The Best Beach in Belize
Belize is many wonderful things, but a spectacular beach destination it is not. There are nicer beaches to be found a few hundred miles North in Mexico’s Yucatan. What if you’re planning a trip to Belize for it’s world-class land or water adventures and you also want to relax on a nice beach? Lets take a look at Belize’s most famous and best beaches.
Placencia
Placencia is a 16 mile long peninsula, most of the East side is a large stretch of sandy beach. This Southern town’s beaches are quite often mentioned as being the best beaches in Belize. When I arrived to find Placencia’s sandy shores littered with dead sea-grass, rubbish and broken glass I was utterly disappointed. It has a stink almost as bad as it looks to boot. Walking along the beach I couldn’t reach the water, which was blockaded by a wide garbage barrier. I could have joined the children braely walking barefoot playing in the rubbish, but the safety of my tender feet were at too much risk.
When I asked a few locals about the situation I was told nobody cleans up the mess, they simply wait for the water to wash the rubbish away! The only exception I found here was to check-in at one of the nicest resorts in town, Chabil Mar – where the beach was kept clean.
Ambergris Caye
Ambergris is the country’s predominant travel destination and the beach here absolutely is better than Placencia. San Pedro town is quite touristy, the beach is cluttered with hotels, piers and restaurants. The water however is absolutely gorgeous and the sand is the white, powdery texture enjoyable to walk on.
Unfortunately sea-grass washes up on the beach constantly, leaving it unsightly when left unkept. As with Placencia, you’ll find the best sand here to be the stretches that are cleaned routinely by staying at one of the nicer resorts outside of town.
So Where is Belize’s Best Beach?
The real gems of Belize – hundreds of little cayes (islands) and atolls the stretch along the barrier reef tucked away from most tourists. These picture perfect islands are the perfect getaway for beach lovers who want nothing more than to enjoy an isolated patch of sand all day. There are many to chose from all offering something a little different. My favorite is South Water Caye (pictured at the top of this post), which like many of cayes are protected marine reserves, keeping them in pristine condition. These islands are hands down the home of Belize’s best beaches.
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