Hello.

I'm getting married this July and would like to take a honeymoon of about a week long. We both like Central/South America, and I was thinking of settling on Belize as we have both not been there before, and flights appear to be cheap.

Has anybody ever gone there before? What was your experience like?

Any advice? Is it safe? The CIA world fact book didn't seem to suggest a whole host of political instability.

Thanks for any help you can give.

It's perfectly safe, the people are friendly, and it is a beautiful (if not highly developed) country.

The main things to do and see are diving, Mayan ruins, and eco-tourism in the jungles. We stayed five days in the Cayo district near San Ignacio and did several day trips to do canoeing through caves, to see the howler monkeys, and a long day across the Guatemalan border to see Tikal, which was both fascinating and breathtaking. We then spent a week in Placencia, at the very tip of the peninsula where we did a PADI dive course and a couple of dives, snorkeling, and a day trip to the jaguar preserve.

There is a big tourist complex on Ambergris Caye, which compared to the rest of the country seemed to me gentrified and crowded with the kind of people you wouldn't want to be near on your honeymoon. Also, avoid Belize City - it is a ****hole.

Overall, the trip was fantastic and one of the most memorable of my life. I would love to go back and don't hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

Thanks for the great advice! ^

Do you reccomend a certain tour company? Who did you use? Did you book it all yourself?

I know from my previous trips to C. America it is sometimes ill advised to drive your own car because of the shenanigans that can happen if you get in an accident.

What about ground transpotation from the airport (Belieze city) to non-hole parts of the country?

Thanks!

We had a contact there (the owner of Casa Maya Resort is a friend) who kind of pointed us in the right direction. We also used a woman in Belize City who's name escapes me but I'll see if I can find it. She was terrific. The resorts where we stayed (Casa Maya, Shaa Creek, Rum Point Inn) all arranged tours with their own guides who were friendly and communicative. I would recommend picking a place to stay and then arranging transportation through them. You can rent a 4x4 (cars, though they exist, have a rough time with the mostly unpaved roads) but they are freaking expensive! I remember something like $150/day for a Land Cruiser that someone at our resort had. I don't think I would recommend driving. The country is safe, and the police I met were friendly, but it is an ordeal.

I'll try to dig up that woman's name and let you know.

We had a contact there (the owner of Casa Maya Resort is a friend) who kind of pointed us in the right direction. We also used a woman in Belize City who's name escapes me but I'll see if I can find it. She was terrific. The resorts where we stayed (Casa Maya, Shaa Creek, Rum Point Inn) all arranged tours with their own guides who were friendly and communicative. I would recommend picking a place to stay and then arranging transportation through them. You can rent a 4x4 (cars, though they exist, have a rough time with the mostly unpaved roads) but they are freaking expensive! I remember something like $150/day for a Land Cruiser that someone at our resort had. I don't think I would recommend driving. The country is safe, and the police I met were friendly, but it is an ordeal.

I'll try to dig up that woman's name and let you know.

Sounds great. I'm looking at some of the places on the Cayes now. Out of curiosity, how do we get there? Is there a local company we have to take to fly out to the island from BZE or do we use some of the local transportation companies I've seen on the web?

Also, did your trip to Guatamala and all take place from the Cayes? I'd love to go out and do that and take in some canoeing and rafting.