Ambergris Cay, Belize is a gem of a spot in Central America and easily accessible to our little corner of the world in North Carolina. While it’s rugged in many ways, that’s also where its charm lies. Belize has a long a culturally rich heritage dating back to the ancient Maya civilization around 1500BC. Beginning in the 16th century, Europeans began colonizing - first the Spanish followed by the British until Belize established its independence in 1981. That’s your wee bit of history but I found it helpful to understand the influences, particularly on food!

While there are areas where ancient Mayan ruins can be toured as well as jungle ecosystems to experience, our fam wanted to arrive & essentially stay put so we chose the Airbnb route in Ambergris Cay. Here is our week’s itinerary to help in any Belizean adventures you might have in your future!

Day 1: Arrive in Belize City with short commuter flight into San Pedro (Ambergris Cay)

We flew United into Belize City. Your options to get into San Pedro are by air or by sea. The ferry is 90 minutes and you have to taxi to the ferry dock which adds about 20 more minutes. It is the cheaper option but not by enough to make that extra time with it. We flew TropicAir and could not have been more pleased. The other airline is Maya Island Air for price shopping. This flight is worth every penny as an experience in and of itself. The planes are tiny, the seatbelts don’t seem to work but the views are life changing. And if you’re lucky, like my 15 year old, you might even be invited to sit co-pilot where according to my son you do as much as the pilot after take off (which isn’t much!). Pro tip: grab your liquor at the airport Duty Free before boarding - you’ll pay almost double on the island.

The first must do upon arrival is grab yourself a golf cart. The novelty of this didn't wane a bit in a week and Belize doesn't appear to have many enforced rules (gotta love island livin’) so the boys both chauffered us around, dodging potholes & the occasional iguana crossing. Huge shout out to Khalid with MTK Golf Cart Rentals for a seamless system of airport pick up/drop off and even a luggage escort to our Airbnb!

There are so many cute homes to rent in Ambergris Cay and my best advice is narrow down whether or not you want to be right in the action or a bit apart. We prefer being a bit removed from the noise so we chose an amazing house about 20 minutes from the town center. We still had a corner store within walking distance, a wood-oven pizza place about 5 minutes by cart and a ton of restaurants 10-15 minutes away so there was plenty around but at night you could only hear the water which is exactly what the doctor ordered for us. If you’re interested in our house, Two Tree, check it out. The owners, Derek & Gina are some of the best hosts we’ve ever worked with!

After dropping our bags and taking in the killer views that were all ours for the week, we went to the market(s). It took a few days to find a market that we liked. Namely one that didn’t smell of spoiled milk because of loss of refrigeration. I know we Americans have impossibly high standards but fresh meat and dairy ranks up there for me. Our favorite market was south of the airport across from the airport bar. It was big and clean and the prices were reasonable, even on imports. It’s also a hop, skip & jump from the WinedeVine which was the best place to find yummy wine and cheeses if you want something more than Kendall Jackson & a cheddar block - no judgement.

Once we had supplies, we headed back to the house to drop groceries and grab a bite to eat. Our first dinner was at Croc’s where you can see the most amazing sunset and then watch the crocodiles swim down below. A little freaky but cool for the kids. Food was solid and beer was cold. After dinner and a full day of traveling, it was back to the house to sit by the pool and soak up the day.

Day 2: Explore Secret Beach

Our house was a short 10 minute cart ride to Secret Beach so we packed it up for the day and headed over to what is now a very poorly kept secret. We drove past the initial parking and made our way to @swingbar501. Over the water swings, picnic tables in 5' deep water and waiters who swim your bucket of beers out to you wherever you are. Literally a manifestation from my dreams! We spent the day floating and drinking and drinking and floating plus swinging and volleyball playing too. For lunch we swam right next door to Blue Bayou and had some incredible ceviche and nachos & yes, more drinking. It was such a fun way to spend the day and you can explore what seemed like 10-15 different bars/restaurants each with their own theme. One had a mini water park with inflatables that we visited another day by jetski but there’s something for everyone. While it does have a little bit of a Daytona Beach vibe, it was well worth the trip.

