Traveler's Checks and U.S. Dollars.  No need to exchange traveler's checks or U.S. dollars at the banks.  Your U.S. dollars are welcome everywhere, as are U.S. traveler's checks. (Please be very careful with your signature - make sure to sign EXACTLY as you signed when you purchased the checks, and please don't date the check or enter the merchant's name on the check.)  Also, a bank may only give a $1.9875 BZD to $1 USD exchange rate, instead of the 2:1 given by merchants.  Ask the bank for the exchange rate first.

(The reason you shouldn't date traveler's checks and enter the name of the merchant is that Belize banks impose a 40-day clearance delay for traveler's checks deposited into local accounts.  This means that if you enter the merchant's name on the check, the merchant will have to deposit the check in the bank and won't be able to access the funds for over a month.)

Placencia now has three banks - Atlantic Bank, Scotia Bank and Belize Bank.  Atlantic Bank is located at in a large free-standing building just south of the water tower, Scotia Bank is located on the east side of the main Placencia Road across from Every Day Discount Store and Belize Bank is located near the docks.   Atlantic Bank's hours are from 8-4 p.m. and Scotia's hours are from 8-2:30 p.m., M-Thu, and 8:30 am - 4:30 pm  on Fridays.  Scotia Bank is also open on Saturday mornings.  Not sure of Belize Bank's hours, think they're 8 AM - 3 PM.

Atlantic Bank now has 2 ATMs in Placencia that will accept international MasterCard and Visa credit cards, Visa debit cards and most international ATM debit cards.  Scotia Bank has one at it's location on the main road, and Belize Bank also has one at its dock location.  The machines sometimes don't work (primarily because the banks sometimes forget to put cash in the machines).  However, you can still get cash inside the bank if an ATM isn't working. 

Credit Cards.  More businesses accept Visa and MasterCard than American Express. Credit card advances can also be obtained from Atlantic Bank for a flat fee of $5.00 US per cash advances (Visa and MasterCard only - no American Express).  Scotia Bank also provides cash advances and bases its charges on a percentage of the transaction, so it's less expensive to obtain a cash advance from Scotia for cash advances of up to US$500.  Atlantic Bank is less expensive for advances of more than US$500.

Remember, you won't get a 2-1 exchange rate on your cash advance - you'll only get BZ$1.9875 to US$1, and possibly a currency conversion fee of 2-4%.  The actual amount charged on your MasterCard or Visa for cash advances and purchases made in Belize will depend on your contract with the issuer of your card, so check your contract, or talk to you issuer to determine what your charges will be. 

(Note:  Not all issuers charge a conversion fee in addition to the 1% charged by Visa or MasterCard, so it might pay to shop around for a credit card with a fair foreign currency policy.  Also, both Visa and MasterCard (international corporations AND issuers) have been recently sued in at least two state courts in the US for failing to adequately disclose the additional foreign currency fees to their customers.)

Many businesses still charge a 5% service charge on credit card purchases (some charge more, so ask).  Debit cards issued by MasterCard or Visa work just fine and do debit your checking or savings account.

NOTE:  MasterCard has imposed a $0.00 floor limit on ALL Belize businesses.  Therefore, many small businesses have stopped accepting MasterCards.
 

ATMS.   Again, you'll be charged a service fee, and will get a $1.9875 BZD to $1 USD exchange rate (rather than the 2 to 1 you would get with cash).   Per the above discussion of ATMs under US traveler's checks and banks, Placencia now has 4 ATM machines that accept Visa for cash advances. 

Wire Transfers.  The fees are high and the service is slow. (Belize banks like to play with your money before giving it you).

Belize City Cabs.  Fares into Belize City from Goldson International should be around $25-$30 USD for the cab - NOT per person.  However, if you have a lot of luggage, the driver may add on another $5.00 USD.  Cabs in Belize City proper should cost $7-$10 BZD ($3.50-$5.00 USD) per stop.

