Belize
Before going to Belize, I knew very little about the tiny country that sits just south east of Mexico. I’d seen pictures of the blue hole and people I know had told me that the diving there was incredible, but that was about it. My husband and I found Little Peter Oasis one night while looking for possible locations for our annual December trip. I came upon this spectacular looking place on Airbnb and honestly, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I’d stumbled upon a private island that was surrounded by turquoise water as far as the eye could see. We read through the site several times before we decided to book it. We just couldn’t believe that we’d be able to afford staying on our very own private island, and we really wondered if it could possibly be as beautiful as it looked in pictures. We daydreamed about it for the rest of the year and finally December 22nd arrived and we hopped on our flight to Belize City.
Getting there
There are a couple different ways of getting to this tiny island. My husband had never been on a helicopter before, and my last ride had been twenty years earlier while vacationing in Hawaii. We decided to shell out the extra money for this extravagant ride to the island and check an item off my husbands bucket list at the same time. The owner of Little Peter Oasis, Jason, was phenomenal in helping us get everything arranged not only for island visit, but also on the mainland where we wrapped up our trip in the jungle.
Emilio was there to greet us at the airport then he whisked us through security to go board our chopper. The helicopter ride is expensive, but it saved us having to book a second flight to get from Belize City to Dangriga, followed by a 45 minute boat ride. It was totally worth the cost in both enjoyable experiences and being able to get to the island in a much simpler way. If you’re looking for a once in a lifetime vacation, why not go all out and save up a little extra money to really do it right? The helicopter ride itself was pretty smooth and we enjoyed the scenic beauty along the way. We got pretty excited when our island came in to view. It was as beautiful as we’d hoped it would be.
Click on the link below to see the video I took of our helicopter arrival.
Our arrival
Manny, Freddy, Larry and Alvin were there to greet us when we landed. Having four staff members available whenever you need them is a real treat. Manny was our concierge, handling any excursions we wanted to take and he also shuttled us back to the mainland when our time on the island was finished. Freddy was our personal chef. He whipped us up delicious breakfasts, lunches and dinners. We were pleasantly surprised by the amount of options there were for each meal. Eating fresh fish that Manny speared that same day was pretty incredible. Larry & Alvin took care of the island property, cleaned the house and re-stocked our snack and beverage supply daily. This property is highly unique for Airbnb’s as it includes all your meals, beverages (to include alcohol) and snacks.
Once our luggage was carried in, we were given a short tour and we were shown where everything was and how it worked. You’ll be given a two way radio to communicate with the staff whenever you need to. The house has WiFi, unfortunately the box died on us on our second day, so we had to do without out it for most of our stay. With the gorgeous views and warm water, we hardly missed it. The house has two bedrooms and two bathrooms, and a futon in the living room. It is important to keep in mind that you’re on a self-sustaining island, which means fresh water isn’t limitless and many functions run off generator power. You do have to wait 20 minutes or so for the water to heat up for showers. This was really the only inconvenience, and a minor one at that.
What to do on a private island
You can be as active or as lazy as you want to be on the island. We did a combination of both. It rained non-stop for two days after we arrived, so we had ample time to lounge around the house and watch movies. By the second day I was going a little stir crazy, so I went for a swim. The water was surprisingly warm even though it was raining. December is one of the coldest months there and it was still in the 8O’s with very high humidity. March-May is supposed to be steaming hot, so plan accordingly if you love/dislike really hot weather.
We did the best snorkeling of our lives the day after Christmas. Manny took us 20 minutes out on the boat to an amazing reef. I’ve been snorkeling a dozen times and I’d never seen so many amazing, colorful creatures. We saw a massive sea turtle, nurse sharks, barracuda, sting ray and every color fish you can imagine. Seeing that sea turtle was a dream come true. It was so big and boy could it move under water. On this snorkel trip, I also got the chance to dive for conch. This fulfilled a life-long dream of mine. Growing up, my parents had a beautiful, giant conch shell that they’d bought on a trip to Florida. I’d always dreamed of diving for my very own. Manny showed me how to spot them in the sand, and within ten minutes I had two beautiful shells. There is a living conch inside the shell, so don’t be shocked if you see it when you pull them up. Freddy made up some fresh ceviche with the meat, so none of it went to waste.
