This trip ended up amazing, but we had a few scrapes and bruises before we arrived in Central America. I’ll start this post out with the issues we encountered and end with the actual details of this beautiful country. So if you’d like to skip the issues we had with traveling scroll past the horizontal bar 😛
Where the disaster began…
Flew out of O’Hare to Miami and had a slight mechanical delay. Unfortunately, there was a storm, so the Miami airport closed just as we were arriving . Therefore, we had to land in Ft. Myers and wait until it reopened to fly back to Miami. This was an extra hiccup to the start of our trip …. Then, we landed and found out our flight to Belize left 15 minutes early! Who does that?!
Tip 1: Never be first in line for re-booking after a missed flight
We went straight to American Airlines (apparently we were the first ones from our flight) to reschedule our flight and get our vouchers. They said the next flight wasn’t until tomorrow morning (greeeaat!) and they weren’t going to comp anyone’s stay because it was weather related (but remember – it was mechanical at first).
First we went to the baggage claim area to see if there was any way to get our bags for the night since we didn’t carry anything with us. From there we were told we would have to wait at least 4 hours and there wasn’t a guarantee that we’d get them by that time. The airline gave us some overnight stay packs (toothbrush/paste, deodorant, hairbrush, shaver, etc.) and then sent on our way.
Tip 2: Contact the hotel about the free shuttle prior to waiting to get a time estimate and location
We booked a hotel in Miami that was close to the airport and had a free shuttle. That was a nightmare. The shuttle never came and said that it did. It took over 2 hours to get on that shuttle and to the hotel. There happened to be another female on that shuttle that was on her flight that showed us that she received vouchers for everything.
While checking into the hotel, I mentioned that others received vouchers I asked if he could check us in and if we returned with a voucher, could he cancel the other reservation. The man at the front desk was incredibly helpful and agreed.
We took their free shuttle BACK to the airport where agents were making it difficult to obtain vouchers. It took us literally showing her a picture of the other women’s voucher to get her to stop arguing and come out with everything.
We took the shuttle once more and everything was cancelled through Expedia, so we wouldn’t be charged. We then took an Uber to a strip mall to get some cheap pj’s and whatnot for the night since we had nothing but our jeans.
Then had some snacks and drinks with our comp’d vouchers before heading off the bed and getting to the airport in the AM.
Tip 3: Pack clothes and personal items in your carry-on if you check your luggage (or in case you have to check your bag at the gate due to a shortage of space on the airplane)
Moral of the story ladies and gentlemen: ALWAYS pack an outfit, PJ’s, underwear, a bathing suit, and things you use daily in your carry-on luggage! It will save you a huge headache if they lose your luggage or your next flight arrives late.
Made it to Belize..
So finally our flight from Miami to Belize made it and we were on our way… 1 day later than intended; that’s the chance you take when you travel during hurricane season. We landed in Belize and went through customs before approaching the Tropic Air desk to receive our airline tickets to Ambergris Caye (they are an extremely good airline – worked with us when we didn’t make our first flight and ensure that we didn’t need to wait all day for the next one).
Once we landed there, our resort arranged for a van to take us to the port where the boat will take us to our hotel (it was actually walkable, so no worries if you don’t have a ride). There was a small boat that could hold probably about 8 people that was sitting at the dock. They informed us that we’d leave in about 15 minutes (I assume they were waiting on more people, but no one else ended up showing). We walked up and down the beach a little and bought some beers for like 75 cents (amazing! haha) before the boat was ready to leave.
Our Resort (X’Tan Ha) – Ambergris Caye
We were greeted at the boat at X’Tan Ha Resort with a cool rag. The employee grabbed our luggage, delivered them to our room, gave us a quick tour to the restaurant/bar and we received welcome drinks. We filled out a few papers and were on our way to our BEACHFRONT room!
We pre-arranged for groceries to be delivered to our room since we heard it’s hard to get around the island sometimes (it’s mostly via golf cart). The positive to arriving a day late was that everything was already there when we arrived. I would recommend this to anyone who is staying in a group/family since it can help with the costs of dining out everyday. It was super easy and all done online for a $25 shipping fee. We got your basic stuff for breakfasts, water, beer, champagne and OJ for mimosas, hot dogs, chips, pasta, snacks, and taco supplies to take advantage of the full kitchen.
I still can’t believe that we literally had the resort to ourselves. There was maybe 10 other people there at the time and most left before us. Our room was literally ON the beach and the resort was very private. We had a hammock and plenty of chairs set up on the beach and in the pool areas. The view was just gorgeous and luckily the weather was fantastic.
Snorkel Trips
This was pretty much just a relaxing vacation since we missed a day of our stay, so we went on several snorkeling trips that we booked through the resort (Tuff E Nuff Tours) and that was it.
One day we went to the “Hol Chan Marine Reserve” and “Shark Ray Alley” -we got to swim in an open area with nurse sharks and stingrays, but it was very crowded with many people coming and going. To have the sharks come over, they throw “fish guts and whatnot” around you, so if you’re not too keen about a shark swimming towards you for food, you might want to stay away from that side of the boat (like my sister did, haha).
The next day we went to the “Mexico Rocks” because I heard that was not something to miss; boy, were they right! Plenty of fish, a great reef, and just us and one couple that we picked up on the way! It was fantastic to see everything without being rushed in a big group. If you’re just looking for great calm natural sea life, Mexico Rocks is it!
Other than that, we lounged at the pools, jumped on the water trampoline, had some drinks and great meals, and left our problems behind while we lounged around. It was a fantastic trip and I’m looking forward to going back – perhaps next time to Caye Caulker and the mainland of Belize for some jungle adventures.
