I had the pleasure of getting to know Barb a few years ago when I volunteered with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in San Francisco. More recently, when my boyfriend and I started planning a vacation to Central America over New Year’s, I decided to check-in with her to see if she could share any helpful tips.

As was the case throughout the entire planning process (and trip!), Barb responded lightning-fast to my inquiry with a plethora of advice. She even put me in touch with a friend who recently planned a similar vacation- this candid perspective on traveling to different parts of Belize was incredibly helpful.

After careful consideration, we decided to split our vacation between Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye (Sunset Beach Resort). We had a blast in both places and love, love, loved our time at Sunset Beach! We focused on scuba diving while on Caye Caulker and were looking for other activities on Ambergris Caye. We had no trouble finding things to do. In fact, we could have easily spent more time “doing nothing” while we were at Sunset Beach (next time!).

The resort is just far enough from town (~3 miles) that it feels secluded and peaceful. Yet it’s close enough that it’s a cinch to get into town whenever desired.

The taxi service that works with Sunset Beach is quite convenient and reliable. Next time—when we stay for more that just a few nights—we’ll probably rent a golf cart (for the added convenience and also because they look like a ton of fun!). We did take the resort’s complimentary bikes into town one afternoon. It was easy and fun, however, the streets aren't incredibly conducive to night biking so we didn't keep the bikes out past dark.

There are so many activities to choose from on Ambergris Caye! Some of the highlights for us included: snorkeling at the Hol Chan marine reserve, taking an evening tour with the American Crocodile Education Sanctuary, eating delicious food (acclaimed by both tourists and locals) at Caliente in San Pedro, and embarking on a day-long ATM cave tour on the Belize mainland (note: this was a very long but INCREDIBLE single-day journey).

We also loved that Sunset Beach was only a ~10 minute walk along the beach to the local “Island Time” bar. They provided the perfect low-key venue to kick-off our New Year’s Eve celebration (before we hopped in a cab to check out the night life of San Pedro). We also learned the following morning that “Island Time” serves delicious hangover-cure breakfast (the portions are huge)!

Looking back on the trip, there were many amenities at Sunset Beach that we wish we could have stayed longer to enjoy! Activities we hope to participate in next time include: cooking in the incredibly well-stocked kitchen, lounging in the ocean-front hammocks, and taking the complimentary kayaks out for a paddle.

We can’t wait until next time!