Planning the Ultimate Vacation to Belize

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HEY - I'm Annette

An Arizona based Wedding, Elopement & Couple's Photographer. I am here for the wild, messy and imperfect moments. Let me help you create an experience that will last a lifetime.

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FILED ON //

March 3, 2022

Are you wanting to plan the ultimate vacation to Belize?

Well, I just got back from another trip to this beautiful travel destination, and I am ready to spill all of my juicy travel tips!

Ultimately, you just cannot go wrong with vacationing anywhere in the Caribbean. However, it is often hard to pick where to go. I am here to make it easy on you. Here are some of my experiences and things to know and do while traveling to Belize.

Vacation to Belize Travel Guide

IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE HEADING ON VACATION TO BELIZE

First things first, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye is the biggest island in Belize. I 100% going here — especially if it is you are first-timers!

San Pedro is about 25 miles long and is the most popular tourist spot in the area. It is a huge diving town where all the divers come to visit to dive the best diving spots in the world

Map of Belize

Where is Belize Located?

Belize is located in Central America, right next to Cancun, Mexico!

WHAT IS BELIZE KNOWN FOR ⬇️

 

Best diving in the world; The Great Blue Hole

Gorgeous Caribbean sea and beaches

Longest unbroken barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere

Lush tropical rainforests

Hol Chan Marine Reserve & Shark Ray Alley

Mayan cities

 

HOW TO GET INTO BELIZE AND WHAT TO DO AS SOON AS YOU GET THERE

When booking your flights from your home airport, you are going to want to fly into Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport (BZE). American Airlines have quite a few direct flight options from either Miami or Dallas of those cities that are close to you. If they aren’t, I recommend looking into each airline to find the best options for you and your party.

Between you and me, there is not much to do in Belize City itself.

The city isn’t quite built up yet with restaurants or tourism. I promise that you won’t be missing much if you skip over it and head straight to the islands!

NEXT STOP: SAN PEDRO, AMBERGRIS CAYE

There are two airlines that fly to San Pedro, Ambergris Caye: Tropic Air Belize and Maya Island Air. Both of these airlines typically fly small, 14-seater planes.

You can expect a 20-minute flight that blesses you with one of the prettiest views you have ever seen as you fly over the teal blue waters of the Caribbean Sea.

Actually, the very first time I went to Belize, we took a ferry from Belize City to San Pedro. The ferry took about 1.5 hours, but it felt longer because we stopped at multiple islands on the way to San Pedro.

The cost of the ferry is $25 vs the cost of the airplane is around $90-160 round trip. I highly recommend flying if it fits your budget!

Flight Options for Travel to Belize

BEST PLACES TO STAY DURING YOUR VACATION TO BELIZE

Although it has become a major tourist attraction with people always planning their vacation in Belize, there is still a lot of building going on in San Pedro.

I will admit, I stayed at a Hostel (Sandbar Beachfront Hostel) when I have visited before. Back then, there really weren’t many options for hotels and such! However, it was a really great hostel, and got the job done! It has a great location right on the beach, and I did love every moment of it when I visited before.

Now, Hilton and Marriott resorts were just recently built. With these hotels moving on in, there are more boutique hotels coming into play like how Tulum is built.

During my recent vacation here, we stayed at a cute little resort on the beach called Hol Chan Reef Resort & Villas. There was a private beach for guests, swimming pools, outdoor activities such as kayaks, beach chairs, umbrellas, etc.

The hotel did provide a concierge who helped us book everything we needed like golf carts, boat excursions, private chefs, food and bar recommendations, and more. Basically, if we needed anything, we were able to text her before the trip, and she helped us with it.

Hotels to Stay at When Traveling to Belize

Gorgeous Beach with Palm Trees in Belize

OTHER HOTEL OPTIONS  ⬇️

 

Pur Boutique Cabanas & Taco Bar

Alaia Belize, Autograph Collection

Mahogany Bay Resort & Beach Club

Ramon’s Village Resort

Matachica Beach Resort & Spa

Hol Chan Reef Resort & Villas

Pelican Reef Villas Resort

Las Terrazas Resort

 

VACATIONING IN SAN PEDRO, BELIZE: THINGS TO DO

Every time I have visited Belize, I usually spend about a week.

