Get Away From it All in Belize

First the islands, or cayes — it's beach, ocean, scuba, snorkeling, boating, strolling the beach

Then head inland, there are caves to tour, paddling up stream in your inner tube, looking for relics of 500 or a thousand years ago — pottery, firepits, stalagmites and stalagtites.

Now put on a headlamp, go for a jungle tour, "looking" for jaguars and things that go bump in the night!

Explore some ruins, left over from Mayan civilization. Much of it restored, some of it just hills covered in moss and trees.

Swim with the fishies. Look for the ATM Cave — Actun Tunichil Muknal

Mountain Pine Ridge Nature Reserve — 300 square miles

The Belize Zoo — Keep your arms and legs outside the enclosures. This is more rustic than big city zoos, so wild boars can gouge you if you lean inside, for example - you've been warned!

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary — THIS is where you really find jaguars!

Shark Ray Alley And Hol Chan Marine Reserve — Tours are offered to this nature preserve area. The guides throwing bread into the water draws stingrays and nurse sharks, with YOU in the water!

Lastly, scuba the world famous Great Blue Hole, off the coast. It is a full day trip to get there and back.

Day Trips:

The capital of the Mayan empire is just across the border into Guatemala, Tikal, with 4 huge pyramids facing each other with a football field sized grounds below — this is one of the top 4 Mayan Ruins — Palenqe in Mexico, Copan in Honduras — maybe Coracol or Xunantunich in Belize

• Bistro at Maya Beach Hotel, Placencia

• Chef Rob’s Gourmet Cafe in Hopkins Village

• Montagna Ristorante on the Mountain Pine Ridge reserve - Italian dishes

• Rain Restaurant and Rooftop Terrace in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye

• Guava Limb Restaurant & Cafe, San Ignacio

• Elvi’s Kitchen, San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye

• El Fogon Restaurant in Ambergris Caye

• Grove House, Belmopan

• Blue Water Grill, San Pedro

• Kareem’s BBQ or any of the other BBQs along the beach, Caye Caulker

• The Lazy Lizard, The Split, Caye Caulker — Watch the sunset here

• I and I Reggae Bar — For a night out, look for swings. Sit at the bar, perched on, you guessed it, swings. It's a big treehouse kind of structure — fun!