My fiancee and I are booked to spend our honeymoon at the Rum Point Inn in Placencia in late Dec./early Jan. Although the hotel is apparently structurally back to normal, I understand that the beaches and landscape were pretty badly hit. Does anyone know what we're in for aesthetically? Will it look like the tropical paradise we had planned on, or will it look like a big storm just came through, with lots of fallen trees, beach debris, etc.? Should we consider re-booking to someplace that was spared by the storm, such as Ambergris Caye?

I spent last weekend in Placencia to determine just that. The hotels up the peninsula are fine for the most part. I spent the weekend at Kittys and her beach and the view from the verandah to the sea is just great. I kayaked up past Rum Point, which is also about the reopen and the coastline from the sea looks good. It seems the coconut trees and smaller shrubs did the best. The flora only had to withstand 60 mins or so of high winds, so some may be damaged, but looks like it's coming back. Both villages are well into clean up and aer constructions sites, neither suitable for tourism for the time being. I made a point of getting to Monkey River to survey damages there. That village was also heavily damaged, as is all the high bush in the rainforest, from about there all the way south to PG. I did see 20 howlers, many different species of important birds and think it'll still be a wonderful day trip for visitors in the area. Sitting on the beach at Kitty's, you wouldn't know a storm had passed thru.<BR><BR>Katie Valk<BR>Belize

Could someone please provide an update on how Placencia is coming along with its repairs, etc.? We're considering a vacation there in late May. Thanks.

The only hotel I know that won't be open by May will be Turtle Inn, which needed to be rebuilt anyway. If you have specfic places you want to know about, just ask me. I was just there and am in touch with them daily and can get info. I assume nearly everything will be reopened by this Xmas. It wasn't big to begin with.<BR><BR>Katie Valk<BR>Belize

Katie --<BR><BR>We're contemplating staying at the Inn at Robert's Grove. I know that the Inn is already open, but we were just concerned about the area. I heard that some towns were devastated, beaches eroded and vegetation destroyed. How is the recovery process coming along? Thanks for your help!

The towns were devastated and are in the processing on rebuilding. Not sure what vegetation you're talking about, but I'll address both: the vegetation on the peninsula is fine. The coconuts did well, as did the saw palmettos, scrbb oak and most of the pines. They lost some landscaping, but that is being replaced or already has been. Interesting how well the little hibiscus did. Lots of seedlings coming up now, calaloo and such. It's loking good. I didn't see much beach erosion at all. Where one person lost, the other gainned, not noticible. I took my kayak and paddled along the coastline looking for noticeable erosion, but didn't see anything that will present a problem ecologically or aethetically. Debris gone, fallen trees pulled away.<BR><BR>The jungle from about Monkey river south was mowed down, but I went up the river and saw about 20 howler monkeys and about as many different species of birds along the river, so that trip is sitll great and I took someone with me who had never been and he didn't know what all the fuss was about. So is was just fine for someone seeing it for the first time. Don't expect the villages to be up and ready til Xmas or after, but restaurants and bbars in Placencia village are opening bit by bit. <BR><BR>And Roberts Grove sustained the least damages and were opened a few weeks after the storm. <BR><BR>Katie<BR><BR>Katie Valk<BR>Belize