Water.   Tap water is safe to drink in Independence, Mango Creek, Big Creek, Placencia and Seine Bight Villages (really).  Bottled water is also readily available (if it makes you feel better).  We suggest relying on bottled water in most other Belize destinations.

Grocery Stores and Pharmacy.  Placencia Village has 3 grocery stores - Wallen's Market, Tommy's Market and Everyday Discount Grocery -- plus a few small "convenience" markets located in odd locations around the Village.  Seine Bight Village has one grocery store, and Maya Beach also has a small grocery store.  For those of you returning to Placencia, Olga's Grocery near the dock is now Tommy's Grocery, and Olga no longer operates a grocery store).  A produce stand is also now located next to Babe's welding shop next to Tommy's Grocery Store (formerly Olga's Market).  A bakery is across the street. 

Peckish is a new gourmet food store located between Placencia Village and the airstrip and offers everything from smoked salmon to champagne to kalamata olives, pasta sauces, goat cheese, fresh tuna -- enough to make a gourmand reasonably happy in Placencia -- as long as he or she is a well-heeled gourmand.  So, what you want is probably there -- if you can afford it.

Wallen's tends to be least expensive on basic items (including rum) and maintains a somewhat consistent stock.  Meat products are handled fairly carefully at Wallen's  (all meat purchased from grocery stores is frozen). 

Wallen's is air-conditioned, so day-to-day vegetable and fruit quality is likely to be best at Wallen's (although not always).  Very little fresh produce and fruit at Everyday Discount Grocery and Tommy's Grocery.

Wallen's now carries a pretty good selection of wines (US, Chilean, Italian, South African and Australian), and Every Day Discount usually has some ok wines available as well.  Wallen's is the beer distributor for the Peninsula, so Wallen's is definitely the place to buy cases of beer.  Peckish has about as good a selection of wine as you'll find in Belize.

Note:  Tommy's and Everyday Discount Grocery are becoming better and better stocked everyday with a very wide variety of items EXCEPT fresh fruits and vegetables, and often have a better selection of items than Wallen's, so check there too.  (Last week, Tommy's had a LOT of dried pasta, for example, while Wallen's had none.)

Wallen's Pharmacy is located above Wallen's Market.  In addition to antibiotics and other "prescription" medications, the Pharmacy has a good selection of over-the-counter medications, plus some cosmetics, skins creams and the like, AND a good stock of sunscreen, insect repellant and pet supplies such as Frontline, Heartgard and worming medications.  (Hurray!)  Wallen's Hardware Store and its housewares store have now moved around the curve from Wallen's Market (near the BTL building) where you can get hardware, plus such essential items such as corkscrews, decorative candles and shower curtains.

Schedules: 

Wallen's Market and Pharmacy close for a half a day on Thursdays and Sundays, open at 8 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. (with a two-hour break from noon to 2 p.m.) on other days.    Haven't yet figured out Tommy's hours, and Everyday Discount Grocery purports to be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.  Peckish is open from 8:30 AM - 5 PM, Monday through Saturday.

Fish Co-op.  Please only buy lobster from the Co-op.  Illegal trapping and sale of under-size lobsters is threatening the supply, and if you buy from someone on the street, you're usually buying an illegal lobster (that the Co-op won't accept).   Purchasing fish directly from the boats is ok, especially since the Co-op rarely has fresh fish.  Lobster season is closed from 15 February to 15 June of each year.  Some resorts have received a special dispensation from the Belize government to serve lobster in the off-season.  The lobster served is supposed to be lobster caught and frozen during the open season.  However, this system is subject to abuse, and with lobster stocks declining, it's best to stick to conch and other seafood during the lobsters' closed season.  (Think of it as a lobster honeymoon :->)

Shrimp.   Shrimp purchased frozen in the grocery stores is farm-raised shrimp.  Fresh shrimp (if you see any) is from the shrimp boats, which pull up everything from the sea in the shrimp netting process, including dolphins (a Belize Coastal Zone Management report states that for each 1 fish netted, 11 fish are caught and destroyed).  

