A trip to Ambergris Caye, Can you Belize it?

Taking a little trip down memory lane brings us to the wonderful Central American country of Belize. We left the kids with grandma & grandpa for the week and off we went, Ambergris Caye here we come! It was an easy flight on American Airlines with with one short layover. To get to the island you have a choice of a ferry boat or local commuter flight. We opted for a flight with Tropic Air, as it was only 30 minutes with a quick stop on Caye Caulker. We pre-purchased the tickets to coincide with the landing of our flight from Minneapolis. It was easy as there are several flights per day heading to the outer cayes.

There area plenty of accommodations on Ambergris Caye to choose from. San Pedro Town is the hub of the caye with a small airport, shops, hotels, restaurants and bars. On this trip we chose to break up our time, five days at a resort on the Northern, more remote part of the island and three days in San Pedro Town. The resort we stayed at, X’Tan Ha, arranged for pick up from the airport and drop off at the water taxi dock. No taxis on this island, golf carts are the main mode of transportation. The water taxi ride was about 30 minutes with a stop to drop off passengers at another resort.

We stayed on the main level of one of the cabanas facing the beach. The cabana was air conditioned, spacious and included a small kitchen area with a refrigerator and microwave. There was a nice front porch to watch the beach activities during the day and star gaze at night. We had food and refreshments delivered to our cabana by a grocery offering drop off services. The resort also had its own restaurant and beach bar on site. One evening, a group of us from our resort arranged a water taxi ride down the coast for dinner at the Matachica Resort. What a great way to get to know others and have a fun and entertaining dinner. While at the resort we also took advantage of swimming and lounging around the pool and beach for some much needed relaxation time.

Now for the Caribbean nights…..

Our cabana for the week…..

X’Tan Ha also offers assistance in booking excursions and adventures on and off the caye. We took advantage of the resort spa service and a reef fishing trip. Amanda caught lunch for the boat and the guides took our catch and added vegetables, plantains and local spices for a fun beach cookout.

Golf cart anyone? Yes, that is the preferred way to get around the caye. Upon our arrival back in San Pedro, we were met with our golf cart from Polos Cart Rentals at the taxi dock. There are plenty of rental companies to choose from and they offer drop off and pick up services from the airport and resorts. We cruised the city streets and took in the sights.

We shopped at the local local markets and dined at a different restaurant every evening.

For the final few days of our trip we stayed at the Caye Casa Hotel, located right off the water on the east side of the island. This was a great spot as is was a short cart ride to the restaurants and bars in town. Our main floor suite was air conditioned and had a nice deck facing toward the water. There was also a refreshing plunge pool and seating area with the same view.

Our favorite restaurant this trip was Elvi’s Kitchen, the food is local and the coconut curry is amazing.

We loved the ease of traveling to Belize. Everyone takes U.S. currency and it is an easy exchange rate (exchange rate is $2.00 BZD to $1.00 USD). I do suggest to bring cash for the local street vendors, artists and jewelers. A fun fact, for those of us that remember the 1980’s song La Isla Bonita by Madonna…….this is the island she sings about.

The people we met were friendly and excited you were visiting their country. What a way to spend a week, reconnecting as a couple.