During our Belize tour, we also made a stop in Placencia by the sea. After several adventures in the country, we were finally looking forward to a little break. Placencia is a very touristy place, a small fishing village known for its extremely relaxed atmosphere. It’s also said to have some of the most beautiful beaches in the country. More on that later. In Placencia, we enjoyed the sun, lounging on the beach, sipping coffee, and cruising the Caribbean Sea. You can find out what we did here in today’s post. Enjoy browsing!

What else you should know:

• Best time to travel to Belize
• Backpacking in Belize
• Belize costs and tips
• Excursion to the Lamanai ruins

• Currency in Belize
• The Top Belize Sights
• The Dream Islands Silk Cayes
• Caye Caulker Highlights & Tips

• What else you should know:
• General information about this area
• Getting to Placencia
• Our accommodation in Placencia
• Tour of Placencia
• Food and drink
• Supermarkets in the village
• Beaches in Placencia
• Activities in Placencia
• Our conclusion about Placencia

General information about this area

Placencia is located in the south of Belize and is about 185 kilometers from Belize City. This small coastal town lies at the tip of the narrow peninsula, which is about 25 kilometers long. That’s why Placencia is also called “the only cayenne you can drive to.” The local village of Seine Bright is also located on this peninsula. If you arrive by bus, you will pass through this village.

Getting to Placencia

We took the bus from San Ingnacio to Placencia. Generally, taking the bus in Belize is very cheap and not that complicated. Of course, you shouldn’t expect regular schedules or well-marked bus stops. But if you know how, it works quite well. We started in San Ingnacio and took the bus to Belmopan and then on to Dangriga. This journey can take around 3 to 4 hours (or even longer), even though it’s only 125 kilometers.

From there, we continue by bus to Placencia. Overall, we were on the road for several hours, one of the longest journeys during our trip. We paid around €10 per person for this tour. If you’re coming from Belize City, the journey will probably only take around four hours. From Dangriga, it’s only two to two and a half hours. Just be prepared for the bus rides to be a bit longer. More information here: Bus routes and times. You can also arrive by small plane, but we don’t recommend it. The route can also be covered more environmentally friendly by bus.

Our accommodation in Placencia

We rented a small room right on the beach through Airbnb. The location was great, but the room was really, really small. There were two beds, a fan, a table, and a small bathroom with a shower. All of this in what felt like 4 square meters. But it was perfectly adequate for our backpacking needs. Nevertheless, we paid €34 per night. Belize is generally quite an expensive country.

Other researched accommodations in Placencia:

• Book Lydia’s Guesthouse from €30*
• Book Palma’s Guesthouse from €39*
• Book Ming’s Hotel from €45*
• Book Serenade Hotel from €62*
• Book Paradise Resort from €88*
• Book Placencia Villas from €98*
• Book Ocean Breeze from €130*

Tour of Placencia

The village is one thing above all: colorful! Everywhere you’ll see colorful wooden huts (cabanas) on the beach, which serve either as accommodation, a shop, or a restaurant. The town isn’t particularly big; you can easily stroll along the main street on foot. Incidentally, it’s the narrowest main street in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records. There are several small shops in town selling handmade items. You’ll mainly find paintings, clothes, towels, figurines, bags, souvenirs, and much more.

The village also has several shops, such as Placencia Bazaar, Sunova Beach, Treasure Box, and Belizean Inspired Giftshop. Here you can find traditional gift items, ceramics, and jewelry. Also located on the main beachfront street is the Art ‘N’ Soul Gallery, where you can purchase work from local artists. Sometimes, some locals walk through the streets selling jewelry, wallets, and other small items.

How about a hammock? We would have loved to bring one back from the Caribbean, but there wasn’t enough room in our backpack. You can find hammocks on almost every corner. Just keep your eyes open and stroll through the village. You’ll see and buy lots of pretty things everywhere. While we were in Placencia, there was also a cool festival taking place in the village. There was local food, music, and numerous stalls. Whether this happens every week or was just a special festival, we don’t know.

