Belize - A Great Romantic Getaway Or Wedding Destination
Today Norm Goldman, Editor www.sketchandtravel.com and www.bookpleasures.com is
pleased to have as a guest Joshua Berman (http://www.stonegrooves.net/contact.html),co-author of Moon Handbooks Belize(
http://www.moon.com/catalog/belize.html)
Joshua is an expert on traveling in Belize, and recently chose this tiny Central American country for his own honeymoon; he has also lived in and
written extensively about Nicaragua and Honduras.
NORM:
Please tell our readers something about yourself and your expertise pertaining to Belize.
Joshua:
I have been living, working, teaching, and traveling in Central America since the U.S. Peace Corps sent me to Nicaragua in 1998. I have been
returning to the region ever since to write guidebooks, lead service trips, and visit friends and adopted families.
Last year, I was asked by Avalon Travel Publishing to take over Chicki Mallan's Moon Handbooks Belize, which, when it first
appeared 15 years ago, was the first and most acclaimed guidebook to the country. I gladly accepted and proceeded to research and write the
sixth edition, which was released in early 2005.
NORM:
Where is Belize?
Joshua:
Belize is tucked into the northeast corner of Central America, bordering Mexico's Yucatan peninsula to the north, Guatemala's Petn wilderness to
the west, and the Caribbean Ocean to the east. Culturally however, Belize and its hundreds of cayes (islands, pronounced keys ) is more Caribbean
than Latin.
English is spoken everywhere (along with seven other languages). The diversity is astounding,
especially considering there are only 260,000 people in the entire country.
NORM:
Would you consider Belize a good choice for a romantic getaway or wedding and honeymoon destination? Why?
Joshua:
They can rent their very own waterfall for the day at Hidden Valley Inn. Couples can get Mood Mud Massages at Maruba Resort Jungle Spa.
They can rappel into a vertical cave shaft together, at the bottom of which they'll find a flower strewn bed next to a subterranean spring at Ian
Anderson's Caves Branch. The list goes on and on.
Belize's size (smaller than Massachusetts), easy access (only a two-hour flight from Miami or Houston), and astonishing selection of small,
intimate resorts and lodges seal the deal. In order to solidify my endorsement of Belize as a romantic destination, I even took my own bride here
on our honeymoon (ah, the work never stops)
NORM:
When is the best time to visit Belize from the point of view of weather, costs, crowds, and the availability of flights from the USA, Canada and
Europe and Australia, etc?
Joshua:
Some resorts distinguish holiday season from the normal high season, with even higher prices and lower availability around Christmas, New Year's,
and Easter be sure to make reservations during these periods. High season (re: more tourists and hiked prices) is generally mid-December through
April; this is also the dry season during most years, although December, January, and even February can play to host to cool fronts that either
blow right through or sit around for days.
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