I want you to have a relaxing and fantastic trip, so here are a few tips for dealing with some of the local insects and wildlife.

Shake out your clothes if they are hanging outside to make sure there aren’t any scorpions or ants on them. Their sting is like a bee sting. Makes your mouth slightly numb but wont kill you.

Jelly fish stings can be treated with vinegar or urine.

Sand flies can be a nuisance if there is no breeze especially at dusk and dawn. I like to bring lightweight pants and long sleeves to keep covered up.

There are mosquitoe nets if you need them. I never use them. I like to sleep with a floor fan in the bedroom which keeps the bugs off.

Malaria is not a big problem in Belize especially on the beach.

The windows are all screened so bugs in the house are not a big problem. Geckos sometimes get in the ceiling somehow and they make a little noise but are totally harmless.

Try to keep the kitchen wiped up or the crazy ants take over. Don’t leave sugar out on the counter.

Diving / Snorkeling

Splash is great. Located on the road to town across from Chabil Mar, they are a first class company. My friends Andrea Villanueva and Lisa Barbara both work there and are wonderful people. Lisa is a marine biologist with a wealth of knowledge and cool projects she is doing to protect the reef.

Day Trips

I recommend taking a daytrip to Punta Gorda – 2 hrs by car to see the Mayan ruins Nim Li Punit or Lubantun. They are small but interesting and totally uncrowded. There are also nice spots to swim in caves and waterfalls there. Blue creek is one of my faves. You can go on a tour, rent a car for the day right in town or even take the bus.

Getting Around

We provide bikes for your use. There are busses that run a few times a day and inexpensive taxis available all the time.

Dining Options in Finca-Placencia

In Town there are a variety of options. Most places serve until 9 or 10pm. There are lots of fruit and vegetable stands in the village which carry fresher fare than the supermarkets. There are ATMs at all the banks and everywhere takes USD 2 to 1 exchange rate. You do not need to change money.

For a fancy romantic dinner, you can walk 500 feet down the beach to Francis Ford Coppola’s Turtle Inn. They also have a nice little beach bar with 1/2 price happy hour from 4-6 daily. Their pizza and salad is an inexpensive option, otherwise it is a lovely splurge.

There is a new place just north on the beach called Mariposa. It has gotten great reviews and has a large deck. I hear they have eggs benedict! I can’t wait to try it out.

Rumfish is one favorite upstairs across from the ballfield. Excellent new Mediterranean cuisine. John and Pamela are the owners and are always there to greet you.

Tuiti Fruity Gelato is downstairs from rumfish and has the best gellato in the world. Open til 9. closed Wednesday.

Mojo is a new restaurant further down the road and also upstairs. It is has a good and creative menu.

De Tach is on the beach. If you walk to town on the beach, it is the first restaurant you come to. It is a 40 min leisurely walk. They make a stuffed fry jack for breakfast which is crazy good. They also have a nice dinner and lunch menu. They have had a really sought after cook who does it right.

Above Grounds Coffee has great coffee.

At the end of the road right in front of the new pier- called the bridge by locals is my friend Magda’s restaurant called The Shak. She serves great smoothies, as well as a full menu for breakfast and lunch- maybe dinner too. nice spot and beautiful waitstaff.

Dawns Grill and Go makes the best fajitas and Dawn is a great cook. It is right on the road in town.

Omar’s is a great place for fresh fish- although all the fish is always fresh everywhere. He really cooks it well.

John the Baker has a bakery across from Omar’s. he makes fresh bread daily and cinnamon buns and other goodies. His sister and my good friend Cindy may makes meat pies which sell out by 10 am and coconut tarts in the afternoon. She also makes killer tamales. She will do vegi also if you pre-order them. The belizean tamales are not to be missed!!!!!

North of the airstrip is the Flying Pig which specializes in Barbq and has live music.

The Maya Beach Hotel is 7 miles north of Placencia and has an excellent restaurant – voted best in belize a few years in a row – with a nice wine list and good value for your money. They also have a pool you are welcome to use. Killer eggs benedict.

Seine Beight – 2 miles north of Placencia is a Garifuna Village (Google Garifuna!!!!). No one knows about them and their history is really interesting. Verne’s Kitchen serves up good local food there.

The Barefoot Bar is on the beach and is THE place to go to meet people and network. They have a casual but family friendly atmosphere with live music or DJ most nights and good food too. Its a good place to line up a tour guide – ask for Doyle Gardner of Detourz for inland trips.

There are also great street vendors who have really good and inexpensive burritos and such. There is a woman named Raina who sells little delicious empanads outside of Wallens grocery store in the after noon for 75cents BZ.