As someone who travels to the Caribbean almost yearly, I have experienced many different countries, cities, and resorts.  I am someone who enjoys exceptional service, off-resort locations, kind locals and employees, and delicious food. Until I took a week-long trip to San Pedro, Belize, I had not experienced all of these amenities in a single vacation.

Many people think of Mexico and other Caribbean countries for vacation, myself included, but not enough people have had the experience I had in Belize.  While Mexico has great food, employees, and service, they are lacking in areas that San Pedro has in strength. San Pedro lacks hotels, but instead has condos which include everything needed, such as a kitchen, multiple bed and bathrooms, and even laundry machines.  The reason San Pedro is above the rest is due to the complete freedom of the visitors. If the condos already sound awesome, just wait to discover the off-resort places available to visit.

Due to the small size of the island, the transportation of choice is golf carts as the travel distance for most places is small enough for golf carts.  Most condo purchases and rentals include a golf cart to seat up to 6 people. There are many places to go in this little cart, such as downtown San Pedro, Secret Beach (not much of a secret), and even the crocodile-inhabited lagoon all within 30 minutes, whereas in Mexico, the resorts are typically at least a 15 minute taxi ride away from civilization.  Downtown San Pedro has a decent selection of supermarkets for important vacation items such as alcohol, snacks, and water, as well as restaurants.

Many popular tourist restaurants in San Pedro are owned by Americans and Canadians that fell in love with the island in the mid 2000s.  The restaurants may be owned by non-natives, but many still serve native dishes. My family and I all ate dinner at seven different restaurants, including the Palapa Bar, Sandy Toes, Crazy Canucks, Elvi’s Kitchen, and Crocs, and thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of them.  Nearly everything is fresh as it is primarily caught and bought locally. Whether you want chicken wings, fish tacos, or even their famous island dish: ceviche (salsa-like with fish) and chips, nearly every restaurant has their own completely different version. The restaurants and resort all had remarkable service.

My parents had gone to Belize a year before me and had made friends with one of the resort employees.  Last time I had gone with them, they hadn’t mentioned anything to the employee about our arrival, but as soon as we walked into the resort, he saw us and greeted my parents by name.  At first I had thought he was a special case, but the longer I stayed, I began to realize most people on the island are genuine people. They are especially nice to tourists because the tourists are the largest source of income and jobs for the island.  They will joke around with you, have a typical conversation you would have at home, all with their expressions being apparent.

All these amazing luxuries come with a high price, but you get what you pay for.