Belize has the second-largest barrier reef in the world running the length of its coast, about 300 kilometres of it, and inland it has limestone hills full of caves that the Maya used as ritual sites and a series of major ruins in the jungle.
Those are two different holidays and they are two to three hours apart on roads that are better than they used to be and still slow. Almost every good Belize itinerary does both, in that order or the reverse, with a domestic flight or a drive between them.
The reef side and the jungle side
Ambergris Caye is the main island, 40 kilometres long, reached by a 15-minute flight or a 90-minute boat from Belize City. San Pedro is its town, golf carts are the transport, and the reef is a few hundred metres offshore for most of its length.
Placencia is a peninsula in the south with a longer beach than the cayes, a village at the end of it and access to the southern reef and the whale sharks at Gladden Spit.
The Cayo district inland has the ruins at Caracol and Xunantunich, the Actun Tunichil Muknal cave, and the Mountain Pine Ridge with waterfalls and rivers.
Belize is also the only country in Central America where English is the official language, which makes it considerably easier to travel independently than its neighbours.
The nine below are grouped by which side.
Ambergris Caye
The main island. Golf carts, the reef offshore and the busiest tourism in the country.
Victoria House Resort & Spa occupies a beachfront site south of San Pedro with colonial-style buildings, a pool, a dive shop and a long-standing reputation as the best hotel on the caye. It has been operating since the 1980s.
Victoria House Resort & Spa
Ambergris Caye · 4★ · $$$
Colonial buildings and a dive shop, running since the 1980s
Check availabilityThe Ambergris Grand sits north of town, reachable only by boat, as an adults-only property with a beach, a good restaurant and complete separation from San Pedro.
The Ambergris Grand
North Ambergris Caye · 4★ · $$$
Adults-only and reachable only by boat
Check availabilityAlaia Belize, Autograph Collection occupies a site in town with a rooftop pool, a spa and the most contemporary rooms on the island. It is the most convenient base for the reef trips.
Alaia Belize, Autograph Collection
San Pedro · 4★ · $$$
Rooftop pool and the island's most contemporary rooms
Check availabilityPlacencia
The southern peninsula. A longer beach, a village and the whale sharks in season.
Turtle Island Resort occupies a beachfront property developed by a film director, with thatched cottages, a garden and an interior of collected pieces. It is the most characterful hotel in Belize.
Turtle Island Resort
Placencia · 5★ · $$$$
Thatched cottages filled with collected pieces
Check availabilityNaia Resort & Spa sits on a long stretch of Placencia beach with a serious wellness programme, villas and the best spa in the country.
Itz'ana Resort & Residences occupies a position on the peninsula with a rum bar, a pool over the sand and the most design-led rooms on this coast.
The Cayo district, inland
Two to three hours west. Jungle, rivers, caves and the Maya sites.
Blancaneaux Lodge by Francis Ford Coppola occupies a site in the Mountain Pine Ridge reserve on a river with waterfalls, cabañas built from local materials and horses. It is the most remote and the most beautiful inland property.
Blancaneaux Lodge by Francis Ford Coppola
Mountain Pine Ridge, Cayo · 5★ · $$$$
River cabanas with waterfalls and horses
Check availabilityThe Lodge at ChaaCreek sits on a private reserve above the Macal river with cottages, a butterfly farm and a long-running conservation programme. It is the established Cayo lodge and it is genuinely good.
The Lodge at ChaaCreek
Macal river, Cayo · 4★ · $$$
A private reserve with a long conservation record
Check availabilityKa'ana Resort & Spa occupies a hillside near San Ignacio with a pool, a spa and the shortest drive to Xunantunich and the Guatemalan border.
Ka'ana Resort & Spa
San Ignacio, Cayo · 4★ · $$$
Shortest drive to Xunantunich and the border
Check availabilityWhat we have left off
The overwater and tented accommodation on the outer cayes is excluded, along with the small guest houses in San Pedro and San Ignacio. Between them they are a large share of Belize's beds and they are not hotels at this standard.
What to do
Dive or snorkel the reef. Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley off Ambergris are the standard day and they are worth it. The Blue Hole is a three-hour boat ride and is a serious dive rather than a snorkel.
Do a cave. Actun Tunichil Muknal involves swimming into a cave system and walking past Maya remains left where they fell; it is guided, physically demanding and unlike anything else in the region.
See the ruins. Caracol is the largest and the furthest, Xunantunich is the most accessible and Lamanai is reached by boat up a river.
Whale sharks gather at Gladden Spit near Placencia around the full moons of March to June.
Eat rice and beans, stew chicken and fry jacks, and drink the local rum.
Practical notes
Belize City's international airport connects to the US and to domestic flights on small aircraft, which is the fastest way between the coast and the interior.
The dry season runs roughly December to May and is the best window. June to November is wetter and inside hurricane season. Whale shark season is spring.
English is the official language. Distances are short but roads are slow; internal flights are cheap and save hours.
Explore 4 & 5 Star Belize Hotels
Questions people actually ask
Reef or jungle?
Both. Three or four nights on each side is the standard shape and the country is small enough to make it easy.
Ambergris Caye or Placencia?
Ambergris for the reef, the diving and more to do. Placencia for a longer beach, fewer people and the whale sharks.
Is Belize easy to travel in?
Easier than its neighbours. English is official, the distances are short and the domestic flights are frequent.
How many nights?
Seven. Four on the coast and three inland.