Frequently Asked Questions

You fly into Belize City International Airport (BZE). From there you can take a short 25 min flight to Placencia on Tropic Air or Maya Island Air. If you take this flight, we provide one complimentary transport to and from the landing strip for your group. If you choose not to fly from BZE, you can hire a shuttle driver, to pick you up right outside of the airport, we like to use Untame Belize for that. You can also rent a car and take a beautiful 2-to-3-hour drive (depending on which way you go) to the house on the Placencia Peninsula.

A lot of properties will automatically add on a percentage to give the staff for tips. We want you to tip according to the level of service you feel like you received. We have had people tip anywhere from $100 USD per staff person up to $500 per staff person. Our staff works very hard for you, and anything is greatly appreciated.

If you book 7 nights or more with us, you get 9 complimentary chef meals (you are responsible for the cost of groceries). If you would like to add more chef meals or you did not book a 7-night stay but would like to add chef services, it is $45 USD per meal for the entire group (again does not include the cost of groceries).

We will send you the chef’s menu a few weeks before you travel to Belize. You will select all the meals that you want during your vacation and the tentative days you want those meals. The chef will purchase all the groceries for your meals, prepare the meals, serve the meals, and clean up afterward. This is not done restaurant style, for example, the meal you select for dinner will be the same meal for everyone in your group.

Time zone is the same as US Central Standard Time. However, Belize does not observe daylight savings time, so during DST in the USA Belize time is equivalent to the Mountain time zone in the USA.

English is the official language of Belize (was a British colony). Other languages spoken are Spanish, Garifuna, Mayan languages, Creole, as well as a German dialect (by the Mennonites)

The official currency for Belize is the Belize Dollar. The exchange rate is pegged at approximately BZ$2 to US$1. No need to exchange money as everywhere accepts US and Belize dollars (or a combination of the two). Most businesses accept credit cards, but not all. There are a couple ATMs in the Placencia village that work with most US ATM cards (giving Belize cash).

US Travelers: Passports are required for all travelers, including children. Passports must be valid for the intended length of stay. Visas are not required. 

If traveling from another country, please refer to your government for specific entry and exit requirements.

Many US cell phone carriers now offer Belize as part of their included plans (T-Mobile and ATT do with certain plans).  Check with your carrier for details.

WhatsApp is a very popular free app used in Belize for texting/calling.

Driving in Belize is generally safe and beautiful.  A US driver’s license is required for driving vehicles and golf carts in Belize. For Belize adventure touring, it is recommended to get a four wheel drive vehicle if you are exploring a great deal of the country (off of the paved roads). The vast majority of the drive from the Belize City Philip Goldson international airport to Placencia is on the stunningly beautiful Hummingbird Highway (3 hours to the house) or take the new Coastal Road (2-ish hours to the house but not many services)

While the tap water is safe to drink in Belize (and many we know drink it), we provide 5 gallon bottles of purified water we recommend you drink.

Electric plugs are the same as in the USA/Canada (no need for a converter or adapter).  WIFI is available at the house and coffee shops and most restaurants.  However, WIFI in Belize, though vastly improving every year, is not usually as strong or stable as in the USA.

Sargassum has increasingly washed up on the shores all over the Caribbean and Florida in past years. Most say it’s due to the increased use of fertilizers that wash down the Amazon River into the ocean and warmer ocean temperatures.  If there happens to be a bloom blowing into Belize, our staff does its best to clear any off our beach each day.

The closest grocery store is about a mile away in Maya Beach. There are a number of fantastic restaurants in nearby Maya Beach and many more in the village of Placencia.

The climate is subtropical, with a cooling breeze from the Caribbean Sea most of the time. Belize has an annual average temperature of 79 degrees Fahrenheit. Summer high temperatures seldom exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and winter lows are rarely below 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The rainy season is between June and November and the dry season is from February through May.  However, we have been every month and it’s almost always great weather with rains mostly just at night while you sleep.

Mosquitos are normally only seen at dusk for about an hour, or possibly if it’s rained and there is no sea breeze.   Belize sometimes has “no-see-ums” or sand flies, like you’ll find in the rest of the Caribbean and Florida.  They are normally more prevalent after a rain or when there’s no breeze.  The best repellants for sand flies are Avon Skin So Soft, baby oil or coconut oil (they don’t like the oil).  We rake our beach every day, which really helps keep them away.

There is only one major hurricane on record that made direct landfall on the Placencia Peninsula, (Hurricane Iris in 2001). There are recent scares, but fortunately didn’t hit the peninsula. 

Belize is the only English-speaking country in Central America (formerly named British Honduras- independence in 1981). Few have known about its amazing diving, fishing, snorkeling and over 400 islands (“cayes”) or its vast rainforests, Mayan ruins, waterfalls and mountains. The Placencia Peninsula offers the best of both worlds… the Caribbean, offering swimming with giant sea turtles, giant stingrays and nurse sharks; as well as the jungles, offering zip-lining, waterfall rappelling, cave exploring and river tubing. The food in Belize is amazing!  SO many fantastic restaurants on the peninsula:  Numerous options in the nearby high-end community of Maya Beach (a 5-minute golf cart ride away) and so many more options in the fishing village of Placencia at the end of the peninsula, with its world-famous sidewalk full of gift shops, local goods, restaurants and beach bars. US dollars are accepted everywhere, as well as Belize dollars and visa/Mastercard at most businesses. $1USD=$2BZD. Dry season is generally December-May, with rainy season being June-November where it usually just rains at night while sleeping or short bursts during the day.  There are only good options when considering which month to come to Belize.