When Madonna sings “Last night I dreamt of San Pedro” in her Spanish lullaby La Isla Bonita, it is speculated she is singing about San Pedro on the island of Ambergris Caye in Belize. Over Memorial Day weekend this year, I ventured to this magical secluded place, still relatively untouched and wild. Belize has been on my radar for years, and I was lucky to find a friend who shared the same wanderlust for a new adventure. We stayed primarily on the islands for this short jaunt, but there is much to do on the mainland as well. The official language of Belize is English, and the Belizian Dollar is always 2 to 1 for the US Dollar (note your credit card statement may reflect slightly higher amounts than your receipts presumably due to surprise fees and most places do not take Amex). This trip was booked through my travel agent, Lindsay Logan at Lotus Travels (www.lindsaylogan.inteletravel.com), for $953 each including a direct flight on Delta from Atlanta to Belize City and 4 nights at Belizian Shores Resort (www.belizianshores.com), a condo setup with living room, kitchen, and separate bedroom. Wifi access was free and widely available at the resort, as well as most of the restaurants on the island.
Getting there was easy as well as adventurous, employing many modes of transportation. After landing on the mainland, the islands are reached by small plane or water taxi. We prebooked a water taxi ride with Ocean Ferry Belize (www.oceanferrybelize.com) for $25 each. These boats are the main mode of transportation by the locals and offer no frills, views, or even appropriate personal space. We did find Ocean Ferry much more comfortable, friendly, and customer service oriented than their competitor San Pedro Belize Express which we used later in the trip. The ride to the first stop at Caye Caulker was about 45 min where we attempted to get off on the wrong island but were kindly corrected by the staff. Fortunately by erroneously stepping out of the floating tomb for a moment, we learned we could sit up top with the captain and crew for a great view, fresh ocean breeze, and some history lessons for the final 30 minute ride to Ambergris Caye. From the dock at San Pedro, the captain continued our personal tour by bringing us and our luggage to the nearby Cholo’s Sports Bar (www.choloscartrentals.com) where we had reserved a golf cart for the weekend, virtually the only mode of island transportation, for around $30/day. San Pedro is the small main city on Ambergis Caye, and our resort was just a few miles away north of the bridge which will cost you about $3 to cross during most of the day. As soon as you’re over the bridge, the bustling little town ceases, and you are instantly transported to a minimally developed secret island with a lagoon to the west and the ocean to the east, and not much more than a bumpy dirt road in between. There are hotels and restaurants on both sides, but of note the lagoon side lacks the breeze you get on the ocean side, and was rumored to be inhabited by a 15 foot alligator whose plans for relocation were unbeknownst to him. Most of the business owners we met were ex-pats from America who had vacationed down here and found themselves drawn to the simple island life, recognized the opportunity for relatively inexpensive beachfront property, and wanted to live a life they loved. The weather was perfect in May, not too hot or too cold, rarely a drop of rain, and though the breeze was always undoing your ‘do, it seemed to keep the mosquitos away.
We arrived on a Thursday and took the ill-advised recommendation of our new swim up bar acquaintances to experience the weekly “Chicken Drop” event in town. This occurs at Wahoo’s Lounge, and is quite popular drawing a large crowd so go early if you so choose. Basically there are squares on the ground and you place bets on where the chicken is going to perform his digestive duties, but only after he is held aloft and twirled about inhumanely for entertainment purposes. I don’t eat meat, shake animals, or gamble, so we quickly excused ourselves to the restaurant next door called Caliente where we enjoyed a wisely decorated table, a nice ocean view, and a delicious meal for which I can assure you no chickens were harmed.
