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>>Slow Down, It's Belize<<

Kick Back.  Pop a Belikin.  Enjoy the Country's Caribbean Charms.  But Don't
Wait Too Long, Because Slow-Paced Belize Is  Suddenly a Hot Travel
Destination

By LAN SLUDER

"You got here just in time," says the captain of the Breeze.

Twin 125-horsepower Mercury outboards roar to life,  and the small open
boat slips quickly away from the Shell station docks in Belize City,
speeding to Caye Caulker, one of more than 400 islands off the coast of
Belize.

Visitors to Belize indeed are coming just in time, as Central America's
most unusual destination suddenly is getting waves of new tourism
investment, with travelers arriving in record numbers.

Belize today is on the edge of change, between "Belize who?" and mass
tourism. The country  now is getting about a quarter million visitors a
year. Slow-paced Belize is one of the fastest-growing travel destinations
in all of Central America and the Caribbean Basin, according to the
Caribbean Tourism Organization,  albeit from a modest base.  Five years
ago, Belize got fewer than 100,000 visitors.  The Gulf War and the
recession in the U.S. and Canada did slow tourism growth, but many Belize
hotels have been heavily booked in the 1993 season.

The majority of travelers still come to Belize to dive the world's second-
longest barrier reef (after Australia's), or to sip a Duurly's rum on a quiet
caye.   Mainland Belize, however, with its Mayan ruins, jungle resorts and
eco- adventures, is an increasingly popular destination.   Three-fourths of
visitors to Belize are from the U.S., attracted by its long Caribbean shore
line and the fact that English is the official language.

New Development

Belize City, Maughamesque and rickety, still has its share of hurricane-
weary shacks and Rastafarian ganja salesmen, but new luxury hotels are
springing up to serve traveling executives and well-heeled tourists.

 Downtown, a 119-room Ramada Royal Reef has opened on the water.  The
venerable Fort George has become a modernistic 75-room Radisson, owned
by Belize Holdings, and  the Villa Hotel , briefly wearing a Holiday Inn
sign, is now part of the Radisson.    On the Northern Highway on the way to
the international airport is the Belize Biltmore Plaza.  Well-run, with a
friendly multi- lingual staff, the Biltmore Plaza has 90 attractive rooms
around a pool and lush garden complete with resident turtles.  It  targets
the Central American and Mexican upscale business and convention market.

In the moderate range, Four Fort Street Guesthouse offers authentic
British Honduran atmosphere.   Colton House B&B nearby also is
recommended. At the budget end of the scale, with rooms at $20 double or
less, Seaside Guest House gets a nod.

With the Belize dollar pegged two to one to the U.S. currency, and thus not
allowed to float as most other currencies in the region do, hotel prices in
Belize are not cheap.  Luxury hotels in Belize City charge US$100 to $150
for a double. Moderate hotels are $40 to $60.

A new municipal water and sewer system partially funded by Britain and
Canada means you can now drink the water in Belize City.  Alas, thanks
also to the British heritage -- until 1971 this was British Honduras and
until this year the country's defense has been in the hands of the Brits  --
you cannot always find a good meal. Four Fort Street Guesthouse is an
exception.  Drinks are huge, and the nightly dinner specials, whether
lobster, pork, fresh fish, or chicken, are well prepared.  About US$15 to
$20 per person, including drinks and service.

Other locally popular restaurants include the ones at the Chateau
Caribbean, where the seafood platter is recommended,  and the Radisson
Fort George hotels,  though neither is of gourmet standing.  For diners on a
budget, Mom's remains a favorite. It is generally safe to walk around
Belize City by day, but caution is advised after dark, and even by day
expect some hustling.     Belize youth gangs, the Crips and Bloods, who
pattern themselves after U.S. gangs seen on TV, can be violent, and
muggings are not uncommon.

Yet, Belize City has a charm that is not evident on the first, or perhaps
even the fifth visit, and its deserved reputation as a center of violent and
street crime, is a sore on the tourist politick of Belize.  But old Belize
hands cannot be dissuaded from idling here.

