Life in Belize

De Real Macaw is a wonderful place to stay. It's on the main street in Belize looking out towards the sea. There are 11 rooms and all are charming. I stayed in the downstairs room which sleeps 3. It was nicely furnished and included a fridge, a real treat. The balcony had hammocks and seats the perfect way to spend a night relaxing with a bottle of rum. The owners Jeff and Jessie are friendly Americans and the cost won't break the bank. It's about a 5-minute walk from the arrival point and booking in advance is advisable as it can get busy.

The Happy Lobster serves typical Belizean fare in the wonderful surroundings of Caye Caulker. The service can be slow but in Belize this is not unusual as everyone runs to Belize time. If you are visiting Caye Caulker during lobster season then give the restaurant's namesake a go. The lobster platter is good and if lobster doesn't tickle your taste buds there's plenty on the platter that will. The fish included will depend on local catches but feel free to ask what's available. The prices are reasonable and it's a nice place to hang out. On rainy days refugee can be taken here and they serve some good sized breakfasts.

For eating out Sea Rock provides good Indian cuisine. Dits is good, especially for Empanada’s and typical Belizean fare. It’s quite dark inside but is cheap and they have good puddings like coconut pie. If you are working in the area and have lunch with you, the Bellevue Hotel has an outside bar area and they are normally happy for you to sit and eat lunch if you buy a drink. They also have a pool, which they let you swim in, or they used to. The Smokey Mermaid, in the courtyard of The Great House, does good, but expensive food. It’s a nice place for a drink in the evening though if the budget doesn’t stretch that far. I had lunch in the Radisson twice and that was really good, work was paying though so can’t advise on the cost but wouldn’t imagine it being cheap. There was a really good place with an outside terrace on the south side, unfortunately I can’t remember the name but it’s close to the Baron Bliss Centre.

The beaches in Placencia are possibly not the best you will find in the world but its unique diving experiences make it a must if you crave the open sea. Placencia offers the ultimate diving experience - Whale Sharks. Swimming with whale sharks is a magical experience and seems to be almost a guaranteed experience in Placenica. Several local boats will take divers and snorkelers on trips lasting a full day and including lunch. You can normally find trips without booking but head to the dock early. Trips start from around $40BZ. On my trip we headed out in the morning and spent a fruitless morning diving. We headed back over the reef for a spot of lunch and a swim. During the lunch time swim we spotted a reef shark hanging out by the reef and spent time looking at the coral. As soon as we were past the reef after lunch we spotted a whale shark and were straight in the water. It's hard to describe the feeling of seeing the largest fish in the ocean and getting up close to it. You best trust me, it's amazing and not something easily forgotten. I wouldn't recommend this as a snorkeling trip as the water can be really rough and the visibility isn't very good, but for divers it's a must.

Mayflower park is a great way to spend a day if you fancy seeing some of Belize's wonderful wildlife and swimming in waterfalls. The park can be accessed by buses heading between Dangriga and Hopkins, just ask the driver to stop by the park. The walk into the park is a 4 mile trek but it has stunning views and is surrounded by orange groves. Once in the park there is a small cabin containing toilets and a rest stop. There are several walks that can be taken and camping is permitted in the park. I spent a night in Hopkins and travelled to the park for the day. The path we took led us up very steep hills that were cliff edges. There are ropes on the paths to help pull yourself up but I would only recommend taking this route if you are fit and dressed correctly. Once reaching the top you are met with beautiful pools in a secluded spot in the jungle with a waterfall pouring into it. The jungle views are great and there is plenty of wildlife about, especially bugs and birds. There are chances of catching sight of jaguars but this is a rare lucky treat. I would recommend taking advantage of the camping option of staying locally as buses stop running early and anyone with an onward journey to Belize City will be pushed to make a good day of it. Make sure you are well prepared with plenty of water, food, boots, swim gear and are well covered if vulnerable to bugs as they frequent here!