The next morning we had an early appointment for scuba diving which I had never done before. We had booked 2 days of diving with SeaStar Belize (www.seastarbelize.com) in advance. After explaining to my instructor Chino that I don’t like deep water, being trapped, relying on a mechanical device for survival, things on my face, or marine life touching me, we were off to the pool to train. My friend who is already certified watched in amazement when instead of quitting when I drank half the pool attempting to clear my mask, I asked to try again because it kinda seemed like something I should get right. She has known me for a long time and seen me give up quickly when I become frustrated or overwhelmed by fear, but this diving experience was born of my decision to live life to the fullest and have new experiences that I had previously shied away from, so I was not going to quit now. Needless to say, not only did I survive my training and our first dive day, I had an absolute blast. Belize is home to the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere which offers the islands additional protection from the elements, and is therefore known for diving. The Blue Hole is the most famous spot for a quick deep dive, but we explored Hol Chan Marine Reserve (www.holchanbelize.org) as my novice status left us limited to a shallow dive. I felt very comfortable as a beginner and would recommend this route to anyone new to diving. We went back to the adjacent Dive Bar (www.divebarbz.com) to celebrate an amazing morning dive experience, enjoying delicious food and drinks and hanging out at their beach which included kayaks, paddle boards, cornhole, and an aqua lily pad. We concluded the afternoon with yoga on the beach followed by the Friday sushi dinner special by the pool at the beautiful Las Terrazas Resort. We finished off the night at the new Kama Lounge and Bistro Bar where we shared a hookah (though we declined the special upgrade) and my friend took a shot of liquor with a snake floating inside (I’m not that ready for every new experience). A girl fell in the pool while trying to take the perfect Instagram photo so our night was complete.
We dove again the next morning heading out to 2 spots in Hol Chan, going a little deeper for the dive this time to see more amazing marine life and coral formations, and then snorkeling at Shark Ray Alley where you’re surrounded by nurse sharks and stingrays, NBD. After an exhaustive search for PABA free sunscreen (note to self, bring all you need from home because they have none), we wanted to try the Truck Stop for lunch. This unique spot is all outside picnic table seating with its own bar featuring the local Belikin beer plus a number of specialty cocktails and separate individually owned “food trucks” serving Arepas, Rasa rice bowls, and ice cream. They have many special events like farmer’s markets and movie nights throughout the week, but they are known for their Sunday pig roast and cornhole tournament. We were just prior to lobster season, but there’s a big lobster fest in early June celebrated here and everywhere on the island. We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon back at our resort taking advantage of the kayaks, water trampoline, and hammocks then took a long walk down the beach. Everywhere was surprisingly empty the entire holiday weekend. We saw resorts that were abandoned in disrepair, large high end new construction, and places with so few guests it’s a miracle they are still running. We had planned to have dinner at the Pirate’s Treasure Restaurant which usually features a private chef’s dinner prepared in front of you but unfortunately the chef was out of town. There is a regular menu as well, and this restaurant is known for its famous Lion Fish recipe. During my evening run along the beach I saw a gorgeous spot that doesn’t look like much from the road called Aji Tapa Lounge and Restaurant we tried instead. We were the only people there and greatly enjoyed the ambiance seated along the beach with white lights in the trees and absolutely loved the Shrimp Gambas. We bumbled our golf cart into town that night to check out the night life at Jaguar’s Night Club, though we were too early for the real club scene, but the mojitos were cheap and the people watching was entertaining.
On our final full day, we decided to take the water taxi over to Caye Caulker. On our initial water taxi ride in, the captain told us some of the history including how the island was split by a hurricane in 1961, and now “The Split” is a popular area to hang out. Caye Caulker has more of a laid back hippie vibe, offering small hostels and private rentals rather than the larger resorts of Ambergris Caye. We enjoyed the short scenic walk from the pier past the beach bars and street vendors to the Lazy Lizard at The Split where we ate, drank, and sunned on the deck and at the tables in the water. Everyone seemed to be on foot, bike, or golf cart taxi to cover the small area. The island offered the same dive trips and adventures as Ambergris Caye, and I would definitely recommend a stop here for the authentic island lifestyle. It was heading back from here that we had a bad experience with San Pedro Belize Express who despite our tickets stating San Pedro, put us on an overcrowded boat destined for Belize City wasting quite a bit of our day in an unpleasant manner (I have no idea how that sweaty lady stayed asleep on my shoulder as we bumped along). Ultimately it was our responsibility to confirm, and I would encourage any would be travelers to ask rather than assume as we did. We missed the sunset from the rooftop terrace at Rain Restaurant but we did enjoy a breezy dinner there on our last night. One place we did not get to visit this trip, but I will definitely go back and check out, is the Ak’bol Yoga Retreat and Eco Resort (www.akbol.com). Overall we had an UNBELIZEABLE time in Ambergris Caye and may need to consider some of the cheap beachfront property before everyone else finds this place. Anyone out there want to invest in my happiness?
