Placencia is the town at the end of a long, thin peninsula that runs adjacent to mainland Belize. My week here was a lovely surprise and very luxurious compared to how I typically travel.
After my volunteering gig I had planned to go to Tobacco Caye, a 5 acre island with 30 year-round residents. I’m sure that would have been an incredible experience but with $20 each way for a ferry and then lodging once I got there, I was more than willing to throw away that plan when a college friend invited me to stay at his family’s Airbnb in Placencia.
I didn’t pay the actual price of Beach House Placencia (owned by Serenade Hotel) so I can’t say if it is budget traveler-friendly. It is, however, clean, right on the beach, and very comfortable. The town of Placencia is very cute and charming. There are many restaurants with brightly painted façades. I read that Placencia is too touristy but I just got the impression that many locals had opened businesses that accepted credit cards. The beach in front of my house had tranquil and clear water. There was a lot of seaweed on the sand but I’m not going to be mad at a beach for being its true self. Barefoot Beach Bar and Tipsy Tuna Sports Bar are located right on the beach and have sunset happy hours as well as nightly events such as drumming and reggae night.
Although I did not visit Ambergris Caye it is a popular island destination in Belize. It has stunning snorkeling and diving opportunities making it similar to Caye Caulker in that regard. However, it is a much larger island at 25 miles long while Caye Caulker is merely 5 miles in length. Caye Caulker has a backpacker vibe and is small and quaint while Ambergris is more for adults on vacation and has an assortment of vibes and opportunities.
Chronicles of a Wandering Soul 