Belize getaway

This item appears on page 32 of the January 2009 issue.
Jerry and Nili on the hiking path at Jaguar Preserve — Dangriga.

My husband, Jerry, wanted a beach vacation — somewhere warm in the middle of the winter. I love to sit and read on the beach. . . but not for a whole 10-day vacation. The solution? A beach resort from which we could take day trips to see new things.

Belize offered the following advantages: English-speaking people, lovely beaches, Mayan ruins and great hikes.

We worked with Katie Nelson at TravelPoints (Boulder, CO; 800/626-3483, e-mail katien@travel points.com or visit www.travel points.com) to arrange our Feb. 9-20, 2008, trip. Katie suggested Jaguar Reef Lodge (Dangriga, Belize; phone 011 501 520 7040, www.jaguarreef.com. In the US and Canada, call 800/289-5756). It was the perfect choice for us.

Our trip, including a beachfront cabana, three meals a day, six day trips and round-trip transfers from Belize City, cost $5,500 for the two of us for 11 nights. (The meals and day trips can be purchased separately.)

We used frequent-flyer miles for the flight to Belize on American Airlines. We flew American from New York to Belize City through Dallas on the way down and through Miami on the return. From Belize City, we took a 13-passenger plane to Dangriga, an 18-minute flight. The resort picked us up in Dangriga for the half-hour ride to Jaguar Reef.

Jaguar Reef Lodge is right on the beach. There are two pools, comfortable beach chairs and hammocks and an ocean-view dining room with patio doors that stay open except when it is raining or very windy. While eating lunch, I felt as though I were still on the beach.

Mayan ruins at Xunantunich, Belize.

We had prepaid for six day trips but added a seventh at the resort; all day trips can be booked on site. We saw the Xunantunich and Cahal Pech Mayan ruins, hiked in a nature preserve, went swimming in a waterfall, snorkeled in coral reefs, saw a beautiful scarlet macaw, went zip-lining and took a riverboat trip.

There were about a dozen choices of trips offered each day, with a 4-person minimum for a trip to go. During our stay, most trips made their minimum. We were disappointed only on one occasion.

One warning about insect bites — we experienced biting gnats and flies. Bring lots of repellant.

NILI OLAY

New York, NY