Rambles Around Belize: 1998-2003

MORE RAMBLES

AROUND BELIZE

2005-2006-2008

By LAN SLUDER

Rambles Around Belize

2008

Reports and Opinions

By LAN SLUDER

Banging Around Belize

I’m not an old Belize hand like many of you, but I’ve been banging around Belize for going on 18 years. On my latest visit, in January and February, I put nearly 1,500 miles on a rental car and many rough miles on a golf cart, along with flying. The rental car this trip was a Toyota Prado diesel from Avis. It proved to be a pleasure to drive, even on rough roads. For the first time, diesel fuel prices in Belize and the U.S. are about the same.

My daughter, Rose, in between stints in Bolivia and Argentina, came along for the entire trip, and my son, Brooks, flew in from Harvard Yard for a few days of R&R in Placencia and Toledo.

Much of this visit was devoted to updating, revising and expanding Fodor’s Belize for 2009. For this, I stayed at almost 20 different hotels and toured scores of other ones. Most of these I’d seen or stayed at before; a few were new to me. Fodor’s Belize 2009, published by Random House/Fodor’s Travel, will be out in late summer of this year.

I didn’t get everywhere I wanted to visit in Belize, but I did travel from the northern tip of the country – Corozal Town, Copper Bank, Sarteneja – to Orange Walk Town, Indian Church, Blue Creek and Gallon Jug, over to Belmopan, San Ignacio and the Mountain Pine Ridge, with some time in Belize City, and then down to Dangriga, Hopkins, Placencia and on to Toledo before going out to the cayes. I appreciate the gracious hospitality and friendship of so many – sometimes I think I know more people in Belize than in my home country of the USA – and I apologize for missing out on seeing other people and other places I should have seen. Maybe next time.

I’d like to share with you a few of the things I saw and heard on my latest rambles around Belize.

What’s New?

Tourism is Up … and Down: As always, the well-run places with something unique to offer, such as Victoria House, Chan Chich, Hidden Valley Inn, Blancaneaux, Turtle Inn, Hamanasi, Jaguar Reef and Inn at Robert’s Grove, were heavily booked and doing well. In January, many other places were slow. There’s always a dip in January, but even so this dip was a little deeper than usual, and besides, with the high season so short this year (Easter is early), nobody can afford a slow month. February and March are much better for most places, but two or three months of strong bookings is not enough.

What’s we’ve got here, as the fellow says, is a failure to communicate. In my opinion, Belize is just not marketing itself and its hotels as it should. Maybe the new Belize Tourism Board and Tourism Ministry folks will do a better job than in the past. Resorts are too small to do the job on their own; Belize needs a better cooperative promotional strategy. There are too many new hotel rooms, especially new condotels and lodges. The pie is the same size, but it’s being sliced thinner. Belize is not getting the new airlift it needs, especially not from Canada, the U.K. or Europe, and so far as I can tell the promises of new foreign air service will simply not materialize anytime soon. Finally, and I hate to say it because one of the things I love about Belize is its many small, owner-run inns and lodges, but Belize needs some international hotel brands – major flags that are recognized worldwide, that can help bring in new tourists and even new air service.

Bunch of New Lodges in Cayo: Several new moderate-level lodges that have opened around San Ignacio. A couple of others are under construction. I stayed at a couple of these (Mariposa Jungle Lodge and La Casa del Caballo Blanco) and visited most of the rest. I'm not sure how they're all going to make it, given the locations and the fact that some don't offer a real differential advantage, something unique in price, setting, service, food, activities, etc. compared to existing lodges in the area. There are several new lodges on the Cristo Rey Road on the way to or just beyond San Antonio village. These include Table Rock Lodge, Macaw Bank, Mango Walk and Mariposa. Of these, Table Rock and Mariposa are the more upscale. Mariposa is asking US$155 a night for lodging in attractive thatch cabanas, but food (over BZ$60 for dinner) is pretty expensive. On the Chiquibul Road (Mountain Pine Ridge Road) from Georgeville, Gumbo Limbo Village Resort opened a few months ago. I would say it offers more for less - nice new rooms (not thatch) for US$120 a night in-season, US$85 off, a swimming pool and decent prices at the restaurant. Up near Mountain Equestrian Trails is Moonracer Farm, which will have a unit or two, and near Macaw Bank will be a new lodge with a projected 20 cabanas. On the newly paved Bullet Tree Road, about 1 1/3 miles west of San Ignacio, is La Casa del Caballo Blanco (House of the White Horse, named after a horse belonging to the previous owner, which remains on the property). Though close to the road, the setting on a hill offers great views of San Ignacio, and the Unique Selling Proposition here is that it has a bird rehab center on-site. Though not a lodge, Ka’ana Boutique Resort and Spa on the Benque Road just west of San Ignacio is an interesting experiment in upscale accommodations. The new owners, associated with Belize Natural Energy, have turned a failed roadside hotel into a charming top end property. You’ll enjoy it, but you won’t get out of here cheap; for example, a regular breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant is US$20. The owners here are also planning to open a large new resort in Placencia, on the site of the old Luba Hati and some adjoining properties.

Upscaling the Upscale: As has been the case for years, Belize tourism is continuing to move upscale. Everybody is adding a swimming pool, or a second or third pool. For example, Blancaneaux just added a new infinity pool, to supplement their heated pool and several private splash pools. The Lodge at Chaa Creek is closing for a month in September to build a pool near the conference center. There are new spas everywhere, even if in name only. More places have fancy designer toiletries in the baths. Happily, there are still places that just offer good accommodations at a fair price. For example, Hickatee Cottages near Punta Gorda. Or Coral House Inn on the waterfront in PG. Or D’Nest Inn in Belize City. Maxhapan Cabanas on Caulker. All of these have attractive rooms at prices in the US$65 to $85 range, or less. And, they’re run by people who enjoy what they’re doing, which makes a big difference.

Impact of the U.S. Recession: That the U.S. is now in recession is clear. What’s not clear yet is what impact that will have on Belize. The link between the U.S. dollar and the Belize dollar is a plus, because for American tourists the weak U.S. dollar means little when they visit Belize. Americans will continue to visit Belize, though I don’t think we’ll see any growth in tourism in 2008 or 2009, and likely there will be some contraction in U.S. visits. Possibly this will be offset by increased tourism from Canada, Europe and Latin America, though without additional air service from these areas a significant increase is unlikely. The U.S. slowdown, however, certainly will impact real estate sales in Belize. It’s a fantasy to think that a recession, plus the housing bust in Belize’s largest supplier of property buyers won’t have a considerable impact on sales.

Condomania Continues: In the face of the U.S., Canadian and U.K. housing problems, developers in Belize continue to pour concrete for new condo developments, especially on Ambergris Caye and in Placencia. They’re also building bigger projects. For example, Grand Caribe on North Ambergris is doing 74 condo units, Las Terrazas (a project of the Journey’s End owners) is building 78 units in two phases, Placencia Resort has asked for approval to do 152 units just north of the Inn at Roberts Grove, and Bella Maya in Placencia with 60 units has finally opened (though 30 of the units are incomplete). The controversial Ara Macao in Placencia is going to build 50,000 units (or something ridiculous like that.) And the list goes on and on. Real estate agents and developers tell me that sales were pretty good until a few months ago, when they started slowing down, in some cases significantly. This obviously is the impact of the U.S. economic problems. My gut is that Belize is going to see a glut of condos over the next couple of years. Expect some bargains, much like what we’re seeing in Florida now, with discounts of 20% to 30% off the original asking prices.

