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Placencia Belize 2022
  • Kelli and Greg Johnson
  • Greg Johnson

Placencia Belize 2022

First trip of retirement! Read more
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  • Trip start
    January 9, 2022
    Placencia Belize 2022

    Arrival

    January 9, 2022 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    We flew in on 1/9/22. Omicron variant of Covid-19 is in full swing so we were a apprehensive to travel but feel much safer here. Mask mandates are enforced here even outside other than drinking, eating or swimming.

    Our Covid tests results didn’t come back before we traveled so had to be tested when we arrived at BZE. process was easy then took the commuter flight to Placencia.

    Small plane was fun, and he house we rented through Airbnb, Seaglass Beach Loft is wonderful!!!

    First day we walked down the sidewalk and back up Placencia road, getting a few things and had our first dinner at the Tipsy Tuna. Met some Canadians that were vacationing for three weeks. We were exhausted so turned in early.    Read more

  • Placencia Belize 2022

    Day 2

    January 10, 2022 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    Beaches & Cream coffee shop is 75 ft from the Seaglass Loft house, so I had to go get cappuccino’s and banana bread this morning. Very good.

    We walked around the village some and had lunch at Barefoot Bar. Great food. I had a portobello burger and Kelli had a shrimp wrap that was gigantic. I tried the local beer, Belikin, it was good. Better than the hoppy IPA’s that have taken over at home.

    We left a little tipsy and walked up to the beach club. Met the owners and it is very nice. We will probably go back tomorrow and join. $25 for the month for groomed beach, pool, restaurant and bar.    Read more

  • Placencia Belize 2022

    Day 3

    January 11, 2022 in Belize ⋅ 🌧 79 °F

    Day 3 started again with cappuccino and then a 30 minute body weight workout on the deck from Peloton app. Great workout!

    We then went to the Placencia Beach Club. Bought a one month membership. Met the owner Heather who was very nice. Also met a couple who moved to Belize from Oregon. Drinks and food was very good and service was awesome! We will likely spend quite a few days there.

    Had dinner at Rumfish. Very good sangria and Greg had shrimp linguine which he said was great.    Read more

  • Placencia Belize 2022
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    Day 4/5

    January 13, 2022 in Belize ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    Day 4 started off the same with cappuccino and workout. Then walked around town and had lunch at a restaurant at the end of the sidewalk right next to Placencia Beach The Shak Healthier food and smoothies. Was good and of course very friendly attentive staff. Some “somewhat ugly” Americans there asking 1000 questions about the food.

    Went back to house and chilled on the deck for the afternoon.

    Dinner at Smoquiz on the sidewalk. Food was excellent and of course amazing service. The BBQ sauce was very good, and that is saying something because we are super picky when it comes to BBQ sauce.

    Very few tourists it seems, so all the restaurants are pretty empty.

    Checked out two hardware stores in the village. First one was more like a general store the other one MnM was more like a mini Home Depot. You could order tile, they had toilets, light fixtures faucets etc, just in small quantities.

    Day 5 (Thursday) cappuccino again and then we did 10 minute stretch and 10 minutes of core. We were super sore from last three days of workouts to do body weight again today, needed a rest day and the stretching felt so good!

    Then went to Placencia Beach club for lunch and to hang out. Met a nice lady Carla who lives here now. She was originally from East Africa. She told me about the juice delivery guy, the fruit guy etc. also sent me an email with the banking and QRP paperwork in case we decided to apply. People here are so friendly!

    Dinner was at Cha Chi’s, this time for pizza. The pizza was soooo good. We’ll have to eat there again! Started raining as we were finishing dinner so stayed for another drink to wait and it the rain. When it slowed down, we walked back. Got wet, but it’s warm, so no big deal.    Read more

  • Placencia Belize 2022

    Day 6 Friday

    January 14, 2022 in Belize ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    We rented a golf cart from Captain Jak’s for the day. Rode up the peninsula 14 miles (limit of the cart company) and explored. Looked around Umaya resort and some developments being built. Expected it to be more developed than it was, but that’s kind of the charm of Belize. Had a great lunch at the Bistro at Maya Beach Hotel.

