CUBA

HAVANA CUBA: We left our five kids with grandma and we went to Havana for just a short four day anniversary trip. I learned so much from this group BEFORE going so thank you. We are glad we knew that our credit cards would NOT work in Cuba and that we could not withdraw money either (we have USA and Swiss banking cards and none of them were accepted) We flew direct Newark New Jersey (USA) airport to Havana and we had no visa issues (we are Swiss and USA passport holders). I ordered a visa online (you receive it blank before going) and they didn't collect it until we left Cuba. Most people I know even buy the visa page at the airport, but I didn't want any hiccups so paid a little more to have it ahead of time. There's always a lot of info out there about embargo and limits, but after talking to all the local people in Cuba, it's not as complicated as it seems to be. We went into the country under 'support the Cuban people' when they checked us in at EWR airport, they just glanced at our empty visa page (separate from our passport, not attached), and logged that into the computer on the United Airlines side. Nobody in the USA or in Havana asked for any supporting documents to show we would indeed go to 'support the Cuban people' i.e. tours booked, humanitarian plan etc even though I did have those ready. I researched some Cuba travel companies online and I thought I had to have a company plan everything for me or else it wouldn't "pass" the visa test, but when I spoke to my airbnb host Maylin (a lovely person) she said I really wouldn't have an issue getting into the country and she was right. There are no issues in Cuba for receiving tourists (they want the business) so all the limits come from the USA side. We booked an airbnb (I'll add link in comment) because we understood that foreigners cannot stay in the hotels there (I actually never did end up asking about this when in Cuba) and I picked one based on location (right in the heart of Old Havana and we LOVED it) and because of all the reviews and high ratings. The best part is that it overlooked the Plaza Vieja and had loads of restaurants in the area so we could walk to everything. Maylin was a huge help before we left for our trip, answering all my questions and I believe we paid about 100 USD/night, and it's just a basic apartment but there was air-conditioning and a clean bathroom and we were overlooking the square so it was super fun for people watching. Our two highlights was an all-day trip to Vinales Valley which we loved and I booked this ahead of time on airbnb experiences, and we chose it again on ratings, it's 3 hours away in one of those old cars with aircon which is a plus, and it was a full day and we learned so much from our guide Thomas about Cuba, how the government works, how the tourism industry has been affected by the end of the cruise ships coming in, how the local market works, why the prices/cost of living is so challenging for locals, etc. We loved seeing the tobacco farm, plantation of other local fruits/veggies, coffee beans growing, horse-back ride, boat ride through a cave etc. We had a few other stops and a super local lunch that had so many local dishes. We also booked an Airbnb experience called 'Biking food tour' and that was in Havana and was also a highlight because we love trying local street food and biking and it was an awesome way to see the city plus our guide Abdiel had local Latin music playing which added a lot of ambience. It really helped to book these ahead of time so I could pay on my credit card through airbnb and I didn't have to have the cash equivalent in the country. It took us awhile to realize that they operate in TWO currencies, the Cuban dollar (CUC) which is more or less equivalent to the US dollar but you lose anywhere between 10-15 percent of the value when you convert USD to CUC, so we learned that you don't get hit with the loss when you bring in Euros instead which we had on hand. There's this local money (Cuban Peso) that is equal to 24 CUP to one US dollar (or there about) so you will want to check when you pay, but we hardly used the second one except for buying some local drinks and snacks. We also spent a couple hours at Santa Maria beach only a 30 min ride by taxi and super relaxing, we would have loved to go to the famous Varadero beach but we didn't have another two hours back and forth to travel there. It was a great experience, a beautiful country, and most importantly, we were really touched by the kindness and warmth of the people. The culture reminded me a lot of my own culture (the Philippines)and I felt right at home there.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/18386427?source_impression_id=p3_1570726151_OvHdGPVE45t3n15N


https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/258176

https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/223054?adults=1&source=p2

BELIZE

Belize

The reason we wanted to go: Friends Karen (originally from Belize) and Michael Windeler (Canadian) we knew in Singapore fell in love on vacation in Belize so I heard a lot about it. Mateo and kids are huge ‘Survivor’ fans and there have done a couple of seasons in Belize and it looked stunning. I consulted with my adventure travel friend Channing and she said her siblings were teenagers when their family went and loved it, so we booked Belize for Spring Break 2019.

