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  • 5 Perfect Days in Ambergris Caye

    5 Perfect Days in Ambergris Caye

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]For this year’s annual birthday trip we decided to take a more relaxing route and chose to spend five perfect days in Belize. We absolutely fell in love with Ambergris Caye and have already been recommending it to everyone.

    As a disclaimer, we did go in early September, right before the slowest of the slow season, so we may not have gotten a taste for how crazy or busy the island can get at more popular times of the year, so keep that in mind![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]On the first day, we arrive in Belize City on a flight from Atlanta. It sounds like most flights from the United States come from there or Houston. Their international airport is tiny, but has food options, a bar, rum tastings, and plenty of knick knack souvenirs to buy.

    We were through customs and waiting for our puddle jumper flight to Ambergris Caye in no time. There are two airlines that fly to the cayes – Tropic Air and Maya Island. We found cheaper rates on Maya (around $60 one way) and took the easy 15-minute flight over. You also have the option of taking a taxi ($25 – 30-minute ride) to the ferry (about $15 one way – 90-minute ride) but since we had limited time we opted for the slightly more expensive flight – plus the views from the plane are amazing.[/vc_column_text][vc_media_grid grid_id=”vc_gid:1506053707430-8fc4b35c-f942-9″ include=”995,1003,1004″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Where to Stay

    We used Chase Sapphire Reserve points and chose Belizean Shores Resort. We opted for this resort as it was a little smaller than some that came up in our search, but was still beach front with a great pool. We had a one-bedroom seaview condo during our stay. I can’t say enough about how amazing the staff was before and during our stay. Jose was always quick to respond to any questions we had along the way and offered to be as helpful as possible.

    The resort is located 3.5 miles north of town, so we ended up renting a golf cart for the length of our stay (the longer you rent a car the cheaper it gets!). They do have water and land taxis, but the water taxis are pretty infrequent and stop around 10 pm. To be able to go wherever you want, whenever you want, I’d highly recommend going the golf cart way.

    That being said, we did drive to town every day and night, so while I absolutely loved Belizean Shores, I think we would potentially opt to stay closer to town on our next trip – of course, if you have no desire to be anywhere near town then again, I can’t recommend Belizean Shores enough![/vc_column_text][vc_media_grid element_width=”6″ gap=”10″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1506053707439-a0eda903-b529-5″ include=”996,991″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]What to Do

    Snorkel Hol Chan Marine Reserve & Shark Ray Alley – there seems to be an endless amount of companies who run snorkel trips, but we settled on Chuck & Robbie’s and couldn’t have been happier with our experience. You can do this snorkel trip in a couple of hours so you have the option to choose the morning or afternoon trip. Their shop is located just north of town and if you’re staying outside of town they’ll also pick you up in their boat (for a fee). The snorkel spots are just a few minutes away from the dock and the marine life is absolutely amazing! Another spot (that we didn’t get to) is Mexico Rocks, a spot more recently turned into a marine reserve.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”997″ img_size=”500x” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Scuba Dive – if you’re a diver, Belize is probably already on your list. The Blue Hole is probably on your bucket list. However, after some research and chatting with a few people, Toby decided to stick to diving the reefs right off shore than making the long (and expensive) trip to The Blue Hole. From what we heard there is almost no marine life, your a few hour boat ride away, and really, it’s just a bucket list dive.

    We had been so happy with Chuck & Robbie’s that Toby went back to them for a two tank reef dive – the diving is SO close that you actually spend your surface interval going back to the dock to grab your next tank (plus snacks!).

    If you don’t dive but are still interested in checking out The Blue Hole, there are snorkel trips, fly overs, and even skydiving. All of these activities come at a high price though – so just be prepared if it’s on your list![/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Secret Beach – a long bumpy road, Secret Beach was worth a few hours in our opinion. There’s no seagrass here and a couple of little restaurant bars have popped up so you only have to come prepared with your sunscreen and bathing suit. I’m sure the sunsets are pretty amazing here as well but the drive back would be quite dark![/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”1006″ img_size=”500x” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Day Trip to Caye Caulker – when we were initially planning our trip we were thinking about splitting our stay between Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker, or possibly just staying in Caye Caulker the entire time. Because Caye Caulker’s motto is “Go Slow” and we were already going to be in the throws of the slow season, we opted to just take a day trip and not spend the time switching hotels. I don’t regret the decision but I’d also love to spend a night or two on Caye Caulker next time.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Wander around the town, grab a delicious iced coffee (I cannot remember the name of this place but it was so good!), jump off the platform at the Split and grab a slushy drink at the Lazy Lizard, and get yourself over to Koko King. I could have lost a few days loving life at Koko King.[/vc_column_text][vc_media_grid element_width=”6″ gap=”10″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1506053707451-201e3238-0fb8-5″ include=”993,990″][vc_single_image image=”1002″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Relax! Here were some of our favorite spots to grab a day drink:

    • Palapa Bar and Grill – grab a drink and hang out in an inner tube of the dock. Sometimes there is a live band (other times they just play all of my favorite country music songs) – just north of town (and just south of Chuck and Robbie’s!)
    • Sandy Toes – just a little bit north of Palapa, this bar has Adirondack chairs that you can sit in the shallow ocean while sipping on a drink – and inner tubes as well!
    • Amber Bar & Grill – if you’re looking for a little fun just south of town, Amber Bar & Grill is home to the El Diablo waterslide as well as some inflatable ocean toys – accompanied by delicious drinks on a bar over the water.

