Our own Paul Clark asked in another thread that I review a recent Spring Break trip to Belize. As a former Iowa State Daily reporter & columnist, I thought it best to comply with the Editor-in Chief’s request before I found my CycloneReport access terminated and my current subscription transfered to whatever Rivals site exists for that TOE. With snow on the ground here in Chicago, it also seemed like a good idea to revisit our time in the sun.
Background:
It’s been 20+ years and 2 daughters since I and Mrs. Waterspout had been to Belize. We’d travelled there on multiple scuba diving trips with my family in the ‘90s. As my avatar will attest, our family prefers to be near the water, so our only mainland experience with Belize was limited to the Philip Goldson International Airport (BZE) where we changed planes to fly on to Ambergris Caye. If you’re interested in the jungles of Belize, Mayan ruins, and nightlife of Belize City, this write up will be a disappointment as we haven’t done any of those well-known offerings.
Getting to and from (bring your passport):
Chicago to Houston and then Houston to BZE. 4 or so hours of flight time. Belize does not observe Daylight Savings Time, so we gained an extra hour flying there but lost it coming home. After a simple immigration/customs check, we then flew Tropic Air for 20 minutes or so to San Pedro Airport (SPR) on Ambergris Caye.
San Pedro:
Many things have changed since our last visit as there’s been and continues to be a good amount of development there. Golf carts are the primary form of transportation (besides walking or boating), and renting one for your stay is recommended. You can explore more of Ambergris with the cart, but be sure get one that locks so no one drives off with yours “on accident” or “on purpose”. Have your drivers license with you in case the local authorities are conducting traffic stops.
There are many places to stay in town and, for our dive trips long ago, we enjoyed the Holiday Hotel, a short walk from the airport and right on the beach in San Pedro. Other options on Ambergris can range from minimalist hotels to upscale resorts. For this recent trip, we stayed at Las Terrazas, about 3 miles north out of San Pedro. It’s a beachfront townhouse/condo approach to a resort that includes a pool for those who prefer it.
Dining:
Don’t go for the steak. I’ve never seen a cow on Ambergris, so I focus on seafood while we’re there. Consider Red Ginger in San Pedro (they had 1/2 priced champagne night on Wednesday) and Rain at the Grand Carribe resort north of town (great sunset views from their “high rise” location). Shrimp, grouper, snapper, etc. Beans, rice, and plantains on the side, and lots of fresh fruit.
Activities:
1. Sitting on the beach and relaxing. Have a Belikin (local beer) with some sand between your toes. We did encounter (or smell, actually) their recent “blooming” of sargassum, a seeweed/algae that is blown ashore by the trade winds in large clumps. As it sits/rots on the beach, is has a memorable odor. Some resorts do their best to remove the stuff, but it’s prevalent right now. You can avoid it by going to the “leeward” side of Ambergris that is sheltered from the trade winds and the sargassum. We found Secret Beach about 4 miles north of San Pedro by golf cart where there are two beachfront bars with a great sand beach. Get there early to grab a beach chair at Secret Paradise Beach Bar. They have a presence on Facebook, if you’re interested. They also have an Iowa State T-shirt hanging over the bar (along with other colleges, but I don’t remember any TOE gear as a few rum & cokes were consumed). Be advised, it’s a long and very bumpy golf cart ride there and should not be done in the dark. Wear your sunscreen and reapply often.
2. Snorkeling and scuba diving
Belize has a great barrier reef with many types of fish and coral to see. A trip to Hol Chan reserve and Shark & Ray alley is recommended. Many tour operators take you there and then on to Caye Caulker, another island just south of San Pedro, for lunch & drinks after diving. Swimming with lots of nurse sharks and stingrays is quite memorable. Again, sunscreen and reapply after getting out of the water.
3. Property hunting
There seem to be many opportunities to acquire real estate on Ambergris. The 2016 hurricane caused some damage that is still evident and may have chased away some property owners. For Sale signs were prevalent, but not as much as the sargassum. We met a few ex-pat Americans and Canadians who raved about their relocation. They must be doing something right down there. Did I mention the sunscreen?
4. Shopping
When traveling with my wife and two teenage girls, shopping is always on the agenda. San Pedro offers “quaint” opportunities to spend your money ($1 US = $2 Belize). There are not a lot of high end
merchants on the island, that tends more towards tropical wear, local crafts, and t shirts. After getting sunburned early in the trip, a journey to Belizean Breezes Soap Compamy for some local aloe and “Monkey Farts” lotion made everyone more comfortable. Guess who forgot about the sunscreen recommendations above? Teenagers. SMH.
A week was about the right amount of time for our trip and this is about enough of a write-up. If you have any questions, post them below and I’ll try to reply (if I haven’t put you on ignore, previously). The journey home was easy, if not a bit sad when the cold Chicago wind hit my face at O’Hare. We’ll go back sometime ... and be sure to bring lots of sunscreen.
