UN- BELIZE -ABLE!

Diving into Central American culture

WRITTEN BY: DAVE KELLY

Florida’s southern coastline is one of the most incredible on earth. Folks come from around the globe to experience world-class fishing and diving in the pristine waters and coral reefs in the Florida Keys.

But did you know that there is a magnificent reef twice the size of ours that is virtually at our doorstep? And it is nothing less than … un-Belize-able!

Welcome to Belize. Located just south of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on the sparkling Caribbean Sea, this English-speaking Central American country is home to the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System that runs over six hundred miles along its eastern shoreline, making it the largest in the Western Hemisphere.

Incredibly, the edge of this reef often begins less than a mile from the Belizean shoreline, making it instantly accessible for daytrip pursuits such as snorkeling and near-shore, deep-sea fishing. Sound enticing? It sure did to me, so I called my daughter Delaney, an avid diver and fishing fanatic, and we made our plans for Belize.

First Things First

The first order of business was to contact our friend Karolina Guilcapi, owner of Sated Ventures Tours and Travel in Palm Coast, Florida. As the go-to expert in the concierge travel business, Karolina’s knowledge of the area and local relationships are second to none, so she can handle virtually all aspects of a trip.

She recommended that we base our travel experience out of Ramon’s Village Resort, a laid-back tropical sanctuary just outside the city of San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, the country’s largest island off the eastern coast. She noted that this area is the perfect combination of peaceful fishing village, active reef accessibility and mouthwatering local cuisine, so we booked our entire experience through Sated Ventures and headed off to check it out.

Getting there could not have been easier. In less time than it takes to drive from Orlando to the Keys, we took a flight into Belize City, quickly caught a local hop with Maya Island Air to the San Pedro airport and whisked off by golf cart to Ramon’s — all organized by Sated Ventures.

The wonderful staff at Ramon’s gave us a quick tour of the grounds, then led us to our rooms, which were tucked gently into the abundant emerald jungle yet steps from the sandy beach, pool, in-house restaurant and docks.

Mayan And Tahitian Flavor

Ramon’s Village Resort is an amazing combination of lush vegetation, magnificent food, unique accommodations and excellent service, all in an atmosphere infused with Mayan and Tahitian flavor. Accessibility to all areas of the resort is through sandy trails rather than concrete sidewalks, each bordered by hibiscus, bougainvillea and leafy palms. Mayan sculptures dot the landscape, lending a true Central American feel to this tropical paradise.

The resort is named after Ramon Nunez, a San Pedro native who was the property’s first general manager, opening it as Ramon’s Reef Resort in the early 1980s and remaining on as manager for years. Ramon was the first certified scuba diver in Belize, and he was even asked to guide the legendary underwater explorer Jacque Cousteau when he visited the Belize Barrier Reef’s worldfamous Blue Hole. In 1987, adventurer and risktaker Richard Headrick purchased the property and renamed it Ramon’s Village Resort, constantly reimagining and upgrading it, and ran it until his passing in 2020.

As Delaney and I checked into our Jungle Deluxe rooms, we were astounded at the amenities that were a part of our plan. Each room, decorated in a tropical style, featured cold air conditioning, huge beds, a mini fridge and plenty of room to stretch out. Our glass-paned room doors opened out onto private and spacious wooden decks that were shaded by the flowers and greenery everywhere on the property.

Our trip to experience Belizean food, culture and sport was amazing.

Ramon's rooms, restaurant, and pool are mere steps from the Caribbean Sea. Ramon's own restaurant Pineapples offers up a unique Belizean twist on their dishes.

Yet as private as they feel, each resort room is mere steps from Tropic Al’s, a poolside café that features tropical fruit smoothies and fresh-ground local coffee. The winding pool sits in the shade of majestic palms and Mayan statues.

The combination of luxury, character and convenience is amazing.

In addition to Tropic Al’s, Ramon’s Village Resort features a world-class restaurant, Pineapples on the Beach. Open from early morning until late, this open-air jewel is right on the beach, offering up stunning views of the Caribbean while your every culinary need is attended to by attentive staff.