    Still amazed at how good the food and service is everywhere we’ve been!

    I took a video driving down Placencia Road in the Village.    Read more

  • Placencia Belize 2022
    De Tatch
    De Tatch1Rick's CafeCha Chi's1View from Cha Chi's1Wendy's amazing dinner!Buba Wuba's

    Day 7, 8 and 9 Sat, Sun, Mon

    January 15, 2022 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    Low key days. Cappuccinos in the morning, workouts on the deck then out for lunch and dinner.

    Covid cases are going up in the area so the beach club was closed for Saturday, Sunday and Monday due to low staff available. Still feel much safer here in Belize than in the states since the masking rules are much more stringent.

    Lunches: De Tatch (on the beach), Barefoot Bar (on the beach) and Buba Wuba’s Grill and Smoke Shack. Lunch highlights were Bean dip at De Tatch, had portobello mushroom burgers at Barefoot Bar for a great tasting meatless option, and Greg had a great Cuban sandwich at Buba Wuba.

    Wendy’s Creole Restaurant and Bar Friday night special was: Cajun seafood combo - Mix of lobster, shrimp,crab in a creamy Cajun sauce with potatoes, sweet corn peppers and fresh herbs with
    S/w Coconut rice. Food was amazing! Messy to eat, but was really amazing!

    Sunday night dinner was at Rick’s Cafe. I was still full from lunch so I had a small Cobb salad. Not quite like the states, had a vinaigrette dressing instead of my usual blue cheese, but very fresh greens and ingredients.

    Monday night dinner at Cha Chi’s. Sat at the rail overlooking the street. Nice to watch what was going on below. Greg got to watch some kids playing a soccer game. Greg had the seafood linguine and I wasn’t as hungry so had a slice of pepperoni pizza. Both were very good as always.    Read more

  • Placencia Belize 2022

    Day 10

    January 18, 2022 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    “Chilly” today. High of about 75 and cloudy all day. Food specials were listed at many places as conch soup for the chilly day! We were able to shut off air conditioner at the house and enjoy the windows open. Lunch at Tipsy Tuna and dinner at Barefoot bar. I had a light lunch so splurged on a grande enchilada for dinner, it was huge, needless to say I only ate 1/2. After dinner we did the usual lap with a walk down the sidewalk and back up Placencia road.

    Solved our streaming problem today by buying an HDMI cord at the office supply store in the Village, small little place but had the essentials. With the cord and the VPN we signed up for that shows we’re in Miami we were able to stream from our computer to the TV. Finished the night watching some of our shows on Amazon Prime (final episode of the Expanse) and Apple TV ( season 2 last episode of the Morning Show).    Read more

  • Placencia Belize 2022

    Day 11, Wednesday

    January 19, 2022 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    Beautiful day! Warmed up again so turned the AC back on. Cappuccino and workout in the morning, then headed to the Placencia Beach Club. Perfect weather, with nice breeze so we didn’t even get in the pool. We did wade a little into the ocean and saw several jellyfish so didn’t stay in water long! Greg had been having trouble sleeping, so took a nap on the beach, such a tough way to nap😄.

    Had salads for lunch. Great way to eat healthy (and offset the 🍹 and 🍺). Greg said it was one of the best Greek salad he’s had.

    Returned to Cha Chi’s again tonight for pizza. The staff there know us too well now 😃, but the pizza is soooo good and after light healthy lunch we were hungry for pizza!

    Finished with our walk down to the end of peninsula and up the sidewalk. I turned in early after spending all the time at the beach and fresh air!    Read more

  • Placencia Belize 2022

    Day 12, Thursday

    January 20, 2022 in Belize ⋅ 🌙 77 °F

    Warm day today, not much wind. Did a new 30 minute workout today and with the lack of breeze it was very hot, but we finished it! We’ve worked out everyday since we’ve been here. One of the advantages of longer trips, we don’t need to be in a rush to get everything done. We can relax in the morning with coffee, then exercise, shower, then on to whatever we want to do for the day.

