La Isla Bonita of Madonna. This is paradise, you better Belize it!

We arrived at San Pedro, located in Ambergris Caye. The island in front of Belize, where Madonna wrote a song: ‘I fell in love with San Pedro… La Isla Bonita’. Coloured houses, palm trees, a warm vibration of the relaxed Caribbean lifestyle are the first thing we noticed when we entered this beautiful Island. Number 1 top destination of South- America in 2015 and 2016.

“It’s all about sunny beach days, playing in the water, reading great books, and letting all of your at-home responsibilities and worries slip away.”

Portofino
After we flew with a little airplane of 16 passengers from Belize City with Tropic air to San Pedro, a cab drove us to a jetty where we were picked up by a boat.

Our first night we spent at the lovely Portofino resort, a small intimate resort of Sandra, a Belgium woman and her Dutch husband Jan, who started this resort together 17 years ago.

At the jetty, we got a warm welcome of the host. Two little towels with a eucalyptus smell, were given to us to refresh ourselves. I observed the woman who’s welcoming us. What caught my mind and observations is that her face is so enormous relaxed that it is almost contagious. It almost looks like she got some Botox injections, which I’m pretty sure of that she hasn’t.

“It’s her natural state. No sign of stress and totally relaxed.”

When we missed our little plane to the Island after our inter-continental flight, they told us: in Belize, there’s no stress, you just pick the next one. And she’s the living proof of this saying. Also, a thing that we absolutely can confirm after this trip: in Belize, there’s no stress. They make no hustle about things. If they make a mistake they resolve it with a smile. This is paradise, you better Belize it!

Dinner on the beach
In the evening we are expected for dinner. They set up a private table at the beach with torches and candles all around and the table was decorated with flowers. A perfect Wedding dinner, although I was not marrying anyone that night… 😀

“As the sun goes down and the sky turns purple, we enjoy our fresh caught red snapper, lobster and mango spinach salad on the beach.”

The Great Barrier Reef
The Belize Barrier Reef is the second largest coral reef in the world and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The next morning we went snorkelling to one of the two best spots on this reef: The Hol Chan Marine Reserve, which is only 5 minutes by private boat. Lucky us!

We gather at the jetty to go with Richard, our instructor. And meanwhile we see the kids of the owner are picked up to go to their international school in San Pedro.

When we arrived at the Barrier Reef, we first checked by the marine guards and got a bracelet as like we went to a festival. I can promise you, this was a much better experience than a festival…

” This was exploring true nature, the treasures of the earth!”

The Hol Chan Marine Reserve
The Hol Chan Marine Reserve …wow what an experience… magic! Never seen such a large collection of special marine species in my life in such a short time. I snorkel with Nurse Sharks and big Green Turtles, the second largest sea turtles in the world. I saw Manta Rays, Barracudas and more beautiful fish. Underneath you can see me enjoying all of them :-).

All the fish came very close cause the instructor was smart and experienced enough to bring some food along. Even when the Sharks came close, they seemed not to be afraid of me. (Neither I was about them, cause I know they are harmless.) One shark is so close, that I took a look into his mouth and touched him like he’s was my pad. I noticed he felt a little rough, not smooth or slippery like dolphins.

“I couldn’t be happier, I wanted to do this for a long time!”

Happy about the little underwater-camera (gopro4- link ebay/amazon/bol) I use but never used before, I change from filming and photography all the time. What a lot of beauties to capture, and what a pleasant surprise on our first morning in Belize!