We flew with American Airlines from Philly to Miami then connecting to Belize, Belize is only two hours south of Miami.  There is a direct flight Newark to Belize too. I noticed at Belize airport that there was a Southwest check in counter, something I didn’t know about flights when I did online research for travel to Belize. After a dozen years in Asia and using Singapore Airlines regularly, well, AA was a totally different experience, I’ll leave it at that. 

From the airport, we took a taxi (about 25 USD) for 20 minutes to the ferry pier for Belize Express. Boats are about once every hour or every 90 minutes.  It stops at Caye Caulker (smaller island, more relaxed, less built up), but we kept going to Ambergris Caye (90 minute ride total). I had to look up Caye and it’s a low-lying island. We paid about 30 USD/person round trip for the boat. You could take a small aircraft for about 180 USD round trip, and I’m sure it’s probably a 30 min ride. We stayed at Ramon’s Village (recommendation from Belizean friend who said it’s great for families) which is about a 5 minute golf cart ride (complimentary with hotel).  We chose this hotel because it’s on the beach and it has a pool, but it also is walking distance to San Pedro where we ate most of our meals.  More upscale that friends recommended were Belizean Cove Estate and Coco Beach and Sun Breeze Hotel, but we wanted to be walking distance to San Pedro.  For a more economical hotel, my Belizean friend suggested Sunbreeze Hotel. Something to note about the beaches in Belize is that there is a lot of sea grass in the water so even though hotels ‘clean up’ the sea grass daily, it’s still something you do have to deal with. I’m just glad I had a heads up. It’s all about the diving in Belize and the Blue Hole is world famous, but since only 3 out of 7 of us are certified scuba divers, we opted for a snorkelling trip instead.  You can’t just snorkel from the beach because the Belize Barrier Reef (second longest in the world after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef) is a boat ride away. We went to Hol Chan and Shark Alley.  We paid about $50 / per person for a half-day outing and it is so colourful and amazing and we felt like the staff from Ramon’s Village took good care of our kids and we felt safe and well instructed on where to go, how to handle the sharks, etc. Even if you don’t stay at Ramon’s you can book any of their day trips. We have dived in Maldives and we felt like Belize snorkelling was definitely as impressive.  This was a highlight experience for the kids.  Even our six year old was able to keep up (I helped her but a staff on the boat stayed right by her the whole time too), the older kids 10, 12, 14, 16 didn’t need assistance and were having a blast.  It was very cool to have the GoPro to catch the footage.  We saw sharks, manta rays, another type of ray, baraccudas, gorgeous coral reef and so much more. Another day we rented a golf cart for the day, it’s about 50 USD for a four-person golf cart for the day, we paid more for a six-person golf cart. It’s so fun to have one to discover the rest of the island.  We went from north to south and spent the day just stopping when we wanted. We had lunch at another beach hotel X'tan Ha "The Waterfront" Resort, their beach was lovely.  

Our favorite part of San Pedro was accessing local food.  South of San Pedro we ate at the open BBQ kitchen called Robin’s Kitchen serving great jerk chicken with rice and beans. Next door is ‘Las Paletas’ that were basically fresh fruit organic ice bars. In San Pedro, we loved all the street food because the kids thought it would be fun and we saw lots of local families enjoying the food this way. We actually found a favorite place and ate a few times, an El Salvador family-run Pupuseria (purple shop front). We tried the shrimp burritos, shrimp and conch ceviche, pupusas (never had one before but it’s like corn maize and they grill it with meat inside), papaya smoothies, etc. Just a few blocks from the Pupuseria, is a dessert shop with an outdoor stand for churros and “marquesitas” which is a waffle cone looking crepe, filled with Nutella and cream cheese and shredded cheese, sounds unusual, but quite delicious. From tripadvisor, we also ate at Neru’s Taco Place, truly a local “hole in the wall”.  We loved their burritos and their watermelon or melon or tamarind fresh juice and horchata served cold. My kids were amused that they have a sign for a man who has a record of eating 57 tacos. 