    [/vc_column_text][vc_media_grid element_width=”6″ gap=”10″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1506053707460-b8351f58-3dad-6″ include=”998,1005″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Catch the sunset – the sun sets on the lagoon side of the island and while many bars and restaurants sit oceanfront, there are a handful that have docks over the lagoon – the perfect way to wind down your not-so-stressful day. Or, when it’s slow season and places are starting to close down, grab a bottle of wine or a couple of beers and find an empty dock all to yourself![/vc_column_text][vc_media_grid element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1506053707466-925563ba-1b85-0″ include=”992,1001″][vc_single_image image=”999″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Fish – while we didn’t end up doing any fishing, there are a variety of fishing tours available and plenty of fish to be caught![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Party – one thing we weren’t totally expecting was the late night party scene here. While Caye Caulker is known to be more of a happy hour place, Ambergris Caye is pretty empty until people finish up dinners around 10 pm (or later). Of course, being the slow season there wasn’t a whole lot of craziness going on but you can still catch Hermit Crab Races at Crazy Canucks, the Chicken Drop (still sad we weren’t there on a Thursday), and enjoy cocktails at a variety of spots in town.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”994″ img_size=”500x” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]All in all, we absolutely loved our time in Ambergris Caye and would definitely come back.

    Check out our Restaurant Guide for Ambergris Caye for our foodie reviews of all of the delicious meals we had while we were there![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • Cuba: What To Know Before You Go

    Cuba: What To Know Before You Go

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Now that it’s easier than ever to get to Cuba from the United States, articles are popping up everywhere with what you should know and do before going to Cuba. Here is what we found helpful:

    1. Exchange US Dollars into Euros before you go. If you don’t, you’ll be charged a 10% tax when you exchange your money in Cuba.
    2. Bring more money than you think you’ll need. Yes, the mojitos are $2 and there are plenty of other things that are inexpensive in Cuba, but it can still add up! We spent about $100 per person, per day.
    3. Even when you’re on a US website (like Airbnb) your credit card company will know you’re in Cuba and not let you book and pay for one. We ran into this when we tried to book our last night in Cuba while in Cuba.
    4. Everyone knows someone who… has a place for you to stay, can drive you to another city, can take you on a day trip, the list goes on. We relied a decent amount on our hosts helping us out with things and I think it made the experience just that much better.
    5. We enjoyed being off the grid, but if you’re really hankering for the internet, it won’t be too hard to find. Just look for the street corners where everyone is sitting around on cell phones and laptops.
    6. Going with someone who is decently fluent in Spanish helps, a lot. While many people speak at least some English, many don’t, and being able to have conversations with those who spoke more Spanish made a big difference in our time there.
    7. Offline apps (and maps!) were super helpful – we had Tripadvisor Havana City Guide, Triposo, etc.
    8. Always bargain – it was helpful to ask our host how much something would cost so we knew what we should be bargaining down to.
    9. Bring gifts! We heard pens and spark plugs were hot commodities and we were also asked for baseball magazines.
    10. Black market cigars are definitely up for sale. If you want to buy cigars and get them for a decent price, I’d get a good understanding of how you can tell if the cigars are legit or not before you end up with a box of fakes!

    Read about our adventures in Trinidad here and Havana here![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • Tranquil Trinidad

    Tranquil Trinidad

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The other stop on our Cuba tour was the small town of Trinidad, about 4 hours southeast of Havana. Once there (after a longer than 4 hour, hot and sweaty, taxi collectivo ride) we immediately fell in love with the place and the people.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”542″ img_size=”500x” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

    Where to Stay

    I believe there are a handful of hotels in Trinidad, and definitely a few more down by the beach in Playa Ancon, but I’d definitely recommend staying at a casa particular.

    We stayed at Luis’ house right on Calle Desengano (follow this road a few blocks up to the main plaza). I would highly recommend staying with him if he has availability. You can check him out here on Airbnb. He was very helpful – from having a scuba instructor come over to talk to us about the visibility (unfortunately it had rained a foot before we had arrived) to booking us a place to stay when we decided to stay for an extra night to arranging a trip to Javira waterfall for us.

