Jimmy and I recently traveled back to Belize to celebrate our first year of marriage. We revisited where we honeymooned and had an awesome week hanging out in one of our favorite places! I wanted to write about our trip to share our Belizean experience with you all. We seriously love this place; my hope is that you will better understand why after reading this.
We flew into Belize City and then took a “puddle jumper” (a small, regional plane) to a beach town called San Pedro. San Pedro is located on Belize’s largest island known as Ambergris Caye. The “little flights”, as I like to call them, are super fun but can be a bit of an adventure, especially in windy conditions. All of the excitement seems to hit me during the 15 minute flight to town; there is just something about flying over crystal clear waters and catching that first glimpse of the island!
The majority of our week was spent at our absolute favorite place in Belize known as Cayo Frances Farm & Fly, but we chose to spend one night in town like we did last year. JY and I love staying in San Pedro for a night so that we can experience some of the culture that the town has to offer. We love walking along the water and exploring a small piece of the island.
After a wild taxi ride spent dodging pedestrians and golf carts, we checked in at our hotel and headed over to the local fly shop to grab a few last-minute flies to take to camp.
The fly shop, Tres Pescados, is owned by Will Flack, a well-known guide and fly-fisherman who resides in Belize. He’s kind of a big deal in the fly-fishing world, and it’s always neat to visit his shop and admire the numerous fish photos that serve as decoration.
After picking out a few lucky-looking flies, we decided it was time for a coffee break. Luckily, there was a coffee shop located close by (they seem to be on every corner which is AMAZING). I have learned that coffee shops are fairly universal establishments. There were a few young ladies (I would assume they were studying nursing due to the scrubs they were wearing) who had their laptops and textbooks out studying together. It’s pretty neat to experience pieces of culture that resemble those in the states.
We ate dinner at Elvi’s Kitchen, one of our favorite restaurants. Elvi’s has a thatch ceiling and a sand floor which really adds to the atmosphere and dining experience. The service is great; we had the same waiter this year as we did last and he was as nice as ever. We ordered tacos (what’s new?) and they were incredible. Elvi’s is a must if you ever visit the town!
After dinner at Elvi’s, we hurried to watch the sunset on the other side of town. We made it just in time to see the most beautifully painted sky, and we even got to see a few tarpon roll.
The next morning, we ate breakfast at a place called the Sandbar. We started the day with a solid cup of coffee and a delicious breakfast burrito while watching the locals pass by on the beach.
We then proceeded to drag our suitcases across town, doing our best to avoid crazy taxi drivers and tourists speeding around in golf carts. We walked to the other side of the island to meet Jeff, the owner of and host at Cayo Frances Farm & Fly. Jeff is one of the most personable individuals you will ever meet, and he always has a good story to tell. As we approached the dock, he gave us a wave and a smile, and we were reminded of why we think so highly of him. We loaded up our luggage into Jeff’s panga, a type of fishing boat, and headed off to the island. The camp is about a 30 minute boat ride from town.
We arrived at camp around lunch time, unloaded our things in the cabana, and headed out for a half-day of fishing. One of the coolest parts about staying at camp is the DIY fishing. JY + I are really into “do it yourself” fishing, which is basically fishing without a guide. DIY fishing is a more difficult way of doing things, but to us, it is so much more rewarding when we experience success knowing we did it on our own.
The rest of our week was spent fly-fishing for bonefish, tarpon, and permit. Each day, we got out on the water as early as possible and made the most of our days at camp by fishing until dinner time. Marvin, the camp chef, would pack us a cooler with lunch to take out each day. Lunch was always a delicious sandwich and a bag of plantain chips. Jimmy + I both agree that the camp sandwiches are the absolute best.
The fishing was tough. When it comes to saltwater fly-fishing, JY + I don’t have a ton of experience, but we did end up catching several bonefish while we were there. We saw a school of permit and freaked out; neither of us had ever seen that type of fish in person. Unfortunately, we didn’t get any shots at tarpon, but that’s what next year is for, right?
I have to brag on Jimmy. He made sure I caught a fish this year, considering I got skunked on our honeymoon. He was super patient with me; he’s seriously the best. Once I landed my first bonefish (finally), we took turns pushing the boat around and searching for fish. It was so much fun just being out there, enjoying the sunshine and tropical scenery. Some of our best conversations are had on a boat, and this trip was full of quality time spent together on the water. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate our first year of marriage. I’m so thankful that we were able to go back to the place where we first vacationed as husband and wife!
Another really cool thing about the fly-fishing camp is meeting new people. It was fun catching up with Jeff, and we were able to see Andres again who is Jeff’s right hand man and the guy who did so much for us during our stay. We were able to meet Marvin, the camp chef, who Jeff hired on within the past year to handle all of the kitchen duties. We didn’t have a single meal that wasn’t incredible. At night, we would hang out with everyone staying at camp. When we first arrived, there were two guys (Bob from Cali and Mike from Idaho) staying at camp. We had fun learning about where they live, sharing fishing stories, and getting suggestions about the best places to visit out West. Later in the week, a guy and gal from Texas arrived. We shared a lot of fishing stories by the campfire and made it a point to ask about the best taco places in Texas! JY + I love getting to meet new people, especially people who share a love for fly-fishing in the way that we do.
Our trip to Belize was simply the best. We love this place, we love these people, and we are completely sold on the overall experience.
If you’re interested in taking a trip to this awesome place, check out the website linked below! (This is not a promotion for Jeff’s place; we just really really love it.)
- Cayo Frances Farm & Fly | http://belizeflyfishcamp.com/
Jy+Mo Trippin' 