Rainforests and ruins. Beaches and barrier reefs. Caves and cayes.
The Central American nation of Belize isn’t much bigger than Massachusetts, and yet it has an incredible variety of places to explore. Whether you’re into hiking, snorkeling, diving, birdwatching, sport fishing, or just lying on the beach, Belize is calling.
Best of all, Belize is less crowded than other Caribbean coastal destinations like Tulum and Cancún. TravelPulse has called it “an untapped tropical paradise.”1 But it’s fast becoming more popular with American tourists, so the time to book your Belize vacation is now.
3 reasons to buy travel insurance for Belize
- Emergency transportation benefits are an absolute must. If you become seriously sick or hurt while traveling in Belize, you may be in big trouble if you don’t have travel insurance. “Emergency services will be either unavailable or significantly delayed,” the U.S. Department of State warns. “Serious injuries or illnesses normally require evacuation to another country.”2 Fortunately, your emergency transportation benefits can cover the cost of a medically necessary evacuation for a covered illness or injury, up to the limits in your plan.
- Travel insurance can help if you’re the victim of a crime in Belize. Belize is considered a high-crime destination—not only in parts of Belize City, but in remote and touristy areas as well. Scams, thefts and assaults are common.3 If you’re the victim of a crime, Allianz Travel Insurance can help. Contact 24-hour assistance for help making a police report and replacing lost documents. If your possessions are stolen, your baggage benefits may be able to reimburse covered losses. Read more: When You’re the Victim of a Crime, What Does Travel Insurance Cover?
- Travel insurance protects you in case you have to cancel. Most resorts in Belize have strict cancellation policies. If you have to cancel your trip at the last minute because of illness, a sick family member, a crisis at home or another pressing reason, you’re likely to get a resort credit or no refund at all. Travel insurance with trip cancellation/trip interruption benefits can reimburse your nonrefundable, prepaid trip costs if you must cancel or interrupt your trip for a covered reason (up to the limit specified in your plan).
3 of the best travel insurance plans for Belize
- OneTrip Prime is highly recommended for international vacations because it includes substantial emergency medical benefits and emergency transportation benefits. You also get trip cancellation/interruption, travel delay, baggage benefits and more. OneTrip Prime is also a good pick for family travel, because kids 17 and under are covered for free when they’re traveling with a parent or grandparent. (Free coverage for children is not available on policies issued to Pennsylvania residents.)
- OneTrip Basic is a solid choice for international travelers on a budget. Your trip protection includes all the essentials: up to $10,000 in emergency medical benefits and up to $50,000 in emergency transportation benefits, plus cancellation/interruption benefits, baggage and travel delay benefits, and more.
- AllTrips Premier protects every trip you take in 365 days for maximum peace of mind. Choose one of four benefit levels for trip cancellation/interruption.
Find a plan and get your quote!
3 of the best things to do in Belize
- Snorkel or dive Turneffe Atoll. The Great Blue Hole may be Belize’s most famous dive spot, but nearby is an option that’s more accessible, less expensive, and just as wonderful. Part of the nation’s largest marine reserve, the Turneffe reef offers shallow areas for snorkelers as well as wrecks for divers to explore.4 (Please remember that Allianz Travel Insurance plans exclude losses caused by scuba diving at a depth greater than 60 feet or without a dive master.)
- Spend the day on Secret Beach. Secret Beach is hardly a secret: On any given day, crowds of tourists and locals visit this spot on the west side of Ambergris Caye. All the same, it’s well worth renting a golf cart to reach Secret Beach, where you’ll find inviting, palm-lined sand and laid-back beach bars.
- Venture to the ancient city of Caracol. Unlike other Mayan ruins that are overrun with tourists, Caracol allows you to explore at your leisure. You’ll have to drive about two hours through dense forest to reach the site, a sprawling complex of temples—including the 140-foot Caana, or “sky place”—ball courts and other buildings.5
3 of the best resorts in Belize
There’s no shortage of fabulous resort experiences in Belize, but we’ve found three that offer a little something extra. The remote Blancaneaux Lodge was purchased by legendary director Francis Ford Coppola in the 1980s as a family retreat, then was opened to the public in 1993. This luxury resort is tucked into the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve in western Belize, a wildlife wonderland. Stay in a private cabana or Coppola’s own villa.
Cayo Espanto is a honeymooners’ dream: a five-star resort on a private island off the coast of San Pedro. Stay in a romantic villa on the beach. Savor dishes made by the chefs to match your personal preferences. Spend your days fishing or snorkeling on private charters, or just lounge by the water.
If your Belize vacation budget doesn’t quite accommodate a private-island stay, you can’t go wrong with Pelican Reef Villas Resort. Guests rave about the warm and enthusiastic staff, the clean and comfortable rooms, and the beautiful setting.
3 of the best restaurants in Belize
If you think rice and beans sounds boring, you haven’t tasted it in Belize. Made with coconut milk, red beans, garlic and other seasonings, this dish is eaten daily by most Belizeans. One of the best places to try traditional Belizean food is Elvi’s Kitchen in San Pedro. It started some 40 years ago as a takeout window where Doña Elvia Staines served burgers, and today is a beloved destination for dishes like pan-fried snapper, arrachera (flank) steak, and chicken with Mayan spices.
Nahil Mayab Restaurant and Patio in Orange Walk Town invites you to enjoy lovingly made Latin American specialties in a lush garden setting. Try the poc chuc, a Mayan-inspired meal of grilled pork with onion and sweet pepper, or col yucateco, “the inside-out version of Belizean tamales.”
The Maya Beach Hotel Bistro consistently appears on lists of the best fine-dining restaurants in Belize for its French-Caribbean flavors. “The menu changes regularly, but among the standards you'll go gaga over are nut-encrusted snapper and cocoa-dusted pork chop on a risotto cake... No matter what you choose, you'll find the flavors and presentation interesting and creatively inspired,” says Fodor’s.
Ready for a little taste of Belize? Start planning your trip!
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