The Seaside Guesthouse is the best budget hotel I could find in Belize City. The guesthouse, as its name suggests is located right on the sea, which makes for a great breeze that will keep you cool at night if you are lucky enough to get a room facing the sea. The rooms are outfitted for four people, so if you are traveling alone, or even in two, you might be asked to share a room if it gets crowded, and in that case it might become a bit of a squeeze. I was traveling in a group of three and I was thankful that there wasn’t a fourth because I honestly don’t know where they would have gone! But, beyond the size, the rooms are perfectly clean and comfortable, and as I said, the cool Caribbean breeze coming off the sea is enough to carry away any worries, and if Belize City is your first stop, it’s the best way to welcome yourself to Belize.
The location of the guesthouse, just a couple of blocks right off the Swing Bridge, puts you in the center of Belize City with easy access to restaurants and a few bars in the local hotels where you taste your first panty ripper (coconut rum and pineapple juice) or strain your vocal chords (and everyone else’s eardrums) signing karaoke, which is offered at many bars. The ferry docks are right over the Swing Bridge, giving you access to the outer cayes, and the bus station is about ten blocks away, giving you access to the rest of the country.
What I really enjoyed about the Seaside Guesthouse was the staff. This was the first place that we stopped in Belize, and it was the first place we discovered the famous Belizean hospitality. The woman who runs the place was wonderfully accommodating and fed our starving stomachs with some traditional Creole bread and tamarind jam. It’s so thick that all you need is one piece and you will be set for the day. She was also able to gives us some tips about what to do and where to go, both around the town and the country, and had Internet available. If you are a budget traveler looking to stay one or two nights in Belize, this is the place to do it.