First Hand Reports

Our First Trip to Placencia, Belize...

I say 'our first trip' because my husband Josh and I are definitely coming back.

Our plan was to go to Placencia in October 2001, but our trip was delayed when the devastating Hurricane Iris hit.

So, for nearly a year we continued to research the country and all it's tropical offerings to the traveler looking for the perfect combination of adventures and relaxing while on vacation.

With so much to see and do, and no way to be sure we had chosen the right base camp, we were very fortunate to come in contact with Mary Toy of Destinations Belize.

While we weren't sure what to expect of Placencia, it turned out to be the little village in paradise that we had hoped for.

Mary tailored our trip to reflect exactly what we most wanted to experience. She welcomed us as we de-planed in Placencia and got us all situated in our accommodations.

We stayed at a great place with a veranda and view of the Caribbean right off the Sidewalk in Placencia.  

The Sidewalk is like "Main Street" (except better and with no traffic!)

We were able to walk to the local bars, grocery stores, restaurants, and of course the beach and shoreline running up the Peninsula alongside the Village.

We knew our week would fly by (as vacations typically do) so Mary arranged our day trips into the Rainforest and the Mayan Ruins. This was most helpful since she knows the local guides, their schedules and availability.

We were set on seeing the ruins and caving in the Maya Mountains as well as trekking through the lush Rainforest at Cockscomb Basin. With Mary's arrangements, we were assured to not miss anything.

She also scheduled Josh's guided fishing trips with a great local guide. I say "Josh's" trips since he lives to fish, especially fly fish.

As it turned out, the fishing day was yet another wonderful adventure for me too. I went with Josh and our guide on their first day out and words don't come close to describing the beauty of the Sea and the Cayes we came upon.

I could see the fish in the crystal blue waters and watch hundreds of pelicans dive for their lunch. It was Josh's first time bone-fishing and he was so psyched for his great catches (barracudas too!).

It was a beautiful day out and so much fun for us both.

Our first trip was a wonderful mix of exploring, adventure, fishing, and of course relaxing.

We thank you Mary for making sure we could experience all we hoped to! While 8 days was plenty of time to see and do everything, we agree that future trips will be a few days longer. Josh and I are eager to return to Placencia and look forward to having you plan our next stay.

Heidi and Josh