My boyfriend & me are going to belize in a few days...?

Question

We are doing this on a budget & are going to explore around. How about places that are a must see? Does anyone know of places to avoid? How bad is the crime actually?

Answer 1

I was there a few months ago and I had no problems with crime any place I went in Belize. I took my 13 year old son and we also were on a budget and traveled around. Travel around on the public buses! They are WAY cheap and very entertaining! San Ignacio was our favorite place to stay. Very inexpensive and a good location for exploring other areas. It is inland near the Guatemalan border. We stayed at a fantastic place called Martha's Guesthouse(look them up on the web) in the city. Martha's is GREAT! A total Belizean feel, great rooms, very inexpensive (starting at  under $50 a night), fantastic location, friendly staff! Make reservations before arrivnig if you are interested in Martha's and don't eat at the Chinese food restaurant/take out across the street. We went on a day trip to Tikal, Guatemala from San Ingancio. This was arranged through Martha's and we got a good deal. $65 each including a huge Guatemalan meal once leaving Tikal. The guy who took us was a cool family man named Max.  We also went to Barton's Creek Cave for a day trip and that was a bit expensive but worth it. You can ask for Dave near the open air fruit market in san Ignacio and he will show you a good time and not rush you through your day. We stayed on Caye Caulker off the coast. You can find places to stay for about $60 a night but the accomodations vary. I think we stayed at The Blue Wave and it was really small. There is not a lot to do in the evenings on Caye Caulker as far as music goes. Very mellow and cheaper than Ambergris Caye. Take the water taxi because it is the cheapest way there as a tourist. My son went snorkeling at the coral reef off the coast of Caye Caulker with a few local fisherman who didn't charge us anything. I brought along a few beers to share and something to smoke. One of the other tour operators let us rent the snorkeling gear for a few bucks. The most expensive accomodation was in Belize City at the Princess Hotel and that was about $100 with a discount.I did wonder around Belize City at night a little and that was the only time I felt like I had to watch my back.  Have fun and pack light if you are traveling around. I highly recommend San Ignacio!