Belize's Ambergris Caye. A Bite on the Beach

Seafood so fresh, they need a new word here for fresh.

For our week long stay at a resort on Ambergris Caye, we were glad to have passed on the American Plan. Not that the resort restaurants are not wonderful, but trying out all the options on the beach close to town enriched the travel experience.

The beach is entirely public in Belize; resort properties extend only so far towards the water as to allow a sandy promenade for everyone. The long, narrow Caye consists of twenty-five miles of flat, coral sand running near vertically, north-south. The eastern shore is where you’ll find a cluster of restaurants around town, then a string of resorts, some time-shares, and private condominiums. Wooden docks separate the properties from each other and reach out like fingers towards the barrier reef.

The reef is what attracts most tourists, including us. At 186 miles long, the reef is said to be able to reduce the force of a tidal surge by half during the worst storms. Understandably, this is good news for beach businesses in a hurricane-sensitive part of the world. It's also good news for anyone because, based on my travel experience, many people measure their comfort around travel destinations against its potential for natural disasters (whether they admit it or not).

Closer to town, the beach is bustling.