Belize is a small country that packs a big punch. It doesn’t get the attention of other Central American countries like Mexico and Costa Rica, but you’d be remiss in overlooking this Caribbean coast gem. We had been eager to return to the country that we had left prematurely in March of 2020, when the pandemic had begun its assault on the world and travel had come to a screeching halt. Then, we had only been in the country for ten days when we received the news that the borders were being shuttered and we were faced with the choice of returning to the US or waiting out COVID there (returning home had been the right choice – the country stayed shut for six months). Prior to leaving we had planned on visiting Placencia, a beach town located on the southern Belizean coast, and it was here that we were headed upon our return in late January. Placencia encompasses a twenty-plus mile long peninsula, with the village of the same name anchoring the southern tip. Offshore lies a coral reef stretching from Cancun, Mexico down to the Bay Islands of Honduras, the second largest reef system in the world. Leaving Mexico, we flew to the airport in Belize City from Cancun aboard a small eighteen passenger twin-prop plane, which might be the smallest plane flying an international route that I’m aware of. When we reached Belize City, we transferred to an even smaller plane, with just eight seats, that would make the thirty minute hop to Placencia. With only two other passengers, we boarded the Maya Air flight, where the pilot greeted us while standing on the tarmac outside the cockpit. When we were seated, he reached in the open door of the plane, turned the key and fired up the engine. After climbing aboard, he turned around and invited Heather up to the copilot’s seat to his right. Without hesitation she slipped into the seat, buckled her harness and moments later we were airborne. Climbing out of the city we were treated to views of the blue-green Caribbean Sea to our left and the rolling green hills of the interior to our right. The pilot pointed out the small settlements that passed below us and before we knew it we were descending down to land at the Placencia airstrip. We were met by our host for our first weeks stay – being the only person outside the terminal she wasn’t hard to find. Jenny drove us to her four room guesthouse located midway down the peninsula in Maya Beach, which conveniently sat between the lagoon that separated the peninsula from the mainland, and the sea. With access to cruiser bikes and kayaks we were free to explore the area – kayaking in the lagoon to see the wildlife amongst the mangrove shores and riding to the various beach bars on the sea side to play a round of cornhole on the beach, enjoy some drinks and a bite to eat. As if this wasn’t enough to make for a pleasant stay, Jenny’s daughter-in-law, Tati, manning the kitchen at the guesthouse, turned out delicious breakfasts of fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, fresh-baked rolls and zucchini bread, homemade mango jam and mounds of fresh tropical fruits. Awaiting us in our room upon check-in we also found Tati’s homemade chocolate truffles and she also surprised us by bringing fresh-from-the-oven chocolate cookies to us as we lounged by the pool. Within the lush foliage around the guesthouse we spotted quite a few iguanas, agoutis, and a plethora of birdlife. Crocodiles could be seen in the canals bordering the property. It was a delight to say the least. Although we were planning on staying in the area for a couple months, Jenny’s place had bookings that meant we would have to leave after our week and find another accommodation.

You wouldn’t think it could get any better. Turns out . . . it does! Since there were no rooms available at our first guesthouse after our initial week, we began to search for new accommodation. Heather found an Air B&B available for a month that sounded too good to be true. It was located in a resort just a couple miles from where we had been staying so we jumped on the cruiser bikes and rode up the road to check it out. As soon as we stepped foot on the beach and took in the ‘million dollar view’, we were sold – not only was the unit beach-front, it offered all the resort amenities which included a massive pool (with swim-up bar), cruiser bikes, kayaks, paddle boards and a shuttle service to Placencia village three times a day. We had found paradise!

We’re not typically resort people, but The Placencia was such a low-key, laid-back place we felt like we fit right in. We spent hours sitting on our terrace, lounging in our hammocks or relaxing by the pool and admiring the view out to the sea. Taking the paddle boards out most mornings we would encounter manatees as they feasted on sea grass growing on the sandy bottom just offshore. Herons and egrets stalked the beach along the waterline. Pelicans and cormorants occupied the pilings of the pier and the rocks of the seawall when they weren’t diving into the water for fish. Iguanas lazed on the branches of a couple trees overhanging one of the ponds on the grounds, while turtles and a crocodile sunned themselves around another pond. This would definitely be one of those places that would be soooo hard to leave – but for now, we’re not going anywhere.