The casino is located in the Princes Hotel. To get in ID is required so make sure you take your passport. The casino is open to non hotel residents. Whilst there are far better things to do in Belize if you are only staying for a short time, longer term visitors might enjoy a night in the casino. There isn't much to do in Belize City after dark and the casino can be a good fun, cheap night out. Once in drinks are free and there is waitress service. You can spend very little, depending on your luck and budget but $10BZ spent wisely can last some time. I prefer the slots and there is a good range of machines available. There are also tables if you fancy your hand at blackjack or roulette. The casino attracts a number of locals as well as guests. It's a good way to start the night or to have a few games after visiting the hotels cinema. There is a night club on sight and bars and restaurants. With few really good safe places to visit in the evenings the Princess Hotel has something for everyone. Again, I would only recommend this if you are spending a bit longer in the city, as it's really good for those who are bored with little to do, but not worth it if you are only in Belize for a week.

The Black Hole is an abseiling experience to be remembered. Located in Caves branch off the Hummingbird Highway the Black Hole is a 300 feet drop in the jungle. Caves branch can be located on the bus from Belmopan to Dangriga, just ask the driver to drop you there. The site offers a range of activities including tubing, walks and abseiling. The Black Hole trip is a hike through the jungle with a guide up to a hole in the jungle floor where you abseil the 300 feet drop. Be warned this is not a trip for the faint hearted and the jungle walk can be difficult, especially carrying the 3 litres of water required for the trip. The jungle can have 100% humidity making it feel difficult to breathe at times. Once you reach the drop two people will ascend down the drop at once aided by the guides. The views over the hole are stunning and the guides brilliant. Once everyone is down lunch is supplied by the guides and there is a chance to chat. You then have to climb out the hole using an array of ladders and rocks before trekking out the jungle. The views in this area are magnificent, some of the best in the country and the service is very high. Once back at the site there are showers and a bar. Caves branch also offers a range of accommodation from camping to lodges. The trip costs $105BZ and is well worth the expense. Caves Brach has a good website with all their trips which is well worth checking out.

Belize Zoo is a short journey from Belize City and can be reached by bus, as always just ask the driver to stop. I went with the family I lived with in Belize. The zoo contains animals local to the region rather than elephants, etc., so if you are after polar bears don't go here. If, however, you are more culturally savvy and fancy seeing animals that Belizeans know and love try the zoo. The zoo starts with the reptile house, not one for me as a snake hater but you do get to see the famous fleur de lise or jumping snake - an animal that haunts my dreams. It jumps at its prey and holds on so unlike with most snakes, where wearing good boots should protect you, it doesn't work with the fleur de lise as they just jump up and get you. Once in there are lots of variety of monkeys, I got to feed some which was great. There are also jaguars, including the rare black jaguar. It's full of Central American animals including the tapir, gibnut and loads of birds. It's about $15BZ for foreign adults (yep we pay more). It's not a huge zoo so a max of 3 hours in it is probably all you need. There's also a gift shop.

Take a trip to see Belize's waterfalls and you'll not be disappointed. They may not be grand in scale but they are still a great day out. We took a trip organised by a company based in San Igancio. There are loads around so I would say just go with the one you like best and if there is somewhere specific you want to go get them to tailor it to you.

We started our trip with a visit to some caves and a walk through the jungle. The walk isn't too intense. There was amazing thunder that day which gave a really charged atmosphere, we'd also been warned before hand about wild pigs so we spent a lot of time looking out for them. If you are interested in wildlife there are some really good sights, look out for it though as it's easy to walk past some amazing creatures. Once out the jungle we drove to Rio Frio Pools. Our guide, decided that we were all young and fit, so dropped us at the bottom and got us to walk up. Rio Frio is made up of lots of water pools with two large pools at the top for swimming. Lots of locals come here and it's generally a good laugh. Unfortunately for me I slipped and fell into a pool covering myself in green slime, other than that it was a good visit.