Hotel Highlights

Without exception, the places where I stayed this trip were delightful. If I had to single out a few spots, it would be these:

Blancaneaux Lodge (www.blancaneaux.com) looks better than ever. It has a gorgeous new pool, where the croquet lawn used to be. There’s also a new, dinner-by-reservation only, Guatemalteca restaurant next to the pool. The “Enchanted Cottage” is a lovely tile-roofed stone house that will open soon, a bit away from the main lodge grounds.

Chan Chich Lodge (www.chanchich.com). It had been several years since I was last at Chan Chich. All I can say is that the lodge has only gotten better under the management of Ben and Amanda Dodge, who before taking this assignment were teachers at a nearby village school. The new two-bedroom villa (complete with air-conditioning) is a nice addition for families or a two couples traveling together. Meals at the lodge are superb. The setting, as ever, is wonderful.

Inn at Robert’s Grove (www.robertsgrove.com) thrives by understanding what their guests want and by delivering it flawlessly. While I was enjoying luxurious beachside digs at Robert’s Grove, owners Robert and Risa Frackman traveled to Belize City to accept the Belize Tourism Industry Association’s top honor – being named Hotel of the Year for 2008. Much deserved! This is truly one of the most enjoyable and best-run beach resorts in the region.

D’Nest Inn (www.dnestinn.com) is the kind of place you wish Belize City, and indeed Belize, had more of. It’s well run, safe, fairly priced and very comfortable. You get little extras like a full breakfast, cable TV and free wireless. Gaby and Oty make their guests feel welcome, and it’s no wonder D’Nest Inn stays busy.

Brits Ian and Kate Morton opened Hickatee Cottages (www.hickatee.com), located about a mile from PG, in 2005. This little lodge is living proof that you don’t need to stay in a big, fancy resort at high prices to have a great vacation experience. Rates for the three cottage rooms, set in lush foliage, are an affordable US$70 to $85, plus hotel tax, and include airport transfer and continental breakfast. There’s a small swimming pool – actually, more of a splash pool. Delicious meals made with fruits and vegetables from the owners' organic nurseries next door are available (dinner is around US$15). A special treat: On Wednesdays and Saturdays, you can go with Ian to visit the nearby Fallen Stones butterfly farm, which he manages. Fallen Stones is one of the largest commercial butterfly operations in Central America, and closed to the public, except for guests of Hickatee.

At Hidden Valley Inn (www.hiddenvalleyinn), guests in just 12 cottages have access to 7,200 private acres. That’s perhaps 300 private acres per person, with miles of trails to explore and hidden waterfalls to discover. How cool is that? I first stayed at Hidden Valley years ago, when Mr. Bull Headley owned it. I didn’t know him well but did break bread with him a time or two, and he was quite a colorful character. (His son still lives near the lodge.) The prominent Roe family of Belize City bought the lodge in 2001 and made many small but important improvements, including adding a gorgeous swimming pool. New in 2007 is an airstrip. The new GM, Flavien Daguise, appears to be doing an excellent job.

Azul Resort (www.azulbelize.com) about 5 miles north of San Pedro is in that rarified category of small resorts for those guests for whom, as it’s said, money is no object. For a price, your every expectation is met: There’s a gorgeous stretch of beach, a circular pool shared by just two beach villas. And what beach villas these are, with 3,000 sq. ft. of luxury and good design. They have flat-screen plasma TV, a projection TV to turn your villa into your own movie theater, and a Bose sound system. Beyond the electronics they have two luscious bedrooms with king beds with Egyptian cotton linens. They also have a private hot tub, day bed and dining area on the roof, with amazing views of the water. Of course, you’re just steps from perhaps the best restaurant in Belize, Rojo Lounge. You could wake up here and think you were in St. Barths, playground of multimillionaires and billionaires. Yet, I have to say that there’s a nice, down-to-earth touch at Azul. Nobody’s putting on airs. The owners’ sizable menagerie of dogs and cats seem to enjoy the place as much as the guests.

At Victoria House (www.victoria-house.com) south of San Pedro, we stayed in one of the new condo villas, which are gorgeous. Victoria House is peaceful, serene, beautiful, everything that an island resort should be.

At Cotton Tree Lodge (www.cottontreelodge.com) near Punta Gorda, you can play Tarzan and swing into the Moho River on a rope swing. Opened in late 2006, Cotton Tree is right beside the river about 15 miles from PG. Guests are usually brought in by boat, though you also come by road, and stay in one of 10 thatch cabañas set among wild fig trees along the river's edge. You walk around the property on raised walkways. I’ve not been there in the summer rainy season, when the Moho floods, but it’s got to be an interesting experience, with the lodge grounds becoming a large lake, water lapping at the walkways. There are still some rough edges here, but I suspect it will make it, thanks to the dramatic riverside location.

La Casa del Caballo Blanco (www.casacaballoblanco.com) in San Ignacio, with its bird rehab and birding focus, may find its niche. The owners were away when I was there, but the friendly staff did a good job. And, as I say, the setting on a hill overlooking San Ignacio and nearby hills offers lovely views.

Mariposa Jungle Lodge (www.mariposajunglelodge.com), near San Antonio village on the way to the Mountain Pine Ridge, was built by two attorneys who retired to the adventure of running a lodge. The cabanas are very attractive, and the owners provide personal attention and customized activities.

Belize’s Best Eating

Restaurants in Belize keep getting better and better. Here are some of my most memorable meals from this visit. Riverside Tavern in Belize City has the best burgers in Belize. Period. The dining room isn’t open to the public, but if you want a great breakfast in Belize City, I know where you can get it – at D’Nest Inn. Oty is a great cook. In Corozal Town, I still love Patti’s Bistro and the Y Not Grill at Tony’s Inn (the fajitas are great, as is the bayside atmosphere), but the new RD’s (aka R’nD’s) near Patti’s is also excellent. At the half dozen or so lodges where I stayed this trip, the best meal I had was at Chan Chich Lodge, and a close runner-up for best lodge meal was at Blancaneaux Lodge, where we had a wonderful dinner with the beautiful Anne Wood, who heads up Mr. Coppola’s growing hotel operations. In Placencia, the best meal I had was … at Tutti-Frutti. Start with a cup of banana gelato, then a double scoop cone of mango and coconut, and for dessert a scoop of tiramisu. Tutti-Frutti has moved up a few doors to the new center across from the Purple Space Monkey (where breakfast was excellent) and just in front of the new BTIA office. Tiziana and Laurent’s authentic Italian ices are alone worth a special trip to Placencia. The Saturday poolside barbecue at Robert’s Grove was fantastic, as usual. Maya Beach Hotel Bistro was bustling, and I like the expanded new menu at this charming spot, though I can’t recommend the Lobster Shooter – sorry, Ellen and John, but I don’t get off drinking lobster-flavored tequila! In Punta Gorda, I was happy to find out that an old favorite, Mangrove Inn, had reopened after an absence of several years, but this time on the second floor of Casa Bonita, up at Cattle Landing. Iconie Williams is still the culinary force behind it. The best meals of the entire trip were at Rojo Lounge, 5 miles north of San Pedro on North Ambergris. Oh, those crab cakes, those guava-glazed baby back ribs, that rich, thick hummus. Owners Jeff Speigel, a former punk rock record producer and self-taught chef, runs the back of the house, and Vivian Yu runs the front. The one place I wished I would never have to leave was breakfast next to the pool at Victoria House. With a view of the sea and the barrier reef, with a gentle breeze form the water, it was idyllic. The third time’s the charm for Capricorn. On its third set of owners, the restaurant has regained its sea legs and is again one of the top restaurants on the island. Reservations are essential. By chance, I was at Capricorn the day its original owners, Clarence and Annabel, held their grand opening party. There’s also a lot of buzz about the new Blue Lotus, on what is being called the “bayside” of San Pedro. The word is that it has Indian food, top-flight service and a stunning setting.

