Ambergris Caye is a popular destination for all types of tourists. Divers come from all over for the incredible Belize Barrier Reef System. Retirees looking for a laid-back environment swarm to the island. Backpackers seeking out a stop on their Central American journey find relaxation here. After spending a few days down in the primitive jungles in the Toledo district of southern Belize, I was more than excited to switch up the trip and head to the islands. I spent 3 days in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye and fell in love with everything it had to offer, allowing me to create this travel diary for you.
Here’s my travel diary for 3 days in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye:
Getting to San Pedro, Ambergris Caye
Upon returning our rental car to the airport, I flew with Maya Island Air from Philip Goldson International Airport (BZE). After a short 15 minute flight on a 6-seater plane, I make it to Ambergris Caye. The flight cost us $60 a person but it was beyond worth it for the experience those views!
We were supposed to depart from the airport at 3:40 PM but, after arriving early, they got us on the 1:15 PM flight. Customer service at its finest!
Arriving to San Pedro, Ambergris Caye
While we were down at the Cotton Tree Lodge in the Toledo district of southern Belize, we met a man by the name of Frank. He’s a world traveler from South Africa who currently owns and operates an AirBnb in San Pedro.
Read More: Staying at the Cotton Tree Lodge / The Toledo District of Southern Belize
Since we were both leaving the same day to head back to Belize City, Frank hitched a ride with us for the 5 hour drive back. As a thank you for driving him to airport, he sent a taxi to pick us up from the airport, driving us to our accommodation at Isla Bonita Yacht Club. The hotel also paid for our taxi upon arrival.
Accommodation
With a slew of options of places to stay in the town of San Pedro, I was happy with our decision to lodge with Isla Bonita Yacht Club. The location was absolutely perfect in a quieter area but still close to the hustle and bustle of San Pedro.
Isla Bonita offers a wide range of condominiums to choose from. All are fully equipped with a kitchen, including every utensil you’d need to cook a full meal. The comfortable bed, beautiful bathroom, living room, and an outdoor seating area was just what we needed for our island vaca.
Spending 3 Days in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye
As another thank you from Frank, he rented us a golf cart to use for 24 hours. Even though I didn’t think we needed it, it ended up being a convenient thing to have. He strolled on over to meet us with the cart and took us on a little tour around San Pedro. His recommendations for local’s favorites and directions on how to navigate helped us immensely on our time in San Pedro.
Read More: Travel Guide + Tips for San Pedro, Ambergris Caye
Evening of Day 1
After grabbing some rum and fresh fruit juice from the supermarket, we head on up to our balcony to relax. Those sea views are just what I’ve been looking for after a few days in the jungle.
Once we fill our bellies with that smooth Caribbean rum, we walk out to the pedestrian-only Front Street running parallel to the Sea. Chatting with a local named June, we browse the carved wooden pieces she’s selling. Wanting to watch the sunset from the dock, we watch pelicans swarm in as the fishermen dock their boats.
About this time, a storm starts to roll in so I snap as many pictures as I can before retreating back to our condo.
Dinner Time
As most tropical storms, the crazy wind and storm passes. Taking advantage of the dry weather, we hop in our golf cart and ride over to Frank’s number one recommendation for dinner, the Hungry Grouper.
The owner of this place built his restaurant from the ground up, even going as far to make a walled rock fountain and miniature crystal chandeliers.
Along with preparing all of the food, he serves the tables and makes the drinks, all the while wearing the biggest smile across his face. My mom ordered the teriyaki chicken and raved about it even after we left. I had the garlic butter snapper with a special spanish rice and it literally melted in my mouth. I was so excited to finally try some traditional food from a local Belizean!
Exhausted from a full day of traveling, we ride on back over to our hotel for a good night’s rest.
Day 2: Our Only Full Day on the Island
My favorite thing about vacation is having those slow mornings and our balcony was the perfect place to indulge in that.
After more coffee than necessary, we begrudgingly get around for the day (really, it’s so hard to pull away from those relaxing views!) Taking advantage of our golf cart, we head off to explore San Pedro a little bit more.
Secret Beach in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye
Frank told us about his favorite place in Ambergris Caye called Secret Beach. Located nearly 4 1/2 miles from San Pedro, it’s accessible by golf cart even though the last 2 miles are unpaved roads through the mangroves.
Before hitting the unpaved portion, we stop by the Sol Café so I could grab a cappuccino. This adorable Insta-worthy spot offers some amazing breakfast options with its massive muffins and full coffee bar.
We continue on through the Mangroves, finally making it to Secret Beach on the west part of Ambergris Caye.
We soon found out that which ever company’s lot you park your golf cart in is who you’re agreeing to give all of your business to for the day. Apparently we volunteer to spend the day at the Maruba Beach Klub but it works out because the experience was awesome. The staff, super friendly and upbeat, are a great addition but my favorite part has got to be that breakfast on the beach. I enjoyed a bomb cheese omelette while sitting in my beach chair staring out into the Caribbean.
Since we arrive early enough, we’re able to snag a sea-front lounger. Spending the first true relaxing day of our vacation, we spend a few hours laying in the sun, dipping our toes into the crystal-clear water and sippin’ on rum punches.
Heading back to San Pedro
A little after noon, we get back in the golf cart to head back to San Pedro. Along the way, we stop by another one of Frank’s recommendations, the Truck Stop.
The Truck Stop is a collection of old shipping containers turned food park, the first of its kind in Belize. It’s open Wednesday through Sunday from 12 PM to 9 PM. Unfortunately we visited on a Monday so we were unable to see it open. I did take the opportunity to snap some pictures of the chill and unique atmosphere.
Once we head back over the bridge, we go over to the Palapa Bar for some drinks and then drive the golf cart down Front Street which is actually the beach!
We park the golf cart in one of the spots to walk over to the waterfront area by the docks. Taking it as an opportunity to around, we explore the gorgeous St. Pedro Catholic Church. Saint Peter, the patron saint of fishermen, is the saint of Belize who watches over the people. Before tourism took over, San Pedro in Ambergris Caye was once a fisherman-only village.
At about this time, our 24 hours were up for our golf cart rental so we return it back to Frank.
Sunset & Dinner
For sunset, we walk about a half mile south down the beach to an area full of palm trees. Since this side of San Pedro faces east, we only get the darker part of the sunset but the colors still shine!
Nighttime takes hold so we begin to wander up and down the streets of San Pedro trying to find something to eat. We ultimately settle on Pirate’s Pizza, placing an order to-go. The price was so crazy expensive at $26 USD for one pizza (probably one of the most expensive meals we ate in Belize!)
Day 3: Our Last Day
Frank had lined up a snorkel tour for us at 8 AM so we had previously arranged for a late check-out at 2 AM with the hotel.
An Unexpected Turn of Events
Unfortunately, I woke up sick as all get out, fighting the pain and illness for hours until I finally walked to the clinic for help. They hooked me up to an IV and pumped me with 3 bags of different medicines. After a few hours in the ER, I began to feel much better and they discharged me. Walking back to the hotel, all I wanted to do was drink some fresh juice and cool off in the pool.
I take full advantage of snapping some pics around the beautiful gardens of Isla Bonita before heading to the docks for our 4 PM ferry to Caye Caulker.
Read my Caye Caulker travel diary here or my complete travel guide and tips for visiting Caye Caulker here.
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