The snorkeling right around the house is really amazing as well. The bright purple and orange coral is so pretty. There is a shell graveyard in the water near one of the mangrove trees that is fascinating. I could have spent hours floating there looking at all the empty shells. We spent hours sitting on the deck watching the fascinating sea life that swims in and around your private bay. We saw needle fish, sting ray, conch and a million other fish right there off the house. There is a squadron of pelicans that call the mangrove trees around the island home. They do non-stop aerial shows for you throughout the day. They like to fly right over your head when you stand or sit out on the deck. It took some getting used to but it was so cool. In addition to snorkeling (equipment provided), there are also a couple kayaks you can take out and explore with. There are beach loungers on the upper and lower decks as well if you’re into soaking up the sun. When you’ve had your fill of sun for the day, you can curl up and watch a movie on the big-screen TV.
Manny can help you plan all sorts of off-island excursions. You can go fishing, lobster & conch diving, snorkeling or island hopping. You can also do stuff on the mainland, but that means a 45 minute boat ride each way, plus however long it takes to drive to your destination. After six nights on the island we headed to the mainland and spent two nights at the Sleeping Giant Resort in the jungle. This was the perfect way to explore the other sights in Belize. I’d recommend breaking your trip up that way if you can so you get a combination of water & jungle.
Did I mention romance?
If you’re looking for a romantic getaway, this is definitely the place for you. The sunrises & sunsets are absolutely beautiful, the perfect settings for a cuddle with your sweetheart. The island has two amazing spots to enjoy the sunsets from, the dock and the thatched umbrella sitting area. Make sure you ask to have dinner out on the dock at sunset at least once. Another thing you can’t miss out on is the stargazing. Turn off all the lights in the house and go out on one of the decks. The amount of stars shining in the night sky is mind-blowing. I’d never seen stars like that before. Make sure to recline a lounger and just lay there staring up at the sky. The stars were absolutely amazing, something I’ll never forget. My husband and I danced to our song out underneath the stars, what a truly romantic evening.
The island was everything we could have hoped for. We ate to our hearts content, relaxed, explored and enjoyed every moment. Here’s just a little peek of the delicious, fresh meals prepared by Freddy. The fruit was amazing.
More of the islands beauty
Fond island farewell…on to the mainland
After six glorious nights it was time to move on to our jungle adventure. After a 45 minute boat ride we arrived in Hopkins. Manny delivered us to The Jaguar Reef Resort where we were picked up by Herson from The Sleeping Giant Resort. It was an hour and a half drive through the countryside to the resort. The Sleeping Giant Resort is so beautiful, and so vastly different than the island. In our mountain view suite we were surrounded by lush jungle. Our suite was gorgeous with its own plunge pool, giant hammock, lounge bed and unbelievable view.
After arriving at this lovely resort, we climbed the 98 steps up to our fantastic suite. We didn’t have time to enjoy our room at the time because the awesome concierge got us lined up to go cave tubing straight away. The hotel shuttled us to St. Hermans Blue Hole and we joined up with a small group for this adventure. We hiked through the jungle with our inner tubes and then traversed through the caves with just our helmet lights to guide the way. The river that runs through the caves is chilly but it feels great after building up a bit of a sweat from your hike. We floated along, enjoying all the stalactite and stalagmite formations. At one point we all turned off our lights and sat in the pitch black listening to the water swirl and drip around us. That was cool and a little freaky all in one. There isn’t even a pinpoint of light visible, you’re truly in complete darkness. If you get the chance to go cave tubing, I’d definitely give it a try.