The kids didn’t want to leave the beach but we did want to see another part of Belize so we had booked Macaw Bank Lodge and this was a great experience inland towards the Guatemalan border and only a two hour drive from Belize City (we rented a car from Crystal Rental).  We were glad we had a four-wheel drive for the hillside and jungle. The kids said afterwards they are so glad we saw the jungle side of Belize and we wish we had given ourselves more time. It’s solar-powered, the water comes out with not much pressure, but we didn’t care, there was so much green and beauty and flowers. We enjoyed hiking, swimming in their private river area, relaxing on their hammocks, playing volleyball in their open field, and just soaking in the natural beauty of it all. The couple running the place (Raul and Leticia) were very sweet and kind, we loved their meals. The guest cabins or thatch-roof cottage are reasonably priced for Belize, but the meals did add up for our family of seven. You do not have to eat at the lodge, but you are 20-25 minutes away from San Ignacio.  I believe it was about 14 USD/breakfast and 28 USD/dinner. But the simple food was delicious and a lot of the ingredients they grow themselves.  A highlight for us was seeing the Mayan ruins. After seeing some amazing temples in Asia (Angkor Wat, My Son etc) we wondered how we would feel about seeing these Mayan ruins, well we were all very impressed! Coracal is the famous one that everyone goes to but that is about two hours from Macaw Lodge, we opted for Xunatuchil and even though we didn’t go to Caracol, we think that we would prefer X anyways b/c it was less crowded and beautifully maintained. If we had more time we would have explored some of the nearby waterfalls and another set of Mayan ruins right in San Ignacio. We did stop by a river and watched all these local families enjoying the day, we just ate from a road-side BBQ chicken place and a guy walking around selling donuts and another local delicacy with spices and sugar for Easter. Our hotel hostess Leticia said San Ignacio has a wonderful French bakery (called The French Bakery) but it was closed the entire three days we were there due to Easter. On the drive from Belize City to the lodge we did stop by the Mennonite community in Spanish Lookout for lunch, it’s not really a stop for everyone, we were just curious about the dairy farms and their ice cream which we tried at Western Dairies. We thought the farm land on this detour were so pretty. 

NOTES FROM BELIZEAN FRIEND KAREN

In Ambergis Caye for food scene: Elvi’s Kitchen you have to order the Whole Fish - Snapper with Rice and Beans, potato salad and friend plantain. At the restaurant SunBreeze... The lobster is amazing and my favourite food is Conch Fritters.  Oh and coconut shrimp.

For Diving, she recommends this company: https://belizeprodivecenter.com/

She said this tamale woman has an institution with the best tamales, but it wasn’t on our drive, but looks so fun!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f94kvaxLvc

                                                                               

NOTES FROM CHANNING

Oh! I just remembered--you should see if you could visit the large Mennonite community in Belize. We stumbled upon one of their settlements while trekking and it was the funniest convergence of cultures. The fish market in Belize City is also worth walking through.

I thought I had a detailed itinerary but unfortunately this is all I have in my email. If you'd like one, I can ask my mom as I'm sure she has the actual doc somewhere. When we went, my younger sibs were still teenagers and it was the perfect trip for those ages.

Like she writes, we split our time between jungle and beach and it was the perfect balance of adventure, culture, and relaxation. Macaw Bank is delightful and the owner was a wonderful host, helping to arrange activities like tubing and hikes on his property. ATM was a big highlight for everyone...might be a challenge for Lulu but I think she's up to the task depending on the water levels (should be lower during Spring Break than when we went in Dec). 

Definitely spend some time out on a Caye. We loved Ambergris but I've also had friends really enjoy Caulker. Both islands are a fun sea plan / boat ride away and don't allow cars. We all had a blast driving the golf carts / boats to dinner each night. Excited for your family to go!

NOTES FROM CHANNGING’S MOM

Our family loved our trip to Belize!

We focused on 2 places:

1. Cayo District (inland--near Guatemala)

lodging:  Macaw Bank

rustic lodging in jungle near San Ignacio, Cayo District

beautiful property, tubing on river, home-cooked food, animals and birds, hammocks, palapa huts, archeological sites 

charming hosts/owner:  Ron Catabnera

http://www.macawbankjunglelodge.com/

key experience:  Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave (Mayan)

about: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/sacred-caves/

tour: www.cavetubing.bz

guide: Vitalino Reyes  Owner/Manager

2. Ambergris Caye

lodging: Belizean Cove Estates

luxurious home with small private pool, jacuzzi and beach; short boat/golf cart/bike from downtown of city; bikes, kayaks available plus use of big swimming at nearby sister resort

http://www.belizeancove.com/

key experiences:  snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming, eating at nearby restaurants, relaxing

For us, this was the perfect blend of adventure/activity and relaxation; rustic jungle and luxury tourism.  If you decide to go, it  will be fun to hear what you decide to do!