Shrimp farms can quickly devastate coastal environments through destruction of mangroves, heavy sedimentation and pollution of area waters.  The Belize government strongly supports shrimp farms in the Placencia area, and we understand that the farms are now employing more environmentally sound practices for disposing of sludge and dumping of pond water into the Lagoon.  However, one shrimp farm recently released all of the water from all ponds into the Lagoon at the same time - a definitely unsound environmental practice.  So, only time will tell whether shrimp farms will actually implement procedures and systems that result in no detrimental impact on the Lagoon eco-system rather than degrading it, as is now the case.  Until they do show concrete evidence of making these changes, if you care that there's a Placencia you can come back to someday, please try our lobster, conch and freshly caught fish and don't eat the shrimp.

Other Fresh Produce Sources.  A fresh produce stand, Veronica's, is located in Placencia Village next to Tommy's Market near the dock (the location of the old Olga's Market, across from the Atlantic Bank ATM and Placencia Office Supply.  If you happen to be traveling from Dangriga on a Friday or Saturday, Dangriga has a fairly good farmer's market. 

Bread and Pastries.  A new bakery is located near Tommy's, Belize Bank and the Atlantic Bank ATM on the main Placencia Road near the docks.  John the Bakerman makes a good loaf of white bread (he also offers what looks like French bread, but it's really just white bread in a different shape).  John's cinammon rolls are a Village tradition (after 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday).  Creole bread ($1.50 BZD per round loaf) makes an outstanding sandwich (and is a fairly decent substitute for Italian bread for bruschetta).  Many of the local women make pastries - check with Christina north of Lydia's on the beach side of the Sidewalk.  (Christina lives in a small house east of a large one under construction - if you can't find it, just ask someone in that area -- her lemon tarts, coconut tarts and cinnamon buns are worth the search!  Check early afternoon, and ask about the day each will be available - she only makes one variety per day.)   Black Cake is a very dense cake made as a special treat at Christmas.

Street Food.  Street food is not as common in Placencia as it once was.  However, you can sometimes still find local women selling garnaches and panades, sometimes from their houses and sometimes around the grocery stores.  Try the garnaches - make great appetizers.  There are still several people who sell tamales around the Village.  However, be careful of the tamales - Belizans have an unusual taste for chicken feet, and you'll often find them as an ingredient in chicken tamales (same goes for chicken soup - often includes chicken feet). 

Bigo Ice Cream is pretty good (sour sop and rum raisin are favorites).  Tutti Frutti Ice Cream Shop, now located in a new location near the Purple Space Monkey on the Placencia Road docks sells wonderful home-made fresh fruit Italian ice creams (the lime is amazingly good).  Daisy's also has homemade ice-cream (on the Road near Everyday Discount Grocery and Scotia Bank).  And if you run into anyone selling small coconut pies or fresh-roasted cashews - buy some!  (Wallen's lately has had fresh cashews for sale in the market.)

Of special interest - Mayans occasionally sell dried plant remedies around the Villages, although less often now than 3 or 4 years ago.  If you do run across some, the mixes are inexpensive and a fun way to wile away a rainy day trying to figure out what all you've purchased.  In addition to plants such as jackass bitters and cats claw, the mixes usually include some familiar varieties of herbs such as bay leaves, rosemary, peppercorns and whole allspice, so this is a good way to get dried herbs (which can sometimes be hard to come by in the grocery stores).