The Cayes

For many, Belize City is just a quick stop en route to the clear water and
friendlier charms of the Belizean Caribbean. Ambergris  [locally
pronounced  Am-BER- gris] is the most developed of the barrier islands.
Even here, development has proceeded on a Belizean scale.   San Pedro
remains casual and laid-back, with good restaurants and a friendly
atmosphere.   The largest hotel has just 70 rooms.   Among the best
upmarket hotels on Ambergris are Victoria House,  Belize Yacht Club and
Paradise Villas  all US$100 and up, double.

Caribbean Villas is an appealing apartment-style facility.  Less expensive
digs, from around US$25 double, are available in San Pedro town.  Ruby's
(starting at around $25) and the Barrier Reef Hotel ($35 off season and up)
are two recommended spots, neither fancy.

Caye Caulker is Ambergris as it was 20 years ago.  You stay in a guest
house or simple hotel, and you're never more than a few steps from the
water.  Favorite lodgings here include Tropical Paradise Hotel, Vegas' Far
Inn, and the Rainbow Hotel, all under US$50.  Trade winds, especially
during the winter and spring, keep you cool.  You can't get lost, as the town
is only a few short streets, paved with sand.   Dinner out is conch salad or
a lobster fajita under the stars, with plenty of Belikin or Crown beer to
ease the thirst.

Diving around the cayes and coral atolls is among the best in the Western
Hemisphere, particularly good off Glover's Reef, near Turneffe Caye, and at
Hol Chan Marine Reserve.    The inner side of the barrier reef typically is
shallow, allowing for almost unlimited bottom time.  On the ocean side,
the wall drops spectacularly to 100 feet [30 meters] or more, in some
places to the deep blue forever.   Visibility can be 300 feet [91 meters].
Depending on your dive site, you'll see black coral, colorful sponges, sea
fans, rays, big groupers -- and the occasional hammerhead shark, to keep
things interesting. The Great Blue Hole in Lighthouse Reef is Belize's most
unusual dive site.  Here,  interior walls of a huge blue circle plummet
hundreds of feet.  At the bottom is an underwater cave. There are
competent dive operators on Ambergris, Caulker and elsewhere in Belize.
Belize is a fishing paradise.  Sailfish and marlin hit the reef in spring and
fall. Bonefishing is good year round.

Local hoppers fly from Belize City's domestic airport many times a day to
San Pedro's air strip (US$70 round trip).   While Caulker now has a small
air strip, most people go by boat from Belize City (US$15 round trip).
Access to the other cayes is only by boat.

Baboons, Jaguars and Jungle Spas

 Mainland Belize outside Belize City is a wonderful combination of
frontier farms,  archeological treasures, some of Central America's
friendliest people, bad roads and deluxe jungle resorts. Belize is under
9,000 square miles [23,000 sq. kilometers] in area but it packs enough
adventure for many weeks of travel.

Many of the mainland attractions may be visited using Belize City as a
base.  Among these are:  The Belize Zoo, in its new quarters on the Western
Highway between Belize and the capital of Belmopan.  The zoo, while not
large, is special.  It's the one place you're sure to see jaguars,  pumas,
coatimundis, and the "mountain cow," the tapir that is Belize's national
animal.  US$5 admission for a self- guided tour ($1 for Belizeans).
Afterwards, refresh yourself with a stop at J.B.'s bar and restaurant west
of the zoo.

The Baboon Sanctuary, north of Belize City near the village of Bermudian
Landing.  Actually, this is a protected area for black howler monkeys,
baboon being the local name for these fierce-sounding primates.  A guide
takes you on a short walk into the jungle,  pointing out the howlers as
well as mahogany and cashew trees and other flora and fauna.  Early
morning is the best time to see the monkeys.  US$5 admission, plus tip for
the guide.

Altun Ha,  30 miles [48 kilometers] north of Belize City just off the
Northern Highway (the road is in very poor condition most of its length).
This Mayan site, dating from 2,000 years ago, covers 25 square miles [65
sq. kilometers].  However, only a few buildings have been completely
excavated.  Admission US$2. A few miles farther brings you to an
unexpected pleasure, a health spa in the jungle.  Maruba Resort offers good
food, jungle tours, herbal treatments, a Japanese tub, and seaweed body
wraps.  Doubles about US$100.