Marguerite

Actun Tunichil Muknal

Belize

In myths, journeys to the underworld are never easy, and after visiting Actun Tunichil Muknal (Cave of the Stone Sepulchre), you may feel that you have been through your own epic test. Access to the Maya sacrificial site within the cave involves hiking, wading, and underwater swimming, but nearly a mile (1.6 kilometers) underground you will reach the resting place of the “crystal maiden,” a complete female skeleton that sparkles from eons of crystal calcification. The cave also contains Maya pottery shards, many showing the “kill hole” intended to allow spirits to escape.

NOTES FROM FACEBOOK GROUP

If you are looking for a driver, I highly recommend William Hofman

belizeshuttle@yahoo.com (belize 011 501) 620.3055. I have entrusted several families to him and he really goes above and beyond.

Also, yes. It is very easy to get into Guatemala for Tikal, just be aware that it is a long journey from the coast (maybe up to 5-6 hours each way). You might consider spending a day or two in San Ignacio. There is so much to do there for families and it would be a lot closer to Tikal.

There's a great Indian restaurant in San Ignacio, if you like.curry. also, the Trek Stop is very rustic but also a fun place to stay there. They have a frisbee golf course and a tiny butterfly museum. The composting toilets do not smell at all, nicest composting toilets I've ever seen, which is weird to say but true.

You won't need much Spanish unless you're up north, even in sartenaja it's mostly English speaking. I really enjoyed the cayes, plancencia, and Hopkins Village. No rental suggestions as we were camping last time we were there, sorry.

Actually, the kids might like the Parrots Nest Lodge, near bullet tree falls. Treehouses and communal meals, the owners and their daughters are all really great people.

Someone suggested – BIRD ISLAND.

I just remembered: you should see if you could visit the large Mennonite community in Belize. We stumbled upon one of their settlements while trekking and it was the funniest convergence of cultures—think horse-drawn carriages with sand dune tires. The fish market in Belize City is also worth walking through.

The Mennonite ice cream is amazing as well. Mostly up north, near sartenaja, but you see them selling ice cream all over the country.

Turns out most of the paved roads in north eastern Belize were paid for and paved by the Mennonites too. It's a really interesting history of them being there if you dig into it. But even if you skip the history lesson, try the ice cream. The best!!

Someone suggested this company:

https://www.islandexpeditions.com/incredible-belize/belize-reef-and-coral-atolls/glovers-reef-atoll?fbclid=IwAR1s0X_RpGcNGAJ7CcavAhX55EprCDvg-iO_YGHTwd0ufhjS-FFQS9GF4ss

Someone suggested this lodge:

Ian Anderson's Caves Branch Jungle Lodge for sure! Then hop over to San Pedro and check out Diablos—giant water slide into the ocean, zip line, and inflatables

ATM cave is a MUST. Also go see Mayan ruins (Xunantunich is great). There is a wonderful mountain pine ridge forest preserve with caves, waterfalls, hikes.

If you go to San Ignacio the ATM cave hike is a must. There are also many ruins around there that are incredible. The boys will love it. Look up the Banana Boat Lodge, you’re basically staying at a zoo.

We stayed on Ambergris Caye over Christmas with my 10 & 12 year old. We loved it...so much to do. We did the Shark Ray Alley snorkel day trip. So much fun. We went deep sea fishing one day. We rented golf carts and toured the island one day. Lots to do there.

Agree on ATM - it’s amazing! We split our time in Belize between the jungle and beach. Loved Chaa Creek in the jungle. Victoria House on Ambergris was great too. We had a long trip so did two days in Guatemala too (Tikal area - which wasn’t too far from Chaa Creek). Highly recommend if you have the time!

El Pescadore - it's on Ambergris Caye. Fishing lodge. Fantastic good time. Family owned, and excellent with kids. We're talking about going back with the extended family.

I am going to Amberguis
caye in Dec.
Staying at Xanadu! Great reviews!

we loved Xanadu!!! Granted it’s been 10 years but it was fantastic 😊

Also second the zip lining and fishing charter suggestions!!

 If you are looking for something a little different:

https://www.islandexpeditions.com/.../glovers-reef-atoll

We just did this with our 6, 8 yo who loved it!

 yes he was 5. Cha Creek was also excellent for kids. They need to be 16 yo go to the ATM though, I believe.

