San Pedro
San Pedro is a 25-mile long island with a population of 12,000. During our time in Belize, we stayed in Ambergris Caye, near the southern tip of the island. The locals are extremely friendly, and helped us learn a lot about the island. San Pedro has grown rapidly in recent years. Just a decade ago, all roads were mud, so in the rainy season, the locals earned a living pulling golf carts out of the sludge. Its downtown is now quite crowded with golf carts, cabs, bikes, and pedestrians. All of the coastline beaches in San Pedro are public, making it easy and pleasant to get around. While walking along the beach, you can look out over the Carribean Sea. Belize is protected by the Mesoamerican (or Great Mayan) coral reef, which runs from Mexico to Honduras, so the water was full of vibrant blues and greens. Each day, we watched the waves crashing over the reef in the distance. We walked about eight miles a day, wandering along the beach, going to our favorite hang out spot, the Seahorse Sports Lounge, and venturing into town.
Around Town
San Pedro city is a small town toward the southern tip of the island. It was about a mile walk north of where we were staying. There is a lot for tourists to do in the city, and much of it centers around food and drink. We tried rum cream at Saul's Cigar & Coffee and boutique chocolate at the Belize Chocolate Company. We got fresh tortillas through a window at the tortilla factory where most of the island gets their tortillas. We were surprised to see that a mural for the Chicago Cubs World Series was painted on the factory wall. A sculptor from the open art market next door explained that when cable TV first came out, the only channel the island got was WGN, so everyone is a Cubs fan and was very excited when they won the World Series in 2016. Town is also where you can find Wahoos Lounge, which hosts the famous chicken drop: a game where they drop a chicken in a box with a grid, and you bet on where the chicken poops. Sadly, we did not make it to this event.
House of Culture
In town, you can find the House of Culture next to the tortilla factory and open art market. It is small - just one room - but that makes it manageable to explore all of its exhibits. Its permanent exhibits focus on the history of San Pedro, including what was important to the indigenous tribes, what natural resources San Pedro produces, and the colonization of San Pedro. It also has seasonal exhibits. When we went, there was a special Carnaval exhibit, with photos and props used during the celebration. Having only been able to experience the final day of Carnaval, this allowed us to see what we had missed: big parades with men in beautiful dresses and makeup, and scary paper mâché masks. There is also annual reading of Don Juan's will, a nod to the Spanish influence in San Pedro.
Iguana Juan's Food Walk
Debbie, Cindy, Kerin, and Morgane went on Iguana Juan's Food Walk, led by comedian Brad Redder who relocated to Belize from North Carolina. We walked for three hours from place to place trying different local dishes, which was fun, but a little much in the 80-degree weather. This is where we first visited the tortilla factory and Saul's Cigar & Coffee, and where we got to try corn porridge.
Casa Mariposa
One morning, while running along the beach, Mike and Morgane found something truly amazing: a coconut sculpture garden. About a mile south of where we were staying sits Casa Mariposa and its art installation. Each sculpture is accompanied by a whimsical story about the sculpted character. It was truly a joy to share in the creativity of the owners of this beach house.
Black and White Cultural Center
The Black and White Cultural Center is a combination of a restaurant and an educational center run by a group aiming to promote the Garifuna culture and food. The Garifuna are descendents of Afro-Indigenous people originating in St. Vincent who were exiled to Honduras in the 1700s. Some of them subsequently moved to Belize. They have their own food, music, dances, and customs. Cindy, John, Caitlin, and Kevin went to the restaurant, where we tried traditional food and drink while watching a video explaining the Garifuna history and culture. We tried the hudut, a trditional fish soup, and traditional herbal drinks. Unfortunately, we missed the drum performances that the group sometimes hosts.
Soccer Match
We were lucky enough to be able to attend a soccer match between San Pedro and a neighboring town. The match was held in a stadium near where we were staying. The game was fun for people of all ages, with kids playing soccer and tag just off the field, and periodically losing their ball through the holes in the fence. We were among the few tourists who attended, but cheered as loudly as the locals when San Pedro won.
Local Restaurants
We tried several of the local restaurants in San Pedro, and most were very good. But it is common for the food to take 45 minutes or
more to be served, so don't arrive too hungry.
Hidden Treasure - This swanky restaurant had fancy food and cocktails, and was very good, if a little expensive.
Robin's Kitchen - Nothing more than a food stand with some outdoor seating, this restaurant serves
traditional Jamaican BBQ. We enjoyed jerk chicken, curry chicken, and fish. There are only one or two people working at a time,
so be prepared to wait for a bit for your food.
El Divino - Located inside Banana Beach Resort, El Divino served the best meal I had on the trip: whole fried
snapper. But we had to wait almost two hours for our food, so don't go in hungry.
Pier 366 - This restaurant was just outside our dive shop, and we ate lunch here almost every day. Burgers,
salads, ceviche, fish tacos, piña coladas...everything they made was excellent. Service was quick too!
South Beach Bar - About 1.5 miles from where we were staying, this bar has volleyball courts for those who
want a little more activity on vacation.
Pineapples on the Beach - Located at Ramon's Resort, this restaurant is a little closer to town and is on
the fancier side. We ate the scallops (unimpressive) and the stuffed shrimp (amazing) while listening to live music.
Blue Water Grill - This restaurant was closer to town and fancier than some of the others near where we
were staying. We got the whole snapper and it was superb.
Caroline's Cookin' - This restaurant is in town and was recommended by the guide on the food tour. The food and
smoothies were very good.
Seahorse Sports Lounge - We spent most of our days lounging on the beach chairs in front of the Seahorse
Sports Lounge and talking to the bartender, Margie. The food was nothing special - typical bar food - but the seating
and atmosphere were great.
Pelican Reef Villas Resort - We had a difficult time finding breakfast while in San Pedro, but luckily,
most resorts will let you eat at their restaurant, even if you're not staying there. We stopped by Pelican Reef
while walking along the beach and got a much needed breakfast of eggs, sausage, and pancakes.
Palmilla Restaurant - This restaurant is located in Victoria House, one of the most expensive hotels on the
island. The staff was friendly and flexible, finding us a table even though we didn't have a reservation. We ate
short rib ravioli, a snapper filet, and Peruvian ceviche, and drank margaritas while sitting on the porch and watching bats fly around us.
Black Orchid - This restaurant was a little bit of a trek from where we were staying, but was definitely worth
it. Four members of our party got the special: the barracuda filet. Everyone enjoyed their meal.