If you really want to get away from it all, consider a few days at one of
the jungle resorts near San Ignacio in Cayo District, near the Guatemalan
border in Western Belize. Just beyond the town of San Ignacio, you will
find signs directing you to a series of jungle accommodations.  The
Western Highway to Guatemala is the one truly decent road in all of
Belize.    Once you leave the main road, though, if your hotel is off the road
as many are,  the dirt roads studded with limestone rocks are pure torture.

 Of the resorts in this area, Chaa Creek is the best known.  A group of
Maya-style thatched huts, overlooking the Macal River,   beckon travelers
with a primitive kind of luxury.  There is no electricity and no telephones,
but a generator keeps the beer cold, and the food is good. Other
recommended lodges, all with Mayan-influenced cottages,  include Windy
Hill, Nabitunich and Maya Mountain.

At Xunantunich, close to the Guatemala border,  is the Mayan ruin of El
Castillo, still one of the tallest structures in Belize.

Lamanai in the northern part of Belize, and Caracol in the Pine Ridge are
the two largest Mayan sites in Belize.

Caracol is just now being excavated and only recently was opened to the
public.   Go before the world comes.

Some of  best beaches in Belize are not on the cayes, but in Placencia,
south on the mainland coast.  While you could drive from San Ignacio,
stopping off at the Coxcomb Jaguar Preserve, the world╒s only nature
preserve for the endangered jaguar, much of the Hummingbird and Southern
Highways are bone-jarring ruts, so a quick flight from Belize City is
worth considering (about $75 round trip), especially since there is now an
air strip on the Placencia peninsula. Among the best accommodations in
Placencia, and some of the better meals in Belize,  are at Rum Point Inn,
with its eccentric ferroconcrete cottages.  (US$195 double, with meals).
Other recommended lodgings include Kitty╒s Place, one of the most
appealing beach-front hotels in Central America, and Turtle Inn.  Singing
Sands, under new ownership, has possibilities.

Practical Matters

For citizens of the U.S., Mexico and Canada, and most European countries, a
passport but no visa is required to visit Belize. Although English is the
official language of Belize, with about one-half of Belize's 220,000 people
considering it their native tongue, many Belizeans prefer Spanish,
especially in the west and north.  More than one-third of Belizeans speak
Spanish as a first language.

TACA,  SAHSA (the Honduran carrier now operating under the wing of
TACA, the fine Salvadoran airline),  Continental and American offer
service to Belize City from a number of U.S. and Latin American gateways.
American  or TACA would be my choice.  Avis, National and Hertz, along
with several local firms, tops among them Crystal, offer car rentals at
among the highest rates in the world.  A four-wheel drive Ford Bronco is
US$100, or more,  a day, or about $450-$500 a week.  Even if you accept
the expensive CDW, there usually is a $200 to $1000 deductible.  Best bet
is to pay with an Amex card and decline local CDW.  Amex now generally
covers sports utility vehicles ... but check with Amex to be sure.

 Rental cars can be in short supply, and just because you have a
reservation does not mean you will have a car waiting.  (Avis failed to
honor a U.S.-made reservation on trip to Belize by this writer.)  If you
arrive and find cars sold out, try calling Charles Hope at the Belize Guest
House, who has a few four-wheel drive cars to rent when others may not.

 Taxi rates to and from Belize International Airport are US$15.  Taxis are
typically 1970s vintage American Oldsmobiles, Chevrolets and Cadillacs,
status symbols in Belize. Departure tax is a pricey US$12.50. For visitor
information, contact the Belize Tourist Board at 800 624-0686 in New
York, (501) 2-77213 in Belize City.


****Lan Sluder, a former newspaper editor in New Orleans, lives on a
mountain farm near Asheville, North Carolina.   His  travel articles have
appeared in the Belize Review, The Tico Times, Caribbean
Travel and Life, International Travel News, The New York Times, Chicago
Tribune, Miami Herald, Newsday, Bangkok Post and elsewhere.  He is editor
and publisher of Belize First, the ad-free quarterly guide to travel and life
on the "adventure coast" of the Caribbean.