If you go to San Pedro, rent a golf cart and drive to the secret beach. It’s breathtaking. And have lunch down the road a bit at the Blue Bayou. It makes for the most wonderful day.

you will eat well. Really well. Elvi’s, hungry grouper & Blue River were great. And countless Belizean spots that were inexpensive and insanely delicious. I’m so excited for you and your family.

 Snorkeling hol chan reserve was amazing. So many fish, turtles, rays and even small sharks.
The Blue hole was cool but did not have as much marine life.

I second ATM and Shark Ray Alley! Kids loved it!

I'm in Belize now and just want to give u heads up that the sagassum sea weed is in full effect. Its smells like dead fish and make access of swimming in the water from the beach impossible.

where r u exactly? Is it seasonal?

I'm in ambergris caye. There is a lot, I mean, a lot of sargassum seaweed on the east side of the island. There is no seaweed on the west side and calm water. I dont know if its seasonal, I get the impression it's hard to predict but not sure

 Look up secret beach it is paradise in spite of the horrible algae

Hotel suggestion – tranquillity beach resort.

Go to Ambergris Caye. The Grand Caribe is great. My experience was so amazing there, I went back a second time. I rarely ever repeats trips, but this one I did

I love caye caulker, placencia, and Hopkins Village.

caulker is awesome we stayed in condos near the split make sure to take the ragamuffin snorkel day trip

The place we stayed at was called caye reef super clean and centrally located plus having the kitchen really helps. No cars allowed on caye caulker it’s very charming.

my family stayed on Caye Caulker for years since it was mellow. I took a tour to cave tube on the mainland from there and it was amazing!

We went to Belize 2 years ago and loved it! We stayed on Ambergris Caye. We felt very unsafe passing through Belize City but the caye was amazing. There is a restaurant called Estels Dine By The Sea in San Pedro. I highly recommend. Their fry jacks are delicious. We did a day trip excursion to the Mayan Ruins and hiked up the temple. Then we went cave tubing and zip lining. The cave tubing was probably my favorite part! Also if you are into smell good stuff there is a store in San Pedro called Belezian Breezs Soap Company. I love their monkey fart soap and their charcoal scrubs.

Also we did a snorkel trip to shark ray alley and hol chan marine reserve. The best snorkeling site I've been to!

Stayed at Belizean Shores on Ambergis Caye a few years ago. Very nice. Lots of nice hotels on the island, and a cute “Town center” on the island with restaurants, etc. We took a hopper plane from the mainland over. Snorkelling is a must! Great trip!

Victoria house (suggestion for hotel in Ambergris Caye).

Regarding San Pedro: I think it’s more fun to be walking distance to downtown Ambergris Cage, Victoria house looks amazing but we stayed at the Blue Tang Inn and had a blast! So close to everything! And Chuck and Robbie’s is a great smaller dive shop right nearby. Blue tang has some bigger rooms and you could probably rent a couple and take an entire floor.

Yes love Belize we have been twice. Fly into Belize city but don’t stay there we took a boat ferry to caye caulker and also rented a car and drove to Hopkins and placencia we also stayed up near Guatemala in San ingacio to check out all the mayan ruins

 I have no hotel recommendations as it’s been years and I have no idea where we stayed but placentia and ambergris caye were perfect and amazing and still the best snorkeling I’ve had in my life! Do a night snorkel it’s amazing! And then just get on the reef the whole time. Also visit Altun ha via a river boat if you can. Mayan ruin that’s amazing! Loved it there!

Is there any where u can snorkel the reef from shore or do u have to take a boat out? I don’t mind a tour but our kids are young enough they are only going to last so long in open waters snorkeling.

I think this is the island I was looking at over water bungalow. Did u have to take boats out. Wondering if we can just stay on st Padaro island for the week-I guess u can rent golf cars if h wabt

And now I’m like oh boy this seems a little more daunting then I wanted for a beach get away lol. Drive to nyc fly to Belize with a layover in fll-ok not so bad then fly or take a ferry to San padro island but if u choose ferry pretty sure u need cab to ferry port ferry tonisland then cab-included by hotel to hotel. Sounds like an awesome trip but not sure it’s right for a relaxing quick get away- thoigh it would be a week.

