It all comes down to two options when considering where you'll stay during your trip to Belize: City Life or Island Life
We experienced both and I can say without a doubt in my mind that the city life is NOT for me. I will, however, do my very best to give you an honest opinion full of pros and cons for BOTH options!
Belize City:
We were in Belize City three times during our trip: the night we arrived, one day full of tours, and the afternoon we departed. We didn't get to spend a lot of time out of taxis to walk around but to be honest, I'm not sad about it. I saw everything I wanted to see through the window of our cars.
We did take part in a full day Mayan Ruin + cave tubing tour. These two locations were beautiful but remote from Belize City. These will be discussed more in a future "Guide To Belize" post.
Pros:
- Direct flights to Belize City via Southwest from Houston Hobby Airport
- Cars are main form of transportation
- More touristy things to do
Cons:
- Fast paced
- CROWDED. 70,000 people in a congested (dirty) area.
- Filthy and rundown.
- Cab rides: so fast. so scary.
- Agressive cab drivers. They will do anything and everything to get your business.
- Food: to be fair, we only ate in Belize City once. However, once was enough. Tamales with chicken bones left inside. Enough said.
Photos of Belize City:
Caye Caulker:
The island's motto is "GO SLOW." Whenever I'm on vacation, that's what I like to live by.
I'll start off by saying this, the island life is for me. Caye Caulker is one mile wide and five miles long. It's a nice combination of 1,200 locals and a small collection of tourists.
I cannot say enough good things about this little island we called home for a bit. Just like Belize City, there are both pros and cons to staying there. I will say this though, in my opinion, the pros HEAVILY outweigh the cons.
Pros:
- You can walk anywhere.
- Everywhere you go, you have an ocean view.
- WIDE VARIETY of food.
- Inexpensive
- SUPER SMALL (one mile wide x five miles long)
- Nice blend of locals + tourists
- SAFE
Cons:
- Not a lot of beach (aka the ones you lay on or walk along.)
- Flies (no way of removing trash from the island = flies, lots of flies)
- Not a ton of stuff to do: If you're not in the water, you're eating, drinking, or sleeping. (this was a pro in our book.)
- Wanting to do things off the island takes both time AND money. (water taxi, plane, etc.)
Photos of Caye Caulker:
The biggest con to Caye Caulker? You're on an island. What you see, is what you get.
The biggest pro to Caye Caulker? You're on an island. What you see, is what you get.
So, city life vs island life? Who wins?
ISLAND LIFE.
(Thank me later for making this decision so easy for you....)
Going to Belize? Have more questions? I'm your girl.
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