So my first time in Belize, a quick report for new comers or avid ACers alike. Don't drink belikin beer. Sorry, it's horrible. Don't drink one barrel rum, sorry also very bad. Buy booze at duty free and bring it w/ you. Most restaurants on the island are not worth eating at. Go to street vendors or little local joints (always eat where locals do.) Don't go deep sea fishing. After 9 hours and 3 cuda's.... wow i saw 4 3'+ black grouper under our boat while scuba diving the reef. Don't believe any bad things you read or hear about ac, san Pedro, or Belize. This place is a diamond in the rough, it's natures Disney world. If you are planning a trip get here soon... it is booming! There are condo's going up so fast that 3 were up between us getting there and leaving. It will be Cozumel soon. Don't get offended when your tour guide says U.S. citizens are spoiled. 99% of us have electricity and running H2O. A lot of Belize does not. Now for the do's. Dive, be it snorkel or scuba do it! Hit up the main land for a few tours. Very amazing things to see and do (Lamanai, cave tube, etc.) Most company's give you r.t. transportation, breakfast, lunch, drinks, and a guide for not a whole lot considering. Next, tip your tour guides. Those guys and gals are awesome and We were the only people tipping them. Buy local crafts. Wood carvings or whatever buy some they make great souvenirs. Embrace the turtle grass. It's not nearly as bad as I read about. I've been all over the world and ac is certainly on my top 5. Not as cheap as the rest of central America but equally priced to the rest of the Caribbean. I will definitely be back for a return visit. Enjoy and keep on keepin on.

Awe man... did you try the Coconut Rum and Lighthouse? Those are quality!!! And there are certainly some good restaurants... I won't hold your comments against you but I will tell you that you're WRONG!

I agree that we ALL should tip the tour guides and buy local (that includes the booze).

Glad you had fun and are thinking of a return trip!

For such a positive report, so much negativity!! How about just saying you didn't care for Belikin or One Barrel, as opposed to telling folks not to try them!! And I've had GREAT meals in SP restaurants!!

Still, I'm with TQ . .glad you enjoyed yourself!!

I dont know where you had 'bad dinners'. 10 years ago, it was easy to get poor food, today there are a number of excellent restaurants for fine dinning. Beer and rum is a matter of taste. Personally I like the local libations. I agree with the above post, glad you enjoyed your trip and will return.

Come on back and try again. I'm a beer lover and have drank around the world. I like Belekin's, even after 10 days of serious testing! Also, loved the food!
Tip the tour guides.

The rum yes that was a simple matter of taste. as for the beer...
every regular belikin i had was rampant with DMS (thats dimethyl sulphide) the lighthouse was seriously sun struck (they should consider putting it in amber bottles.) the premium was the best bet out of all of them but still sub par.

Nice meeting your group when we were there. Belikin isn't that bad for us average beer folks but for a brewmaster, you are partial to particular things knowing what you know and your expertise in your field back in the States. I intend this to come across as a positive point for you as other boarders may not understand where you are coming from.

As for the fishing I can completely sympathize with you as we had the same experience in Cozumel the week before. I was sad. Glad you enjoyed the tours on the mainland though - we will do that on the next trip, I have been able the leave the island yet except for boat trips in the area because I don't want to be away from the water... We did have a great BBQ up North with Suya the first 2 snorkeling stops weren't great but Mexico Rocks was good.

We had a great trip too - I am ready to come back. Hub was supposed to go to Singapore to work next month and I was going to make a quickie trip but his trip was pushed back to July so my secret plan fell through!

"Don't go deep sea fishing. After 9 hours and 3 cuda's...."

Who in God's Name did you go Fishing with?

Fishing on the reef in SP is like fishing in a fishtank!

My main concern about fishing there was the Guides/fishermen were taking way too many fish from the reef. Boat after boat comes in with 60/70/80 fish from the reef. Past the reef ( depending on species, and season you fish) is amazing fishing when you light into them.

I'm sorry you had a bad Fishing experience, but I can say from with certainty , that was not a typical fishing day.

