See: Belizeantravel.com

I have my work cut out for me. I just came across 5 locations in Placencia that are cabana style (grass hut) beachfront and within our budget!

First is the Finca Beach House and Cabanas. The property is beachfront but also stretches to the lagoon which is perfect for birdwatching and kayaking. The cabanas are built on stilts and offer the fresh ocean breeze and has a deck to enjoy the sunsets on. The going rate in the off season is a low $50.00 per night. There is an additional 9% sales tax and a minimum stay of three nights. That could be our problem. I don’t think we would stay in Placencia more than two nights.

---

The next location in Placencia is the Garden Cabanas. While these are not beach front, they are an 8 minute walk to the beach. It is located in Placencia Village itself. This locations allows you to easily walk to and from bars, restaurant tour providers and the beach. The small cabanas here run at $40 a night. The larger cabanas are $50 a night. And as most hotels, there is an additional 9% sales tax that will be added.

---

And of course: Heaven’s Gate Beach Bungalow. This bungalow location is beach front in Placencia Village. The bungalow comes with a private hammock, sunbathe, play in the waves, relax, or take a simple walk to downtown to venture to some shops and restaurant.

Bungalows run at $85.00 USD a night and also have the minumum 3 night stay and additional 9% sales tax.

---

Next up: Mahogany Beach Cabanas. These cabanas are beachfront and located in the Placencia village. The cabin has a veranade to relax and enjoy the sea breeze and sunsets. They cabanas have large windows that allow lots of sea breeze and natural light. The cabanas run at $65 USD a night and do not include daily housekeeping services. Fresh linens are available upon request at $15 USD a night. As the others, an additional 9% sales tax is to be added on and a minimum of three nights stay.

---

Lastly, the Village Inn offers beachfront Cabanas and is an 8 minute walk from downtown. They are located in the northern part of Placencia Village. They have hot AND cold showers. They have three types of cabanas.

• 1. The Cabana de Playa & De Mar- the largest cabana and is so close to the beach that it’s literally right on the shore. $115.00 USD a night.
• 2. The Cabana De Menona- this is a one room cabana located just off the sea. Suitable for a family of three or a couple. Located between the air field and the village. $95 USD a night.
• 3. The Cabana De Cruz- a cozy one room cabana which gets plenty of sunlight and plenty of cool sea breeze. Perfect for a romantic getaway. Perfect for us? $75 USD a night.

All these cabanas have the additional 9% sales tax and a minumum 3 night stay.

I’m still a fan of the Cotton Tree Lodge for our jungle excursions. I think Courtney was still leaning towards Jaguar Paw, but something about this accommodation seems way more intimate/eco-tourist. It just looks so cool- the wooden pathways from tree branch to tree branch. I like the cabana style accomodations too.

The only thing that worried me was figuring out how to feed ourselves in the jungle. But then I noticed that they do indeed have a bar and restaurant. The prices aren’t to shabby for meals: Breakfast is US $12 per person, lunch US $12 per person, dinner US $24 per person. I think we can handle that.

The rates for the rooms aren’t terrible. It would be $109 a night for a standard cabana. We could also invest in the all-inclusive package which starts at $170 a night. Although they say, “A single occupancy surcharge of $50 per night applies to our all inclusive rates. For more than two adults per room, additional adults are charged $150 per person per night” Does that mean that the room would be $170 plus $150 per night? If so, we’re looking at $320 a night between us both.

The all-inclusive package includes meals, soft drinks, tours and grounds activities. Although a few activities have an additional charge- such as snorkeling, scuba diving and fishing. Grounds activities include kayaking on the Moho River, an organic garden with fruit trees which are free to pick for guests, medicinal plant walks, and horseback rides.

The daily tours Cotton Tree Lodge offer are, “Each day our guests have the opportunity to explore the Toledo District on one of our cultural, chocolate, adventure, or wildlife tours. Visit Mayan villages and homes, connecting with the local people. Hear the Afro-Carribbean rhythms of Garifuna drummers, taste the sweet tartness of the cacao fruit. Active types will enjoy jumping from Rio Blanco Waterfalls or venturing into Tiger Cave. If you are looking to try something a little different, consider joining a volunteer project with Sustainable Harvest International”

Very eco-touristy and very much to my likings. A tad pricey but may be worth it if we can book some extremely cheap locations beachside.

This may be a little bit on the extreme adventurist’s side of the gear spectrum, but so long as I am jumping head first into geardo bankruptsy, I might as well talk about it…

I picked up a very nice, compact first aid kit from Adventure Medical Kits. I first read about this brand in the February 2009 issue of Powder Magazine. This issue featured an editor’s gear guide and they spoke highly of The Fundamentals kit. It is spectacular but beyond the needs of the average backpacker or backcountry skier. But the magazine’s recommendation helped me to get smart on what is available.

