8:00a
Breakfast at Island Torch
During the previous evening’s dinner, we had met fellow Casa Ashley Airbnb-er, Nicolas from Colombia. As he, too, was leaving for San Ignacio the next day but without transportation plans, we recruited this fellow adventurer to join us on our drive. Day 2 found us all up early and eager to catch a morning boat back to Belize City in order to get to San Ignacio before dark.
8:00a
Breakfast at Island Torch
During the previous evening’s dinner, we had met fellow Casa Ashley Airbnb-er, Nicolas from Colombia. As he, too, was leaving for San Ignacio the next day but without transportation plans, we recruited this fellow adventurer to join us on our drive. Day 2 found us all up early and eager to catch a morning boat back to Belize City in order to get to San Ignacio before dark.
Again, Mario and Ashley went above and beyond by giving us a ride to the pier and hanging out during breakfast. As it was Christmas day and virtually everything was closed, our breakfast choices were limited, but Island Torch came through in the end. Located just in front of Central Park (where the water taxi docks), it was super convenient to grab a bite and go.
8:30a
San Pedro > Belize City
As most folks weren’t up yet, I’m happy to report that the return trip was a much roomier and comfy-er affair. Our young captain had techno cranked up to 11 at 8:30 in the morning, but I’ll take an early morning spacious party boat over an overcrowded sweaty-stranger’s-arms-rubbing-up-on-me ride any day. There was also seating upstairs and in the back for those of us who preferred the fresh air as we said goodbye to San Pedro.
8:30a
San Pedro > Belize City
As most tourists weren’t up yet, I’m happy to report that the return trip was a much roomier and comfy-er affair. Our young captain had techno cranked up to 11 at 8:30 in the morning, but I’ll take an early morning spacious party boat over an overcrowded sweaty-stranger’s-arms-rubbing-up-on-me ride any day. There was also seating upstairs and in the back for those of us who preferred the fresh air as we said goodbye to San Pedro.
10:30a
Lunch at a Rental Car Company?
We arrived at the dock in Belize City, and having had reserved a rental car with local company Crystal Auto, we had a driver waiting for us at the dock ready to take us directly to their rental location. Now, I would normally not blog about a rental car company, but you’ve got to see how awesome this place is – both in decor and customer service. (No, this is not a paid advertisement. Really, they were so nice, I simply had to sing their praises.)
10:30a
Lunch at a Rental Car Company?
We arrived at the dock in Belize City, and having had reserved a rental car with local company Crystal Auto, we had a driver waiting for us at the dock ready to take us directly to their rental location. Now, I would normally not blog about a rental car company, but you’ve got to see how awesome this place is – both in decor and customer service. (No, this is not a paid advertisement. Really, they were so nice, I simply had to sing their praises.)
12:00p
Hitting the Road to San Ignacio
Research revealed Belize City to be sketchy in places, and while this wasn’t enough to scare us off, time constraints led us to skip the sightseeing. So, with bellies full and wheels acquired, we instead headed off to the Cayo district and San Ignacio.
12:00p
Hitting the Road to San Ignacio
Research revealed Belize City to be sketchy in places, and while this wasn’t enough to scare us off, time constraints led us to skip the sightseeing. So, with bellies full and wheels acquired, we instead headed off to the Cayo district and San Ignacio.
The drive from Belize City to San Ignacio takes almost 2 hours, given all the small towns you’ll drive through that use some gnarly steep speed bumps to slow you down. The road is nicely paved for the most part but the scenery isn’t much to write home about: a mixture of jungle and hills with the occasional small town off the road – and sad to say, the towns do not exactly scream “Charm!”
If you’re driving in Belize on Christmas day, turn on a local radio station and you may find yourself humming along to a medley of Christmas tunes – Latin style. We were regaled with well-known English holiday tunes mixed with a range of salsa, cumbia and other Latin beats. (There’s nothing like adding a salsa beat to “O Come, All Ye Faithful” to turn a usually somber song into a straight up dance ditty.) Nic (who’s from Colombia) and Alex (who’s half Cuban) also got their kicks from dance versions of Spanish language holiday songs they grew up with, and a fine time was had by all.
One memorable stop-off not far out of Belize City was a coconut stand owned by Glenn – a man who knows his marketing.
Glenn Talks About his Dickhead Shop
2:00p
San Ignacio
A small town near the border with Guatemala, San Ignacio is not the most impressive (especially the central “touristy” part). While no one expects glitz and glamour in Smalltown, Belize, our first impression was that it looked a bit run down; however, as real estate folks are wont to say, “Location! Location! Location!” San Ignacio is a great jumping off point to see a number of Mayan sites as well as to partake in day tours and adventures in the jungle.