Food and Drink

There are some good places to eat and drink in Placencia. We really enjoyed the Above Grounds Coffee House. This café not only offers delicious organic coffee, but also tasty snacks and cakes. We were there every day. You can also buy some local products in the café, such as shirts, bracelets, and coffee. We often sat at a very small snack shop, but we don’t remember its name. They served really delicious burgers and pizza. You can find this stand next to Mr. Q’s.

You’ll mainly find seafood restaurants in Placencia. However, you can also get typical Western dishes here, such as burgers, fries, pasta, and pizza. The local cuisine is quite monotonous, but there are some tasty dishes such as burritos, fry jacks, chicken with rice and beans, tacos and fruit. The local dishes are of course a bit cheaper at the small stands in the side streets.

Some restaurants and cafés:

• The Shak Beach Cafe
• The Secret Garden Restaurant
• Dawn’s Grill
• Cha Chi’s
• Rick’s Cafe
• Mr. Q’s
• Tutti-Fruitti
• Tipsy & Tuna
• Yucatan Taco Stand
• Barefoot Beach Bar

Supermarkets in the Village

Of course, you’ll also find a few small supermarkets in Placencia. For example, there’s the “Everyday Market” with a good selection of food and drinks. There’s also “Ming’s Supermarket,” the “Food Store,” and the “Nang Kee Grocery Store.” These stores are a bit smaller, but you can still get some everyday items there. We liked the selection in the “Food Store” best, also because the shelves were relatively well-stocked and organized. Also recommended: John the Bakerman with fresh bread and other treats.

Beaches in Placencia

The main beach stretches from the beginning to the end of the town. While we were there, the beach was unfortunately full of seaweed. An incredible amount of marine debris was caught in the seaweed. The sight was truly shocking. However, there are also many pictures online where the beaches along the coast look really beautiful when there is no seaweed. We were recommended Maya Beach in the north of Placencia. The Seine Bright Beach wasn’t bad either.

But the beach at the southern end of the village, opposite the small island of Placencia Caye, was really beautiful. The sand was very soft, the water crystal clear and clean. Swimming here was also really fun. The entrance to the sea is very shallow, so even children can splash around to their heart’s content. By the way, there are some colorful huts at the boat dock, which make a nice photo opportunity.

Activities in Placencia

You can do some really cool activities here. For example, we took the tour to the Silk Cayes. This excursion is definitely one of the absolute highlights of our Belize tour. We took a boat out onto the Caribbean Sea to some completely deserted islands. It was probably the most beautiful thing we’ve ever seen. Check out our separate post. There you’ll find out everything about the costs and the tour. All about our trip to the Silk Cayes.

We also rented a golf caddy in Placencia and cruised through town. It was really fun; we highly recommend it. We only paid €24 for four hours. Since there were four of us, it was only €6 per person. You can rent golf caddies at several locations in Placencia. We rented ours from Barefoot Rentals and Services. You can also rent bikes. You can get this for around 10 US dollars per day (e.g., at Captain Jak’s).

You can also book numerous diving tours in Placencia. Placencia is an excellent location for trips to the Barrier Reef. For example, you can book tours to Glover’s Reef, the Great Blue Hole, Laughing Bird Caye, and countless islands in the surrounding area. Providers include Seahorse Dive Shop, Go Sea, Splash Dive Centre, and Sunnyside Tours. It’s best to visit a few different shops and compare the offers and prices.

From Placencia, you can also take excursions into the surrounding area, for example to Mayan ruins, to various fishing spots, to the Monkey River, and caves. You can also rent kayaks or SUPs locally. The small tour offices offer a wide range of activities, so it’s best to just take a look around. We booked our tour to the Silk Cayes one day in advance and negotiated the price a bit. Be sure to remember: whale shark season is between February and June.

Our conclusion about Placencia

We really enjoyed Placencia. While it’s relatively touristy, the selection of restaurants, cafés, and excursions is much better than elsewhere. For us, it was the perfect place to explore the surrounding area. We highly recommend the Silk Cayes tour and the golf caddy tour. We definitely recommend a trip to Placencia, but ultimately, it’s always a matter of taste.