Belize

If there's one place in the world that is guaranteed to make my Mom and I into the happiest people on the planet... It is the beach! Add beautiful blue water, clear skies, copious margaritas, great seafood, friendly and chill locals, and Belize is the place for us! A Belize Christmas beach vacation was just what the doctor ordered! We started off with a stay in Placencia, a tiny beach town on the end of a peninsula in the south of Belize. Spending Christmas on these beaches was my kind of white Christmas!

Looking out from a hotel with this view was perfect..

Even with a rainy Boxing Day that kept us inside more than desired, it was beautiful...

Having a Christmas dinner prepared for us (and lobster at that!) was a luxury we basked in, complete with margaritas of course!..

Sunset colours were also picturesque...

Our second stop was after a bus ride and then ferry to the country's cayes in the north. We started out on Ambergris Caye in the town of San Pedro. Staying in a house 10 minutes from the islands best beach!..

Which incidentally is a fantastic place to drink champagne on New Year's Eve with the sweet music of the waves in the background..

It's also wonderful after indulging in more lobster at a fancy 6 course New Year's Eve meal. Throughout our 2 weeks we had arguably some the best seafood I've ever eaten in my life! When you're looking at barbecues like this... How can you turn it down!?!

My only regret is loving lobster so much that I had it for our final dinner and became subsequently ill for our last night and the ferry ride out of Belize. Talk about bad luck, which I seem to have with regards to illnesses on this whole trip (this would be food poisoning number three.. Thumbs down!) Thankfully still had my Mom to take care of me before we made our teary goodbye. But I'm getting a little ahead of myself here... Backtrack to a more positive side of sea life... Snorkeling! Belize has the second largest reef in the world after the Great Barrier, and also boasts the largest living reef as it has much less damage and death than the Australian competitor. We spent two days exploring the reef near San Pedro, taking in gorgeous coral...

Many colorful fishies...

Sharks..

Turtles and rays...

And having a great time..

Boat rides provide mind blowing images out over the area's pristine turquoise waters!

As did the ferry ride which took us to stop #3, Caye Caulker, home to the most chill, sunny, gorgeous little slice of island paradise. No cars, just a few golf carts and lots of bikes being ridden by friendly locals and tourists alike, taking things as they come in accordance with the island's motto: 'Go Slow'. We stayed in the most adorable beach cabana..

And basked in the sun everyday obviously!

We had found the perfect spot!

Rode our bikes all over town...

And enjoyed every beautiful sunrise that Caye Caulker had to offer..

I even convinced Mom to come paddle boarding with me and we had a blast!

The blue water around the island never ceases to amaze..

And the hibiscus flowers here and the whole country are fabulous (more Mom influence in the flower pictures as you can see..)

Caye Caulker most definitely earns my current medal for favorite island getaway!

Our last afternoon together was spent drinking margaritas and piña coladas at a beach bar and eating fresh popped popcorn. Like hellloooooo this is my dream life..

Talk about two weeks that were unBelizeable!