How we Spent a Week on the Beach in Belize for US $250

Placencia (Stann Creek) is generally regarded as the best beach on mainland Belize.  We set out from Belize city in the late morning to make the 232 Kilometer ride on the Hummingbird highway, over the mountains and down to the very tip of the Peninsula.  We got lost in Belize City, missed our time estimates and had to push the last 75 miles in the dark and the pouring down rain, but we made it.

Upon arriving on the Peninsula soaking wet in the dark we were shocked to find that after the first hour or so of searching we couldn’t turn up anything under $50 US a night.  Finally, nearing the end of the strip we run across a closed restaurant with a simple painted sign that says rooms.  We inquire upstairs, meet the fabulous Ms. Betty and score a private room with a Queen size bed, TV and fan with a shared bathroom for $20 US a night.  We’re off and running.

The next morning we set off to explore the little village of about 500 residents.  To our surprise, we find the majority of the town’s store fronts and accommodations are situated to either side of a sidewalk in the sand that runs lengthwise along the Peninsula.  Yep, the main drag through Placencia is a sidewalk.  We take a liking to the laid back nature of the place.  Unlike Tulum, Placencia seems to be almost completely free of hipsters, the uber trendy and people who are otherwise too cool to know what to do with themselves.  It’s fantastic.  The population consists primarily of the local creole and expats quietly enjoying their lives in a little beach town in Belize running small businesses like coffee shops or tackle shops.  We take a big breath of fresh air.  I believe this is the place we’ll rest for a week.

Returning to the hotel I commence negotiations with Ms. Betty to get the room for the week.  We settle on $100 US , about $15 / night.  That leaves us $150 for food, entertainment and Keli’s $5 / day ice cream habit.  For entertainment we don’t require much.  We spend most of our days hanging out on the beach swimming, snorkeling, playing with coconuts and such.  Cooking two meals runs us about $10 / day, simple stuff, seafood is cheap, rum is cheaper.

You can kill a lot of time looking at the bottom of the sea.

I’m trying to tell Keli there is a jellyfish chasing her.

These little guys are everywhere.

This is us on the beach Christmas day.  We made a Charlie Brown Christmas tree out of a coconut sprout and a snowman out of coconuts.