    Did a little shopping on way to pick up lunch at the Shak. Saw some things I want for the house. Lots of artwork type things that are handmade.

    Dinner at SmokQiz on the Sidewalk. The owner there is an amazing chef, really good at presentation as well. Funny seeing him work in T-shirt, shorts and flip flops. Greg had the shrimp creole special and we had lobster spring rolls which were delicious!

    The neighbor across the road has chickens and what appears to be a “broken” rooster. The rooster crows at all times day and night. We’ve heard him crow at 4 am as well as all different times during the day and evening. Not constant, so not annoying, just funny that he does it at such different times.    Read more

  • Placencia Belize 2022

    Day 13 & 14 Friday snd Saturday

    January 21, 2022 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    Friday was a pretty day. Morning cappuccino and only stretching and core workout (our off day). We spent the day at the beach club enjoying the breeze and beautiful ocean view! We had salads there for lunch, trying to stay healthy as much as possible.

    We tried the Pickled Parrot for the first time for dinner. They had a fish and chip special. While it wasn’t British style fish and chips, it was ok. I had ordered a rum punch which I’ve had at many different places while here, and it was VERY strong. I had to stir a lot to get the ice to melt some to water it down. Luckily it was served in a rock glass so not that big. Needless to say I only drank one.

    Saturday it rained quite a bit. We were on our way to get lunch at the Shak when it started to rain again so we stopped at the first restaurant which was De Tatch, and ate there instead. I got a cheeseburger which was my first red meat since we’ve been here and we had the bean dip again. Greg went healthier and had the shrimp burrito.

    Spent the afternoon on the deck and inside some due to weather.

    The bugs have been getting me again even with deep woods off. Greg of course hasn’t gotten any bites. There hasn’t been much wind the past several days so I think that is why I’ve been getting bit more.

    The beach club serves dinner on Friday and Saturday nights so we went there Saturday night. We both had the coconut crusted snapper with coconut rice. Extremely good and very healthy.

    More tourists seem to be here now. Heather at the beach club had said it usually picks up toward the end of January, so that is probably why.    Read more

  • Placencia Belize 2022

    Day 15, trip to Hopkins

    January 23, 2022 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    We had seen and read about Hopkins as a place many expats move to, so thought we’d check it out. We rented an SUV for 48 hours from Placencia Car rental. Greg picked it up at noon and we headed to Hopkins.

    The drive up there was easy, straight up Placencia road to the Southern Highway and then turn on road to Hopkins. We stopped at the Bistro at Maya Beach for lunch since the food is so good there.

    We thought Hopkins would be like Placencia Village , with a mix of locals and expats, but it was very segregated. The town where we had booked our hotel was all locals, and pretty run down. All the restaurants were little shacks etc. not really our cup of tea. We walked around a little then got in the car and headed to the hotel zone at Sittee Pointe. Beautiful houses there, but the road was quite rough and didn’t have the same vibe as Placencia village so we decided to return “home” to Placencia.

    We did stop in the town of Hopkins for a drink at the Driftwood bar and took the photo of the lost souls. We thought that was funny!    Read more

  • Placencia Belize 2022
    Picture atvthe beginning of our HikeAfter our hike were were a bit sweaty.Road out of the preserveShowing off my instagram pose with my muddy leg

    Day 16, Jungle Hiking

    January 24, 2022 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    While we had the car, we decided to find a hike we could do. The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and Jaguar Preserve was not too far off the peninsula so we headed there.

    It rained quite a bit the night before. The drive to the turnoff was quick, about 8 miles after we turned off the Southern Highway. The GPS said it was 5.5 miles up the dirt road, however it was a very rough road so it took almost 30 minutes to drive the 5.5 miles!!! Good thing we rented 4 wheel drive SUV!