Up-and-Coming Sarteneja

We arrived by car in Sarteneja on a rainy, cold day. A norther had swept in, causing heavy rains and chilled temps. For a while, I put on a cotton sweater. But when the sun came out, the little village of Sarteneja came to life. Kids play on the dirt streets or swim off the docks. Villagers hang out on the porches or yards of small, plain, but well-maintained houses, speaking Spanish, or stroll down for a cheap bite to eat at Robie’s.

This is Belize like it used to be. Safe. Friendly. Inexpensive. A picturesque setting on the water.

There’s not much to see or do here, except for the Shipstern Reserve. The crocodile crèche has closed, due to the death of its founder, and the baby crocs have been released. Sarteneja is a place just to hang and maybe finish that novel you’ve been working on.

Sarteneja has only a few small guesthouses, a handful of restaurants. We stayed this trip at Candalie’s Sunset Cabañas (email candaliescabanas@yahoo.com), next door to Krisami’s Guesthouse and owned by members of the same family. For value and comfort, you can’t beat Candalie’s. A roomy cottage, perched just a few feet from the sea, with cable TV and A/C, is only US$40 double. The owner of Fernando’s Guesthouse, down the street also on the water, has done some upgrading of the rooms there. Backpackers Paradise (www.cabansbelize.com) has funky little cabins for budget-minded travelers. The double beds take up almost all the space, and the baths are outside and shared, but they’re a deal at US$10 double. The owners are a Canadian-Swiss couple.

In my opinion, Sarteneja is Belize’s next Hopkins. It’s already attracting attention from real estate buyers. The only thing that’s holding it back is that it still takes a little effort to get there. The route from Corozal Town is a little faster these days, now that there is a second hand-pulled ferry over Laguna Seca, but it’s still a long sloshy drive, especially after rains. There are several buses a day from Orange Walk Town, and one from Chetumal and Corozal Town. Tropic Air has a scheduled flight (if there’s demand) to Sarteneja’s airstrip, and the twice-daily Thunderbolt water taxi between San Pedro and Corozal Town stops, on request, at Sarteneja. You can also take a skiff from Chetumal to Sarteneja, and have your passport stamped at the police station.

Tiny’s is the new Internet café in Sarteneja.

PG Is Peachy

Peaches may not grow in Toledo, but nonetheless Punta Gorda is peachy. The town has such a lovely waterside setting, comparable to Corozal Town. It’s small, it’s friendly, it’s safe, it’s pretty. There’s so much to do around Toledo – caving, hiking, visiting the many Maya sites – and offshore, where the permit and other fishing is world-class, and where the reefs and water are virtually pristine. It’s a shame more visitors don’t come down and discover it.

Blue Belize Guest House (www.bluebelize.com) is a welcome new addition to the list of PG hotels. It has views of the water, and rates are an affordable US$55 (plus 9% hotel tax) for a double. There’s also a new small guesthouse on Front Street next to Beya Suites. It’s called Tropics Inn B&B, but it was never open when I went by. Another guesthouse is opening in town soon. If you can believe it, it combines guest rooms and a pit bull kennel. Yeah.

My favorite hotel in PG proper is Coral House Inn (www.coralhouseinn.net) You’ll recognize it by the vintage VW van parked in front. Americans Rick and Darla Mallory renovated this 1938 British colonial-era house and turned it into one of the best small guesthouses in the country. It's near the sea at the end of Front Street. The four guest rooms – rates US$82.50 to $100 -- have tile floors, excellent beds, A/C and Wi-Fi. There's a small pool, recently upgraded. Breakfast is included in rates. The owners also manage a nearby, newly renovated private rental home, available for US$100 to $125 nightly, depending on length of stay, plus tax.

For those driving down, work on preparing the last 9 miles of the Southern Highway for paving has actually begun.

Don’t Cry for Me, Placencia

Those of us who have been going to Placencia for 15 or 20 years, who remember when the peninsula was a little bit of the South Pacific in Central America, the changes in Placencia are disconcerting. Everybody and his brother have plans to build condos or sell building lots. But, with the best beaches on the mainland, it had to happen. I just hope that development occurs with sensible, long-range planning for reliable infrastructure, building codes and restrictions, tasteful signage rules and limitations on how the lagoon and sea beaches can be developed.

A model for this is Stewart Krohn’s Coco Plum development. It’s a blueprint for what a well-conceived and well-executed development should be. The paved roads are amazing. There are only a few houses built there as of now. Katie Valk (www.belize-trips.com) just moved into her stunning new beachfront house, and Krohn has a new house farther inland.

Unfortunately, on most of the peninsula I don’t see this kind of project being repeated. There is a hodge-podge of development. There is no master plan. It’s a free enterprise free-for-all.

As to the infamous Placencia road, every year the word is “we’ve got the money, we’re letting bids, work will start later this year.” Yep, that’s the word again in 2008. Maybe it will actually happen this year. But don’t hold your breath.

San Pedro Sizzles

I’ve written a guidebook to San Pedro and have been reporting on Ambergris Caye for 15 years, but I can’t keep up with all the changes on the island. New condos are going up everywhere you look. Dear old Front Street and also Coconut Drive, down to Victoria House, is now paved with concrete cobblestones down. There’s a brand new gas station south of town – a gas station, just like in the ‘burbs! Driving past the airstrip and the high dark walls Ramon’s Village has put up to shield the resort from street noise and up the drive, the traffic is terrible, and I feel like I’m in the middle of a concrete canyon.

But there’s an energy in San Pedro that’s missing in most other tourist destinations in Belize. Every block there’s a new shop or a new bar or a new restaurant. Not everything works, but a lot of people are making money.

Handicap Access

This may come as a surprise to some of you, but I’m not as young as I used to be. (I know it surprises me.) Neither am I exactly a poster child for the South Beach Diet.

On the positive side, this gives me a new insight into the issues of handicap access in Belize. On this trip, touring hotels and moving from one hotel to another every day or so, it seems like I spent half my time climbing up and down stairs. Steep stairs. Stairs up four or five stories, in some cases. Steps up the side of hills. “Easy” hiking trails that rise and fall hundreds of feet in a mile or so. Boats that dock three feet below the level of the pier. Little airplanes that require you to bend double to get down the aisle.

The fact is, most of Belize simply isn’t accessible for people with limited mobility. Or just for those of us who aren’t as spry as we used to be.

Hotels almost invariably are built elevated from ground level. Walkways at jungle lodges or even at regular hotels are cobblestone or rough boards or loose gravel. Often the best rooms, those with the views, are on the top floors, up several flights of stairs.

I can count the number of hotels in Belize with handicap-accessible rooms on the arthritic fingers of one hand – Calico Jack’s in Placencia, the original SunBreeze in San Pedro, Hok’ol K’in in Corozal Town, and maybe a couple of others. Aside from elevators in the high-rise hotels in Belize City, the Radisson Fort George, Renaissance Tower and the Princess, and the little one at Corona del Mar in San Pedro, here are almost no elevators anywhere in the country.

Even the new condo developments in Placencia and Ambergris Caye are going up two, three or four stories without elevators. (Surely, developers will figure out the average buyer of a US$600,000 condo is not going to be a 20-something marathon runner, but more like a retired couple with a hip replacement or two?)

