Belize: New Year, New Solo Adventure

Belize was my second-ever solo international trip. After Bermuda, I was ready to do it again — this time somewhere warm, with beaches, that wasn't too far away. I was also getting much better at finding flights and planning my own trips.

Getting to Belize ✈️

I definitely prefer a nonstop flight, but I'm also always shopping around for the best flight prices. For Belize, January airfare was HIGH, and the best deal I could find for my flight there was American Airlines with one layover. And, ugh… American Airlines. Customer service wasn't any better than my previous experiences with them, but it was the best-priced option I found.

For my flight home, I found a nonstop United flight and decided to pay a little more for the convenience. I had to work the next day, so after doing the layover on the way to Belize, I was more than happy to fly straight home. United was great.

My flight-shopping rule: I prefer nonstop, but I'm always going to shop around for the best price.

Getting from Belize City to San Pedro

Flying into Belize doesn't necessarily mean your travel day is over. My hotel was on San Pedro, so after landing in Belize City I still needed to get to the island. You basically have two options: a water taxi (about an hour) or a small plane (about 15 minutes).

I landed a little before noon, I was hungry, and I was ready to START MY VACATION. I wasn't interested in spending another hour getting to San Pedro, so I booked Tropic Air instead of Maya Island Air. The fares were within a few dollars of each other, and I wasn't taking chances to save a little — Tropic Air's reviews were almost perfect. I'm glad I chose them.

My first tiny-plane experience

Once I landed in Belize and felt that beautiful warm weather, I was just happy to be there. I actually wanted to sit in the co-pilot seat! 😂 The employee helping everyone onto the plane asked the pilot for me, but the pilot said no. Looking back, maybe I should have asked the pilot myself.

The flight was only about 15 minutes and the views over the water were beautiful. And Tropic Air's customer service? AMAZING. They greeted me by name when I arrived and I still don't know exactly how they knew who I was. Then something impressed me even more: when I got to San Pedro, someone from my hotel was already there waiting — Tropic Air had contacted the hotel to let them know I'd arrived. Now THAT is customer service.

Plane or water taxi? After doing both, I recommend taking the little plane at least once — the views are beautiful, it's quick, and it's part of the Belize experience. But I also used the water taxi several times during the trip and honestly it wasn't bad at all. It's a much more affordable option, especially if you're going back and forth between islands. For that first arrival, paying extra for Tropic Air was worth it.

I almost rented a golf cart — I'm glad I didn't

Before coming to Belize, almost everything I read said: rent a golf cart in San Pedro. So that's exactly what I planned to do. My rental would have cost about $180. The company was supposed to meet me near the San Pedro airport, but I couldn't find them — meanwhile my hotel driver was already there waiting.

I went with him and figured I'd sort the golf cart out later, since companies deliver to hotels anyway. Then my driver explained how taxis worked on the island and gave me a much better idea of what transportation would actually cost. So I changed my plans, messaged the golf cart company on WhatsApp and cancelled. And I'm SO glad I did.

I ended up spending approximately $110 total on taxis for the whole trip — the golf cart alone would have been around $180 before gas. I also saw and read about people having carts break down, including on the way to Secret Beach. Imagine me, travelling alone, with a broken-down golf cart out on that road. No thank you.

Finding a ride was rarely an issue. My first taxi driver gave me his card, and the drivers worked together — if he couldn't get me, he'd recommend someone else. The one exception was Secret Beach: it's farther out, so it was harder to find someone willing to come get me, and eventually an employee at Blue Bayou called a driver for me. As a solo traveller, I'd absolutely use taxis again.

Where I stayed: Mahogany Bay Resort

I stayed at Mahogany Bay Resort & Beach Club in San Pedro. The resort is made up of individual villas, and at first, I thought my villa looked nice. But once I settled in, I started noticing some issues. The shower stall looked outdated, I found crumpled paper and trash that had been left in the room, and my villa didn't have much of a view.

One of my biggest frustrations started almost immediately after I arrived. There was no iron or ironing board in my villa, so I called to request one. After traveling all day, I was ready to change, get something to eat, and actually start my vacation. Instead, I felt like I was waiting forever for something as simple as an iron and ironing board. I eventually had to call a second time.