We stayed on Caye Caulker island 🌴twice for a week. No cars on island. Easy walking everywhere and the bike rentals, kayaks & life vests were include in our hotel. My nieces loved the trip. It nice not dealing with cars on vacation. Groceries stores within 5 mins, farmers markets, and several restaurants. We did one day ferry ⛴ boat ride back to the main land to do the zoo, Altan Ha & caves. A lot of hotels in Belize don’t have air conditioning so make sure you check that off in your filters. Good luck.

We stayed in Caye Caulker. More of a rocky beach than a sandy beach but we loved it.

 I have a friend who manages some properties there. I only personally know her properties in Cartagena (they are nice medium budget). Her name is Barb if you write to her 

https://www.vacation-rentals-belize.com/contact/

I just planned a trip there for April. We are staying in San Ignacio and Placencia.

From my research, the beaches are nicer in Placencia. Ambergis Caye is for snorkeling and diving so you can't wade in the water like in Placencia because of the reef bottom and the sand is also not as nice. So, it depends what you are looking for. We are going to go snorkeling when in Placencia. Placencia is quieter and Ambergis Caye is more built up and touristy with more people and resorts.

yes this is what I’ve been hearing and I was trying to find a place with real beaches we can wade in the water from shore with our younger kids. So placencja seems like a good option. Please post he review if plaxencia wheb you go where u stayed would love to see photos of the beaches and how snorkeling was

sure! When are you planning to go?

we aren’t sure we have a week this summer we can go and also a week in the fall but I think summer isn’t rainy season right? I would love to go in July

I think rainy season is June to November.

rain can affect such activities ATM, caving, tubing activities in the jungle.

Would love to hear about the trip when you get back!

We go in 3 weeks! Dividing our time between San Ignacio and Ambergis Caye. A friend of mine travelled around Belize and recommended this. I guess it depends what you are looking for. We love the idea of travelling around the island on golf carts and we like to snorkel and dive. Plan to take the boat over to Caye Caulker too.

Have a great trip! I’d love to hear what you think after!

Ambergris Caye is super laidback and lovely. If you stay out of the center of town it doesn’t feel too touristy.

We’re going in exactly one month! Splitting between Belmopan and Ambergris Caye only because of the snorkeling and fishing that we wanted to do...but interested to see how other areas are as well!!

Thanks, everyone! I can’t go on boats due to major motion issues so if diving /snorkeling was not in the equation does Ambergris Caye still make sense? Leaning towards Placencia maybe? I’d love to hear from those who are going soon.

Dive the Blue Hole, hike in the rain forests, cave tubing. Love staying on Ambergris Cay - particularly love the seclusion of Tranquility Bay Resort  https://tranquilitybayresort.com/

It was the most amazing trip we went twice. Definitely safe just stay out of Belize city. Check out caye caulker, hopkins, placencia!! And I’m sure there are ton more great spots!

My least favorite country in Central America, Belize City is the only time I've locked my car door driving around during the day. The cayes are nice, as is Hopkins Village and Placentia but I'm mostly meh about it. There are more interesting places to visit but it's an easy vacation for sure, they use usd so no need to convert currency, English is spoken everywhere.

Other hotel suggestions: Balancaneaux, chabil Mar, Grand Caribe. 

My husband and I spent two weeks in Belize on our honeymoon and loved it. Our first week we stayed on caye caulker, which is a small island, no cars and not a ton going on, but perfect for us. We rented a tiny house on the water. They don’t really have beaches on caye caulker though, so we did a bunch of boat rides. Snorkeling was amazing! We took the ferry to ambergris caye for a night and there was more action there, plus big resorts and nice looking beaches. Our second week we stayed in a resort in the jungle and did a bunch of excursions to Mayan ruins. This was almost 7 years ago, but I can look up exact locations if you want more info.

Cartagena Colombia

Notes from Facebook Group.

I wanted to thank everyone who helped me plan our fabulous trip to Cartagena. We loved this beautiful and chic city. The architecture was gorgeous, and we found it extremely safe and clean. I also want to thank C.C. Steele (a member of this group) who help me with the plan and the car/driver. We got an opportunity to meet her in Cartegena and see her fabulous beachfront apartment that she rents out in the town (in case anyone is interested). Here is our itinerary. I do plan to write a full blog about it. Until then, please ask me any questions about our trip. 

Our Itinerary:

Day 1: 

Check-in at the hotel (There are so many wonderful hotels in the walled city. You can’t go wrong with any). We stayed at Charleston Santa Teresa. 