I understand the problems of building in a hurricane- and flood-prone environment, on sand, on remote hillsides. I realize there are no laws requiring access for those with less than perfect mobility.

In today’s world of aging Baby Boomers with bum knees, though, there’s a market for hotels and condos with easy access. Somebody is going to figure out that wide doors, access ramps and elevators sell. (In one of the guidebooks I write, Fodor’s Belize, a standard requirement now is to state whether or a not a listed hotel has an elevator.) Even if it’s not mandated by law, it can make good economic sense to make new construction in Belize accessible to everyone.

Election: Fi U, Fi Me, Fi All o We

My rambles around Belize coincided with the run-up to the general election, and to the election itself on February 7, which saw the United Democratic Party sweep back into power, winning 25 of 31 House seats. As I’m not a Belizean citizen, I stay out of Belizean politics, but I have to congratulate Belize and all Belizeans on the election. It was peaceful, fair, well run and as full of political vim and vigor as any election I’ve ever seen. This was an election run by and for Belizeans – no need for a bunch of outside political consultants. It’s a sign that Belizean democracy has matured. Almost three-fourths of registered voters participated, an involvement rate that Americans and many others should envy.

As I traveled around Belize before the election talking to both Belizeans and expats, I did hear a lot of nonsense – about how it was going to be a close race, about what the PUP would do or the UDP would do, about how violence would rip through the country after the election. But one guy who had it all figured out was Stewart Krohn of Channel 5 TV. Three weeks before the election, over dinner one night, he quietly explained what would happen in the election. He said flatly that the PUP at most might win six or seven seats, and he was dead right. Hey, Stewart has his own Wikipedia entry – I’m impressed!

I can only hope that the U.S. presidential election turns out half as well. George W. Bush and his incompetent pals have done their pathetic best to destroy the economy, the military, the moral power and the great democratic traditions of America. After near eight years of Bush-Cheney, the dollar is the world’s 98-pound weakling, the trade and budget deficits are at historical highs, the housing and credit markets are in tatters, the stock market is tanking, the economy has entered a scary recession, we’re in an energy crisis, we’re trapped in an endless three trillion dollar war, and most of the six billion people in the world are disgusted with the U.S. Bush doubtless will rank with Buchanan and Harding as the worst president in U.S. history.

Trip Advisor: Power and Problems

Trip Advisor (www.tripadvisor.com) has become a force in the hospitality industry. A series of top reviews of a hotel can boost its occupancy considerably; several bad reviews can really hurt it.

While Trip Advisor is a great resource for travelers, there are problems with it. It’s no secret that some, perhaps many, of the reviews are spiked. Some glowing reviews are put by the hotel owner or by friends of the owner. Hotel operators take pains to encourage happy guests to post reviews, which skews the statistics. Owners of units in condotels juice their investment by posting anonymous glowing reviews. On the other side of the coin, some negative reviews are posted by competitors. Sometimes, a bad review is just the way a vindictive guest has of getting back at a hotel that didn’t live up to perhaps unrealistic expectations.

But aside from these issues, you have to take some of the reviews with a grain of salt. Many are extremely detailed and helpful. But others show a total lack of knowledge about the area. If anything, many of the reviews are overly positive. Guests ooh and aah over the view of the barrier reef, say, or the fact that the hotel puts decorative flowers on the bed. The reviewer may not know that scores of hotels in Belize put fresh flowers out (it’s still a nice touch, of course), and that nearly all the resorts on the northern cayes have views of the reef. But it’s the lack of comparative knowledge and lack of context that makes many of the reviews less valuable than they otherwise would be.

Look at the hotel properties that are currently (the popularity index does change frequently) listed as the “most popular” on Ambergris Caye. The top three in “specialty lodging” of 17 properties are, in this order, Pedro’s Inn, Belize Tradewinds Paradise Villas, and The Palms condotel. Wow, what a group! I don’t know what “specialty lodging” actually is, but I can’t imagine comparing Pedro’s and The Palms.

In a different category, of Ambergris Caye’s 45 hotels reviewed, White Sands Cove and Xanadu both receive # 1 ratings for popularity. Not sure how that’s possible, as they’re not shown as tied, just both # 1. Not to be picky, but why wouldn’t Paradise Villas, The Palms, Xanadu and White Sands Cove all be in the same category? They’re all properties that have individually owned condo units, managed by a management company. Both White Sands Cove and Xanadu are excellent, well-run properties, but if you were betting on the “most popular” hotel on the entire island, would you say it was White Sands Cove? In Trip Advisor’s Ambergris Caye B&B category, Salamander Hideaway, Caye Casa, Blue Tang Inn, Changes in Latitudes and Turtleman’s House are the five listed B&Bs. Huh?

Bottom line for me: Trip Advisor is a powerful tool, but it is run by people who know almost nothing about hotels in Belize or how to group them. The reviewing process is inherently skewed by competing commercial interests and by the self-selected nature of the reviewers. As more and more people do reviews, Trip Advisor will become more valuable and reliable. You can throw out the very negative and very positive reviews, along with the obviously naïve ones, and get a good feel for the sense of the majority of guests. But judging hotels based on a handful of reviews (most Caye Caulker hotels, for example, have fewer than 10 reviews and three of 18 hotels listed have only one review each) is not necessarily a good idea.

Andy Palacio

I shouldn’t have been, but I was surprised at the outpouring of feeling of so many Belizeans at the untimely death of Andy Palacio. Thousands came out to mourn him, and at his funeral the population of Barranco probably tripled.

Helicopters

Astrum Helicopters (www.astrumhelicopters.com), based at the Cisco Yard at Mile 3 ½ of the Western Highway, is run by a hard-working family from Guatemala. They are making this business work, offering transfers to resorts like Cayo Espanto and Azul Resort (US$1,200 to $2,250 for four to six people), real estate tours, and sightseeing tours for cruise ship passengers and tourists. They operate dependable Bell 206 equipment, including a new 7-place Bell 206 L Long Ranger.

Value Rant

Pardon me while I rant for a moment on the problem of value in Belize tourism. Belize has a reputation, partly undeserved and partly deserved, for being an expensive destination.

Belize has many great tourism buys. I’ve mentioned a few in this Ramble – places like Candalie’s Seaside Cabanas in Sarteneja, where a big cottage with A/C and cable TV is just US$40 for two. Or many of the budget hotels and B&Bs you’ll find in Caye Caulker, Placencia, Belize City, Corozal Town, Orange Walk Town or downtown San Ignacio. Or little local restaurants, such as Patti’s Bistro in Corozal Town or Anijitos Santelmo on Ambergris Caye, where you can get a tasty full meal for a few bucks.

But to prospective visitors and to those who come to Belize, some costs stand out like an ugly sore thumb. Examples: US$200 for a one-way transfer from Belize City to Cayo. Sure, it’s for up to four people, which on a per-person basis isn’t bad, but the fact is that most come to Belize as a couple, so they’re pay US$200 round-trip just to get to a lodge.

Or the jungle lodge that charges US$35 to $40 for dinner, plus 10% service and maybe 10% tax. The dinner might be great, or it might be mediocre. The guest without a rental car really doesn’t have an option, and so feels ripped off. The guest-focused lodge would provide an alternative, much as concessionaires at U.S. national parks do, with a snack bar or other less expensive option for those that don’t want to pay US$100 a couple for dinner and drinks.

Too many Belize hotel owners figure if they’re not making money, they’ve got to raise rates and prices. Every year, I look at hotel prices, and rates at many spots go up 5, 10 or 15%. The operators complain about the high cost of food, the high cost of gas, the burden of social security taxes. So, start your own organic gardens and get a hybrid that gets 50 miles per gallon. Belize labor costs are still dirt cheap compared with the developed world, so don’t complain about that.

