It's too long of a drive to get back anywhere early from Placencia, due to the road condition at the end. We drove a rental from BC to Placencia on our first trip to Belize, thinking we were saving money....had a medical emergency while in Placencia and were forced to fly back to BC for medical reasons, leaving our rental car at airport in Placencia.
Second trip to Placencia, we flew down and back - quick trips and well worth the cost and time savings. That road trip is LONG!