I did some basic research on Adventuremedicalkits.com to figure out what kits they offer, which are too limited and which are just plain overkill. First of all, I don’t have first aid training. I can wrap a laceration, apply a little antibiotic and maybe even set up a splint if I had to, but anything beyond that, I’m hoping for a helicopter ride and a first responder.

Ultimately I settled on the “Trekker.” The kit is a couple years old, so it is no longer featured on the company website. But I did find a good description of it on Backcountry Outlet. Incidentally, I managed to pick up the kit from Backcountry’s Steep and Cheap limited time offers website for a steal. Here is how they describe it:
Bring the Adventure Medical Trekker Kit any time you and a small group spend a weekend in the backcountry. This kit contains the equipment necessary to treat cuts, burns, blisters and trauma and neatly organizes these supplies with the Easy Care System—an ingenious design that helps anyone from novices to EMT’s quickly and confidently administer first aid. The Easy Care System relegates hospital-quality supplies and instructions into injury-specific compartments  so you can instantly retrieve the medication and injury management you need.

Sounds about right to me. It’s a kit that Liz and I can carry relatively easily on any adventure, whether it be through the jungles of Belize or the groomed trails of Maine’s Sunday River (our favorite) without breaking the bank (under $30.00) or our backs (weighs just 17 oz.).

Two Things:

1. I just came across an old e-mail that originally brought up Belize between Courtney and I. I thought I might share it. Dated at March 6, 2009. I guess you could say that’s when this all started.

Liz: “Also, if you could choose to go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? (lets not include financial reasoning here).”

Courtney: “Go anywhere?…………………. I don’t know. I guess maybe Belize. They have a barrier reef and mayan ruins. A whole lot of everything. How long would this trip be? Permanent? or Vacation?”

Liz: “Ha try googling image Belize- Notice that the scenery doesn’t seem to be the most popular… But it does look pretty there. Funny how you choose the Caribbean. Are you familiar with French Polynesia? It would be a vacation. Just go and return type of question ha. Just a distract me from work type of question and learn more about you ”

We’re too cute. My colleagues always say they throw up in their mouth when I tell them how romantic Courtney is and how good he is to me. I’d say their just jealous

2. I found that e-mail thread when I was searching through old e-mails to see if Trends Belize ever got back to me. Let’s recall the out of office reply: “I am in Italy until Jun 5th. I will reply to your inquiry at that time. Wayne.”

Today is June 25, 2009. He’s 20 days late on that reply. Yeouch. I see how much my business matters to them. Darnit too. I like trends. But I don’t like the ignorance.

Today I have been thinking about our trip to Belize (now that the Vegas trip is over) and realize I still need to acquire some gear.

On my mind at the moment are scuba diving fins. Right now I am researching them a little bit. I don’t know much about scuba diving but I have previously used fins before in my neighbors pool and during swim team practices growing up.

There seems to be four main categories of fins: adjustable strap fins, full foot fins, long blade free diving fins and force fins.

The adjustable fins are obviously good if you are looking to share the fins with friends or family members that have different sized feet. I recall using these in the pool at my neighbors and I recall them not staying on too well. I think I won’t be looking into the adjustable fins because I will be purchasing a pair that only I plan on using over the next few years.

I’ve been a fan of the full foot fins. They fit better and are pretty comfortable compared to the adjustable fins. Looking at the various full foot fins they come in a variety of shapes and cuts. I really think they all will be pretty sufficient for the activities I plan on doing with them.

I’m not sure the long blade fins apply tome at all. They are used for free diving and spearfishing. While spear fishing cool be really cool, I don’t think that is something I will be doing in Belize or the very near future. Also, I won’t be doing any free diving. I couldn’t imagine they would be very easy to walk in as well!

The Force fins look to have the adjustable strap in the back and have a toes-free pocket which helps to avoid toe cramping and leverages power from your strongest kicking muscles. They are deemed easy to pack- having a small blade yet is still efficient for fast movement in the water. I like the idea of my toes not cramping, but I also don’t recall that ever happening with the full foot fins.

I think I will lean towards the full foot fins. They are looking to cost me somewhere between $30-80. $80 is on the pricier side for me for gear. I know Courtney and I plan on snorkeling at least twice a day (morning and evening) if possible which would make the investment worthwhile. I may also embark in a full on scuba diving adventure with Courtney if I can find a dive that doesn’t require too much training and classes to take up my time in Belize. Maybe I should look into getting some sort of certification here in New England before going down there. (Although I have heard that certification is pretty pricey and that worries me.)

I’ll let you know when I narrow down my choices for scuba fins. I think that is all I need to acquire for scuba diving/snorkeling as Courtney has the rest of the stuff and offered for me to borrow it.