After that, we visited Francis Ford Coppola's lodge, Blancaneaux, a world apart from the places I'm used to. The lodge is lovely inside and if you fancy a spot of luxury then see about stopping for lunch. We then headed for the Five Sisters. The Five Sisters is a waterfall that runs down through pools, there is a lodge overlooking the falls which serves lunch. The food is good and relatively inexpensive and the views are spectacular. We were going to visit thousand foot falls but as the weather had been so dry our guide advised us that it wasn't worth a trip. We visited one final fall, a more obvious waterfall but less interesting, unfortunately I cannot recall its name. This trip is a full day fun and if you get a good guide it can be really interesting. We broke down on the way home but it didn't dull the day and we soon managed to hitch a ride back to town. There are lots of places to stay in the Mountain Pine Ridge area great for nature buffs. If you fancy something a little more lively head to San Ignacio - see separate review.

Tobacco Caye is a tiny eco Island of the coast of Belize. It can be reached from Dangriga, I would recommend arranging transport in advance, as being such a small island there are not regular crossings. The Riverside restaurant can normally advise but if you book your accommodation in advance they can arrange transport for you. We stayed at the Gaviota resort who arranged our transport. The boat costs $30BZ each way and takes about 40 minutes. If you’re lucky you might see dolphins on the way out. The lodge is made up of small cabins on the sand, which are very basic and good value. There are shared bathrooms and showers and a main eating area with hammocks outside.

Being an eco island, the toilets are all fitted with sighs stating ‘flush the brown, keep the yellow’ in order to save water and you are advised not to have the lights on for any longer than necessary and if you do they will be turned off. Environmentalism is taken very seriously here and dinner for new arrivals starts with a chat about how to conserve energy and making sure that you do not overuse the lights or it will causes the fridges to shut down meaning no food. The food here is good and served on 4 large tables giving you a chance to meet other guests. There is a set mealtime and the menu is fixed so if you are a fussy eater or have dietary requirements let them know in advance.

The island is very small and has no shop as such. There are a few places where you can get drinks but if you want booze I would advise taking your own, same goes for snacks and water. Snorkeling is popular on the island and just sitting back reading a book is good entertainment. We headed out in a group and really enjoyed days on relaxing, reading and playing cards followed by nights drinking rum. If you can bring yourself to get up early to watch the sunrise it’s beautiful, check out my pics, and well worth it. There isn’t much to do on Tobacco Caye other than chilling so if you get itchy feet quickly only plan a one or two day stay.

There are lots of places to take snorkeling trips in Caye Culker, but I would recommend using the company opposite Da Real Mccaw hotel. It's run by a friendly Canadian woman, with the trips being led by a local called Ian. The trip is really good fun and no where near as scary as it sounds. The trip starts with snorkeling around a reef, where lots of fish and different types of coral will be pointed out. Ian will tell you about the fish and coral and the names of them.

Once the boat arrives at the alley, a short journey, food will be placed into the water attracting nurse sharks and stingrays. Then you just get in swim around and marvel at being so close to these creatures. It sounds pretty scary but once you’re in the water and see how unbothered they are by your presence, it's not so bad. The worst bit is getting in when you can see fins circling the boat. I saw a nurse shark trying to feed from a shell. Ian gets into the water so he’s always on hand and you can get out when you want. Ian lifted some stingrays to show them to us. I took this trip twice and cannot say how interesting it is. There are also plenty of diving trips in Caye Caulker. My friends did their PADI here and really enjoyed it. A few of them also dived the blue hole and loved it, seeing reef sharks, and stalignites.

It gets dark in the city from pretty early at night, around 6.30pm. I used to go running in the athletics track, near the university and it’s a good way of working off the rice and beans. The Radisson is good for after dinner drinks and on Fridays they have a happy hour affairs with free food and music, often with a DJ and live music. The Princess Hotel can also be a good night out – see separate review. The cinema here has two screens with new films from America. The films change about once a month. I saw The Ring 2 here, which was hilarious due to all the Belizeans screaming at the screen and actively engaging in a ‘he’s behind you’ type style. There was a new cocktail style bar just opened when I was there next to the swing bridge, it was still quite quiet when we went but the drinks were good and the local friendly. See separate review for places to eat.