That experience also highlighted one of my biggest issues with the resort: the villa-style setup. My villa was separate from the main resort area. This isn't a traditional hotel where you can simply go downstairs or walk down the hallway to the front desk when you need something. Getting around the property often meant requesting a golf cart pickup from the resort and waiting for someone to come get you.

At times, those waits were frustratingly long. There were even a few occasions when I had already requested a ride and ended up hopping on a housekeeping staff member's golf cart when they happened to be passing by rather than continuing to wait.

There was also construction in the area. It wasn't directly beside my villa, but I could hear it from inside.

Looking back at the experience as a solo female traveler, I don't think this particular setup was the best choice for me. I prefer staying somewhere with a front desk and hotel staff nearby rather than being alone in a detached villa where getting to the main resort area requires a golf-cart ride. It wasn't necessarily about feeling unsafe — it was the isolation and inconvenience of the setup that I didn't enjoy.

If I returned to Belize, I would choose a different hotel — and I wouldn't choose another detached villa-style property.

My Mahogany Bay rating: 6/10.

Interestingly, I never made it to the resort's private beach or tried any of its restaurants. There were simply too many other places around Belize that I wanted to experience.

First day in Belize: pool + food

After travelling, I kept my first day simple. I went to the hotel pool, ordered a drink, conch fritters and fish tacos, and relaxed. This was also the beginning of something that continued all trip: me ordering conch fritters everywhere. 😂 They quickly became one of my favourite things to eat in Belize — but I hadn't had the best ones yet.

Cave tubing adventure

The next morning I had an 8 a.m. cave tubing and zipline adventure booked. My itinerary reminded me to bring a towel, sunscreen, insect repellent, comfortable walking shoes and a change of clothes. That meant taking the water taxi back toward Belize City to meet my guide.

The excursion was supposed to be a group tour, but somehow I ended up being the only person — so it unexpectedly turned into a private tour. Honestly, I was having so much fun I didn't really notice at first.

We hiked and went cave tubing, and the cave tubing was SO relaxing. It was my first time and I wasn't scared at all; my guide was great and completely in control, so I could just float and enjoy it. Meanwhile there were people kayaking through the caves who kept saying they wished they'd chosen cave tubing instead. 😂 I understood why — I was floating while they were working.

The excursion included ziplining, but I skipped that part. Why? Because I was busy eating jerk chicken, rice and peas, and plantains. 😂 My guide showed me a beautiful spot by the water where I could sit, eat and watch everyone else zipline. No regrets. Between the hiking, the cave tubing, having my own guide and relaxing with Caribbean food, this ended up being one of my favourite experiences in Belize. Would I recommend cave tubing? 100% yes.

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Elvi's Kitchen 🍽️

After the excursion I took the water taxi back to San Pedro, and then it was time to EAT. I walked over to Elvi's Kitchen, one of the more upscale restaurants on the island — still wearing my shorts and sneakers from the excursion. 😂

• Watermelon juice
• Conch fritters
• Stewed Mayan chicken
• Coconut rice
• Plantains

The food was AMAZING. And the conch fritters? The best I had during the entire trip. I ordered them several times in Belize, and Elvi's won.

Secret Beach & Blue Bayou 🌴

Friday was the day I'd really been waiting for: Secret Beach. From my research I knew it was farther from San Pedro, so I called a taxi early. My original itinerary even had reminders to myself: "Wear sunscreen," "Bring towel," "Float rental."

I wanted to arrive around 10 a.m. because I specifically wanted one of the tables sitting directly in the water at Blue Bayou. And here's the best part: you don't have to pay for the submerged tables. You just need to GET THERE EARLY. I grabbed my table and rented a float — and then basically spent the entire day lounging.

The water was clear, warm and calm. The DJ was playing good music, people were dancing, everyone was friendly, and I was floating around with my drink, laughing and singing along. At one point I got to speak with the owner/manager and tell her how much fun I was having. This was exactly the kind of day I wanted.

• Shrimp ceviche — good, but a little salty
• Blackened fish tacos — VERY good
• Virgin strawberry daiquiri — delicious (yes, virgin 😂)

I felt completely comfortable there by myself. I met and talked to other travellers — some solo, some in groups — and everyone was just dancing and having fun. It made me think Belize was a GREAT choice for a New Year celebration.

Was Secret Beach my favourite part of Belize? It's hard to pick only one. I loved Secret Beach and Blue Bayou, but I also had so much fun hiking and cave tubing with my private guide. Secret Beach was my lounging, music, food and drinks day; cave tubing was my adventure day. I'd absolutely do both again.

