Traveling to Belize in late October - First time there
 

I am traveling with to Belize in late October and trying to put together a trip for 5 days/4 nights. I was looking online for hotel/flight packages and wanted to have a little better direction on the best areas to stay and visit. I was thinking Placencia? I am open to anything though. I am traveling with my boyfriend and we want a good mix of casual downtime on an awesome beach, and we also want to spend some time doing anything outdoor activities. Also, we are both big foodies so any recommendations on fantastic restaurants please let me know.

Thanks!!

If you're looking for an awesome beach, I'd suggest going somewhere else...Belize is not a "beach destination". Most of the beaches there are very small and are filled with sea grass which means you probably wouldn't want to wade in from the shore. If you're happy sitting on the shore looking at the water, then you should be fine. Another thing to consider... October is rainy season. I liked Placencia but San Pedro is my favorite...so many restaurants within walking distance. Victoria House is a great option there.

Placencia has some very good beaches with walk in swimming, nice restaurants, a quaint and friendly village and easu access to mainland day trips to see Mayan sites in the Mayan villages, rainforest, hiking, birding, zip lines, caves and more. San Pedro is our most visited destination less than a mile from the reef with more dining options, but further from mainland day trips. Both are great areas to visit

If you snorkel or dive, you'll be in the water most of the time as the water and reef are amazing. Maybe spend one day doing a daytrip for ruins and jungle excursion although going back and forth will cost you some time and expense.

Renting bikes on Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye is a blast and makes getting around the tiny islands effortless. Look for free bike and kayak use with your hotel or vacation rental -- if you're active, you'll be sure to use both.

I prefer the food options on Caye Caulker -- despite the more casual vibe, i thought the food was much better. I ran into menus on Ambergris Caye with "Coconut Tropical Shrimp" and other cruise ship type sounding dishes. Wild Mangos was probably the only restaurant I enjoyed on AC besides a roadside dive that served local food (also delicious). Never been to Placencia but be prepared with mosq and no see um repellent anywhere in Belize, esp in October.

We stayed on Ambergris at Victoria House and loved it. Their beach is gorgeous. There is sea grass in the water, but we did all our snorkeling via boat trip; Hol Chan is particularly spectacular - big rays, turtles, colorful fish, nurse sharks, etc. We thought the food was very good in Belize, much better for the most part than in Costa Rica. Victoria House has good food, and we also liked Wild Mangoes.

These are all great ideas. Thank you for the quick responses. Is it better to start in Placencia and work your way up to Ambergris area? Or vice versa?

With only four nights, I'd either pick Placencia or Ambergris Caye, not both. Even if you fly between destinations, you're going to lose half a day to travel.

If your focus is the water and snorkeling, I'd head to Ambergris. If you're more interested in hiking and seeing the mainland sites, I'd head to Placencia.

If you do want to see both, I'd go to Placencia first. From Ambergris, it's only a 15 minute flight back to the international airport.

You can easily do both. You won't loose but an hour if you fly(Come on, Jean!) Placencia first, for sure, and the flight will be a super quick, beautiful flight too.

The flights themselves are only an hour. But, you have to pack. Arrange transportation to the airstrip. Fly to Belize City. Wait for your flight to Ambergris, which could be an hour.

Maybe not quite half a day, but, certainly well over an hour. Depends on the scheduling of the flights.

I totally agree with Jean H -- having to re-pack in the morning, check out, and get to the airstrip is a hassle with only 4 nights.

Dealing with logistics like that disrupts the easy vibe that I'm seeking when I go on vacation. It usually takes me a full 24 hrs to just de-compress from being in "work" mode, i.e. feeling hurried and overly concerned with efficiency, for no good reason.