San Ignacio is a place you can truly come to love. It provides a vast change from the beaches of Belize and provides a completely different array of trips. There are trips to suit all people, from caving and waterfalls (see separate review) to the medical trail and botanical gardens. The mountain pine ridge with its lush trees and great history is a short ride from San Ignacio so it provides a great base for day trips. San Ignacio itself really comes alive at night. I stayed in a couple of places but would recommend by far Cahal Pech. It’s at the top of the hill about a 15-minute walk from town. Taxis are cheap so if you can’t face the walk then this is a good alternative. The rooms are clean and have everything you need including a fridge, air conditioning, and TV. There is a pool with a bizarre looking bird/dinosaur over it. It’s a great place to spend the day sunbathing and swimming and if you have a good book can provide a perfect day of relaxation.

There is a small restaurant that over looks the pool that serves good quality food. The best thing here though are the cocktails. I had a frozen chocolate cocktail filled with choc, Baileys and all sorts of other stuff. It was lush, a true treat after all the Belkin Beer and rum (not that they are not good). There are loads of restaurants in town; we tried Martha’s, which I thoroughly recommend. If you can, get a table outside. I liked Martha’s so much I revisited it twice on other trips to San Ignacio and it never disappointed, the breakfasts are especially good. There are lots of places for drinking we tried the Culture Club, which had karaoke, not sure how my rendition of ‘I touch myself’ normally goes down but the locals loved it! We met a few locals who took us out to the Blue Angel. It's slightly further out but was full of locals and provides a good night out. There was plenty of punta dancing going on and the people in San Ignacio always seem up for fun and chatting to visitors. On separate occasions we also tried the stork club, which is nicer inside and has some seating areas and a DJ who takes requests if you ask nicely. I also stayed at the Hi-Et, super cheap but had everything we needed for the night, i.e. A bed and a shower. Good if you are planning to only use your room as a base.

San Pedro is the liveliest island in Belize and full of passing travellers. If you are travelling round Belize and have time to spare a couple of days then take the trip but if you are not up for meeting fellow travellers, drinking, partying and basically doing everything you could do at home then steer clear. San Pedro itself is a lovely island and had has some good beaches. The water off the coast is full of seaweed and not the clear blue of Caye Caulker but it’s definitely a better place for sunbathing. The main street is full of bars, clubs, and restaurants, and there are plenty of places to stay for all budgets. We stayed at Ruby’s, not in the beachfront ones though, there is separate accommodation past the airport.

The accommodation was cheap and not luxurious in any way, but provides a decent base and has chairs outside if you want to sit and drink. There are loads of places to eat, basically find something that suits your tastes, beachfront, quiet, busy, etc. You will be spoilt for nightlife and can visit lots of places in one night. We tried Sandels Bar, which was good, but we were there too early so it was very quiet. We then moved on to the Travellers Cantino and finished up in the Barefoot Iguana. The Barefoot Iguana is good, mostly due to its size and air con. They have live music and are open late.

I liked San Pedro but there isn’t anything there that I couldn’t get at home and it's full of travellers rather than Belizeans. I know lots of people visit here for the diving, but Caye Caulker provides just as good diving and quite frankly it’s nicer. San Pedro can be reached from Belize City in the water taxi terminal they cost about $25BZ each way and take about an hour and a quarter.

Caye Caulker is wonderful. It’s the most relaxed, chilled out place possible. You cannot fail to have a good time here. There are loads of places to stay, check out my review of De Real Maccaw or try the Mirramar if your on a tighter budget. The Mirrimar offer some good cheap rooms upstairs which are pretty sparse and some more upmarket rooms downstairs with TVs. The yard outside and upstairs balcony are good for hanging out or eating if you get food from one of the local barbecues. The nightlife is generally quite chilled, there are some bars on the main street, one offers live music. I&I is at the opposite end of the street from the Spit (the main swimming and beach area). It has a nice upstairs bit with hammocks and is good for chilling. If you fancy something a little livelier, try the club of the back of the main street, ask locals to direct you because my memories of this place are tainted by alcohol. The bar by the spit is nice but very quiet at night, so don’t expect much action here.

