Un-Belize-Able!

February 23, 2024 was the start of a bucket-list adventure to Belize with our good friends Craig, Becky, Joel and Jill!

We arrived in Belize City on the 23rd, flying into Philip S.W. Goldson Airport (which is technically in Ladyville but very close to Belize City). This is a small airport, and we disembarked via stairs down to the tarmac, then made our way through customs, which took about an hour.

After a long wait for a shuttle (there was a big construction project on a major bridge, which caused all the traffic to reroute around the city), we finally made it to the Best Western Plus Belize Biltmore Plaza. We were all hungry, as we'd gotten up at 3am and hadn't eaten anything since around 5am at Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix.

The food and drinks at the hotel bar were really good, and we got our first experience with the local exchange rate (2 Belizian dollars to 1 American dollar....very easy to remember). Belize tied its currency to the US dollar many years ago, so the exchange rate is always 2 to 1, and the US dollar is accepted as currency across the country. As a former British Colony, English is spoken in Belize (the only country in Central America to have English as the official language), so with the currency and the language, travel for Americans is really easy here.

We also got our first experience with the wildlife in this country, when a 4 foot green iguana strolled through the restaurant courtyard! My nephews would have been thrilled!

The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying cocktails around the pool and speculating on what lay in store for us on the rest of our trip. The first leg of the journey would be 5 nights on a catamaran. We had filled out a questionnaire before the trip indicating dietary preferences, and Becky wondered if she'd be eating peanut butter sandwiches on the nights that we all had seafood! They had also sent us the list of stocked items on the boat's bar (which featured mostly Caribbean Rums), and advised us to pick up any other speciality liquors at the airport. Note to the budget-friendly traveller ... the liquor at the duty-free store at the airport is cheaper than buying in town. Wine was about the same price, but vodka and tequila were about half the cost at the airport as they were in town!

After a wonderful night's sleep, we had some breakfast and walked to the local grocery store on Saturday the 24th to pick up a few items we needed (sunscreen, bug spray, insulated cups) and some we forgot. Our shuttle driver from Belize Sailing Vacations picked us up at 11:45 to take us to the Cucumber Bay Marina in Old Belize to board our "home" for the next 5 nights...the Catamaran Tranquilo! As soon as we were greeted by Captain Rueben Trejo and First Mate/Chef Brianna Samuels, and saw the boat, we knew we were in for a one-of-a-kind vacation!

The Tranquilo is a 47' Fountaine Pajot Saona Catamaran designed to maximize entertainment and living spaces. Tranquilo is fast and spacious and features four queen cabins and a fifth bunkbed cabin, each equipped with air-conditioning and ensuite facilities. Once we picked our cabins and stowed our gear, we sat down to an amazing lunch that featured a fresh salad with grilled shrimp (same salad with chicken for Becky... and the realization that she wouldn't suffer through too many peanut butter sandwiches!).

After a briefing and group decision on route, we were underway, and headed to our first stop at San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. It was a 5-hour cruise to the island, and we saw lots of wildlife ... dolphins, jellyfish, manatees, starfish, rays, and even a shark!

The Tranquilo's foredeck is outfitted with a spacious sun lounger, and there is an extensive lounge deck adjacent to the helm which provided a wonderful retreat to relax and soak up the Caribbean sun and panoramic surroundings. We had plenty of space to be either separated or together on this beautiful boat! Just when we thought it couldn't get better, Brianna popped up with our afternoon appetizers and specialty cocktails. The realization quickly sunk in that we wouldn't be losing any weight on this trip!

On arrival in San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, we headed to the Amigos Del Mar Dive Shop, where we booked scuba (for Scott, Joel and Jill) and snorkel (Gayle, Craig and Becky) trips for the next day. We had snorkel gear, a paddle board and a kayak on the boat, but Rueben advised that for this particular day, it would be worth it to pay extra to take a snorkel excursion to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, which is a protected areas that covers about 4,500 acres of coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangrove forest off the coast of Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker. The divers had brought most of their necessary dive gear with them, and were excited for their first dive experience in the Caribbean, which would be on the other side of the barrier reef!

After getting squared away at the dive shop, we walked down the shoreline and enjoyed a Happy Hour special at the Palapa Bar and Grill. It was a lively tourist bar with a band playing reggae music and a waterfront table, which set just the right vibe! Visitors had carved names in the tables, cabana posts and on the walls, and we learned later that we should have looked for our cousins names in the carvings!

As day began to turn to night, we headed back to the boat, and Brianna had prepared an amazing dinner! Fresh lobster tail, coconut rice and grilled vegetables with coconut macaroons for dessert. We were feeling pretty spoiled!

After dinner, we watched the full moon rise, saw a shark, several Spotted Eagle Rays and lots of fish swimming around the marina, and enjoyed cocktails on the lounge deck...all while wondering how we got so lucky to be in this beautiful place with our great friends!

Our Belizian Adventure had officially begun!