For too long, when the question is value, the answer has been to raise prices instead of finding a way to cut costs and to become more competitive. The result is Belize’s current reputation as the most expensive destination in the region. Increasingly, even in comparison with the U.S. and Canada, Belize is seen as expensive. Hotel rates, meals, gas, groceries and car rentals are viewed as MORE EXPENSIVE than in the average U.S. destination. That, my friend, is not good!

On the other side of the coin, if a hotel operator can’t or won’t cut rates, at least he or she should try to offer a real differential advantage. Too many Belize properties are “just good enough.” They don’t offer something unique and special, in place, people, price or product that is totally superior to that the guest can get anywhere else. Chan Chich, to use an obvious example, is expensive, yet due to its location, its setting, its unique style, its unmatched birding and animal spotting, guests feel they get value for the money.

Wild Creatures in Cages

I finally had a chance to see Croc-O-Dile Isle, which is a few miles off the Southern Highway, on a dirt road near Silk Grass village. Although I had a pleasant meal at the Snap Jaws restaurant there, I was a little taken aback by the crocodile displays. The whole place reminded me a little of some roadside alligator zoo in 1950s Florida. A few pathetic-looking small crocs lay in the sun in small ponds of muddy water. I don’t recommend it.

In late January, I also stopped at Indian Creek Lodge and met Ken Karas, who runs this and the other Belize Lodge and Excursions’ three lodges in Toledo. That’s another story, but Mr. Karas did show me Balaam Na, which means “House of the Jaguar” in K'etchi Maya. It is about a 10-minute drive from Indian Creek. Balaam Na has attractive, upscale suites in a lodge that is built over a fenced enclosure where, I was told, two jaguars would be placed. The idea is that guests can look down from their suites or the raised walkway and see the jaguars. When I was there construction was still going on in at least one of the suites. Supposedly, according to the web site, this place has been open for a while, but it obviously wasn't open when I visited.

When we finished the Balaam Na tour Ken Karas asked if my daughter and I wanted to see the two jaguars. We said yes. The jaguars, beautiful young males, one black and one spotted, are being kept in a small cage at Indian Creek Lodge. So far as I can see, they have no place to exercise, no way to be out in the open. Now, I understand the idea is that at some point they will be put in the fenced enclosure at Balaam Na. When I don't know. But even to be kept in such a cage for a few weeks or few months -- I have no idea how long they've been in there, but it hasn't been just a few days -- is disturbing.

Lan Sluder is the author of more than half a dozen books on Belize, including Fodor’s Belize, Living Abroad in Belize and San Pedro Cool. He also has done other travel guides for Frommer’s and Fodor’s. His travel articles have appeared in many magazines and newspapers, including Caribbean Travel and Life, The New York Times, Where to Retire, Globe & Mail, and the Chicago Tribune. He founded Belize First Magazine, now available as a free Internet magazine at www.belizefirst.com. Sluder can be reached at lansluder@gmail.com.

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Times They Are A'Changing Here are some of the changes I’ve seen in 2005 and 2006:

Invasion of the Boomer Snatchers We've been talking about it for years: How the wave of retiring Baby Boomers - the first of us hit 60 in 2006 - will flood the warmer climes with bazillions of young codgers waving cash and looking for a bit of tropical real estate. I pooh-poohed that for years, but it's finally, actually happening. In Belize, they've just about bought up the affordable seafront land, and now they're plopping down deposits in developments like Progresso Heights and Cerros Sands in Corozal, Sanctuary Bay near Hopkins, Coco Plum on the Placencia peninsula, and others. Whether they'll end up staying and building or buying, or, faced with the frustrations of daily life in a developing country, head back to St. Petersburg with tails between their legs, it's probably too soon to tell. If the Belize Experience pattern were to hold true, the developers who are building all these fancy subdivisions, condos, and timeshares for the Boomer Snatchers will end up broke and out of business. Yet, maybe this time things are different. If the Boomers really end up coming to Belize en masse, enough of them will stick it out, and the developers will end up doing okay at last.

TOURISM FOLKS SINGING THE BLUES

“September and October are always bad, but it’s been a long time since it was this bad.”

“We had a record June, but then things went south in July – it wasn’t this bad after the hurricanes.”

“Everything looked great … until July and August.”

“August, September and October were really slow. November hasn’t picked up much.”

Those are just some of the comments I heard from hotel, lodge and resort owners around Cayo, Placencia, Corozal, Belize City and San Pedro. Almost everyone I talked with said the same thing: The first half of the year was excellent, but in the early summer the bottom fell out.

Tourism operators have various explanations:

The bandit incidents in Cayo of course had a major impact there, but they spilled over into other areas, including Placencia. First-timers to Belize don’t really have a good grasp of Belize geography, so if they hear of crime in one area they may decide to cancel or postpone a trip to anywhere in the country. One lodge owner said they lost US$150,000 in cancellations, so they were ready and willing to contribute to the fund to get the Guatemalans responsible out of Guate and into a Belizean jail.

The U.S. Department of State travel advisory that remains in effect clearly is hurting business. You can see the advisory, posted July 18, 2006, at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1055.html.

I’m told that a meeting set up with the U.S. embassy in Belize to discuss this didn’t come off because representatives from the Belize Tourism Board didn’t show up.

Others thought that the election in the U.S. might have kept some Americans at home. Some ascribed the problem to lack of European tourists -- Europeans hate to have to go through the U.S. to get to their final destination. Still others think the residual fear of terrorist attacks in the U.S. and Britain has an impact on international travel. Some think that rate increases at hotels and the general increase in prices in Belize, in part due to the GST, play a role. A few said they thought the increase in the number of condos in Placencia and on Ambergris Caye was hurting hotel and restaurant business, as owners now stay in their condos and prepare meals there.

Probably it’s a combination of reasons, but personally I think the biggest cause is the perception of crime, and the cautionary advisory about the Cayo bandit incidents and other crime in Belize posted since July on the U.S. Department of State web site.

The good news: Bookings for the Christmas season seem excellent everywhere. Most hotels report good, though not record, bookings for the rest of the high season.

As always, some hotels are doing well even as others struggle. When I was in Placencia in mid-November, Turtle Inn was 100% booked and the larger Robert’s Grove was about 75% full. Victoria House in San Pedro was bustling with guests, especially in the gorgeous new villas section, and places like Banana Beach in San Pedro also were doing a good business. At the more modest end of the scale, Martha’s Guesthouse in San Ignacio said its new annex was already 100% booked for January through April.

IS CONDO BUBBLE ABOUT TO BURST?

Anyone who returns to Placencia or San Pedro after being away for a year or so will be amazed by the number of condominiums going up. More than 500 condo units are currently under construction on North Ambergris Caye alone. Reef Village, Las Terrazas, The Phoenix. Pelican Reef, Grand Caribe, Mirador, Belize Legacy and Blue Reef are just a few among the many projects currently under way on the island. The Placencia peninsula, as I reported in my last Rambles, has some 1,500 units either under construction or planned. I don’t expect all of the Placencia condos to actually get built, but from the talk you hear San Pedro is going to get dozens of more projects in the next year or two. Hopkins is also getting a wave of new condos. Even Caye Caulker is getting a couple.

Developers are doing business plans and projections on the backs of envelopes, and the excavators and dump trucks are running full out.