I'm happy you liked the trip overall tho.

having fished the waters off of AC for many years, (about 150 days on the water, about half of those over the reef) i've had a few days like the op. was just down the beginning of the month, and the first day i had one of the top two or three days fishing in my life. had we boated everything we had on, it would have been the best ever. the very next day...nada, zip, zilch, and while that is a rare occurence, it isn't the first time that has happened. when the fish aren't biting there isn't much you can do. that being said, the fishing has dropped off to some extent, and that has been confirmed by several long time guides. also, haven't ever brought in 60+ fish, but have seen it done plenty. sorry you didn't have great results.


i agree on the beer by the way, i prefer the premium, but none of it is great. don't drink rum....can't comment.

i would disagree about the restaurants however, as i don't remember having any bad meals. jmo

All of our meals were great too, only one place that has rave reviews I may not agree with but it would be to my own personal preference therefore I won't mention any names.

colo - sorry i missed you there. i could have walked right past you and not known it...another time!

bf doesnt think much of belikin either - but when in Rome...

Was there the same time you where fished the reef and the back islands because of the wind only go half days full day way to much for me .. One day we had to stop fishing at ten oclock we caught lots of fish and where tired ..Not a joke now we fish the bottom ramas[structures made of sticks] and shallow reefs use spin tackel ,2.0 hooks sardines for bait no trolling for the big monsters just lots of reef fish action one after the other lots of fun. And one day hooked into 25 lb jack on 12 lb test on a whole live sardine took me 25 min to land great fun ,fished with local Capts abel guerro 2 days and ,and Capt pete graniel boat boat reel lady 2 days all booked with fishingsanpedro.comn my friend and buddy and fishing broker... At the end of each day caught a mess of mixed fish and feed lots of hungry people, snapper ,jacks cuda etc . have always had good days some better than others !!! have tried trolling not me ,not my thing to fish all day and get three or four hits...but do think some people come out here wanting to troll for the big ones!!! I do not think productive as the bottom/reef fishing .As you may land a big wahoo or sail?? but most only catch a few cuda .So can be boring. I read your report sounds like you had fun .I still think the island has some great food , and great resturants again just my opinion ..Next trip down let me know when your comming here.. I try to go once a month if I am here we will fish together and will show you the real deal ..again thanks for your report ..

Well I'm not much of a drinker so the Belikin is OK for me. Now the food, thats my thing. I haven't found food there that I didn't like. Between the outdoor vendors and the restaurants..We've only been to AC twice so far but we try to eat at different places. I think its GREAT!!! I do, however agree with the Cozumel theory. After visiting Cozumel every year for 14 years, its definitely getting to be too much. The quaintness is almost gone. It's getting too high brow. What a shame. I am hoping AC doesn't follow suit, I love it too much.

I know!? What the hell is this guy talking about!?

I'm from Seattle and we have more micro-brews then not, and let me tell you... if you're going to have a standardized beer for an entire country... Belikin is not a bad option! The stout is great! The regular is a good solid beer, and WHAT THE HELL is this cat saying about the rum here!? It's some of the best in the world! It's 10 bucks for a shot of it at home! TEN BUCKS! It's got this beautiful caramel flavor that can't be beat! You can practically order it on the rocks! Try that with Bacardi and you'll choke!

Ok... I'm done.

I agree about the turtle grass.

American beer brewmaster? Well that explains it.

What's up with the Belikin's only being 9 ounces though, no wonder I couldn't get my drink on!
LOL!

ncrf, I don't care for Belikin either, so I drink the Lighthouse beer when in Belize. I have tasted much better rums from other Caribbean nations (Dominican Republic (Brugal) has one of the best).

They have beer on the island?

Good trip report, I have been shut out while fishing on occasion but like I have heard before; "A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work" Come back and try it again, we do!

Wow, I can't believe the knocks on the rum! I'd rather have a shot of One Barrel over ice than a premium Scotch! I'm actually trying to talk our local liquor store into acquiring it!

As for the beer, I prefer alternating between the stout & the premium, but that's me.

But on either, you have to at least try it.