There are a lot of activities to do if you find yourself wanting more than just relaxing on the beach. My favorite thing every time I visit is going to the overwater bar in the Caribbean where they have inner tubes you can lay in the water and get buckets of beer delivered to you from a string right to you on your tube. HOW COOL IS THAT SERVICE!! It makes it a fun place to lounge in the Caribbean and have drinks and chill with friends.

My other favorite thing to do is to rent golf carts around the island. The main form of transportation in San Pedro is by golf carts. It makes it really fun exploring around the island and visiting beaches.

Caye Caulker is another island right next door to San Pedro. Most boat excursions take you to Caye Caulker and you can even spend the night on the 5-mile radius island or take a water taxi to visit during the day if you wanted to.

Caye Caulker is known for “The Split”. It’s where the island actually split into two and it’s now a popular swimming area in the Caribbean accompanied by one of the most fun beach bars in town, “The Lazy Lizard“.

 

ACTIVITY OPTIONS ⬇️

 

Rent a golf cart & tour the island

Spend the day at Secret Beach

Go to Palapa Bar & Losers and spend the day in inner-tubes in the ocean

Go on a boat snorkeling tour

Have lunch and drinks at The Truck Stop

Swim with the nurse sharks

Take a day trip to Caye Caulker

Spend the day at “The Split” in Caye Caulker

Catamaran tour or sunset catamaran cruise

 

Must Visit Bar in Belize

THINGS TO PACK FOR YOUR VACATION IN BELIZE

Belize is located right in the tropics. This means that it is either bright and shiny OR a random storm is going to blow in for an hour or two.

MUST-HAVE ITEMS WHEN TRAVELING TO BELIZE ⬇️

 

snorkel and fins

sunscreen (reef-friendly)

hat

swimsuits

swimsuit coverups

sandals/flip flops

bug spray

sunglasses

water sandals

underwater camera

 

BELIZE TRAVEL TIPS

Make sure you stay at a hotel, resort, or condo that is on the beach — TRUST ME ON THIS ONE.

Most places have private access to where you are staying at. Also, there aren’t many “public” beaches except Secret Beach and Central Park Beach area.

Not only is English is the official language of Belize but Belize also accepts American cash. Both of these facts make it really easy for American travel.

Don’t speak Spanish? You will do just fine.

They also make it super easy for converting your currency! All you need to know is that every American dollar equals $0.50 in Belize money.

DIVING IN BELIZE

 

Belize is known as a destination for divers because of its beautiful coral reefs and the famous Blue Hole.

I am not certified as a diver, but I have traveled to Belize with a friend who did dive the Blue Hole. If you are a diver, I highly recommend diving in the beautiful coral reef.

If you are not certified, there are still multiple snorkeling excursions for you! You can swim with the nurse sharks and see all the beautiful marine life around Hol Chan Marine Reserve & Shark Ray Alley.

WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT THE BLUE HOLE

 

It’s the most unique dive spot in the Caribbean.

It is the largest ocean sinkhole in the world. If you don’t want to dive the Blue Hole, you can take either a helicopter or an airplane over the sinkhole and see the gorgeous site!

Flying on an airplane over the Blue Hole is on my bucket list! If you get to do it before me, let me know how it is

BETTER BELIEVE IT, BELIZE IS unBELIZEABLE

This small little country is really unbelievable! It is such a great place to vacation, honeymoon, and take a weekend adventure! I love traveling to different countries all around the Caribbean.

Where should I go next?

Looking for another destination to travel to in Central America? Check out:

Honeymoon Adventure at Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

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HEY - I'm Annette!

An Arizona based Wedding, Elopement & Couple's Photographer. I am here for the wild, messy and imperfect moments. Let me help you create an experience that will last a lifetime.

explore

Annette Ambrose

Weddings, Elopements, & COUPLES

photographer

PHX // AZ