Shatzbones

We were wondering if Belize is safe to travel around? My wife and I love to explore but last year had a bad experience in Curacao.

hopefulist

I'm sorry to hear that. I'd avoid Belize City at night but we've felt safe through our 2 wonderful trips to Belize, 7-8 weeks total. Bad luck and petty crimes do happen on occasion but I think sun burn and dehydration would be your biggest dangers. My photos, blogs, and travelogues are below followed by my personal safety guidelines from a previous thread. Happy trails!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections
__________________________________________

Sometimes I travel alone, sometimes with one or more of my kids and/or my husband, sometimes with a group in tow. I don't feel overly paranoid but have never had a problem and would like to keep it that way.

Here are my concessions to safety when I travel in Central America:
:: I avoid the big cities as much as possible
:: I don't "party"
:: Where recommended I take specific transportation (Hedman Alas in Honduras, for example, or avoiding chicken buses on the mountain runs in Guatemala, taxis after dark)
:: I know where I am and where I'm headed
:: I don't wear jewelry (not even my wedding band) and try not to flash camera equipment or money around
:: Some trips I carry a “throw down wallet” with an expired card or 2 and the day’s cash in it
:: I keep important documents and cash under my clothes (except what I need for shopping, buses, etc. for that time period)
:: I ask locals about safety in an area - evenings, hiking, etc.
:: I travel really light so I don't feel vulnerable getting my bag off and on buses, shuttles, etc.
:: I continue to build skills in Spanish (doesn't apply to Belize!)

volcanogirl

We felt safe there. I think some areas are safer than others. Our guide told us to avoid certain areas of Belize City. We really loved the combo of the San Ignacio area and Ambergris; it's popular to do a split between the jungle and sea areas. We were offered drugs once but just passed and everything was fine. No other issues.

hopefulist

I just received an email alert from farecompare.com that flight costs from PDX (Portland, OR) to Belize are down more than 25% since yesterday; flights to Honduras are down even more. Don't know if that applies to anyone but I thought I put it out there just in case.

qwovadis

travel.state.gov Belize for safety issues

Overall safe for me in tourist areas for tourist activities.

Definitely VERY dodgy in some areas of Belize City.

Cayesnice mostly also Placencia robertsgrove.com

cozycorner-belize.com my fav very nice.

JeanH

We spend our winters on Ambergris Caye in Belize. We've always felt safe, although we don't walk the beach at night.

I'm curious, what happened on curacao? We have tickets for there in December......

Shatzbones

Thanks for your comments. Some great points and hints.

JeanH - when in Curacao we rented a car and traveled around the island. We love to explore when we travel. Some of the snorkel beaches are not guarded and we noticed glass in the parking lot. We didn't think much about it. When we went to an out of the way place to snorkel (Tugboat) we followed a road to a small beautiful beach. We were being watched from a road above and while on the beach a car full of people smashed the car windows of all the cars there and grabbed things.

One thing I would do is watch your car rental insurance. We maxed the insurance and still were responsible for $300 of the window. I also noticed on the small print that it says if you have an accident and are responsible you can be held liable for all the damages.

There are some beaches that have a guard and seem very safe - Playa Porto Marie for example is very nice (it has a fun cafe with good chicken satay and frozen drinks). When you go to the beaches there is often a drive from the "main" road to the beach. On some of the beaches we felt uncomfortable. Sometimes there were people just hanging around and watching.

Overall we found some of the beaches to be nice however some had more trash then expected. The water is beautiful. I thought the snorkeling was average (compared to say the Caymans). The shopping downtown was interesting but once you get outside the shopping area you will notice that many houses and buildings have walls and barbed wire. I liked the fort at the harbor. It has some neat shops and a couple resturants. We stayed out by the aquarium and our resort was very nice (and extremely helpful when we had the window thing). The aquarium is small but fun. My wife got to pet a flamingo

Before someone says I'm anti-Cuaracao b/c of what happen that isn't true. My wife and I had a good time and totally understand that this could happen on many of the islands. I'll just say that we are still working our way around all the islands and this is just one that I won't return to. BTW, one island that I would return to would be the Caymans.

mlgb

I think no matter where you go, parking at a beach lot involves risks of a car break in and theft. Even in supposedly safe places. I'll suggest leaving the glove box open, bring absolutely nothing with you that you don't need, and leave nothing in the car. Better yet stay within walking distance of a beach resort.

JeanH

Thanks for the info on Curacao. I've read on a couple of different sites that one should not lock their cars, and should leave the windows down when the cars are unattended at places like secluded beaches.

I don't like resorts, probably won't get within walking distance to one.....(sort of kidding).

Shatzbones

We talked with others that said the same thing. It seems strange to leave the car unlocked with the windows down but maybe that would work. I would check with car insurance b/c some say that the car must be locked to be covered.

One thing we found out is that they break windows and open the trunk b/c some people are told to keep their valuables in the trunk.

mlgb

Perhaps I should haved said within walking distance of a guarded parking lot!