All the Things You Can Do in Belize for 8 Days on the Cheap

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When you travel with kids, most of your traveling is done over breaks, holidays, and summer. We usually go to Hawaii because we get practically free vacations using airline miles and hotel points.

Our Kauai vacation only cost $400, including 4 round-trip First Class tickets, a beachfront resort hotel, rental car, activities, and food. But last summer we went to Belize and paid cash. But it wasn't that expensive. Keep reading to find out all the things you can do in Belize for 8 days on the cheap.

You're probably thinking, "Why didn't you use miles and points?" I'll explain why below and how you can use miles and points to travel to Belize in a later post.

Summer in Belize

Jeff and I visited Belize almost 12 years ago on a cruise and loved it. We had such a great time and knew we'd be back. It was just a matter of timing.

But instead of using miles and points, our Belize trip was paid with cash (credit card) because American Airlines offered $360 round-trip fares from San Diego to Belize. Southwest hadn't started flying to Belize from San Diego yet so this was much easier than having to fly to Houston first.

All the Things You Can do in Belize for 8 Days

There are so many things you can do in Belize. Some people spend weeks there. We only had 8 days but managed to pack in a lot of activities and plenty of relaxing during that time.

Here are all the things you can do in Belize (yep, they're family-friendly):

• Rent a car
• Visit and take photos at the Belize sign
• Explore St. Herman's Cave
• Swim at the Blue Hole National Park
• Take the ATM Cave  (Actun Tunichil Muknal) tour
• Inner tube in the San Ignacio River
• Visit the Mennonite town of Spanish Lookout
• Eat ice cream made in Belize from milk produced by Belizean cows
• Cross the Guatemala Border
• Hike Tikal National Park
• Fly on a prop plane
• Relax on the beach
• Tour Ambergris Caye by golf cart
• Ride bikes around Ambergris Caye
• Sample chocolate
• Snorkel at Shark Ray Alley and Hoi Chan Marine Reserve
• Get a beach massage
• Eat lots of Belizean food

You can read about all these activities and more in upcoming posts on Belize.

Blue Hole and Turneffe Islands Helicopter Tour

Belize Summer Vacation Costs for a Family

Your family can spend a summer vacation in Belize for about $136 a day. Here's how we did it and how you can too.

1.  Airfare

Four round-trip tickets on American Airlines from San Diego to Belize. If you have elite status with American Airlines (as I do as an Executive Platinum), First Class upgrades are complimentary.

Four round-trip flights from Belize City to Ambergris Caye on Maya Island Air and Tropic Air.

The total cost for airfare: $1,830.94.

2.  7 Nights Lodging

You can spend time at the beach or in the jungle or split your time between both as we did.

We booked a 2 bedroom, 2 bath home on the river via Airbnb in the town of San Ignacio for 3 nights.

For our island time, we stayed in a Junior Suite at the oceanfront Mata Rocks Resort for 3 nights. The hotel included a daily continental breakfast and free bicycle rentals.

Our last night was spent in Belize City at the Radisson Fort George Hotel and Marina in a marina view room.

The cost of accommodations: $757.58.

Pro-tip: During our trip, there were only 2 hotels where you could use points. Now there are more hotels in Belize to stay on points.

3.  Rental Car

You have more freedom to travel and do more things when you rent a car. Because we were staying in the jungle, we got a 4 wheel drive Jeep.

Car Rental: $358.94.

4.  Activities and Tours

• Blue Hole National Park and St. Herman's Cave: $15
• ATM Tour: $380
• Tikal National Park (includes cost of driver, guide, and border crossing fees): $300
• Snorkeling at Shark Ray Alley and Hoi Chan Marine Reserve and golf cart rental: $297.76
• Beach Massage: $82.47

Cost for activities and tours: $1,075.23

5.  Food

You can eat cheaply in Belize. And if you visit local bars and haunts you can drink for cheap. Food: $317.40

Conclusion

A Belize vacation doesn't have to be expensive. A family of four can spend the summer in Belize for $136 a day including airfare, accommodations, transportation, activities, and food.

Some people are nervous about traveling to other countries. Not sure if Belize is for you? Here are 5 reasons why you should visit Belize.

Now that Southwest flies to Belize from more cities, you can use your Southwest Companion Pass and save on airfare.

In the next post, I'll show you how to use miles and points to travel to Belize.

Stay tuned for more posts on Belize and reviews. Where did you go for your last vacation that you didn't use airlines miles and hotel points?

Looking for more posts on Belize? Check these out:

• 5 Reasons Why You Should Visit Belize
• Hotels in Belize to stay on points
• Aliana's Charming House on the River in San Ignacio, Belize

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