To me, it looks like a classic bubble that’s about to burst. Already, I’m hearing about condo projects that are hitting up their owners for extra bucks, special assessments and higher monthly maintenance fees just to keep things afloat. I think many of the condos will sell, and some have been pre-sold, but not many owners plan to live in Belize full time. Most will use the units just a few weeks a year. The owners are buying on the expectations of getting cash from the management company for their share of rental fees from the rental pool. But unless Belize gets a lot more tourist boots on the beach, these condos are going stay empty much of the time, and the owners can take the rental income projections with a grain of salt.

I’m also hearing about some serious softening in prices. Units that were going to sell for six hundred grand are now available for $395K, and when you look at the listings in the windows of real estate offices you’ll see a lot of markdowns. Yet, in my op, they’re still overpriced on any rational ROI basis, though in the long run the owners may get price appreciation, especially on beachfront property.

New condo buyers are hit with the 10% GST and 5% stamp duty upfront, so a buyer of a US$300,000 condo has to fork up US$45,000 in cash on top of that. The real estate guys say that doesn’t have a big impact on sales. Yeah, right -- the average middle class family has US$45K in cash laying around that they’re just going to hand over to the Belize government to give away to its pals and cronies.

Mark my words: Look for a fire sale on condos in the next couple of years. And if you’re buying a condo, don’t book on paying the mortgage with income from the rental pool for a while.

PRICE/VALUE ISSUES

Belize has a reputation as the most expensive destination in Central America, but you can still find some excellent values in Belize, both in travel and in real estate. In fact, in many cases it is actually cheaper to travel or live in Belize – at a level of health, hygiene and amenities that are acceptable to most Americans or Canadians – than in some other countries in the region. Sure, you can travel or live cheaper in Nicaragua or Guatemala than in Belize, but you’re living or traveling on a different level than in Belize.

Corozal Town, for instance, remains a good value. You can get a hotel room in a new or completely renovated hotel for 40 to 60 bucks, complete with a new bed, A/C and cable TV. You can get a delicious dinner for under US$10. Real estate is also still affordably priced. You can rent a nice house for US$250 to $600 a month, and buy a building lot for around US$15,000 to $25,000 or an attractive, modern house for US$100,000 to $200,000.

Cayo, Toledo and Caye Caulker in many ways offer similar value for the money.

However, I’m seeing more hotels, resorts and lodges that are raising their rates by 20% or 30% or 40% or more. Places that use to cost US$150 are now $300, and some are getting up into stratospheric rate territory, US$400 to $800 a night. Simple breakfasts at hotels often are US$10 or $12, dinners $30 or more. The average tour is now approaching $100 or more per person, and many are twice that. Hotels try to hit you up for US$10 to $15 for internet access, I was at a modest restaurant in San Pedro, the kind where you sit on stools, the other night and the dinner special was BZ$65. In a grocery, a fifth of One Barrel was US$12 and Belikin was near US$10 for six bottles. A car rental costs US$90 a day, plus 10% tax and various other charges, and gas is still near $5 a gallon.

Many visitors can pay those rates, but it’s also the case that the vast majority of Americans and Canadians, and presumably Europeans as well, don’t pay those kinds of prices back home. When they travel, they stay at places like Fairfield Inn or Hampton Inn, where a big, recently refurbished room with king bed, cable, free broadband internet, free local calls, free included breakfast runs around US$100, and no service charge. They eat at restaurants where they might pay US$10 to $14 for a full dinner, or at McDonald’s where you can get a double cheeseburger and fries for US$2 from the value menu. Beer is under four bucks a six-pack. A car rental is usually US$30 to $50 a day, and gas is US$2.10.

If Belize can offer a truly special experience, visitors may be willing to pay extra for it. Frankly, though, I’m getting concerned that too many places are trying to increase revenues simply by raising rates without offering a better product. If the experience isn’t there, and the value isn’t there, Belize is going to lose business.

Likewise, developers are asking the U.S. prices for condos and building lots. They may get a few suckers to buy at these prices, but anybody who spends time in Belize doing due diligence will figure out that US$200 to $400 a square foot for a condo or house borders on the obscene. Taxopan? The U.S. may have its “tax-and-spend liberals,” but Belize seems to specialize in grab-and-tax politicos. New taxes are blooming in Belize like bougainvillea on a wall. Businesses that are suspected of making a little money are being audited right and left by the tax guys. Maybe the name of Belize's capital should be changed to Taxopan City. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) of 10% impacts just about everybody. The GST went into effect in mid-2006. I happened to be in Canada when the GST was implemented there in the 1990s, and the impact on business was considerable, because consumers saw the price of restaurant meals, store merchandise and nearly every item they bought suddenly increased. With the GST, the selling price of most items includes the tax, rather than being added on as a sales tax at the cash register, so buyers perceive it as a price increase.

More Motos Used to be, I rarely saw a motorcycle on the roads in Belize. Now, they're fairly common, especially around Belize City and on the main, paved roads. I guess the price of gas, which reached more than US$5 a gallon before it fell back a bit recently, is driving the interest in motorcycles.

Everybody's a Real Estate Agent Every time I look around, there are more real estate agents in Belize. It's rare for a week to go by without somebody opening a new office. Some of them are gringos trying to make a buck while waiting for a real job. But a lot of the real estate agents are Belizeans. Do they actually sell anything? I don't know. Some do, I assume. There’s even a new Multiple Listing Service, of sorts, in Belize. I take the mushrooming growth of real estate offices as a bad sign. It's a leading indicator of a real estate bust.

Internet Everywhere Belize has been wired for a long time, but now the internet is ubiquitous in Belize. Cybercafés seemingly are on every corner. It's the rare hotel that doesn't offer internet access in some fashion, whether wireless or via a DSL Ethernet network or broadband satellite. Even the smallest places offer connections. For example, D'Nest Inn in Belize City with just three rooms and Coral House Inn in Punta Gorda, with four, both offer free and speedy wireless (and at D'Nest Inn you can also plug into their DSL Ethernet hub). BTL is even promoting its WiFi Hot Spot at the international airport (there's a fee, of course).

Blowing Cold Air A few years ago, hotels started putting in swimming pools. Now, everybody is putting in air conditioning. Even the jungle lodges. Maruba and Jaguar Paw have had A/C for years. Now, even fairly rustic lodges such as Lamanai Outpost Lodge offer cold air in at least some rooms. Mopan River Resort has added A/C in all its units. Air conditioning has long been a staple in the upmarket hotels in San Pedro, Belize City and Placencia. But, now, even budget hotels routinely have A/C.

Anger Management It seems to me that Belize is becoming an angrier place than it used to be. Belize has a reputation for being laid back, accepting, a no-shoes, no-shirt, no-problem kind of place. In some ways, I fear, that's changing. The guy robbing a store in Belize City gets the money and then blows away the shopkeeper, for no reason. Drivers blow their horns to warn other drivers to get moving. And have you seen the terrible blow offs and rants that go on over the internet? Post a question on a Belize bulletin board and you risk that half a dozen irate, but anonymous, boarders jump on the poster, accusing you of every ecological, economic, and anti-Belizean crime on the books.