2:00p
San Ignacio
A small town near the border with Guatemala, San Ignacio is not the most impressive (especially the central “touristy” part). While no one expects glitz and glamour in Smalltown, Belize, our first impression was that it looked a bit run down; however, as real estate folks are wont to say, “Location! Location! Location!” San Ignacio is a great jumping off point to see a number of Mayan sites as well as to partake in day tours and adventures in the jungle.
One of our first sights in town was seeing a car flipped over that was apparently the result of some Christmas Eve revelers getting carried away with drink. See this and other sights of San Ignacio here.
3:00p
Xunantunich
After driving through San Ignacio, we took advantage of the daylight to check out a couple of the local Mayan ruins close to town. Xunantunich is about a 30-minute drive from San Ignacio. If you have transportation, this is such an accessible site that there’s no reason to miss it. (You can always sign up for a tour as well, but if you have wheels, I would recommend doing it on your own.) For more details about the site and our visit, you can check out our Xunantunich post.
3:00p
Xunantunich
After driving through San Ignacio, we took advantage of the daylight to check out a couple of the local Mayan ruins close to town. Xunantunich is about a 30-minute drive from San Ignacio. If you have transportation, this is such an accessible site that there’s no reason to miss it. (You can always sign up for a tour as well, but if you have wheels, I would recommend doing it on your own.) For more details about the site and our visit, you can check out our Xunantunich post.
4:30p
Cahal Pech
Right on the outskirts of San Ignacio town is another easily accessible Mayan site. While it doesn’t offer a large pyramid like the one at Xunantunich, it does exude a foresty charm as trees grow throughout the site and even through some of the ruins. It’s a small site that can be seen within about an hour, so it’s easy to squeeze into your schedule. More Cahal Pech pics and info.
4:30p
Cahal Pech
Right on the outskirts of San Ignacio town is another easily accessible Mayan site. While it doesn’t offer a large pyramid like the one at Xunantunich, it does exude a foresty charm as trees grow throughout the site and even through some of the ruins. It’s a small site that can be seen within about an hour, so it’s easy to squeeze into your schedule. More Cahal Pech pics and info.
5:30p
Enjoy the Sunset at Cahal Pech Village Resort
This resort is located next to the Cahal Pech archaeological site, so if you can time it, catch a beautiful sunset from their upstairs veranda. We had originally gone there for dinner, but due to Christmas, they were offering a prix fixe menu that didn’t interest us; however, we did stay to enjoy the view.
5:30p
Enjoy the Sunset at Cahal Pech Village Resort
This resort is located next to the Cahal Pech archaeological site, so if you can time it, catch a beautiful sunset from their upstairs veranda. We had originally gone there for dinner, but due to Christmas, they were offering a prix fixe menu that didn’t interest us; however, we did stay to enjoy the view.
6:30p
Dinner at Authentic Flavors
Finding a restaurant open in San Ignacio on Christmas (and even for a couple days after) is pretty darn difficult. Finding one open that isn’t a mediocre-at-best bar/restaurant tourist trap is nigh impossible. I had a list of places that I had wanted to try in town, but all were closed. Then we found Authentic Flavors open and thought we had struck gold…the results ended up being a mixed bag.
6:30p
Dinner at Authentic Flavors
Finding a restaurant open in San Ignacio on Christmas (and even for a couple days after) is pretty darn difficult. Finding one open that isn’t a mediocre-at-best bar/restaurant tourist trap is nigh impossible. I had a list of places that I had wanted to try in town, but all were closed. Then we found Authentic Flavors open and thought we had struck gold…the results ended up being a mixed bag.
11:00p
The Garden House Airbnb
After our not-quite-satisfying meal at Authentic Flavors, we hung out at one of those tourist trap bars and chatted the night away, cementing our friendship with Nic, who insisted we must visit him in Colombia – we’re taking you up on that offer one day, Nic!
11:00p
The Garden House Airbnb
After our not-quite-satisfying meal at Authentic Flavors, we hung out at one of those tourist trap bars and chatted the night away, cementing our friendship with Nic, who insisted we must visit him in Colombia – we’re taking you up on that offer one day, Nic!
Exhausted from another full day, we finally retired to our Airbnb. The Garden House is located about 1 mile (1.6 km) outside of the main touristy part of town in the hills, so I would recommend booking it only if you have a car.
This is a bare bones cabin without much by way of amenities. That being said, it is clean and secure and a good value if you’re on a budget. See our write-up here.
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