Waterspout
CycloneReport Travel reporter
ISU JLMC/Pol Sci ‘88
Background:
It’s been 20+ years and 2 daughters since I and Mrs. Waterspout had been to Belize. We’d travelled there on multiple scuba diving trips with my family in the ‘90s. As my avatar will attest, our family prefers to be near the water, so our only mainland experience with Belize was limited to the Philip Goldson International Airport (BZE) where we changed planes to fly on to Ambergris Caye. If you’re interested in the jungles of Belize, Mayan ruins, and nightlife of Belize City, this write up will be a disappointment as we haven’t done any of those well-known offerings.
Getting to and from (bring your passport):
Chicago to Houston and then Houston to BZE. 4 or so hours of flight time. Belize does not observe Daylight Savings Time, so we gained an extra hour flying there but lost it coming home. After a simple immigration/customs check, we then flew Tropic Air for 20 minutes or so to San Pedro Airport (SPR) on Ambergris Caye.
San Pedro:
Many things have changed since our last visit as there’s been and continues to be a good amount of development there. Golf carts are the primary form of transportation (besides walking or boating), and renting one for your stay is recommended. You can explore more of Ambergris with the cart, but be sure get one that locks so no one drives off with yours “on accident” or “on purpose”. Have your drivers license with you in case the local authorities are conducting traffic stops.
There are many places to stay in town and, for our dive trips long ago, we enjoyed the Holiday Hotel, a short walk from the airport and right on the beach in San Pedro. Other options on Ambergris can range from minimalist hotels to upscale resorts. For this recent trip, we stayed at Las Terrazas, about 3 miles north out of San Pedro. It’s a beachfront townhouse/condo approach to a resort that includes a pool for those who prefer it.
Dining:
Don’t go for the steak. I’ve never seen a cow on Ambergris, so I focus on seafood while we’re there. Consider Red Ginger in San Pedro (they had 1/2 priced champagne night on Wednesday) and Rain at the Grand Carribe resort north of town (great sunset views from their “high rise” location). Shrimp, grouper, snapper, etc. Beans, rice, and plantains on the side, and lots of fresh fruit.
Activities:
1. Sitting on the beach and relaxing. Have a Belikin (local beer) with some sand between your toes. We did encounter (or smell, actually) their recent “blooming” of sargassum, a seeweed/algae that is blown ashore by the trade winds in large clumps. As it sits/rots on the beach, is has a memorable odor. Some resorts do their best to remove the stuff, but it’s prevalent right now. You can avoid it by going to the “leeward” side of Ambergris that is sheltered from the trade winds and the sargassum. We found Secret Beach about 4 miles north of San Pedro by golf cart where there are two beachfront bars with a great sand beach. Get there early to grab a beach chair at Secret Paradise Beach Bar. They have a presence on Facebook, if you’re interested. They also have an Iowa State T-shirt hanging over the bar (along with other colleges, but I don’t remember any TOE gear as a few rum & cokes were consumed). Be advised, it’s a long and very bumpy golf cart ride there and should not be done in the dark. Wear your sunscreen and reapply often.
2. Snorkeling and scuba diving
Belize has a great barrier reef with many types of fish and coral to see. A trip to Hol Chan reserve and Shark & Ray alley is recommended. Many tour operators take you there and then on to Caye Caulker, another island just south of San Pedro, for lunch & drinks after diving. Swimming with lots of nurse sharks and stingrays is quite memorable. Again, sunscreen and reapply after getting out of the water.
3. Property hunting
There seem to be many opportunities to acquire real estate on Ambergris. The 2016 hurricane caused some damage that is still evident and may have chased away some property owners. For Sale signs were prevalent, but not as much as the sargassum. We met a few ex-pat Americans and Canadians who raved about their relocation. They must be doing something right down there. Did I mention the sunscreen?
4. Shopping
When traveling with my wife and two teenage girls, shopping is always on the agenda. San Pedro offers “quaint” opportunities to spend your money ($1 US = $2 Belize). There are not a lot of high end
merchants on the island, that tends more towards tropical wear, local crafts, and t shirts. After getting sunburned early in the trip, a journey to Belizean Breezes Soap Compamy for some local aloe and “Monkey Farts” lotion made everyone more comfortable. Guess who forgot about the sunscreen recommendations above? Teenagers. SMH.
A week was about the right amount of time for our trip and this is about enough of a write-up. If you have any questions, post them below and I’ll try to reply (if I haven’t put you on ignore, previously). The journey home was easy, if not a bit sad when the cold Chicago wind hit my face at O’Hare. We’ll go back sometime ... and be sure to bring lots of sunscreen.
Waterspout
CycloneReport Travel reporter
ISU JLMC/Pol Sci ‘88
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