There’s a good bakery behind the main strip, so try that out, and the Internet café offers a book exchange where you can buy, sell or exchange books. There is normally a pretty decent selection. For food see my review of the Happy Lobster or try Rasta Pasta which serves great breakfasts, particularly the eggs and granola with yogurt. There are barbecues along the main road that offer good value food, normally rise, beans and chicken, or fish. Caye Caulker is easily accessible from Belize City. Water Taxis leave from the terminal across the swing bridge. They run daily but the last one is 5pm. It takes about 40 minutes to get there. You can also head onwards from here to San Pedro – see separate review.

Belize City probably doesn’t have the best rap for places in Belize. There is no beach, no diving trips, there is a high crime rate, the streets are dusty, and local men might hiss at you. Despite what you may have heard don’t be put off. I lived on the north side of Belize City for 6 months and it holds a very special place in my heart. I lived with a local family sharing the upstairs of the house with the grandparents, while their children and grandchildren lived downstairs.

They had a house load of pets, including 4 dogs, some turtles and birds, and served food to people from the local community so there was never a dull moment. I was doing volunteer work in the city, which there are plenty of opportunities for. My job was arranged through Challenges Worldwide in the UK, which matches people’s skills with a job. Volunteers here are treated as proper employees, or I was, so don’t expect a doss around. Had I not been working in the day I’m not sure what I would have been doing but I’ve listed some things you might want to visit.

 There is shopping on the north side past the swing bridge. It’s very geared towards tourists and sells local goods, jewellery and art. On the south side there are lots of indoor style market stalls selling clothes but these are generally cheap rip offs of American brands so steer clear. In terms of places to visit, the Baron Bliss Centre puts on a range of performances. I went to see the Orchestra De La Papaya here. It was amazing, be warned though the upstairs seats are very, very high.

The House of Culture runs exhibitions, there isn’t much here though and generally the house itself is more interesting than anything in it. The Courthouses run along regent street and the Family Court is housed in the covered market. In the shopping district there is a handicraft centre and the image factory. The Image Factory houses some great art and occasionally has exhibitions. Be careful going out after dark and don’t walk anywhere along. Taxi’s to pretty much anywhere in the city cost $6BZ so folk out for it. For info on eating and drinking check out my separate review.

Hopkins can be reached by bus from Dangriga at 12:15pm and 5pm. We stayed at Kismit, which I would thoroughly recommend. We stayed in the main house, as there was a large group of us. They also have cabanas and offer camping. The house is a beautiful wooden structure on the beach, it contains two bedrooms and the front room also has beds. The rates were very reasonable, we paid about $20BZ each for the night and also had dinner and breakfast there. It is trying to be ecological and the shower is outdoors with views towards the sea. There is also a lovely garden. The food is wonderful, the best food I ate in 6 months in Belize. Tricia, the owner, does all the cooking and uses local food to prepare healthy meals. We had silver fish and the flavours were absolutely beautiful. There are hammocks on the veranda for chilling and being on the beach you can pop into the sea for a swim whenever you fancy.

The hosts are very helpful, complete hippies. Nearby in the evening we went to listen to local drummers performing, singing, and dancing. The music was incredible. You can also hire boats and have massages at Kismit. We used it as a stop over for visiting Mayflower but it would be a perfect weekend retreat. We went for a late lunch at Iris’s on our first day but when we got there it was closed. Thankfully Iris was around and very kindly opened up for us and cooked us lunch, this is the kind of hospitality you can expect in Hopkins.

Hopkins has Garifuna culture and is very proud of it. They have a Hopkins day and the town has built their own website to promote local business and accommodation. If you want to learn more about Garifuna culture you can also try the Garifuna museum in Dangriga.