We visited Belize as a family of 4 (my husband and I and our two teenagers) in March of 2019. Being bound in Minnesota by a long winter and freezing temperatures, we were happy to escape to the warm tropical country of Belize. We loved our Belize vacation for many reasons and have since recommended it to others.
Belize is a very welcoming, safe and tourist-friendly country that makes a wonderful winter or spring break getaway. We chose to visit the island of Ambergris Caye for the beautiful beaches, warm weather and the array of adventurous activities to choose from. In addition, we grew to love the culture and people there and grew from our exposure to their different way of life (read more about how travel changes you here).
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Time and Length of Trip
We traveled to Belize in March over our kids’ spring break. This was an ideal time for the weather because it was warm and sunny and we had no rain. The best time for a Belize vacation is between November to mid-April when it is the driest and not as hot as the summer months. We were worried about crowds with it being spring break time but were pleasantly surprised by how often we had the pool to ourselves and our choice of any lounge chairs and seats at restaurants.
We stayed in Belize for one week and felt like that was a sufficient amount of time to see and do what we wanted. From the northern United States, it would be a long journey to go for less time. However, if you have more than a week there are multiple places to see. If we had longer, we would have divided our time between the jungle on the mainland and the island beaches.
Type of Vacation
Belize is a great place to visit if you like relaxing in a tropical location and also being active. There are beautiful beaches on the islands of Belize and a very laid back vibe that makes it easy to experience total relaxation. However, there are also numerous opportunities to be active such as zip lining, fishing, snorkeling, swimming with sharks, hiking, and tubing through the jungle.
A Belize vacation is perfect for couples, friend groups, and families with older children. The resort areas and islands are safe for families and children. This is a great area for outdoor enthusiasts and nature lovers.
Where to Stay
Ambergris Caye
We stayed on the island of Ambergris Caye and I would highly recommend this destination. After an amazing airplane ride over the blue off-shore waters of Belize, we landed in San Pedro town and were taken to our resort.
Ambergris Caye Hotels
Belizean Shores resort has an amazing pool area, tennis courts, a friendly reception office with welcome drinks and a beach area with hammocks, water sports and a water trampoline. It is a short transfer from the airport but out of town enough to enjoy the quiet tranquility of an island get away. We found the location of the resort to be perfect for driving into town and walking along the beach to nearby hotels or restaurants.
Many of the units at Belizean Shores are privately owned, some are rented through VRBO and some are booked as a resort. We stayed in a two-story suite with a full kitchen, private balcony and two bedrooms. The pool has a swim up bar with a bartender and food delivery.
Another great option for a place to stay is the Coco Beach Resort. This is the sister property to Belizean Shores located just next door and a bit larger. Both are very family-friendly options and right on the beach.
Ambergris Caye Logistics
When choosing a place to stay, be aware that the beaches are not necessarily for swimming. All of the beaches on Ambergris Caye have large amounts of sea weed and sea grass that is raked every morning. What this means is that although the water around the islands is some of the bluest and clearest I have ever seen, it is brown and weedy along the shore. Most places to stay will have a long dock extending over this part of the water so that you can swim and enter the water farther out where it is clearer.
Keep in mind that most restaurants are in the town of San Pedro. The mode of transportation on the island is golf cart. This means that you should stay in close proximity to town if you are going to enjoy some of the great restaurants that San Pedro has to offer. Both Belizean Shores and Coco Beach are about a 15 minute drive to town and great restaurants.
Mainland/jungle
If you’re looking for a place to stay in the jungle/mainland for your Belize vacation, check out Caves Branch Lodge. The wonderful jungle oasis is set along a river and offers tree house style accommodations for adventure seekers. This resort will make you feel totally immersed in the Belizean culture and will provide a very unique travel experience.
Other options for a mainland/jungle stay are Chaa Creek and Blancaneaux Lodge (a Francis Ford Coppola resort). These are both luxury lodges that have won many awards. I have researched these extensively but not stayed in either one. They are on my bucket list!
Things to Do
As I mentioned earlier, Belize is a great destination for adventure and outdoor enthusiasts. The list of activities is long, but these are some of the things that we tried and loved.
- Secret Beach – Secret Beach is a popular tourist destination (not secret at all!) and is a popular spot for swimming in warm, shallow water. I would describe this as a party destination due to the large number of beach front bars and restaurants. Be aware that this a significant golf cart drive. Also, you will either need to patronize a restaurant or bar or pay for a lounger in order to use the chairs on the beach. I would recommend seeing this place but probably not spending more than one afternoon.
- Belize Food Tours – A great way to learn about and experience a culture is to enjoy their food. We love to try the local food and specialties at each destination we visit! These food tours offer lunch and dinner options at various price points. We all loved the local food in Belize…lots of fresh fish, lobster, rice and beans and plantains.
- Baboon Sanctuary and Cave Tubing – These are popular experiences for those staying on the mainland but you can also arrange a day trip from Ambergris Caye. The day trip from the island includes airfare or boat ride, transportation on land, a guide, breakfast, lunch and a hike. We used Tuff E Nuff to arrange our tour.
- Reef Fishing – We planned a private boat ride through Reef Adventures to do some fishing and a BBQ lunch on a private beach. This day was one of the highlights of our trip! The boat picked us up at our hotel and took us to a calm part of the reef for fishing. We caught some grouper and red snapper and then pulled up onto a private stretch of pristine sand. We swam and explored while our captains cooked up our fish for lunch. Their service and cooking was amazing. The meal on the beach was a unanimous favorite of our trip.
- Swimming with the sharks – We used our captain from Reef Adventures to take us on a private trip to Shark Ray Alley. We swam with sharks and snorkeled and then went to Caye Caulker for lunch and swimming. Along the way we stopped and fed the tarpon fish from our boat. It was an excellent day that was customized to our preferences.
Planning Resources
www.elevatedestinations.com – This company plans custom eco-luxury vacation plans and one of their areas of specialty is Belize.
www.destinationsbelize.com – This vacation planning company is based in Belize and the people I interacted with were very helpful and responsive.
www.cheapcaribbean.com – We found great package deals for airfare and hotels through Cheap Caribbean. They offer deals to many of the popular resorts and provide transportation to and from the airport as well as transfer flights. We have always had great trips with Cheap Caribbean and our experience with them in Belize was no exception.
Carts Belize – Carts Belize is a trustworthy business for golf cart rental. Carts Belize will deliver your golf cart to your hotel and pick it up from there when your vacation is done. You can also take it directly from landing at the airport. These golf carts have locked trunks (which not all do) and we found that very useful for trips into town or to the beach.
Tuff E Nuff – This tour company can arrange day trips to the baboon sanctuary, cave tubing, fishing and snorkeling trips.
I’d Love to Hear From You!
Comments or questions about Belize? I’d love to give you my input and help you have a memorable trip to Belize. I also love to hear about your travel experiences. Drop me a note!