Things I Thought I'd Never See in Belize Bridge Over the River Channel to North Ambergris Caye Belize City Cleaned Up Broadband Internet in the Bush Traffic Jams in San Pedro Million Dollar (US dollars) Homes on Ambergris Caye Upmarket Restaurants and a Resort with a Swimming Pool on Caye Caulker Real Estate Subdivisions in Sarteneja A Night on the Town in San Pedro with Dinner and Drinks, US$200 for Two Four Cruise Ships Berthed Off Belize City at One Time

Mas Fino en Belice Here are some of my picks for the best in Belize, in a variety of categories. Your mileage may vary:

Best Destinations to Stretch Your Dollars: Caye Caulker; Tobacco Caye; Corozal Town; Placencia Village

Most-for-Your-Money Budget Lodging: The Trek Stop, Cayo; Hotel de la Fuente, Orange Walk Town; Casa Blanca Guest House, San Ignacio; Martha's Guest House, San Ignacio; Hotel Aguada, Santa Elena, Cayo; Lydia’s Guest House, Placencia

Top Jungle Lodges: Chan Chich Lodge, Gallon Jug, Northern Belize; The Lodge at Chaa Creek, Cayo; Blancaneaux Lodge, Mountain Pine Ridge; Hidden Valley Inn, Mountain Pine Ridge

Top Jungle Lodges for Not a Ton of Money: Black Rock Lodge, Cayo; Pook's Hill Lodge, Belmopan; The Lodge at Big Falls, Toledo; Five Sisters, Mountain Pine Ridge; duPlooy’s, Cayo

Greenest Eco-Lodges: duPlooy's Lodge, Cayo; Mama Noots, near Dangriga; Black Rock Lodge, Cayo

Most Romantic Hotels: Turtle Inn, Placencia; Blancaneaux Lodge, Mountain Pine Ridge; Victoria House, Ambergris Caye; Portofino, North Ambergris Caye

Most Romantic Restaurants: Rojo Lounge, North Ambergris Caye; Capricorn, North Ambergris Caye; Harbour View, Belize City; Rendezvous, North Ambergris Caye

Most Upscale Condotels: Chabil Mar Villas, Placencia; The Phoenix, Ambergris Caye; Grand Colony, Ambergris Caye; Bella Maya, Placencia; Sueno del Mar, North Ambergris Caye

Most Atmospheric Bars: Sugar Reef, Placencia; I&I, Caye Caulker; Palapa Bar, North Ambergris Caye; Rojo Lounge, North Ambergris Caye; Putt-Putt, Belize City

Most Charming Small Hotels: Coral House Inn, Punta Gorda; Casa Blanca by the Sea, Consejo, Northern Belize; Iguana Reef Inn, Caye Caulker; Seaside Cabanas, Caye Caulker

Best Restaurants: The Bistro at Maya Beach Hotel, Placencia; Rendezvous, North Ambergris Caye; Rojo Lounge, North Ambergris Caye; Harbour View, Belize City; Chon Saan Palace, Belize City

Most Deluxe Accommodations: Azul Resort, North Ambergris Caye; Seascape Villas, North Ambergris Caye; Caye Chapel Island Resort (villas), Caye Chapel; Grand Colony, Ambergris Caye; Cayo Espanto, near Ambergris Caye

Best B&Bs: D'Nest Inn, Belize City; Villa Boscardi, Belize City; Lazy Iguana B&B, Caye Caulker

Best Snorkeling: Glover's Atoll; Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Ambergris Caye; Silk Cayes, Southern Belize

Best Diving: Turneffe Atoll; Glover's Atoll; Lighthouse Reef Atoll

Worst Roads: Peninsula Road to Placencia; parts of the Old Northern Highway; golf cart path on North Ambergris

Best Beaches That Don't Take Forever to Reach: South Water Caye; Placencia Peninsula; North Ambergris Caye

Postcard-Perfect Little Islands: Silk Cayes, Southern Belize; South Water Caye, off Dangriga; Half Moon Caye, Lighthouse Reef Atoll

Most Memorable Belize Experiences (not requiring extreme physical effort): Caving at Actun Tunichil Muknal; snorkeling with nurse sharks and sting rays at Shark-Ray Alley; diving with whale sharks at Gladden Spit; seeing the barrier reef for the first time

Uniquely Belizean Experiences: Belize Zoo; Belize Botanic Gardens, duPlooy's; cave tubing, Caves Branch River

Best Gift Shops: Caesar’s Place, Cayo; National Handicraft Centre, Belize City; Maya Centre Women’s Co-op, Maya Centre

Greatest Adventures: Hiking to the top of Victoria Peak, Cockscomb Preserve; skydiving into the Blue Hole, Lighthouse Reef; going on Lost World adventure trip with Caves Branch Adventure Co.; exploring the Columbia River Forest on the Maya Divide trip

Most Knowledgeable Travel Agents: Katie Valk, Belize Trips; Barbara Kasak, Barb’s Belize

Best-Run Hotels: Banana Beach, Ambergris Caye; Lodge at Chaa Creek, Cayo; Inn at Robert’s Grove, Placencia

Best Birding: Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, Northern Belize; Chan Chich Lodge, Gallon Jug, Northern Belize; New River Lagoon, Northern Belize

Best Wildlife Spotting: Belize Zoo; Chan Chich Lodge, Gallon Jug, Northern Belize; Programme for Belize, Northern Belize; (also, in the Petén, Tikal Park)

Most Astounding Views: Views into Guatemala from El Castillo, Xunantunich; the Blue Hole, Lighthouse Reef Atoll, seen from above; views around Baldy Beacon area, Mountain Pine Ridge; also, panoramic jungle views from Temple IV, Tikal

Best Fishing Lodges: Machacha Lodge, Punta Gorda; El Pescador, North Ambergris Caye; Turneffe Flats, Turneffe Atoll Scenic Drives: Hummingbird Highway; through the Mountain Pine Ridge to Caracol; through Programme for Belize and Gallon Jug lands

Most Colorful Local Markets: San Ignacio (Saturday); Punta Gorda (Wednesday, Saturday); Belmopan (the old market, daily except Sunday)

Don't-Miss Mayan Sites: Caracol, Lamanai, Xunantunich (plus Tikal in Guatemala, of course)

Interesting Off-the-Beaten-Track Spots: Sarteneja Village, Northern Belize; Blue Creek Village, Northern Belize; Blue Creek Village, Southern Belize

Friendliest Villages: Hopkins; Sarteneja; Crooked Tree

Banging Around Belize: What’s New and Different? Here are some of the highlights of my time in several areas of Belize in 2005 and 2006: Corozal Town

Corozal is still as sleepy as ever, but things are happening at the margins. The Las Vegas Casino is open, joining the two other casinos at the border adjoining the Free Zone. I understand it’s not doing as well as expected, but perhaps with the season starting things will perk up. Las Vegas has broken ground on a new 300+-room hotel, which if it opens will be the largest hotel in Belize by far. The casino’s market is almost entirely Mexican, as to visit the casino tourists in Belize have to go through the border exit process and pay US$18.75. So a couple pays nearly 40 bucks just to go gamble – what sense does that make?

While Corozal sleeps, Chetumal prospers. A new Sam’s Club has just opened, and the city’s restaurants and hotels are doing boom business.

The new Mirador Hotel near the site of the old market in Corozal has amazing views of Corozal Bay from its fifth floor patio, but you better spend some time on your Stairmaster before you visit, as there’s no elevator, and the stairs are steep and narrow. The rooms are comfortable and affordable (US$35 to $90), with A/C and cable TV, and new furniture from the owners’ furniture store. Some have good views of the bay, though I can’t figure out why the stairs are on the bay side of the building, taking some of the best views. Indeed, I can’t figure out why you’d spend this much on a five-story hotel and not put in an elevator. A Chinese restaurant will open at the hotel shortly. Currently, there’s street parking only, but the hotel may get the use of a nearby vacant lot for parking.

I toured Las Palmas again, and it’s looking great. Charlie, who was a chiropractor back in the States, and his beautiful espousa Marina, have done a fine job with this property. Basically, the old Nestor’s hotel has been rebuilt from scratch, from the foundation up. The rooms, as at Mirador, all have A/C and cable. Priced at US$45 to $55 double, this is one of the best values in town. The restaurant space is being totally renovated, and a new restaurant will also open here soon.

