Postcard from Belize: Placencia
On Sunday, after a last breakfast poolside at Blancaneaux, we headed out for the 3.5 hour drive to Placencia, on the southern coast of Belize. Jose had explained to us that there are only 4 highways in Belize (which means a paved, 2-lane road), and we would be on 2 of them on our drive to the coast. First, we traveled the Hummingbird Highway through the lush jungle and mountains of the interior of Belize, where coconuts, mango, cashews, bananas are grown and harvested. Our guide explained that Covid had hurt the farming industry in a big way because, with the borders closed, Guatemalans weren’t allowed to come and harvest the produce. This year, the Belizean government is actually vaccinating the migrant workers in Guatemala and issuing temporary visas that will allow them to cross the still-closed border to do the picking.
Somewhere along the way, we came down out of the highlands and into the flatlands, where ranching and much of the large corporate farming takes place. After another 45 minutes along the Southern Highway, we arrived at Turtle Inn, Francis Ford Coppola’s beach hideaway. Turtle Inn is made up of 25 thatched roof cabanas… very similar to Blancaneaux, but with Belizean decor vs the Balinese esthetic found at the Lodge. The overall look and feel is the same…..quiet, refined, serene. The service is attentive and personal, with every receptionist, driver, server, porter, and bartender asking your name and giving theirs. Throughout our stay we were addressed as “Miss Kim” and “Miss Catherine”. Incidentally, I’ve been traveling with Janie/Catherine regularly for almost 6 years…probably a dozen trips both domestically and internationally, and I just found out for that she’d rather be called Catherine!
The best spot was the beach bar, where the drinks were cold and the breezes never cease. Turtle Inn has 3 restaurants…Mare, Gauguin Grill, and Luba’s Kitchen, their Belizean restaurant on the Lagoon. Dinner at Gauguin’s was especially good….you eat at tables right on the sand, among tiki torches and candles set low into high-sided jars filled with hibiscus blooms. There are only a few seafood options each night….whatever was caught that day. We had the choice of whole snapper, grilled shrimp, or conch. I was sorry to learn they hadn’t caught any lobster!
On our second night in Placencia, we took a sunset cruise with Eric as our guide. He’s an industrious local Placencian, who has built his own island in the Lagoon by building a cage-like framework that collects sand and debris, which he then builds upon as his island “grows” organically. Once the pandemic is over, he plans to complete it and eventually offer it as a rental property. In addition to leading tours for Turtle Inn, he has his own touring business which leads fishing, diving, and sightseeing tours all across Belize. We were able to see much of Placencia Village from the water and wave to the locals and expats who live near Sunset Point, at the far end of the peninsula. On the way back to the hotel, we paused to wait for the sunset, which was mostly hidden by afternoon clouds.
For our last few days in Placencia, we stayed at a new resort called It’zana, which eventually will encompass a hotel, 14 beachfront villas (which are all sold, even before they are built) and the Lagoon villas, which haven’t even been started yet. There’s a lovely, British Colonial-style Main House, a pool area with cheerful red-striped umbrellas, and hammocks strung between palm trees along the beach. But the best thing about Itz’ana was the air-conditioning. Early May is the beginning of “rainy season” and, although we didn’t see more than a few drops of rain, it was really hot!
I wanted to give a shout-out to Maya Beach Bistro, where we had our last dinner in Placencia….the jerk chicken, served over wide, flat pasta, with homemade sweet pickles was off the charts. Cold, Belizean Beer, took the heat off. SO Good! (www.mayabeachbistro.com).
We flew Maya Island Air back to Belize City, before taking the ferry to Ambergris Caye for the last leg of our trip. From the air, Belize appears a vast expanse of undeveloped lush greenery, sliced by silvery rivers and bordered by the turquoise Caribbean. It is the most sparsely populated country in Central America, with only 400,000 people in total, of which nearly 25% live in Belize City. Our guides spoke with trepidation of what the future of their country will look like, as the population and tourism grows. They hope that the inevitable development will not take away the casual, family-centric lifestyle they’ve enjoyed all their lives. Belize is multi-cultural as is much of Central America…with Mestizos, Mayans, descendants of the colonial Spanish and the African slave trade, Mennonites, and Asians, brought here as laborers during British colonization, living together in small towns and villages throughout the country.
San Pedro, on Ambergris Caye, is much like it was the last time I visited in 2010. The main north-south road is still the only paved street and it’s still teeming with bikes, golf carts, small delivery trucks and taxis. We were there to see the new Alaia Hotel, which was opening just south of town that very weekend. It’s really not fair to judge a hotel or restaurant on its opening weekend, but I think it’s safe to say that when fully operational, Alaia will be a big success. It’s unlike anything on Ambergris…in all of Belize, for that matter. There’s a rooftop bar and pool scene that tourists will love and the locals will debate. Think South Beach in Belize.