San Pedro, Belize

When you step off the plane and on to the tarmac (no fancy tunnels here) in Belize City, it’s nothing like the paradise you’ve been picturing. To be honest, it’s dirty, noisy, and a little scary. Don’t let this scare you away though. Paradise isn’t far outside the city limits. While Belize has many beautiful locations outside of its largest city, including the super trendy Caye Caulker,  our favorite is the island of San Pedro. Just a short plane or semi-short ferry ride away.

When we first arrived in San Pedro, we were told that the island ran on its own schedule. If someone told you they would meet you somewhere, they could show up any time that day and they would be “on time”. This mentality is what makes San Pedro amazing. There are very few cars on the island. Instead, everyone commutes in golf carts. You can spend all day doing as much or as little as you please. There’s no hustle and bustle. Think major Kenny Chesney vibes.

While spending time in San Pedro relaxing, there are also a ton of beautiful things to see. Our first full day in San Pedro we went fishing and explored the ecosystems. One of our favorite things was swimming and snorkeling at the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Belize has the second largest coral reef in the world, right behind the Great Barrier Reef. At Hol Chan, you can see the amazing reef and all of its sea life. When we first arrived at Hol Chan our boat captain, Armando, told us to jump in.

                                   

As we looked over the side of the boat, we realized we were surrounded by nurse sharks. After Armando assured us multiple times that they weren’t dangerous sharks, we all got in the water. We had never seen so many different kinds of sea life in one place before! Sharks, turtles, coral reefs, fish, you name it!

San Pedro also had some amazing food! We loved visiting the restaurant next to our hotel every morning for huevos rancheros. We also enjoyed the Sunset Grill and feeding the marlin. We had amazing seafood at pretty much every place we ate.

The best thing about San Pedro really is just being able to relax and explore the island at your own pace. We highly recommend visiting if you ever get the chance.