Belize City

... I’m glad I visited.

We booked a “Last Minute Vacation” online to Belize. We didn’t know squat about Belize City so we had no qualms whatsoever about staying there.

When our plane landed, we noticed that it was still pretty third-world. No sweat, right? Certainly things are better in the city, right? Wrong. It’s still pretty third-world. It’s extremely run down with very little in terms of improvements for the sake of attracting tourists.

So why did I choose “Woth Visiting!”? Due to the fact that we got to really see what life is like in a place far different from our cushy lives up here in the States.

We were staying in a nice hotel called the Princess Hotel and Casino. Literally ALL of the entertainment in Belize is either right in the hotel or within a block or two. The hotel has a casino (obviously, as mentioned above), a movie theater that shows current flicks, an arcade, a bowling alley, and a night club. Right across the stret is a restaurant/bar called Putt Putt. They have a mini golf course but I didn’t see anyone playing there the whole visit, yet we saw loads of people at the bar itself. Another block and there’s a bar/restaurant called MJ’s.

In any case, we wandered out to the street looking for a place to eat. There are roadside shacks, similar to what you would find at a little league ballfield, where the locals sold homemade food. We were a bit hesitant but ended up eating at one of them. The food was fantastic! We had one of the best burritos weve ever encountered. The tortillas were really fresh- the girl working, Misha, made the tortillas on a comal as we waited.

We noticed that the people of Belize City don’t come out until after the sun sets. It’s amazing to see. The parents bring their kids to the park at 9pm! The residents walk about, listen to music (blasting from their cars), eat, drink, etc. It was very social and extremely friendly. A few people approached us and asked about our trip, recommended places to see, etc. We were approached by two people who asked for money, but others came up and told them to not bother us. We were pretty amazed!

If you end up in Belize City, consider hiring a guide to take you out of the city and into the countyside. We hired a man named Stephen Card (ph # (501) 607-9943 )to take us to the ruins at Xunantunich, the zoo, and Old Belize. He drove us all around Belize City and told us about the different neighborhoods, the people, the history, etc. It was an insightful trip!

In summary, although it’s not the most pleasant of settings in terms of tourism, it was still worth the visit. I would recommend staying for one night, then making your way to the other cities and sights in Belize.

This is not exactly the lovliest place. It is a run down city with more than 50% of the population under 18. I went here on a cruise and did the city tour/ ruins. i would have much rather seen wildlife the city is definitly the worst partabout the city. The best part is the wildlife and reef so if you go hereo n a cruise do somethingb like snorkeling.

Do not venture into Belize City alone.

I’v been to Belize city several times and its always one of the most beatiful places ever, with the beatiful caribean sea veiw and the trees going along the side walks with beatiful veiew at night. definitely worth the stay.

been many many times all over the country. Love it

In this hole you will find yourself surrounded by blacks openly you pushing drugs and hookers. Don’t ever go in the city. If you on a cruise take a snorkeling tour or cavetubing or maya ruins or whatever. See the bright side just don’t try to understand that corrupt stinky little country and how ordinary people live there. And don’t ever go outside of guarded port territory into the city, ever, they are waiting for you just outside the gates…

If you want to experience an older city this is the place. We strolled around for over an hour and met the most wonderful people in the world. It’s certainly worth experiencing.

I’ve heard from many people that Belize is beautiful, but I didn’t experience that. The part that I saw was dirty, scarey and I was honestly a bit afraid for my life. My mistake was visiting this city as a stop on a cruise, so I’m sure we didn’t experience the part of Belize that we should have.

the tourist part of the city isnt too bad, but even one step onto the real city streets and you realize how nice you have it at home.
would rather have gone to the ancient sites.

If you say Belize City is under-developed and run down, that is true. Why do you expect it to be something it is not? This is what Belize is – rain beaten wood, peeling paint, rusting metal – but this is home to a community, and to get a glimpse of the environment they live in is impressionable enough on me. It is the first under-developed country I have seen and I found it to be an eye opener. It was worth it for me!