Recharge In Belize: 6 Things That Make It The Perfect Place To Do So! (2022 Update)
If you’re a traveler then you’ll know that “Post-trip travel fatigue” is a thing” and some of you will read that and wonder “Can I actually be tired after a Vacation?!”. It is possible and indeed, depending on the nature of your destination you can go back home feeling more burnt out than you did before you embarked on your vacation. We here like to think that the point of a vacation is to take a break and recharge, to feel fresh, if albeit a little crispy when you get back! 😉
With that philosophy in mind, here are 6 things that make Belize the perfect place to recharge:
1 Relaxing setting
Belize is a land of warm climate, tropical trees, and easy breezes. It’s difficult to deny how relaxing that alone sounds, isn’t it? From the high Maya Mountains with it’s cascading streams and waterfalls to the rolling plains of the north and beaches that lay lazily along much of our shoreline, Belize is the poster child for “relaxing settings”. Take into consideration that along with all that real estate that lends itself to you sprawling out and taking a breather, the locals populace is very much into you, and everyone, doing just that.
The island of Caye Caulker may have coined the “go slow” slogan, but the attitude is very much alive in all of Belize. There is never a huge rush for anything, and the local “don’t worry” attitude that is synonymous with Caribbean culture will easily stick to you and lull you into the right unwinding mood. Seriously, who wants to worry about answering work emails by the beach? Or getting on a red-eye flight (which don’t even exist here) back home when the holidays are over? The general mood here is chill, which the landscape perfectly lends to. Our Belize islands will see you post up on one of the many beach chairs that are strategically embedded into the sands while inland hammocks loosely stretched between anchor points will lightly sway as they call to you and flotation tubes lean perkily against a tree waiting for you to take an easy float down the meandering river.
Everything is simply set up just right to help you take it all in and exhale all your angst away.
2 Tropical Luxury
Gone are the days when “luxury” meant glass clad high-rises with hundreds of pounds of chandeliers and stories tall ships that take you to multiple destinations in a few days. Decadence is no longer the way of things, it has been instead replaced by idiosyncrasy in all facets and attention to even the finest of details.
The concept of visiting the newest iteration of a thousand hotel chain has become overshadowed by the desire to experience the authenticity of that singular Lodge nestled in the rainforest owned and run by real people. Being a few miles removed from general society shouldn’t be an anxiety-inducing thing. As we know well here some of the best things are kept slightly hidden just so much that you need to look to find it.
There are a few places in Belize that can offer you all the comforts of society in an unspoiled setting. There’s something about having a mojito by the edge of a pool in the heart of a tropical rain forest that’s rather calming to the nerves, almost as calming as an open-air spa treatment on the crest of a jungle hill. You don’t need to give up anything more than the ringing of car brakes and blaring horns in your ears. A small price to pay for some peace don’t you think?
BONUS: Here’s a great list of Luxury Belize Resorts by a fellow Belizean blogger.
3 Adventure & Exploration
There’s a certain conception that baffles us, the idea that being surrounded by nature means being surrounded by biting insects and voracious predators. Growing up in such a lush natural environment might have desensitized us somewhat, but a walk through the forest invariably means fresh air, shade, and the sounds of animals calling to one another – hopefully not in warning of our arrival so we may get a chance to see some of these elusive inhabitants.
Few things make Belizeans happier than the opportunity to impart some of our love for the environment to someone who has never had the experience before. There are copious opportunities for adventures and exploration here. Mayan ruins make up the Bulk of that but don’t for a moment think that because you’ve been to one you can scratch any other off your to-do list. Different temple sites sprung up at different times and were dominant during different eras and while much of their architecture stayed relatively consistent, the subtle differences in symbolism are enough to keep you searching on to the next one. In tandem with their large temples, the ancient Maya also venerated their deities from within the dark confines of limestone cave formations that are rather common in these parts.