    The hike itself was fun! We did the Wari loop which was considered an easier trail. It was about 2.8 miles. Had it not been muddy it would have been very easy, but which the mud it was a bit more challenging! We didn’t remember if my hiking shoes were waterproof, so I was trying to stay out of the mud and puddles. Early on we came to a particularly wet part where I tried to walk on the side of the trail which was a hill. Needless to say, I hit a slick spot and slid down onto my butt. Got my leg and butt muddy, but managed to not get completely covered. Later we figured out they were waterproof, so I just went through the muddy parts after that.

    It rained some while on the trail, but it was warm so not an issue. Was definitely an adventure!!

    The return trip wasn’t white as slow since Greg knew what to expect.

    We went back to the house, had showers then went to a late lunch/early dinner at Tipsy Tuna and a stop at the grocery store and checked out a house we wanted to see near the airport on a canal called Vista Cove. We were tired so stayed in the rest of the evening!    Read more

  • Placencia Belize 2022

    Days 17 & 18

    January 25, 2022 in Belize ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    Mornings were HOT exercising on the deck, without much breeze, but we did it. We don’t have a scale, but felt we were starting to possibly gain a little so are being a little more careful on our food choices this week.

    We decided to chill at the beach club on Tuesday and Wednesday. The weather was warm, sunny and breezier at the beach. They have really good salads there, so we had salad for lunch and enjoyed the beautiful weather each day.

    Dinner on Tuesday was pizza at Cha Chi’s. They were extremely short staffed, but the pizza was still delicious and the waitress was doing her best to keep up.

    Dinner on Wednesday was at Rumfish. Since the amount of tourists is starting to pick up, we made a reservation by messaging through Facebook so had a table on the rail. Food was delicious. I had the snapper special and Greg had a pasta dish. (I don’t remember the names).

    It was fun watching the vans pull up from some of the resorts up the peninsula dropping off guests who are a little dressed up, which is not necessary in the village. One of the things I like about the village is how casual it is. Flip flops everywhere, no need to worry about getting ready for the evening!    Read more

  • Placencia Belize 2022

    Day 19

    January 27, 2022 in Belize ⋅ 🌙 77 °F

    After our cappuccino and workout, we spent the day working on transportation to Ambergris Caye and cart rental as well as our Europe trip for the summer.

    We decided to try the water taxi to Ambergris Caye rather than fly. We’ll see how that is before we decide our return trip. We also booked our flights and VRBO for Paris. We found an apartment in Morais that is in a great location, with small kitchen and even washer/dryer way cheaper than a hotel. It even had a little balcony overlooking a courtyard.

    We had the special today for lunch at Detatch. The daily specials are usually a really good deal, this was $14 BZ which is $7 US. It was fried fish with stew beans and coconut rice today. I really liked the stew beans, which is surprising since I don’t like most beans. We weren’t sure of the type of fish, but it was very good but had bones. The wind was blowing pretty hard today, so as you can see from the picture my hair was blowing a lot!

    We tried someplace new tonight for dinner, the Secret Garden. It is tucked behind the building where Rick’s Cafe is on Placencia road. Wow is all we could say. The place is adorable the way they decorated it and they were playing old blues music, which Greg especially liked.

    The food was delicious, probably my favorite so far on this trip. I had the almond crusted red snapper. Everything was amazing. Really want to be sure to get back there again before we leave.    Read more

  • Placencia Belize 2022
    Mexican pizza
    View on Friday at the Tipsy TunaMural of the village

    Days 20 & 21

    January 28, 2022 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    Lazy days, weather wasn’t great. Rainy on Friday and chilly and cloudy on Saturday. If you were only here for a week, that would be an issue, but if you are here for a month, a rainy or chilly day every once in a while is not an issue.

    Mexican pizza lunch special at Barefoot bar on Friday. Wasn’t sure how it would be, but I’d was great. Baked on a tortilla. We would definitely have it again.

    Dinner Friday was at Rick’s Cafe. I wasn’t that hungry because of the big lunch so I had their small Cobb salad and Greg had the puttanesca pasta. They have a mural on the wall of the village which was fun to look at. Greg took a photo of it.

