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Are you human?

Belize is the size of the state of Massachusetts and home to 340,000 residents. While it is a relatively small country, there are virtually limitless options when it comes to both adventure and relaxation vacations. Getting to Belize is shorter travel time than you would think. Flying from Cleveland we made a stop in Miami before heading on to Belize City, Belize. A 2.5 hour flight to Miami and 1.5 hour flight to Belize seemed incredibly short to get all the way to Central America.

The Belize airport is small, but that gives you the ability to navigate through customs and baggage quickly. Transportation options from the airport include bus, rental cars, and hotel shuttles. We opted for the hotel shuttle as we had never been in the country before and didn’t know what to expect.

In Belize you have the option of staying on one of their outer islands, their mainland beaches, or near the rainforests. A lot of people do a combo trip and stay in the rainforest for a couple days, then move on to a beach resort (or vice versa).

For our first trip we opted to stay in the rainforest. A perfect decision. Viva Belize Travel Company operates several resorts across Belize and I wouldn’t hesitate to stay with them again. We stayed at the Sleeping Giant Rainforest Lodge for our brief 3 night vacation.

Day One

With the time change and 1.5 hour shuttle ride from the airport, we arrived around 2:30 pm. Sleeping Giant Lodge employs some of the friendliest people I have ever encountered. After some complimentary rum punch we were shown around the gorgeous resort. There are approximately 10 casitas (your own little house for your stay with private deck overlooking peaceful streams. And a super comfy hammock) and a few rooms in the main lodge. While the resort is incredibly spread out and many acres large, it has the intimate feel of a bed and breakfast with a maximum of about 20 guests at any given time. The rest of this day was spent eating at the wonderful restaurant, exploring the grounds and enjoying their magnificent pool and hot tub.

Day Two

After a delicious breakfast at the lodge, we took an exhilarating (i.e. harder than I anticipated) hike up to an observation tower on property. This hike takes you through the gorgeous rainforest with amazing trees, flowers, and wildlife. Wear clothes you don’t care about and shoes that can handle the mud. Don’t forget your mosquito spray too. There are ropes along the hike to help you get up. The hike only took about 30 minutes but was pretty intense. The view up top was well worth it though. Hiking back down was equally challenging due to the mud… it is the rainforest after all.

After our hike we were dying to get in the pool (so refreshing!). After that we enjoyed lunch at the lodge and couples massages in our casita. Dinner was again delicious. The best thing about this resort is the staff. At dinner they walk around, asking you what excursions you want to do the next day. They will help set anything up for you… cave tubing, Mayan ruins, rappelling, a visit to the Belize zoo… they act as your own personal concierge. The pool and hot tub are open 24/7 so you can grab your drink from the bar and head down there after dinner. So relaxing!

Day Three

Blue Hole National Park
Cave tubing

We opted for only one excursion on our trip: Cave Tubing. We did this at St. Herman’s Cave in Blue Hole National Park. We had an exceptional guide and along with one other couple from the hotel, were the only people in the cave. This tour was far more adventurous than I anticipated, but well worth it. If you are afraid of bats, do not attempt. After our excursion we spent more time at the pool before dinner. Our last dinner again was exceptional and we spent the rest of our evening hanging out at the lodge bar.

Day Four

We had another 1.5 hour drive to the airport so after breakfast we packed up and headed out. We again had a hotel shuttle drive us back to the airport.

Belize was a beautiful country and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back. Be on the lookout for cheap flight deals… we found ours only about 3-4 weeks out. The weather in July was perfect… it was the rainy season but we only had rain overnight once. Shocking since it’s the rainforest.

Whatever you do, just don’t forget your bug spray.

Year traveled: 2015

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