sessa

We leave for Belize in 2 weeks and are so excited! Admittedly, I haven't had much time to dedicate to planning as I normally do so we are kind of winging it - well, for me anyway. I did read several trip reports which helped trememdously in deciding our itinerary.

Here's the plan with a few questions:

3 nights Cayo District (Mystic River)
I don't see Mystic River mentioned on Fodors, but it gets great reviews on Trip Advisor. We are definitely doing the ATM tour, but not sure what else. Suggestions? Also, does it get chilly here at night in early March? I am having trouble finding weather info for areas outside of Belize City.

2 nights Lake Peten Itza (La Lancha)
This is the one place I didn't read anything about in a trip report, but it seems like the lake and the lodge are beautiful so we are keeping our fingers crossed that it meets our expectations. We are going to do a tour of Tikal from here. It is very expensive to do a tour with the hotel. Any suggestions on tour companies that we could arrange through?

4 nights Ambergris Caye (Victoria House)
I am so excited about this hotel and booked it after reading volcanogirl's trip report. We plan to snorkel Hol Chan but haven't thought about anything other than relaxation. Any recommendations for good restaurants? Also, what is the attire for most restaurants on the island - is it pretty casual?

Final question, did anyone take malaria meds for Belize? We have leftovers from our trip to India last August but don't want to take it unless necessary. Thoughts?

Welcome thoughts on anything else we should do or see while in Belize. Thanks!

volcanogirl

Have fun, sessa; we loved Victoria House. Our favorite other restaurant was Wild Mango's, sometimes they just call it Mango's. It's a casual place on the beach. The restaurant at VH called Palmilla is very good - we dressed up a little more to go there. I just wore a sundress. For the most part, things are very casual on the island. We didn't take any meds, but we did wear mosquito repellent. The only time they were bad was when we were hiking pretty deep in the jungle.

hopefulist

Here is the CDC page for travel in Belize; we tend to follow their advice:
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/belize.aspx

Sounds like a great trip! Consider arranging an early morning tour of Tikal with archaeologist/naturalist Roxy Ortiz, she's AMAZING: [email protected]

JeanH

I don't know anything personally about Mystic River, but some friends stayed there a few weeks ago and just loved it.

As for restaurants on Ambergris, we tend to eat at more moderate places as a rule. However, we do enjoy Blue Water Grill, Sunset Grill and Wild Mango's on occasion. For cheaper fare, look at Caramba and the Reef.

We had wonderful tostadas for lunch today at Caliente. Huge burgers at El Divino at Banana Beach.

Good street food downtown, especially on the weekends.

belizemanagement

just bring suntan lotion and bug spray!

MisterB2

In Cayo, in March, the overnight temperatures will still drop below 70 degrees F -- you probably won't need a jacket in the evening, and most hotels provide blankets for the bed.

qwovadis

www.coppolaresorts.com/lalancha

is awesome do your Tikal from there...

sessa

volcanogirl - when you say pretty casual, does that mean shorts are okay for most places?

JeanH - Thanks so much for the restaurant info. We def. don't want to break the bank eating out so appreciate the more moderate suggestions, too.

hopefulist - I just emailed Roxy - thanks for the info!

JeanH

I wear shorts or capris everywhere. Most places you don't even have to wear shoes.

As for restaurants, we tend to eat at the more expensive places for lunch. Completely different menus, but, good sandwiches and salads. It's can be hard to find sandwiches in the evenings.

volcanogirl

Yes, totally casual, as in shorts. It's laid back. Palmilla was the only dressy place we went to, and even there, capris or a sundress would be fine. Another casual place on the beach is Fido's; sometimes they have live music.

sessa

Awesome - that makes packing easy peasy!!

hopefulist

For a carefree vacation, be sure to pack really light:
www.onebag.com

SiteC_er

Belize is one the most laid back places you'll ever visit. As noted above, shoes were pretty much optional. One restaurant (forget the name) on Ambergris Caye has a sand floor which they rake. While in the Cayo district, if you have time, you might consider going to the Xunatunich (sp)ruins. Enjoy!

JeanH

Actually, there are several sand floors in the restaurants on Ambergris.....

SiteC_er

The one I'm thinking of had a womans name. The food was good

JeanH

Estel's. On the beach. We had lunch there earlier this week.

The Reef also has sand floors.

There are other smaller places as well.

sessa

Thanks to everyone for the great suggestions. I keep thinking of more questions:

1) Are there places/roads to go running on Ambergris? I am debating about bringing my running shoes. I hate to be lazy on vacation but don't want to bring them if I'm not going to use them. We only travel with carry-on baggage so I could pack more swimsuits if I leave the extra shoes behind

2) Is there a Catholic church on Ambergris (we'll be there over Ash Wednesday)?

volcanogirl

http://ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/events.html has a link that shows some churches. There's a San Pedro Roman Catholic Church.