We ate at Pineapples multiple times during our stay, always amazed at the menu staples and daily specials that spoke to Belizean culture and taste. Whether it was fresh local seafood caught that day or the “Steak on a Stone” that is a regular favorite, Pineapples satisfied with the best we could imagine, and we ate our fill as we planned the next day’s diving adventure.

Immersed In An Ocean

Our diving trip was to leave at 8 a.m. But there was no need to get up extra early — Ramon’s has its own fleet of fishing and diving boats right at the dock on their private beach. We had plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast before meeting our crew and heading out to the open seas and Shark Ray Alley — to swim with the sharks.

We pushed off with Captain Carlos and crew and headed to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, a narrow and shallow cut in the Belize Barrier Reef that attracts incredible marine life and is the go-to destination for divers and snorkelers.

Our tour boat had only a dozen guests, so the four crew members each took the responsibility of guiding small groups of three to four divers. For our team, Carlos led four of us into the crystal blue waters surrounding the coral in search of the sights the reef is famous for. It did not take long for us to become immersed in an ocean of manta rays, turtles, moray eels and colorful fish.

Unlike many diving trips, ours was a combination of snorkel and scuba divers, giving our boat’s group a diverse feel for the waters we were in. Carlos dived deep, often pointing out marine life that we could check out if we dared.

It was a thrill to be surrounded by such an abundance of activity.

After an hour of diving and exploring, we loaded back up on the boat and headed to Shark Ray Alley. A part of Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Shark Ray Alley is an area where rays and nurse sharks congregate to feed. Over the years, it has transformed from a place where fishermen would clean their catches to an area rife with sharks, rays and turtles.

Ramon’s crew dropped food over the side of the boat. In a matter of moments, we were in the middle of the feeding frenzy. The sea animals largely leave humans alone, but it’s an amazing feeling to be in the middle of it all. It was a photo opportunity for the ages.

Tastiest Fish Of All

During that evening’s fantastic dinner at Pineapples on the Beach, we planned the next day’s fishing trip. Ramon’s guides recommended a trip out to the reef for the tastiest fish of all — snapper. We headed out in the morning again, this time with our target being the reef edge, no more than a mile offshore from the docks. Within minutes of anchoring at our destination, co-captains Jairo and Wilmer had hooks in the water with us and we soon were reeling in the bounty of the sea.

And while we hooked bonefish and ladyfish and enjoyed the fight, the vast majority of our haul was delicious red snapper. After a few hours of this success, we headed back to shore with our plentiful catch, where Jairo deftly filleted it and sent it off to Pineapples so they could prepare our lunch. The local seabirds were happy to catch our scraps from the dock as we finished our trip. since 2006, where her company curates private itineraries with the traveler in mind, generally specializing

Our abundance of fish was simply too much for Delaney and me to enjoy ourselves, so we let the Pineapples folks know that we were willing to share our day’s good fortune with staff and friends. Sure enough, after cooking up and serving us our fair portion of fillets, our new friends were able to enjoy the remaining bounty of fried, baked and blackened fish with us.

Over that meal, we decided that for our next trip we are headed out just beyond the reef to tackle the tuna, mahi and wahoo that populate these waters, hopefully with the same success.

Ramon’s Village Resort is on the southern edge of the town of San Pedro, home to numerous restaurants, boutiques, quality food stores and more. Every evening that we did not eat at Pineapples, we simply walked the short distance to “downtown” and explored. Belizean-flavored dishes were everywhere, from spicy chicken salbute tortillas to slowroasted pork cochinita pibil to puffy fry jacks.

Sated Venture’s suggestion that Belizean food would satisfy the soul could not have been more spot-on.

Our trip to experience Belizean food, culture and sport was amazing. We cannot wait to get back, with deep-sea fishing and cave diving next on our list.

As the locals say, our experience was “Un-Belize-able”!

As Sated Ventures’ owner, founder and destination specialist, Karolina Guilcapi has proven to be the best of the best.