Not sure yet if you really want to go to Belize? You definitely want to go if you like . . .
Luxury Resorts
Deluxe duvets. Your own villa on a private island. Fine wines and gourmet dinners. You may be traipsing around Mayan ruins or diving the Blue Hole during the day, but at night you can look forward to indulgent pampering at Belize’s luxury jungle lodges and beach resorts. Here are a few of our favorite haunts.
Cayo Espanto, near Ambergris Caye. Really want to splurge? A stay on this small, private island will cost you almost as much as a Toyota Prius, but you’ll have your own butler, personal chef, and gorgeous views of the sea. www.aprivateisland.com.
Azul Resort, North Ambergris Caye. It’s all top of the line at this hip and exclusive beach resort. Kick back with a killer frozen Mojito at the seaside Rojo Lounge. www.azulbelize.com.
Blancaneaux Lodge, Mountain Pine Ridge. Francis Ford Coppola’s riverside jungle lodge hints of Beverly Hills. www.blancaneauxlodge.com.
Caye Chapel Island Resort, Caye Chapel. Super-size beach villas next to a challenging seaside 18-hole golf course? No, you’re not in Boca Raton — you’re on a private island. www.cayechapel.com.
Inn at Robert’s Grove, Placencia. Imported steaks, a wine cellar, tennis, and hot tubs on the roof — who needs Hilton Head?www.robertsgrove.com.
The Lodge at Chaa Creek, Cayo. Soak up the carefully tended landscaping, deluxe garden suites, spa, Cuban cigars, and expensive cognac. www.chaacreek.com.
Turtle Inn, Placencia. Just wait until you see the garden showers. www.turtleinn.com.
Fishing
Some of the world’s most exciting sportfishing can be had off Belize’s coast and cayes. Go for the “grand slam” of tarpon, bonefish, and snook on the shallow flats between the mainland and the reef. Sailfish, wahoo, marlin, and barracuda abound farther out. Several specialty resorts and fishing camps, such as Turneffe Flats and El Pescador, cater to the angler but most hotels can help you organize excellent fishing trips.
Turneffe Atoll. Bonefish, tarpon, permit, snappers, jacks, barracuda, wahoo, dorado, and billfish all ply the waters.
Glover’s Atoll. Shallow tidal flats around the atoll make for plenty of bonefish; there’s also permit, jack, and barracuda.
Placencia. If you don’t want to ante up the big bucks that the resorts charge farther north, head here — it’s become one of Belize’s main fishing centers. Budget hotels start around BZ$50 a night. Permits are the number one catch inside the reef, or cast a line in the Placencia Lagoon or the deep sea beyond the reef.
Punta Gorda. If you’re serious about fishing, this is where you need to be. The waters off PG are world-famous for permit fishing, and the Port Honduras Marine Reserve has at least 100 species of fish.
Ambergris Caye. There’s surprisingly good saltwater fishing on the northern cayes—look for bonefish, permit, and tarpon.
Chetumal Bay. Your chances of coming home with something are best at this large fishery in northern Belize. Myriad bonefish, tarpon, and permit await.
Caving
One of the most exciting ways to see Belize is to head underground — there are hundreds of caves all over the country. You can canoe down subterranean rivers in some, ducking under low-hanging rock stalactites and dodging bats while keeping your eyes trained for Mayan artifacts. The easiest caves to visit are in the Cayo; you don’t need a guide to visit open caverns such as Rio Frio and St. Herman’s. Before you head out to the cave, make sure to find out if it’s open to the public, if you need a guide, and if the cave has a river, and if the water level is low enough for visitors.
Actun Tunichil Muknal. Go here for amazing limestone formations, many undisturbed Mayan artifacts, and calcified human remains. It’s the top caving experience in Belize.
Barton Creek Cave. Canoe about a mile on an underground river through Barton Cave, which has some Mayan artifacts and skeletal remains.
Rio Frio Cave. Though it’s more a natural tunnel than a cave, it’s still worth a visit for its large entryway and path above the Cold River.
Che Chem Ha. This cave, once used by the Maya for grain storage and ceremonial rituals, is on private land about 25 minutes from San Ignacio in the Vaca Plateau.
Caves Branch Caves. The Caves Branch River cave system has become a popular place for cave tubing. You float on an inner tube on an underground river through the caves, the only light coming from your headlamp.
Scuba Diving and Snorkeling
Don your scuba or snorkeling gear and soak up the cast of aquatic characters offshore and around the Barrier Reef. One moment you may come upon an enormous spotted eagle ray; the next you may find the feisty little damselfish, a bolt of blue no bigger than your little finger. Bloated blowfish hover in their holes like nightclub bouncers, lean and mean barracuda patrol the depths, and queen angelfish shimmy through the water with the puckered lips and haughty self-assurance of supermodels. Graceful sea fans and great chunks of staghorn coral add to the exhilarating underwater experience.
Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Snorkel with nurse sharks and stingrays at Shark-Ray Alley and keep your eyes peeled for moray eels in the reserve.
Glover’s Reef. This is probably the least visited and arguably the most pristine dive and snorkel area of Belize. You can see nurse sharks, eagle rays, and manta rays, and go wreck diving.
Turneffe Islands. Mangroves line a shallow lagoon, creating a rich nursery for sea life where snorkelers and divers alike can see reef sharks, dolphins, eagle rays, large green moray eels, and turtles.
Blue Hole. The underwater sinkhole, one of the most famous dives in Belize, forms a perfectly round, deep blue circle.
South Water Caye. If you want to shore snorkel, come here. The beach is sandy and the island is one of Belize’s most beautiful.
