“The trip was beautiful!”
July 14, 2014
“I went with my older brother and we had a great time on the island itself and also in Punta Gorda.
The island was beautiful and I could not fault the incredibly helpful and friendly staff at ReefCI.
We stayed at St Charles Inn at the weekends, and you can not fault them for their facilities. The rooms were air conditioned and had cable TV, hot water and soft beds, you can not really ask for much more! Especially for the cheap price!
The accommodation on the island was what you would expect for an island in the middle of the Caribbean. There are nice beds, amazingly well prepared food, and a communal shower.
We had not learned how to dive and were given an instructor all to ourselves for the first week (we stayed for two) a woman called Tracey who was absolutely lovely. The reef itself was beautiful and Belize is renowned for it’s diving.
Punta Gorda itself is filled with friendly people, who all say hello to you despite not having a clue who you are! There are shops which, although not having quite the selection we were used to in the UK, surpassed my expectations in availability. If you want something you can probably find it in Punta Gorda! Obviously Belize is a developing country and Punta Gorda reflects that, with some poverty and wealth, but there did not appear to be any abject poverty at least.
There isn’t a huge selection of restaurants as one could imagine, however one place really stood out, Gomier’s seafood and vegan restaurant was comparatively pricey for Belize (roughly $25BZD all in, so $12USD and £8 approx) but the food itself would not be out of place at a similar restaurant in the UK! Elsewhere however, there seemed to be an abundance of fried food. One trip that must be taken (especially for me as a History student) was the Mayan ruins, specifically Nim Le Punnit.
A typical day on the island –
“Wake up between 5-6, have some fruit, cereal, tea or coffee in the dining area and then go to the docks (your gear is set up for you) and go for a dive! come back at about 8/9 and have breakfast, ready for another dive at 11-12! Then lunch and a final dive at about 3. Dinner is served straight after and then the rest of the evening is yours to enjoy! The team do a dive briefing before most dives describing what the aim of the dive is, for instance conch or lobster surveys etc. Between dives and in the evenings you can relax in the hammocks, play volleyball or browse the internet (I think it costs $30BZD for the whole week)”
William and his brother Edward visited in June 2014
Placencia, Belize