    We love it here and are pretty sure we want to return to spend the winter here next year. We spent some time looking at condos and houses online. On Saturday we walked down Sunset Point to look a a couple of condos down at the point. Not jumping into anything but wanted to take a look.

    It was chilly Saturday, so we had the lunch special after our walk at Tipsy Tuna. Today their special was fish tacos and $2 off coladas so we had pineapple colada with lunch. Needless to say it was a big drink and I got a little tipsy😄

    Because of the wind and the temperature was only about 73 we opened the windows which was nice.

    Dinner was at SmoQiz Saturday night. They do not post specials on Facebook, so we almost didn’t go there. We were pleasantly surprised they had a couple of delicious specials Saturday.

    We had the lobster egg rolls appetizer and then we each had their garlic stuffed shrimp with cilantro rice and vegetables. The chef there is so talented. The cilantro was not overpowering, it was perfect with the rice and the stuffed shrimp was on a sauce which was delicious. The chef stopped by the table to see what we thought and said the sauce was an asparagus cream sauce. Once we knew that you could taste the delicate note of asparagus in the sauce. Wish I had taken a photo of the food.    Read more

  • Placencia Belize 2022
    Dawn doing her table chat at the table behind Greg

    Days 22 &23

    January 31, 2022 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    Days started off as usual with cappuccino and workouts. We discovered Wordle (Wordle is game where you have 6 chances to guess the 5 letter word) a week or two ago so do that every morning as well.

    Sunday the weather cleared up a little so we went to the beach club and had our usual salads. Great and relaxing day as always.

    Dinner was pizza at Cha Chi’s which never disappoints.

    Monday we hung around the house as the beach club is closed. Greg made lunch at the house for the first time. We had tuna pasta salad. Would have been better with onion and garlic powder, but it was still good.

    In the afternoon we made the lap down the road and back up the side walk stopping at the office supply store because we needed to get some documents printed for our ferry to Ambergris Caye as well as documents for our visa extension. Very small but has most everything you would need and does printing for people and even has a computer you can go in and use. Very convenient. Cost $1.75US for 15 pages.

    Monday evening we had dinner reservations at the Galley behind the soccer field. We had heard Dawn the cook is amazing. What an experience. Small place, with screened in porch for dining. When I messaged through Facebook for a reservation this is the auto reply while waiting for confirmation: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘂
    Monday to Saturday
    5:30 pm to 9 pm.
    Call 602-0463 to order.
    🔹Fish, 35
    🔹Shrimp, 38
    🔹Lobster, 65
    (Prepared grilled, Creole, curry or garlic.)
    🔸Grilled Pork Chops, 30
    🔸Grilled Porterhouse Steak, 55
    🔸Grilled Ribeye Steak, 45
    (𝘋𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦 ‘𝘯’ 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴.

    There isn’t a printed menu, they just tell you what the drinks they are making and what the appetizer is for the night. Dawn come out to each table and takes the main course order answering questions and telling you the options available that night. We had the conch fritters appetizer and Greg had Shrimp Creole with coconut rice and I had the fish (snook) grilled in cast iron skillet (only option for fish that night) and the coconut rice. You have to wait your turn for food as she cooks each tables meal in order of arrival, but we’ll worth the wait! Greg said his was the best he’d ever had and he’d eaten that dish at KPaul’s in New Orleans!

    Before we left we made a reservation for Thursday night!    Read more

  • Placencia Belize 2022

    Days 24 &25

    February 1, 2022 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    We really love Placencia, so we decided to meet with a realtor Melanie the property manager referred us to so we could see a couple of condos on Placencia pointe.

    Nicole came over Tuesday morning to meet with us. We talked to her about the condos, but she explained the maintenance costs for those properties but said there were some houses we could look at and we set up time on Thursday.

    We spent the rest of Tuesday and Wednesday at the beach club enjoying the beautiful beach.    Read more

    Trip end
    March 6, 2022
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