful people, and delicious food, making it the perfect summer vacation spot. I first saw Belize on 90-day Fiancé and I became just a little obsessed. Since then it had been on the top of my bucket list and once travel opened up to Belize & we got vaccinated, 5 friends and I decided to go as a last "hurrah" before starting to work full time and having to be real adults. The tragedy of all tragedies.
A little about Belize.
Belize is a Caribbean country located on the northeastern coast of Central America. Belize was known as the colony of British Honduras soon after it became a British colony. The country became Belize in 1973 and was granted independence in 1981. Because of COVID you do need to be tested to enter Belize or they will give you a test for $50 USD at the Airport. The official currency is the Belizean dollar and the exchange rate is about 1 USD for 2 Belizean dollars.
To get to San Pedro you must fly into Belize city airport, which is on the mainland. From there you can take a short Mayan air flight or take a taxi to the water taxi port and take the water taxi from there. The flight is about 15 minutes and $130 round trip. The water taxi is a $45 roundtrip and 1.5 hours. We opted for the water taxi because of the cost and because personally, I really enjoy boats. My boyfriend had to leave before us and he opted for the flight and said that it was beautiful. Because the plane was so small he even got to sit in the cockpit.
Where to stay!
In Belize, you have the option to stay on the mainland or on one of the Cayes, or smaller islands. There are two main cayes, Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye. Caye Caulker is the smaller of the two while San Pedro is more developed. Both are beautiful but have slightly different vibes because of their size. We decided to stay in San Pedro, which has more of a town feel to it.
We went to Belize in August, which is part of the low tourist season and also considered part of the rainy season. These two things meant that the prices for accommodations were lower than they would be from late November to April, which is the high season. Since we were a group of 6 we opted to stay at Miramar Villas, which is a rental condo we found through Airbnb and VRBO. The villa actually had its own booking site as well, so we used that to avoid all the extra fees that Airbnb adds on. #finesse
We paid around $180 each for 4 nights and the condo did not disappoint. It was on the Southern tip of the island in a quiet area. It had its own dock with a beautiful view of the ocean, a private pool, a wrap-around porch, 3 beds, 3 baths. It was a great value that comfortably slept 6 of us. The hostess was so kind and helped us set up tours and transportation. In San Pedro, the easiest way to get around is via a golf cart. There are also taxis. The golf cart was relatively inexpensive, we paid about $220 for 5 days of a 6 person cart and used Belize rentals. The golf carts are also super fun to drive around the island and maybe get into some races. The vanity of driving a golf cart did not wear off on us. I cannot tell you why.
Catching flights & water taxi's!
Our flight was early from DCA with a layover in Houston. After about 6 hours we finally got to Belize City and took a taxi to the water ferry port. The water taxi stops at Caye Caulker then goes onto San Pedro afterward. We didn't buy tickets beforehand and instead bought them at the desk when we got there because we were not exactly sure with the timing of our flight when we would get in. When we got to San Pedro our taxi driver met us at the water taxi and drove us to our condo. As I mentioned the condo was gorgeous it had a great pool, dock, and surrounding outside area as well. Soon after we got to the house the golf-cart rental brought over the cart to us and we signed whatever remaining paperwork.
After that was all settled we spend some time getting settled in ourselves. One somewhat unfortunate part of our trip was that the curfew was reinstated right before we arrived so while we originally wanted to spend the night out we opted for dinner and drinks instead. It turned out to be the best way to start our vacation, the drinks were huge and the food was good. There was also a reggae band playing music as we ate, drank, and enjoyed each others' company under the stars. When we got back we went for a swim.
Though the travel was exhausting and we had two mini-crises while trying to get to San Pedro ending the night under the stars with live music set a spectacular tone for the trip.
Our trip was only 5 days but every day was packed with adventure and creating new memories! Click below to dive into our itinerary
Day 2: Secret Beach & Food Tour
Day 3: Swimming with the Sharks
Day 4: Island Hopping: Caye Caulker
Day 5: On The final day the only thing we had time to do was pack up, grab a quick breakfast because we decided to take the water taxi back, which would take an additional hour and a half. I had such an amazing time with my friends here, made new memories, ate so much good food, and tried so many new things.
On that note,
I can honestly say, my biggest regret: not staying longer.
BIG SHOUT OUT TO #ABESHOTIT @_ABSOLO FOR THE AMAZING PICTURES FROM THIS TRIP!
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