Best Belize Blog

It’s a fact—Belize does not have a bunch of big-name hotel or resort flags flying around, yet. As a matter of fact it has none…the Radisson in Belize City doesn’t count.  But there are some very cool places to stay in Belize as long as you don’t mind not being in a 300-room Marriott! There is a great mix of nice lower-budget places to stay, but the properties below represent the best Belize has to offer. The funny thing is that as I put this list together with the help of my friends—and to make sure we got what we considered the best in Belize—you realized there is such variety here, even in a relatively short list. All of these represent some prime real estate many with great spas and food. Without further ado (and in no particular order), here are the finest resorts and hotels offered in this Caribbean jewel known as Belize: continue reading…

(PLACENCIA, Belize) – As Belize becomes one of the biggest boom areas of the Caribbean, affluent visitors—and more and more celebrities—soon find themselves switching from the adventures of island-hopping to the pastime of island-shopping.

Whether fly fishing, diving or sailing, wealthy visitors soon hear that private islands and prime properties can be purchased in Belize from original owners for a fraction of what waterfront costs back in the U.S. and elsewhere in the Caribbean.

While the Bahamas has been a draw for the trendy island homes of many celebs in recent decades, Belize is quickly moving into the mix for its more consistent climate, warmer water and weather, affordability, incredible barrier reef and proximity to that which the Bahamas will never have: an astonishingly bio-diverse mainland replete with stunning waterfalls, ancient ruins, jaguar jungles, mountains and rushing whitewater rivers. Not to mention super-friendly tax laws and the fact that Belize is an English-speaking member of the British Commonwealth.

Most people coming to Belize for the first time never get off Ambergris Caye. North Americans who have been here many times have discovered that the most beautiful and best places to live are on the mainland. It’s a more relaxed, non-touristy atmosphere and allows you some breathing room, yet still has great beaches and is minutes from the beautiful Mayan Mountain range.

Belize is also blessed with true tropical weather. It’s far enough south that visitors are never subjected to the chilly waters and wish-I’d-brought-a-sweater days that are the Bahamian winters. High-profile celebs who favor fly fishing and diving invariably come to Belize at some point. That’s nothing new, what with vacationers like the actress Charlize Theron, who swam in Belizean waterfalls in 2007. But while celebrity visits to Belize are practically de rigueur, more of them seem interested in getting a piece of this paradise for themselves. continue reading…

Sometimes, the best way to appreciate a place is to go somewhere else.

In a back-to-back trip last year, I left Belize after an awesome week spent snorkeling, exploring rain forests and catching lots and lots of fish. My next stop: the much more famous Costa Rica, where I looked forward to more of the same.  After all, Costa is the place with the great long-established reputation for eco-adventure, pristine environments, super-friendly people and gorgeous countryside.

I found the people all right. Hundreds of them. Seemingly everywhere I went. I wasn’t in the most touristy part of the country, but it didn’t matter, it’s just not that easy to get away in Costa anymore. continue reading…