All my old favorite places to stay – Smuggler’s, Corozal Bay Inn, Coco Banana and Tony’s – are still good and one-third the price of comparable lodging in San Pedro. Casablanca in Consejo was closed when I went by, but it’ll reopen soon. Casablanca has one of the most romantic and lovely locations in Belize – too bad it doesn’t get more business.

Patti’s Bistro is still the best restaurant in town, and the best value. Cactus still has cheap, tasty Mexican food. The fajitas and other dishes at the palapa bar at Tony’s Inn are as good as ever. Tony’s is popular, and the setting can’t be beat.

Quite a bit is going on around Consejo. Bill Wildman’s Consejo Shores is still my pick for the best residential development in Belize. What a quiet, beautiful area! Bill says more houses have been built at Consejo Shores in the past couple of years than in the previous two decades. Mayan Seaside and Wagner’s Landing both are seeing some activity and building, and a lot of other bayfront property in the area has been sold, though few homes have been built so far.

The golf course at Xaibe may actually be built one day, I’m told, and the little 9-hole course at Consejo Shores is looking good.

Two of Corozal's best-known expats, Rick Zahniser (he started the www.belizenorth.com web site) and Margaret Briggs, (www.localgringos.com) got the heck out of Dodge in 2005, Rick going to Arkansas and Margaret to New Mexico. They indicated they were fed up with crime, anti-gringo sentiment, and just generally with Belize, although other factors may also have been behind the moves. Across the New River on the shores of Corozal Bay is the charming little village of Copper Bank, which now has a real hotel, the Copper Bank Inn. The Last Resort, a locally well-known collection of simple cabanas and a popular restaurant on the bay, has been sold. A new restaurant has opened near Cerros, and the owners plan four new cabañas. The former owners of The Last Resort are opening a new lodge near Cerros. Near Progresso village, on the shores of the Progresso Lagoon, is another small resort, Fantasy Point, which is currently for sale.

Orange Walk The new bypass around Orange Walk Town saves a little time and avoids some of the sugar cane truck slowdowns, but it’s still worth driving through town once in a while. Not too much has changed in Orange Walk, but here are a couple of notable additions: I enjoyed the newish El Establo Bar & Grill, a friendly, family-run eatery near the northern end of the Orange Walk bypass. It’s run by Albino and Ada Vargas. The escabeche was delicious! Indian Hill, Northern Hwy; tel 501/322-0094. Orlando de la Fuente's and his wife have opened Hotel de la Fuente, a nice addition to the very limited hotel scene in Orange Walk Town. The low rates (around US$25 to $40) put it among the best values in Northern Belize. All 8 rooms have air-conditioning and DSL broadband, and there are also 2 suites with kitchenettes. The lobby doubles as a pawn shop, handy if you need a little extra cash. 14 Main St., Orange Walk Town; tel. 501/322-2290; www.hoteldelafuente.com.

Out in the country, Lamanai Outpost Lodge, with its beautiful setting on the New River Lagoon, has switched to a near-all inclusive plan with all meals and activities, such as boat trips to catch and tag crocodiles, included, and rates are concomitantly higher. One change that concerns me is the addition of airboats for trips on the lagoon -- they are insanely LOUD.

Lamanai South Lodge is a new spot that is a less-expensive option for overnighting near the Lamanai ruins. On 52 acres right at the edge of New River Lagoon, the lodge has four rooms in a coral-colored building. Rooms are around US$150 double. Indian Church Village, tel. 501/615-1892; www.lamanaisouth.com.

Ambergris Caye Ambergris Caye remains the most popular destination in Belize, and I guess the question is: Is it getting too popular? Every time I come back there are lots of new houses and condos and way too many cars. Just look at all the development that’s going on, mostly condos and houses: Sueno del Mar, the “fractional ownership” upscale membership development, The Phoenix condos where the old Paradise Resort used to be at the north end of town, Grand Colony south of town, Blue Reef Island Resort up north, Tranquility Bay, and others. There’s still plenty of room to spread out and develop, but, especially south of town, some of the development looks ill planned. The island has the potential to become one of the great visitor destinations in the Caribbean, but it’s going to take local leadership to achieve that. Organizations like the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce are doing a lot of good work, and some of the individual developments are first-rate, so perhaps the basis for strong economic leadership is already in place. With the new bridge open to the north, in my opinion now’s the time to implement logical, well-thought out land use planning systems for the miles of North Ambergris territory, to make this the best island it can be. I still miss the hard-packed sand streets downtown. The paving stones I’m sure are a big improvement after rains, but a little of the unique charm of San Pedro has been lost for me. With all the taxis and cars on the streets, it’s getting dangerous to walk or even drive a golf cart, especially on that stretch of Coconut Drive at the airstrip.

I had a great dinner at Rendezvous, one of the very best restaurants on the island. I also enjoyed El Divino at Banana Beach, especially the terrific Mexican-style ceviche, Papi’s, Casa Picasso, and many of my old favorites on the island, including Elvi’s, Caliente (with a new branch up north), JamBel Jerk (with a second location at the Coral Beach Hotel), Cocina Caramba, and Blue Water Grill are still going strong. I haven’t yet had a chance to eat at the new Wild Mango’s, where chef Amy Knox, who moved north from Victoria House, has taken over, but I hear great things about it--great food, big portions, fair prices. Sweet Basil has closed.

Capricorn has new owners. Let’s hope they can bring it back to its former glory.

El Fogon opened with a bang, as did the San Pedro outpost of Chon Saan Palace, but locals say both seem to have failed to live up to their early promise. The same family that owns El Fogon also operates Hacal Kiik, a bakery that has great local breaks and buns. I’m still mourning the closing of Jade Garden and Taste of Thailand, two of my fave eateries on the island.

The breakfasts are still marvelous at Estel’s, where I shared a table with Josh Berman, who is updating the excellent Moon Belize Handbook, and Marty Casado, of AmbergrisCaye.com and BelizeSearch.com fame.

Tim Jeffers of Banana Beach and Peter Lawrence of Pedro’s tried to lure me into a poker game at Pedro’s Sports Bar, but I didn’t bite. I did enjoy a rum and tonic or two at Peter’s bar, which has become quite a spot to hang out. More than one person told me that Pedro’s now has the best pizza in town. Pedro also is adding some air-conditioned rooms to his hostel.

I understand Victoria House is getting a new chef, a young man from Japan. The resort itself finally has the physical facilities to match the service and setting. The new villas are among the most beautiful beach accommodations I’ve seen in Belize, and there’s a new infinity pool with black marble (so there are now two main pools at the resort, plus two private pools at individual villas.) Even the old casitas have been redone, and they look lovely. Brent and Janet have done a first-rate job with this property.

Some of the new developments on Ambergris Caye: Seascape Villas is a group of six luxury homes on four beachfront acres, built by Bob and Diane Campbell. Each villa has around 3,000 square feet, with a sunken living room, slate floors, outdoor garden with hot tub, and unobstructed views of the sea. There’s a gorgeous swimming pool. To rent one of these babies you’ll pay around US$900 a day. The villa colony has no restaurant, but you can have meals prepared and served in your beach house. North Ambergris, 4 miles north of San Pedro, tel. 501/226-5203; www.seascapebelizevillas.com. Azul Resort is where I’d like to stay if I had the money -- about US$700 a day. This new resort has only two beach villas, but, man, they are nice. The two-level villas have 20-foot ceilings with beams of mylady wood. Custom kitc