This Spring Break, my kids, boyfriend and I will be stopping at Belize City. I've gone to Caye Caulker and was very unimpressed. I've been cave tubing twice; once with the kids. We loved it, but don't really want to do it again. Boyfriend has never been to the Caribbean. I'm hoping if I provide some info on our likes and dislikes as travelers, I can get some ideas of what to do.
None of the usual ship excursions interest me. I'm a seasoned cruiser. Comfortable renting a car or hopping on a ferry boat without it being an organized excursion thru a third party company. Also ok with using a third party. I've only ever taken a ship excursion once.
Likes - beautiful beaches, adventure, hiking, places that have a day passes with things like kayaks or paddle boats, snorkeling (especially where you can swim out from shore - we bring our own snorkels), resort day passes. But the biggie is just know I found the beaches at Caye Caulker among the most "meh" of all the Caribbean beaches I've been to - which is a lot. I'm all for a chill beach day as long as it's very pretty. Think Cemetery Beach in Grand Cayman. I like both off the grid and resorts.
Dislikes - badgering from locals selling stuff on the beach, anything that feels sketchy or dangerous (keeping in mind that my idea of dangerous is human trafficking, not some local offering me substances and going away when I decline lol). I'm not into ruins, swimming with stingrays, dolphin tours, booze cruises, tours with multiple rushed stops, tour companies that have tons of people per tour. No ziplining - one of my kids would neverrr.
I know what I like. I've just always struggled to find it in Belize. I don't want to go cave tubing a third time, but that's where I've currently landed. Mostly because my kids have only done it once (loved it) and my bf never has.
I'm thinking maybe Ambergis Caye, but do the pics live up to the expectation? What do you do once you're there if you prefer not to be herded around like livestock by a tour company?
TIA!