Placencia, Belize | Where We Be

Where We Be

We ended up having quite the adventure here.
After a day full of snorkeling, BBQ, and sun, it
came time to leave around 3:30. We boarded
the boat but our captain discovered the engine
wouldn't start. After tinkering around for fifteen
minutes or so he suggested we get back off the
boat and make ourselves comfortable. “I can’t
believe we're stranded on a tropical island!”
said the other couple we were with.

We made the best of it, chilling out in lounge
chairs while listening to the waves and shore
birds for an hour. It was kinda cool having our
own small island all to ourselves! But the real
adventure came on the way back. The ocean
swells had increased dramatically by 5 pm. It
felt like we were riding a mechanical bull as we
got slammed repeatedly into deep troughs and
nearly went airborne at other times. We all got
hit with curtains of ocean spray -- "doused"
would be a good word. But everyone took it in
good spirits, and at one point our fellow
passenger put his snorkel mask back on and
we all burst out laughing, even the captain.

Placencia boasts the narrowest main street in the world. You know
you're in for a relaxing stay when this is the busy part of town!

Placencia, Belize

Placencia is situated at the tip of a peninsula in
the southeast of Belize. We enjoyed getting our
first glimpse of the ocean after three weeks of
jungle terrain in San Ignacio and Guatemala. We
stayed at the Serenade Hotel, a yellow Victorian
style house right on Placencia's main street.
This main street, though, is special -- it’s the
narrowest main street in the world per the
Guinness Book of World Records. Basically it's a
sidewalk! Cafes and shops line both sides of
the sidewalk and you'll need to walk single file
if people are coming the other way. This is what
gives Placencia its unique character. Perhaps
the most colorful section is near the Barefoot
Bar -- our favorite hangout for food and drinks.

Without question the highlight of our visit here
was a full-day trip out to Laughing Bird Caye, a
small island about 30 minutes away. We had a
great time snorkeling, especially off the east
side of the island. The island itself is idyllic,
with leaning palm trees, white sand, turquoise
water, a thatch pavilion, comfy lounge chairs,
laughing gulls, pelicans, and the ceaseless
sound of waves. It reminded us of that Corona
commercial "Find Your Beach" where the
couple just sits there staring out at the blue
waters nursing their beers. The island is so tiny
we could walk around it in three minutes. We
went with Nite Wind Tours for $75 US each.

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The marina at sunset is another good place to go

Tipsy Tuna is the place to come if you want that iconic beach day -- sippy drink
in hand, snack food within easy reach, and just steps from the Caribbean waters

The other great place to relax is the Tipsy Tuna. Also a haven
for great music, and probably the best stretch of beach in town.

The surf shack adjacent to Tipsy Tuna
is especially photogenic at sunset

Barefoot Bar is a great beach hangout -- rum drink specials at happy hour,
tasty food, fun reggae music, and one of the closest ocean views in town

The beach at Placencia is pleasant -- and would be even
nicer in other seasons once the dead sea grass is gone

We highly recommend the pizzas and salads
at Rick's Cafe. Simple al fresco dining at its best.

Snorkeling and scuba trips start from this marina --
or you could just hang around here for the day!

If you walk the sidewalk to the southern end, you come to one of
Placencia's prettiest spots -- the marina with its adjacent beach

This picturesque stretch of beach is just across
from where we stayed at the Serenade Hotel

We liked Serenade Hotel's central location, cool AC,
and decent wifi (by Belize standards anyway)

The sidewalk goes on for quite a ways and we walked its full length several times during our five-day stay.
Despite these photos there WERE other people here, but it was the quiet season when we visited in April.