Friday, October 18, 2013

Summer Vacations in Belize

Chasing the Rainbow
This summer was the normal routine as June and July brought pretty dry weather and a busy tourist season at Beaches and Dreams in our little corner of the Universe. August brought a lot of night rains but spectacular weather during the day. The very hot, humid weather of summers past really didn't happen and it was good because our place stayed pretty darn busy, about perfect for Angela and I to be able to visit and plan with guests and not be overwhelmed with super busy nights at the Barracuda Bar and Grill. All in all , it was a great time to be a tourist at our place as we had the time to spend with each guest and be sure they got the trip they wanted.

Fishing was fantastic, 

With great catches of just about all specie, Snapper, Grouper, lots of Barracuda and the usual suspects all making for lots of coolers full of fish. Families were abundant this year and there is nothing like taking a child out to catch their first fish in life, something I've always cherished doing. It is like lighting a lifelong fire in them, not a bad thing. Trips went steadily to the new Zip Line at Mama Noots, our sister resort that we now do complete Jungle and Sea packages with. Only 12 miles away, it offers luxury stays in the jungle with an amazing array of activities, howler monkeys keeping you awake at night and a great onsite restaurant. A 3 night stay there and a 7 night stay here at Beaches and Dreams was a popular choice for couples and families alike. The completely off grid Eco Resort is in the Heart of Mayflower Bocawina National park, which boasts over 7000 acres, a birdwatchers paradise, as well as 5 waterfalls with in hiking distance. 
contact us at www.beachesanddreamns.com for a quote on your perfect all inclusive Belize vacation. Trips to the Mayan ruins, food tours to farms and orchards, Jungle horseback riding, and of course trips to the barrier reef to dive and snorkel all went unhindered this summer.

Magnificent sunsets over Victoria's Peak,

Belize's highest peak, could be viewed as the clouds moved in for the evening, offering a spectacular and unending variety of nightly views. A bike ride along the Sittee River Road at dusk let people take in the Savannah to see the Mayan Mountains as well as watch all of the many birds come to roost for the evening in the palmettos that line the wetlands of the Savannah.

The Barracuda Bar and Grill

was able to offer our usual plethora of Denizens of the deep as well as our house specialties like Belizean Paella or this Seafood Sampler featuring Lobster, Jumbo Shrimp and Fresh Snook filet in fresh herb and lemon sauce, all brought in fresh by the local fishermen. Another popular item offered on a regular basis was our Osso Bucco of Wild Boar. Fork tender and cooked in a Red wine and Herb sauce, served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and finished off with one of Angela's astounding desserts, the Barracuda Bar and Grill has truly become the Foodies place. Previous years has seen us close the restaurant from June to October, but this year the only closed month was September and I think that that will become the norm. We normally don't do lunch at the Barracuda , but on one occasion, we had some vegetarian guests and it was a rainy day.The guests, who had been enjoying a different vegetarian selection every evening at our place, displayed their dismay at the lack of selection for vegetarians at the other beach side resort restaurants in walking distance so I made them a little vegetarian Balck Bean Chili for lunch and we joined them in our outdoor venue as the rain pummeled the metal roof of our deck,
Veggie Black Bean Chili simmering
and we turned lemons into lemonade. 










All in all a fantastic summer it was.

Even Ruger 

Got his fill of extra attention as quests were eager to play with him and throw his Frisbee off the dock in an endless game of fetch. One guest even made a great video of him and girls came from up and down the beach to be photographed with him for his Facebook page.

 Photo: Ruger during our recent visit.Photo: Thanks for coming to get your picture taken with me ladies! 

You can see his video, 

and "like" him here  https://www.facebook.com/RugerTheBelizeBeachDog



For now, we move into another great season of offering the best that Belize has to offer at Beaches and Dreams Seafront Inn and the Barracuda Bar and Grill....You'd better Belize it!