San Pedro, Belize

Happy Tuesday!  Today I'm excited to share some photos and information about the first part of our trip to Belize!  We spent the first three days on the beach, then followed that up with six days in the jungle.  I hope you enjoy this look at our trip!


We stayed at Xanandu Island Resort, which is located in San Pedro, Belize, a town on the southern part of the island of Ambergris Caye.  To get there, we flew into the Belize International Airport, then took a short 30-minute flight over to the island.  There are also water taxis that you can take for cheaper, but it takes longer.  If you ask, the pilot will even let you sit in the co-captain seat on the plane!


The island is really safe- Dan and I walked around at all hours of the day and never felt in danger.  There is one main street that everyone drives on, and lots of side streets.  I didn't notice any street signs, so if you're looking for a particular address, I would look for what buildings are around it!



The currency in Belize is the Belize dollar.  The conversion to US Dollar is always 2 to 1, so all places accept US money and give change back in Belizean money.  It's also interesting that the official language of Belize is English!  We learned that most families teach their kids Spanish at home, and some more traditional families also speak Mayan at home. (More on the Mayan culture in my post on the Cayo district!)

Xanadu is right on the beach, and offers free kayaks, paddle boards, bikes, and snorkeling gear.  They also rent golf carts (the main mode of transportation on the island).  There's also a big swimming pool that's open 24/7, a beach BBQ that's free to rent, TONS of hammocks (including a private one on each patio) and a beach bar.  Our room also had a full kitchen (including a blender..what?!) which was a great bonus, since there's no restaurant at the resort. 



The food on the island was amazing!  There are a lot of influence on Belize's cuisine, and wikipedia describes it as Mexican/Central American/Jamaican/Anglo-Caribbean cuisine.  Since we're right on the water, fresh fish was served everywhere.  My favorite dish was a fish coconut curry from El Fogon, served with shrimp ceviche.  So good!



We also made a stop at Robin's Kitchen, which is the top-rated place to eat on the island.  This is a little road-side shop with a tiny kitchen and some picnic tables outside.  The specialty is Jamaican Jerked chicken, served with rice and beans and cole slaw.  The meat was so flavorful and not at all dry- and the spice really snuck up on me!



Dan and I went snorkeling for the first time as well!  A boat came to pick us up on the private dock, and we sailed out to Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley.  The water was so clear, and we got to see turtles, coral, sting rays, flounder, barracuda, and millions of other fish that I've never seen before.  And yes- we also got to swim with sharks!  At Shark Ray Alley, the nurse sharks and sting rays come right up to the boat to be fed, and we were just told to jump right in.  The sharks completely ignored us and swam all around us.  It was SO cool!



We made a stop in Caye Caulker during our snorkeling trip.  Our tour guides told us that this island is what San Pedro used to be like before it got touristy.  The beaches were beautiful, and it was a lot more quiet than on the main island.  Everyone drove on golf carts and bicycles here as well, and the roads were all sand and dirt.  We were told the motto of the island- "No shirt, No shoes, No problem.  No money- BIG problem!"




I hope you enjoyed this look at our trip!  Next up will be the first part of our stay in the Cayo district!

Comments

  1. I like that motto, except for the money part! Love stand up paddle boarding and all those water-activities :)

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  2. Gorgeous! What an amazing island. I love the water. So fun. :)

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  3. So pretty! One of the stops on our cruise was Belize...it went to Belize City and the water and scenery were breath taking! Looks like you had a great time!

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    1. That's so cool! I've been wanting to go on a cruise sometime.

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  4. Looks beautiful! That's interesting that they have 2 languages.

    kaitlyn-danielle.blogspot.com

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  5. Ugh, this has me dying for some beach time!! All of these pictures are so gorgeous - I can't wait to hear about the rest of your triP!

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  6. I had no idea about the English speaking bit. I've been to the DR & Costa Rica & both preferred American$$$, which I thought was interesting & so convenient.

    The food looks delicious. Super fresh fish is one of my favorites. :)

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    1. It was super convenient! I always like paying in other currencies though so it was a little disappointing!

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  7. Sun, fun, shrimp ceviche, and jerk chicken = YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

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  8. Snorkeling freaks me out because I hate the idea of fish touching my legs! But I'm so happy for you!!! What an incredible trip. I love the photos and descriptions. Amazing!!

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    1. None of them actually touched us, but they got VERY close!

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  9. This sounds like a blast! I love stand up paddle boarding and I've gone snorkeling once and loved it. And I would be in heaven with all that seafood.. yuuummm!

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  10. How fun!!! I love travel posts! Jerked chicken was super popular in the Cayman Islands (we vacationed there last week)!

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  11. It was so fun following along with your trip on Snapchat! It looked like an amazing time. And yes please to ALL of the ceviche! My favorite!
    Gina || On the Daily Express

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  12. What an incredible trip! The paddleboarding, the food, the scenery - it all looks like such a wonderful time!

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  13. Looks amazing and so beautiful!

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  14. What an incredible place to explore! How fun that you got to sit in the co-captain seat, too! I remember when I was little my Dad would always get the air hostesses to take me up to the front of the plane to meet the captain and sit in the cockpit, however, once 9/11 happened that was definitely no longer allowed!

    In fact, the last time I did it was on the 1st of September 2011 when we were flying from Sydney to the US for a vacation!

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    1. Oh wow..crazy how much things have changed since then :(

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  15. love this! i've never been there!

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  16. Love this! Seems like a very nice place to visit! Can't wait to see more!

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  17. Ahhh stand up paddleboarding is the best! Look how gorgeous that water looks!!

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  18. What a great time! We almost went to Ambergris Caye this past April. Hope to go soon. Loved your fishy and food pics.

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  19. oh all the food looks amazing. i honestly knew nothing about belize, so thank you for sharing some fun info. and love the motto of the island haha.

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