Mayan Ruins of Xunantunich
The following morning we were up early and off for a full days adventure exploring the Xunantunich Mayan Ruins which were constructed in 7 AD. Climbing the steps to these ancient ruins really made me appreciate the craftsmanship for something that was built solely by hand to be able to stand for more than a thousand years. Hearing the stories of human sacrifice and ceremony was really interesting. Our guide Herson was so knowledgeable on Mayan history and all the different structures at Xunantunich.
Those who came to worship would climb the stairs on their knees, leaving behind blood as a sacrifice. I tried it, and said no thank you. While we were there we saw howler monkeys, iguana and lots of bats. You have to take a hand-cranked ferry across the river to get to the site. The ruins are definitely a must see. It was a very sunny and hot day when we were there, and this was in their cold season. Make sure you wear a hat, lots of sunscreen and baby oil or bug spray to keep from being bitten by the jungle bugs.
Mayan Culture Experience
Following our exploration of the ruins, we headed to the small village of San Antonio to learn more about the Mayan culture. A small group of women have formed a co-op to try and preserve the ancient traditions of the Mayan’s. We started off with a delicious lunch of freshly made tamales, salad with peanut dressing and a refreshing sorrel beverage. The Belizean’s love spice, especially green habaneros. You’ll find this pepper in many forms, but usually as a salsa or sauce of some kind. Take tiny portions at first unless you love spice. I scorched my mouth on a couple different occasions. I love experiencing traditional meals of different cultures, it really helps you connect.
After our delicious lunch we learned how they processed corn before canning and refrigeration were available. The people in this village still do things the way their ancestors did a thousand years ago. The process of soaking the corn in lime, washing then grinding it by hand is so much work. It really makes you appreciate the technologies we have today. Grinding, shaping and cooking our own corn tortillas on the fire was an awesome experience. We ate our freshly made tortillas drizzled with a little coconut oil and a pinch of salt. They were delicious.
After this we learned about the ancient practices of making pottery. I couldn’t believe how many steps it takes to just make the clay to be formed into pottery. Think about how time consuming it would be to just gather pieces of clay from a riverbed (the 1st step) and you’ll have some idea about how much work goes into it. Of course there weren’t pottery wheels back in the day, but this tribe has embraced this new way of forming the clay they manufacture. Rafael gave us a tutorial, whipping out five flawless pieces in under ten minutes. After that it was our turn to give it a try. I’d always wanted to try this, so I was super excited. Turns out I have very little skill but my husband was a natural. After making our masterpieces, it was time to head back to the resort. Spending the day submerged in Mayan culture was fascinating, something I would highly recommend to anyone visiting Belize.
Enjoying every moment
Our three days at The Sleeping Giant were over way too soon. I would have loved to spend an additional day there just enjoying what the resort had to offer (our amazing suite, kayaking, hikes/day & night & wildlife). On our last evening there, I enjoyed a big, rich bowl of oxtail stew and gooey chocolate cake made from the organic cocoa beans that are farmed locally. On our last morning in Belize we got up early to get in one more hike. It was on the resort property, and you hike up and through the jungle to reach this really cool two story gazebo that is perched on top of a hill. The panoramic views from the top are just breathtaking. In the early morning mist rolls over the green hills giving the entire valley a magical feel. We even spotted a toucan off in the distance enjoying the sunrise.
I’ve always loved green, lush gardens and this spot didn’t disappoint. It was one of those places that I could have sat for an hour or more just taking all the loveliness in. From this vantage point you have a direct view of the Sleeping Giant hilltops, the namesake for the resort. Maybe you can spot it in the picture below. Looks like a man lying on his back with his head pointed to the right. I thought it looked like Winston Churchill sleeping.
Getting home was pretty simple. The airport is tiny, though it was crowded with holiday travelers, but our direct flight home to Denver was a breeze. Overall, our trip to Belize was pure bliss. I would 100% recommend it to anyone looking for an amazing getaway. The water, the jungle, the amazing sights and the kind people of Belize are just a few of the reasons this wonderful country is so special.