If I only had one free day in San Pedro… I'm going to Secret Beach. Get there early, grab one of those tables in the water, rent a float and plan to stay for the day. Don't rush it — this is a lounging day.

Friday night: Blue Water Grill

That evening I showered, got dressed and went to Blue Water Grill. My research said to make a reservation, but I couldn't get through because their phone wasn't working. Luckily I still got an outdoor table overlooking the water.

• Dynamite fish over coconut rice
• Sushi (Fridays only)
• Conch fritters

The dynamite fish over coconut rice was really good, and the sushi was good too. But then came the problems. First, my food was served on a chipped plate. Then the conch fritters — after eating them several times on the island, I knew something wasn't right. The texture was off and they didn't seem properly cooked.

I told my waiter. His response? "I'll tell the cook." Okay… So I waited. He eventually came back and told me there was nothing wrong with the conch fritters. Excuse me? I explained that I'd eaten conch fritters several times on the island and yes, something was wrong. Eventually they were removed from my bill. Between the chipped plate, the fritters and how it was handled, the service definitely wasn't what I expected. The waterfront view was beautiful, though — and there were stray cats walking around outside while I ate, so of course I ended up playing with them. 😂

Snorkeling: When the Current Became a Problem

Saturday I booked an all-in-one full-day shared guided tour that included snorkeling, swimming with sharks and a stop at Caye Caulker.

What I didn't realize at the time was how dangerous the water conditions were.

There was a strong current. At one point, our group was trying to swim back toward the boat.

We were swimming…

and swimming…

and then you realize:

We're not moving.

There were two guides — a man and a woman — and we'd been separated into two groups. The male guide was more experienced and knew where to swim to avoid the strongest part of the current, so his group made it back to the boat.

Ours didn't.

After he got his group safely onboard, he had to come back into the water to help our group.

Looking back, I don't think that excursion should have gone forward that day. I booked a guided excursion because I'm relying on the tour company and its guides to know the water and determine whether conditions are safe.

At the time, I didn't fully understand how strong the current was. I only knew that we were swimming toward the boat and weren't getting any closer.

It wasn't until I researched it afterward that I realized how dangerous that situation could have been.

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Swimming With Sharks 🦈

Before you picture sharks circling us — that's not what happened. 😂

They weren't interacting with us. The sharks stayed down near the bottom of the ocean while we watched them from above.

I just swam and had conversations with the other people from the boat.

Caye Caulker

Our last major stop was Caye Caulker.

I stopped for ice cream and then spent some time at The Split, where I relaxed, had a drink and enjoyed the atmosphere.

One of my favorite parts of the cruise was actually meeting other travelers. I met a lot of people that day, and everyone was fun to talk to.

That's one of the things I enjoy about solo travel — traveling solo doesn't necessarily mean being alone.

After the cruise, some of us stopped at Palapa Bar & Grill together. Since we were in Belize, the group and I were focused on trying Belikin, Belize's national beer. 🍺

I also ordered the fried grouper with coconut rice.

The grouper was really good.

The coconut rice? Not so much. 😂

Heading home

On my final morning I slept in — no rushing around trying to squeeze in another excursion. I took the water taxi back toward Belize City and headed to the airport for my nonstop United flight home. And yes, after that connecting flight down, I was very happy to have a nonstop waiting for me, especially with work the next day.

What I'd do differently:

• I wouldn't stay in a detached villa again — I want a lobby, front desk and staff easily accessible
• I'd skip the golf cart again; taxis were easier and cheaper than my planned rental
• I'd take Tropic Air again — it saved time, the views were beautiful and my vacation started sooner
• I'd ask the tour company about water conditions and expect them to cancel if it's not safe
• I'd absolutely go back to Secret Beach

Solo With Jenn takeaway

Belize was only my second international solo trip, but I could already see myself becoming a better solo traveller. I researched a lot before I went, but I also learned it's okay to change the plan once you get there. I thought I needed a golf cart — I didn't. I thought a private villa would be great — now I know that setup isn't my preference when I'm alone. I was nervous about a tiny plane — it ended up being one of the experiences I'd recommend.

That's part of solo travel for me. You research. You plan. You go. And then you figure out what actually works for you.

Photos from the trip