Around sunset we headed back to our house & grabbed a pizza from Moon Bar en route. This is an adults only resort and restaurant so you can’t eat in if you have kiddos but takeout was a great option for us to close out Day 2.

Day 3: Diving, Day 1

If you're heading to Belize, there's a strong likelihood you're a certified diver but if you aren't, you can get 'er done before you go. I was already certified but the rest of the fam needed to catch up. We did our entire certification through Scuba School & Family Dive Center. All the instructors were great but some extra props to MJ & Zain for their rock star teaching/guiding. Our oldest went & got himself concussed before the trip (he's recovering just fine) so he had to delay his certification dives but the 13yo + dad are fully certified up to 60' opening up a whole new world of travel. We dove Tuffy on the inside of the reef our first day. After the day of diving we headed to dinner at Rum Dog, by far my favorite night spot of our trip. It’s completely open air and over the water so the views are incredible and they have live music many nights. Our trip was during March Madness so we caught a game or two there!

Day 4: Downtime

We chose 2 days where we didn’t do a thing but lounge around the house. We grabbed a few breakfast burritos from a beachwalking chef (the men braved this adventure, not me), lazed by the pool, kayaked out to the reef and played a lot of cornhole on the beach. With sand as white and water as beautifully blue in this country, you can not lose scheduling in a few days to just be. We rounded out our night at 303 Belize, think Colorado ski lodge over the water. It was awesome and very appreciated by one in our group who hails from the Centennial State. Great views, great drinks and some good swag. And cheers to the guy who kayaked over pulling a large float with two women on it enjoying some drinks!

Day 5: Diving, Day 2

Our second day of diving was a bit deeper. We had 2 - 60’ dives (the beginners stayed in shallower water inside the reef) at the dive site Bottom Time. I counted 8 sharks, rays, lobster and baracuda among so many gorgeous reef fish. If you have the time and resources, picking up a dive case for your phone is well worth the investment. I chose DiveVolk’s Underwater Touchscreen Housing. It worked wonders once I got the confidence to throw my phone in there (thank you 13 year old for testing it out with your phone first!). Don't judge me after you hear what we did after our day on the water. The World Famous Chicken Drop at Wahoo’s begins with a large grid on the ground (like a bingo card) numbers 1 thru 100 surrounded by a small fence. Players bet a few bucks on a square with bets increasing as the night progresses, and if a chicken placed in the fenced card poops on your number – you win the pot of cash. After "chicken security" escorts the chicken star into the pen, a volunteer swirls the chicken three times in the air and blows in her butt for good luck – this is required. And the winning number must clean up the chicken mess. No chickens are harmed although I imagine their egos may take a beating. Seriously, have you ever with this?

Day 6: Jet ski tour

Our last day on the island was spent seeing it all from the water at high speeds. We hopped on with La Isla Adventures and had an amazing day on their Secret Beach tour. We were on the western side of the island so the waters were shallower and calm which translated to being able to FLY! Our tour started at Turtle Island Resort, aptly named for the sea turtle refuge lagoon central to the resort. We popped in for a morning cocktail and a walk around the grounds & the journey continued. We stopped at a few more uninhabited islands, Love Island being one, where we beached the skis and swam a bit. Lunch was at Secret Beach where we stopped at Secret Beach WaterPark Bar & Grill. While we waited for our food, we ran around like fools on the inflatables working up an appetite. The tour wrapped up with a few more stops to enjoy the scenery and swim before we tried to hit some top speeds on the way home.

Day 7: Heading home

While heading home is never fun after a tropical paradise adventure, having the flight from San Pedro to Belize City as a final tour was not a bad way to say good-bye.

Lots to do and see and this is just a small sampling of all this country offers but none of the sights trump the beauty of the Belizean people. They could not have been more warm and welcoming and we are so grateful they shared their country with us.

Belize Itinerary: One Fun-Filled Week in Belize