Belize, where do I begin? A country filled with beautiful people and beautiful views. This trip was slightly different since I stayed in one place - more for a relaxation holiday. However, I still saw tons of spots and fell in love with the country. One of the amazing things about Belize is that the main language there is English! Everyone speaks English there as well as their other language "Creole." They do have their own currency which is a 2:1 with the US dollar, Belize was definitely a bit pricier than I expected, especially the excursions, but it is still possible to travel cheap!
Belize City
Belize City is normally where anyone would internationally fly into, from there you can take buses or planes to other destinations. Like most capital cities there's not much to do here, you can take trips to the Cayes by boat, explore markets in the city, or take a trip to the famous "Great Blue Hole" Belize city is not the safest of places, so do some research if you wanted to explore the city on where to go.
Placencia
A beautiful little beach town down the gorgeous peninsula, it's a very small village but it's a hidden gem for sure. We only came here for the day since we based ourselves in Hopkins (and no we don't regret that decision). Placencia is sure beautiful with white sandy beaches and crystal clear water however the strip is so tiny there's not heaps to do and you're a fair distance from any excursions.
We rented a car from AQ travel to drive down the coast and to explore a bit more of the country before setting up camp in our final destination. it costed $43USD for the day however they charged us a drop off fee of $100 so that was a bummer but we really did enjoy our ride there, so if you have the extra money drive down the Hummingbird highway for some mountainous views, it's stunning. If you're more on a budget you can bus from Belize city to Dangriga and catch the bus from there to Placencia, that whole trip will cost around $10USD.
We stopped at Maya Beach and ate at the Maya Beach Bistro which costed about $10USD per person, the food was amazing and they have public access to the beach and pool, we then drove a bit further into the village of Placencia, the entrance was full of ridiculously huge homes I was blown away, they are owned by retirees who spend about half the year in Belize. We arrived into the village and we stopped at the Tipsy Tuna for a Belikin beer (Belize's famous beer that you will see everywhere and only costs $2.50USD) and walked along the beach before heading out. This village was colourful and full of life, they had heaps of restaurants and food stands and one gelato shop called Tutti Fruitti. They do have a Scotiabank there so that's a reliable ATM.
Hopkins Hopkins is one of my most favourite places in the world. It's a quiet village which stretches for about 5 miles, sits on the water and is full of culture. They say it's a "drinking town with a fishing problem." Hopkins is full of things to do and is close to all the inland and water excursions. There's 2 sides to Hopkins (South and North.) Both sides have local homes and restaurants however I'd definitely say that Southside it more touristy. The more South you go you'll find a dirt road that leads to all the big fancy resorts and a few restaurants as well as a gym! We were able to use the pool and beachfront at the resorts with no fee which we loved but we stayed on the Northside and had such a great experience.
There's booths everywhere to book excursions and we ended up booking a snorkelling tour with Seemore Adventures. They are the only locally owned dive shops in the village as well they own the best coffee shop called "Kat's Coffee." Our day snorkelling trip costed $100USD each however we were super thankful we did it and definitely enjoyed our experience. The trip included lunch, beers, snacks, snorkel gear, a trip to an island and 2-3 snorkels. In the village you can find trips to waterfalls, the ATM caves, cave tubing, ziplines, rappelling, and so much more.
Hopkins is lively in the evening and they love their reggae music. Restaurants take turns having live music evenings and it's a blast no matter where you go. The most popular place is Driftwood on Tuesday nights, it's a pizza place and the crust is SO GOOD, however it's definitely built for the tourists (especially the prices). If you're looking for some more local food JJ's Cool Spot, Queen Bean, Swinging Armadillo, Tina's Kitchen, Northside Restaurant and Eddy's Food truck are good go to's. For something on the more expensive side: Driftwood, Geckos, Smokey grill, Thongs Cafe, Jalapenos, and anything on the "Southside" of the village.
The only Bank ATM in Hopkins doesn't accept chip cards and just doesn't work often for anybody, the Chinese super market "Happy Supermarket" offers cash back but charges 8% so if you're taking out a lump-sum I wouldn't recommend. We didn't have cash on us so we hitchhiked to Dangriga and went to the Scotiabank that they had there and took out money for the week. Hitchhiking is very popular and safe in Belize! Some restaurants accept card but not many do, so before arriving to Hopkins bring enough cash!
We stayed with Lisa and Eck at Seaside Cabanas which is the furthest North you can get. We loved it, we had a private cabana on the beach, access to bicycles and they have a pet puppy and crocodile (I wouldn't pet the croc though). We found them on Airbnb and it was about $60USD per night. The Funky Dodo is the only hostel in the village and costs about $11 nightly. There's heaps of inns, BnB's and hotels to stay at so you'll never have a problem with accommodation. We went during the slow season (June-November) so things are slightly cheaper .
We were there at the time of Mango Fest! It's a festival the locals put on to boost tourism and have a good, wholesome time. Everything is mango from the drinks, the tacos, the games, mango's are everywhere but it's so fun!
To sum up Belize:
- Hitchhike and take local buses!
- Eat at local restaurants and at the random food stands they are DELICIOUS
- They take US and Belizean currency
- Average daily budget $25-30USD (not including excursions)
- Average beer $2.50USD
Overall Belize is a beautiful country and 110% would I go back, it has a vibrant culture and has the perks of being "off the beaten path."