Ever Been to Belize?

My husband and I did our honeymoon there. We stayed by the beach at Placencia and snorkeled there -- it was unbelievably beautiful and tranquil. We also took a guided tour of the rainforest and explored the Mayan ruins of Tikal. And, probably the most memorable part of the trip was when we did a homestay with a Mayan family with 14 kids. When they found out that my husband and I grew up in families with 2 and 3 kids respectively, they were SHOCKED. This is a wonderful, educational, eye-opening way to travel, and it's incredibly safe and kid-friendly. I'd love to go back now that my son is at a good traveling age.

In terms of safety, the city of Belize can be dangerous, as can the Guatemalan border, but the beach and the rural/wilderness interior are incredibly safe. It's a beautiful country with a real culture of graciousness and hospitality. I recommend it to the skies.

My mother went some years ago but that was with an Elderhostel trip - she was in the jungle doing a howler monkey project with researchers, and then off the coast with a dolphin project. She was in a supervised group and did not sightsee independently or spend time in the cities, but that was because it was the design of the trip, not because she was afraid. It was about 10 years ago.

Here are some comments from Trip Advisor. Not a scientific survey but you can see the remarks run the gamut. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g291959-i1455-k###-#...

If you have a travel agent, consult him/her. If you are a member of AAA, you can consult them for free and for updated info. Also check with the State Department (either directly or through your Senator or Congree member's office - remember they work for you!). State Department monitors activities in every foreign country and how often Americans need services of the embassies or consulates.

No but we (briefly) considered it for this year.
Homicide/violent crime rates for Americans there is "Top Three" high.
Changed our minds pretty fast! Sorry.

I spent 10 days there in the summer of 2005. I loved it! I stayed on the island of San Pedro. Very laid back and so enjoyable. I hear it has been built up a lot since my visit, but I would love to return. We snorkels, some scuba dived, took a trip to Mayan ruins, and just relaxed.

Check out Reef Adventures. They were a great dive shop that helped with all of our visit. A co-owner is stateside and can help you a ton including with flights to the islands and places to stay. Tell him J. sent you. :)

Be aware that at least where I was that there was no beach. We stayed at a condo with a pool and you could swim in the ocean but no sandy beach. I know that turned off some friends of mine from going.

Good luck!

I lived in Belize for several years for my husbands job. Go to the islands and stay there. If you want to do the Mayan Ruins you can do a shore excursion with a reputable company. DO NOT stay in Belize City. It is for the most part not safe for tourists. Ambergris Caye (Victoria House) or Caye Caulker would be great places. One is more low key than the other. Placencia (Roberts Grove or Turtle Inn) is very nice as well. All have snorkeling. Send me a message if you have any other specific questions. It's a great place to visit as long as you are an observant and safe traveler.

Hated it. So many other beautiful, safer places to go.

We were on a cruise line. We docked in the morning and departed in the later afternoon. I think this is the country where we went on an inner tube down the river that went through a cave. It was very interesting and worth while. One of the really neat experiences on this trip was when the bus came to a speed bump in the road. Of course the bus slowed down, but on either side of the road at the speed bump were people selling fruit. My wife and I bought pineapple. WOW! was it ever sweet and delicious. Not like the pineapple we can buy in the store here in the states. The people didn't pick the pineapple until it was fully ripe, where in the stores here, the pineapple we get is picked green so it will survive the shipping.

The best way I know of to find real interesting places to go and to see is to look at the excursions the cruise lines offer. The cruise line prices are easily twice what you will pay if you hire locals to do the same thing. When we cruise we often look to see what the cruise lines are offering, then we go ashore and book with the locals for the same tour. We always get a 25% to 50% discount off the cruise line rates. I can imagine that if you go when the cruise lines come in you can go to the dock and book fun things to do on non-cruise line days and pay 25% of what the cruise lines charge.

Hope you have lots of fun. Good luck to you and yours.

Ian Andersons Cave Branch is incredible. Fun to be had for all. We stayed there about 5 years ago, before the big remodel and it was great. I can only imagine how awesome it is now that the pool and grounds are finished. Ian's place is located in the jungle about 1-2 hours from the coast.
http://www.cavesbranch.com/
We also stayed in Placencia at Barnacle Bill's Beach Bungalows. These are a little more rustic, but a perfect place in the middle of the old part of town. Since we have been there, Placencia has been developed and there are many upscale resorts to stay at, but I like the serenity of the older places. Hope this helps.

when i went it was 20 years ago and we stayed on the island of san pedro. we did not stay on the mainland of belize. but boy it was beautiful. you got there in a little sesna from belize. we did take a boat tour to the mainland to go to the mayan ruins. i was 21 and my brother was 13. we did christmas there.
good luck to you

Our nanny of 6 years is from Belize.
She would tell you to stay in the city, but also to rent a car and drive out through the countryside. You can do beach and all that, but some of the best food and sites are in the country, driving from small town to town.

If you'd like me to ask her for specifics, I'm happy to. Just PM me anything you'd like to know.