Unusual Food (to try - - or not).  Per above, tamales and chicken soup often include chicken feet.  Cow's foot soup is a local favorite (and does include one or more cow feet) .  Gibnut - well, some say it's a small rodent (rat?), other's say it's like a groundhog - supposed to be a vegetarian either way (actually it's very, very good - sort of like very good pork - hah, thought we were going to say chicken, didn't you).  Can sometimes be found on local menus, but we've heard that gibnut may soon be on the endangered list.  Definitely try sere (boiled fish in coconut sauce), chimole (similar to a black gumbo), cassava bread, cassava and plantain chips, fried plantain, fish balls, fry jack, tamarind juice (supposed to be good for hangovers, plus a sexual stimulant - do we see a connection here?) - - and of course, the national dish, red recado stewed chicken with beans and rice (or rice and beans -- and there IS a difference).  Red recado gets its color from annatto seeds and is a seasoning mix made from flour and annatto, plus a variety of other seasonings.  In the stores, it looks like a red sausage wrapped in plastic wrap or small pieces sold in bags.  You cook with it by mixing it into a paste with cider vinegar.   Makes a good base for stewed chicken and barbecue bastes.  If you have a kitchen and find some "Spanish Cream" (usually at Veronica's - the vegetable stand), try it as a thickener for sauces or seasoning for steamed vegetables (but don't use it as a sweet - it's a savory rather than sweet substance).  Best we can figure, Spanish Cream is similar to a savory creme fraiche.

Day-to-day food.  Hamburgers are not particularly tasty - beef isn't great in Belize to begin with, the patty is often thin, and the bread usually overwhelms the meat.  But if you crave a burger anyway, don't ask for a hamburger - you may be told the restaurant doesn't carry ham!  Instead, ask for a beef burger. 

If you order a salad, you may get slaw (which is really good here).  Belizean potato salad is awesome!

Placencia has good pork and chicken, and of course, the seafood is great.  However, you can't usually buy seafood in the stores.  Best bet is to meet the fishing boats when they come back to the dock in the evenings, or buy from the Fishermen's Co-op at the docks.

Belize produces a decent coffee (by Gallon Jug).  However, be aware that some restaurants still use instant coffee. (Why? - we're told Belizeans don't really like coffee so it's all the same to them.) The Purple Space Monkey and the Secret Garden serve regular and premium coffee drinks including latte, cappucino and expresso.

Liquor.   Rum, Belikan Beer (regular, premium and stout) and Lighthouse Beer (supposed to be an ale, but tastes more like a pilsner).  Personal dark rum favorite is One Barrel or it's more upscale cousin, Prestige, just recently re-named "Two Barrel" (reminds us of Barbancourt Rum).  When selecting rum, just remember, the cheaper the rum, the better it is as a varnish remover (the stuff in the unmarked bottles can remove varnish just by setting the bottle on a piece of furniture - no need to pour it out).   Locally produced cashew and craboo wines are very sweet, almost liquerish - both are definitely acquired tastes.  Imported liquor is VERY expensive - especially Scotch and vodka.  In the Villages, Wallen's has the best selection of wine, although Everyday Discount Store has been getting more and more decent wines lately.  Mostly California (heavy on the Gallo), some Chilean, a few Australians.  Around $17.50 U.S. for a bottle of Gallo Cabernet.   Oh, and you won't find a lot of frozen drinks in Placencia Village.  If you absolutely must have one, try the Purple Space Monkey, Barefoot Beach Bar, Cozy Corners or Pickled Parrot. 
 

Outside the villages, Peckish offers a very good selection of wines and champagne.  Pricey, but the best you'll find. 

Restaurants.   In Placencia Village, the food is fresh and usually very good.  Favorites in Placencia Village include Wendy's, Merlene's, Yoli's, Secret Garden, Barefoot Beach Bar, Trattoria Placencia, La Dolce Vita, The French Connection, and DeTatch.  Many local restaurants are closed one day of the week. (Don't ask which one - I can never keep them straight.)

Special Note on Summer Restaurant Schedules: there aren't any.  That's not entirely true, but almost.  If few tourists are in town, be prepared to try several restaurants before finding one open.   Definitely plan on eating lunch before 2 p.m., and try having dinner between 6-8 p.m. when restaurants are most likely to be open.