If you had eight FREE seats on CO/NW, which place would you go?:

Costa Rica or Belize and why did you pick your choice?

Costa Rica (given that Guatemala is not a choice).

Costa Rica - great jungles, an actual city, active volcanos, good tourist infrastructure, good beaches on the Pacific side, a bit less expensive than Belize, Spanish speaking.

Belize - Ok beaches on the Carribean, great scuba diving, Mayan ruins (including the amazing Tikal just across the border in Guatemala), very laid back, English speaking.

I'd say Guatemala too, if it's an option.

CO also flies to Rio.

I COMPLETELY AGREE
"GUATEMALA" IS THE PLACE.
Go to Chichicastenango, Atitlan; Go TIKAL and of course if you want to see the ranch where I was born, you go to ZACAPA...

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600,000 Miles, AAdvantage Platinum - Priority Club. Free Flyer for 8 Straight years.

Wow!

I was thinking Belize!
Caves, snorkeling, Ruins.

Then second, Costa Rica.

But I guess I need to rethink my 8 tickets.

Just to be picky , Rio is in South America ...

Belize- b/c I have always wanted to go there. English, beaches, diving, jungle......

Here's a little more info.

I will have my wife and two young children 7&5 (I have taken them seven times to Carribean & to Venezuela and into the jungle) and both sets of grand parents.

So we want caves, and ruins but a beach is a requirement.

I just need to pick which of the places mentioned fits all needs and be able to stay at a place that has a kitchen in each room.

Well, I'm sure you have reasons for limiting us to Belize or Costa Rica.... ;-) but from a mileage standpoint, if you're using CO/NW, you can fly into South America for the same amount of miles.

IMHO, I wouldn't spend 35K to go to Belize because it's not too hard to access Belize from Cancun by bus. if I had 35K to use, I would go somewhere farther south. But that's just me.

You may want to ask/check on the LatinPass board because many people there know a variety of spots in Central and South America, albeit maybe for just a few hours. My hunch, though, is that more people there will know Costa Rica and not Belize-- that's my case, so I can't fairly advise of one over the other.

Costa Rica and Belize are two of my favorite places. I think you would have a great time in either area.
Costa Rica is the pricier of the two countries. The highlight for many is the Tabacon Resort, a place where you can sit in hot springs while watching an active volcano. You'll need a car to ideally see the country, but this will free you to visit out-of-the-way fincas where you can have some amazing adventures, like horseback riding to bat caves. Manuel Antonio on the west coast is a magical park, where monkeys and iguanas surround you on the beach. The country also offers some interesting rainforest canopy tours, and whitewater rafting is available. You can have fun practicing your Spanish.
On the other hand, the most relaxing vacation of my life was on Caye Caulker in Belize. The only time anyone is ever in a hurry there is to get to happy hour at the Sand Box, the favorite bar/restaurant. You can snorkel with sting rays and nurse sharks in warm clear water. Belize offers wonderful diving and has the rainforest too. English is spoken and U.S. dollars are accepted.
I love both spots. But I'm planning to return to Belize.

Please note that CO/NW require 35K to Mexico, also.

MY ??: The ticket allows an open-jaw. Why limit yourself to one country? (Unless you have an open-jaw a the northern end.) Fly into one, return from the other, & see the sights on a one-way bus ride. Or if buses are at risk of robbery/hijacking, check the price of a OW flight.



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Flyertalk.com ...because miles & points don't grow on trees!

>>> Literally ditto on this one! Word for word, wow!

>>> "You can snorkel with sting rays and nurse sharks in warm clear water"

>>> ah, NOT! thank you I will watch on solid ground while you go swim


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Michael
AA PLT,1 MLN Miles+
HH GLD, SCI GLD, MM SIL
LE PRESIDENT ETERNEL DE CAMAIR-CAMEROUN AIRLINES

If _I_ were going, I wouldn't use miles for the CUN ticket... Especially this time of year, after Spring Break, it's not too hard to find decent deals into Cancun, especially with charters/packages. Just a couple fares I found are $355 on Mexicana EWR-CUN, or $158 BOS-IND then $218 IND-CUN.

Back in Minneapolis where charters operate, it wasn't uncommon to see MSP-CUN for $99RT to $179 RT with about 2-3 weeks notice. I don't know if deals like that are offered from New England, but take a look at the travel section of the Boston Globe to see.

FWIW, Cancun to the Belize border looks to be about a 3-4 hour bus ride. ADO-GL has good service (read: quality of Peter Pan = Greyhound + movies) and makes the trip from Cancun to Chetumal, on the Mexico-Belize border. Not having been there myself, I can't advise beyond that-- but someone helped go to Belize a fwe years ago said the connection into Belize was easy.

I think it may be more than that. Looks like minibus service from Cancun to Chetumel takes 5 to 6 hours (and costs $20).

http://www.ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/article28.html

You'd definitely want to go the minibus route rather than the normal buses.