San Pedro
Travel Advice for Seniors: Belize San Pedro
When a Midwesterner from the US heads to San Pedro in February, there is usually one reason…to hit the beaches! And Ambergris Caye is the one to go to!
San Pedro and Ambergris Caye are about two hours by water taxi from Belize City. Many hotels also arrange transport from the airport to their resort. The water taxi also stops at Caye Caulker. It is a nice ride and the water is beautiful.
I’ve never seen so many golf carts in one location as in San Pedro. It is the preferred method of transport in the city, and you would be wise to watch out for them, as some of the people driving them did not seem very experienced and it pays to be extra vigilant during and after Happy Hour!
San Pedro does have many restaurants and bars and generally seemed like a nice place to visit to catch the Caribbean vibe. However, the abundance of golf carts made it undesirable to us.
We stayed at one of the resorts on the water, which had limited quantities of golf carts! There was not really a beach by the hotel, but it did have a very nice pool and private beach that required a fifteen-minute private boat ride (no extra charge) to access it. Boat pick ups were about on the hour, so we went out both days. The private beach was smallish, white sand clear aqua water and plenty of lounger chairs and umbrellas. There was also a drinks/food bar, changing rooms, restrooms, etc. It was surprisingly unbusy and peaceful. Do take a jacket as the boat rides can be a bit chilly.
However, be aware that the food prices can be very pricey in this part of Belize. Be sure to check if the menus are in US dollars or Belizean dollars (2/1 to USD when we visited), or you may be in for a shock. We paid $28 USD for a hamburger with five potato wedges and umbrella drinks were about $14 USD. So, it is not an inexpensive place to eat or party. But we did notice that the further out in the country you get, the less expensive, but more mundane the food choices (black beans, rice, plantains and stewed chicken, anyone?)
Speaking of which, allow me to introduce you to Mom’s new favorite drink, the “Panty Ripper”! It’s pineapple juice, coconut rum and a bit of grenadine, absolutely delicious! The rum is 20 proof, so you can have a few without any real damage! But mostly, we had a lot of fun with the name of the drink…it was so worthwhile watching Mom telling the bartender she wanted a Panty Ripper!
One more thing to note, there are iguanas everywhere in Belize, including at the hotel and on the beaches. They are not attack creatures, but for those who are phobic it may be too much to take. However, the baby racoons at the private beach were slightly aggressive if you ordered food (but very cute).
Also, as is typical with several countries in Central America, you will have to slow down to their time schedule, which is usually at a much slower pace than in the US. And you also have to get used to the service people saying, “You better Belize it!” and “it is un-Belizeable!” all of the time!
Now to the good stuff….The Meso-American Barrier Reef is the second-largest barrier reef system in the world (Great Barrier Reef off Australia is the largest). With the reef being so close to the Cayes, the water is filtered and purified, making it the brilliant aqua color so well known in the Caribbean and making San Pedro a top snorkeling and diving destination.
Our fast-paced tour only allowed for one full day at the Caye, so we were ready to dive in…. literally! First stop was the Hol Chan Marine Reserve for a talk with a local marine biologist and to don snorkeling gear and have a look for ourselves!
The Reserve is a protected area, so the fish, sea turtles and coral thrive here. It was fascinating to see such colorful marine life from the top of the water and learn about their habitat. Note: It’s a popular area and there are lots of tour boats around and lots of inexperienced snorkelers, so be aware. Totally loved seeing sea turtles swimming around for the first time! The sun was out most of the time, so the underwater colors were vivd.
We also stopped by the Coral Gardens off Caye Calker. While an interesting display of corals and it allowed us some extra snorkeling time in the water, the Reserve was definitely the better visit.
A word on snorkeling: Try it! Don’t be afraid to use the sanitized masks/snorkels that are on the boats. You are also given a lightweight life vest as well as fins to navigate your way through the water. A note for beginners: Press the mask tightly against your face to seal it from water entry and gently breathe through your mouth into the snorkel. You can’t use fins like you are walking, you must point your toes and gently move them up and down when floating horizontally otherwise you will run out of energy. Mostly you are just laying on top of the water using your natural buoyancy and that provided by the life vest and moving very slowly.
We headed back out to the resort’s private beach for a lazy afternoon. After all, this is what we came for, right?
Where we stayed: Mahogany Bay Village, Very nice walk-up rooms, the village is filled with 4-plexes and smaller units spread out over a large area. It can be a hike on gravel to the reception and the restaurant/pool. The resort features a water taxi to their private beach, which is about a 15-minute fast boat ride. The beach has food/drinks as well. Nice restaurant and pool on site, breakfast included.
How we got there: Flew into Belize City and took a water taxi past Caye Caulker to Ambergris Caye and San Pedro, about two hours, then hotel van to resort. This was part of a 9-day small group tour through Belize.
General Accessibility Information: The resort is generally accessible, with smooth pathways in the main areas, however, it is a distance on gravel to get from the rooms to the reception and boat area. Call for golf cart pick up. The boats didn’t appear to be accessible and while some of the sand was packed, most was not. Call in advance to verify and make specialty arrangements. See our sections on specialty apps and accessible travel for more on accessibility assistance.