    The third night we stayed at Hostal La Salernitana which was another great place for 30 CUC a night just around the corner. You can reach them at [email protected] or a number of other websites (Airbnb, Hostels Club, etc.).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”545″ img_size=”500x” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

    Where To Eat

    We personally had much better food experiences in Trinidad. Here’s where we recommend!

    Son y Sol – one of our favorite places the entire trip. A bit Indian-inspired. We ordered the chicken samosas to start which were on the spicy side and delicious. I had the chicken with red wine as my entree which was pretty good, but not as flavorful as Toby’s lobster with ginger and pineapple (probably my favorite thing I tried all week). They also had live music and lots of antiques in the front of the restaurant as well.

    La Redaccion – we sat out back here, hoping it would be cooler than inside. It wasn’t, but there were at least fans. I had the seafood risotto (potentially not the best pick for a hot and humid night, but nevertheless delicious).

    El Ranchon – I’m not sure how you’d come upon this place unless you read about it online beforehand, as it was a few blocks south of where everything else was going on on a very quiet and unassuming street. We actually ended up here after meeting a lobster fisherman at the beach and he invited us for dinner – all the lobster you could eat for 12 CUC. Do it. The food was delicious and the owner was so nice and friendly – he also has rooms for rent as well. And, they really mean as much as you can eat. Toby ate at least 2.5 pounds.

    Restaurante San Jose – this came recommended from Luis. We unknowingly wandered into an air conditioned room which felt absolutely amazing. We ended up eating lunch here twice. Recommendations – the Cuban and the burger.

    [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_media_grid grid_id=”vc_gid:1473990908402-520edd8c-e39d-2″ include=”548,547,549″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

    Where To Drink & Dance

    Casa de la Musica – you can’t come to Trinidad without hearing about Casa de la Musica and as touristy as it may or may not be, you at least have to check it out for a drink, some music, and some salsa. A live band plays and there are tables and chairs in front of the stage. When they run out of chairs take a spot on the steps. Waiters come by and take your drink order, or you can visit a handful of bars around the area.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”550″ img_size=”500x” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Disco Ayala – another place that you’ll probably hear about before getting to Trinidad. A disco down about 30 meters in a cave. After things die down a bit at Casa de la Musica, continue your walk up the hill and head in for a drink. It’s hot, sweaty, the floor was soaking wet (booze, cave condensation, sweat, a combination?) and costs a few CUC to get in (but includes a drink) but just do it. Even if you stay for less than 30 minutes (like we did).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_media_grid grid_id=”vc_gid:1473990908406-877436c4-5102-6″ include=”551,552,553″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Bodeguita de Medio – check this place out for a drink and some great live music – maybe even a bit of salsa dancing![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”554″ img_size=”500x” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Other bars we visited were La Canchanchara (this had been recommended to us but both times we went by it was pretty empty so we decided not to stay) and the tiniest bar across from a beer garden on Calle Gutierrez. We completely failed at getting the name, but if you find it (seriously the tiniest bar ever with tiny little tables and soccer flags) tell Leandro we said hello![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

    What To Do

    Once you’ve wandered around town a bit (it doesn’t take long to do so) it’s really more about what you can do outside of town.

    Javira Waterfall – located in El Cubano National Park, you can walk, bike, take a horse, or just take a taxi there. Reading this, you might think oh, a bike ride to a hike sounds like a great idea…but in reality it is probably going to be really hot and humid. We took a taxi and never looked back. There is a 10 CUC entrance fee and a restaurant and bathrooms before you begin. The hike was about 40 minutes through the forest (crossing the river in knee deep water a few times) before coming upon the waterfall. It was beautiful, the water was cold and refreshing, and if you could handle the current you could swim all the way over to it.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_media_grid element_width=”6″ gap=”15″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1473990908408-517d2577-5d7c-2″ include=”555,556″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”557″ img_size=”500x” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Playa Ancon – scuba, snorkel or just relax at the beach! We had planned to scuba but a tropical storm had dropped over a foot of a rain on Cuba before we had arrived so the visibility was terrible. We opted for a lazy afternoon swimming in the warm water. It’s a 6-8 CUC, 15 minute taxi ride there and back. There are hotels there, and we found that the hotel next to Hotel Ancon had a little beach bar and even delivered us sandwiches to our chairs. Whether you want food and drinks or not, there are lots of lounge chairs and umbrellas to sit underneath (be prepared to pay 2 CUC).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_media_grid element_width=”6″ gap=”15″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1473990908410-78093577-ee55-7″ include=”558,559″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_media_grid element_width=”6″ gap=”15″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1473990908411-6e593d63-5b46-6″ include=”560,561″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]There are a few other excursions from Trinidad, other horseback riding adventures and checking out old sugar factories, but we ran out of time.

    If you are planning a trip to Cuba I highly, highly recommend making your way to Trinidad. The town is wonderful and the variety of outdoor activities you can do brings a nice change from city life.

    Read more about our Cuba adventures on our Havana post, here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]