The famous Actun Tunichil Muknal is proof of the popularity of rituals in caves of back then and is now the eternal home to the remains of what is believed to be a young woman who was sacrificed to the gods of Xibalba. If Archaeology isn’t your thing then perhaps we can interest you in zoology? Belize within its 8000+ square miles of territory has astounding biodiversity, over 500 species of birds, coral reefs found in very few other places, tropical reptiles and amphibians and the only Jaguar reserve in the world.
That all suffices to say that if new discoveries relax you, there’s much relaxation to be done here.
4 Comfort food
Google defines comfort food as a noun describing “food that provides consolation or a feeling of well-being, typically any with a high sugar or other carbohydrate content and associated with childhood or home cooking”. That said, we’re not sure exactly how it works, because how does one associate new food with childhood? Perhaps it’s because of the home cooked element that is ever present in all of our cuisine.
Belizean food is made to taste like home because otherwise what’s the point? Referring back to google, we have definitely got the whole “carbohydrate” thing down, Rice and Beans, the king of Belizean home cooking, is comprised of – yes rice and beans, but added in that is coconut milk, it’s accompanied by potato salad, fried ripe plantains, any of a variety of stewed, fried or baked meats and just about anything that’s savory or spicy. If we sounded impassioned, or like we got carried away just now you’re more than likely right, but it’s difficult not to get that way about such things.
Riding this coconut milk train brings us to Sere, a southern Belize staple is a chowder-like dish in which fresh catch fish, green plantain balls and starchy ground food of your choice is boiled in a coconut milk broth with spices until it all melds into a hearty stew that will warm even your soul – this is true adventure fuel.
There really is no limit to how long we could go on and on about Belizean cuisine, but it’ll all be lost upon you if you can’t relate, so – when you’re here (Because we know that by now you’re convinced) try it all, and have as much of everything as you like! 🙂
5 Human connections
Nothing screams authenticity more than returning from a vacation and having stories to tell about individuals you met, who’s names you remember and voices you can still clearly reproduce in your mind. What is travel after all if you don’t leave a part of yourself behind and bring a piece of somewhere else in its place? That’s just what happens here, people are so genuinely open to human connection that it’s difficult to simply float through Belize and never connect, and it’s impossible to pass through and not at all meet anyone who stays in your mind.
Belize is a country of characters, perhaps it’s a regional thing. Perhaps it’s an “us” thing but personality is everywhere, from the conspicuously colored houses to the distinctive personalities you’re bound to run into if you take a stroll that lasts longer than a minute.
Nightlife in Belize will bring you similar results with friendly characters striking up interesting conversations with the most creative introductions.
If you’re an extrovert or revel in social interaction, Belize is a wonderful place to come and reinvigorate your social tendencies.
6 Natural immersion
Not much a people person and prefer to connect with the cosmic flow of the earth? You quite arguably have better fortune than the socialites for having landed in Belize. We didn’t come up with calling our country “Mother Nature’s best-kept secret” out of nowhere – we really are.
Much of the rainforest in Belize hasn’t been tread by human feet since we defined our borders as a nation and even as such we’re sure there are patches that have never seen human contact to date. Add that to the fact that Belizeans are generally conscious about the diverse flora and fauna and you have yourself a country with much more trees that multi-storey buildings. Many of those large perimeters of land are also protected areas set up to preserve a delicate and naturally occurring habitat. One such preserve is one we speak about frequently – The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife sanctuary. What’s so special about this preserve in particular? It is the singular Jaguar preserve in the world (as far as we know) in existence and boasts the region’s highest density of healthy jaguar population.
If you’re a bit more into science than others and want to more than just look at tracks and habitat you should search up the Bladen reserve, so protected that currently only scientists on field studies are currently allowed within.
Post-vacation fatigue has proven to be a widespread phenomenon. Why not minimize it – or at least make it worth it with a total recharge in Belize! 🙂
Have you experienced the complete mind and body relaxation that an All Inclusive Belize Caribbean Vacation can offer?
What was your favorite part? Let us know in the comments section!
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