Lunch at Harry Sasson. (Restaurant in Charleston Santa Teresa owned by a famous chef). 

Rest in the afternoon or pool time.

Walk around the Walled City. Go to Café del Mar for drinks during the sunset for the best views (make a reservation in advance).

Dinner at Candé (you will see tons of sites on the way) and back to the Hotel. (make a reservation in advance).

Day 2:

Room service for breakfast followed by a family photo shoot.

Beach for the kids (a couple of mins from the hotel).

La Vitrola (Lunch) at noon.

Chocolate making class from 2pm to 4:15pm at The Choco Museum.

Back to the hotel for rest or pool time.

Date night at Mistura (dinner - make a reservation in advance). 

Day 3:

Breakfast buffet at the restaurant.

Leave for Aviary by car at 9am.

Lunch in Baru.

Visit the Convent of Popa on the way.

Plaza Santa Teresa (dinner). 

Followed by a horse carriage ride around the town with family.

Day 4:

Breakfast buffet at the restaurant

Cooking class for the whole family at the hotel starting at 11am. 

Lavish lunch at 1:30 pm (eat all the delicious food you prepared).

Rest or pool time at the hotel.

Visit Getsemani in the early evening. Snack and drink at Cafe Stepping Stone.

Date night at Restaurant 1621 (dinner- make the reservation in advance). Take a romantic horse carriage to the restaurant.

Day 4:

Leave for the Hotel Punta Faro at 11am right after breakfast. The pickup was a 5 min walk from the hotel.

Reach Hotel Punta Faro at 1:30 pm.

Lunch at the hotel.

Beach time and relax.

Dinner at the hotel.

Day 5:

Breakfast at the hotel.

10:00am, Panoramic boat tour to the islands. 

Beach time.

Lunch.

More beach time.

Bike around the island.

Bioluminescent Phytoplankton boat tour at 6:30 pm.- Swim with Bioluminescent Phytoplankton.

Dinner.

Day 6:

Breakfast.

10:30 am - Leave for the snorkeling tour.

Beach time.

Mommy-daughter spa time & Papa-son bike time.

Tennis.
Dinner.

Day 7:

Breakfast and Leave the hotel at 9:10 am

Reach Hotel Charleston Santa Teresa at 11:20 am.

Lunch at La Cevicheria. Make sure to wait. Have a drink at Santa Clara Hotel while you wait.

Pool time.

Visit Castillo San Felipe Fortress in the evening by car.

Dinner at Restaurant Club de Pesca. Make sure to visit it before the sunset, as it’s the most gorgeous sunset view of the harbor.

Day 8:

Breakfast at the hotel.

Pool or beach time with kids. 

Lunch at the pool.

Shopping and walk around the town.

Carmen (dinner- make a reservation in advance).

Fly back home.

Other things you could do but we did not: Cartagena Boat Tour, Visit Rosario Island, Santa Marta.

Here are some of the pictures.

ISRAEL

Information from Lisa Crawford.


Our kids loved Jordan. If you are flying into Amman, you should see Jerash (incredible Roman ruins) before you head down to Petra. (Also, if you have an extra hour in Amman, we loved King Hussein’s auto collection—amazing!) After Petra, there is Wadi Rum (like a southern Utah desert playground) and then Aqaba on the Red Sea (snorkeling, etc.). Aqaba is the easiest border crossing into Israel.

As you head north to Jerusalem, be sure to stop at Ein Bokek to float in the Dead Sea and Masada. If you have time, Ein Gedi is also a nice hike. Then go north to Sea of Galilee area. As long as you are in Israel proper (not West Bank areas) renting a car is very easy and gives you a lot of flexibility. I don’t know about your kids, but mine get bored quickly with tour guides or sites that don’t have an interactive or exploring aspect to them. Being in Jerusalem for Easter week could be awesome or could be insane. Sorry I don’t have experience with it yet. You can find out about Christian services and church opening times at http://www.cicts.org/ What I think we will do is treat Saturday as Easter, since that’s when church is anyway. And, then maybe the Garden Tomb won’t be mobbed.

Here’s an itinerary I would recommend (all my kids' favorite things):

F 4/12 (I think church in Jordan is on Friday—don’t know if you’ll get there in time)

Sa 4/13 Jerash, Amman (stay in Amman or Wadi Musa)

Su 4/14 Petra (stay in Wadi Musa or bedouin style in Wadi Rum)

M 4/15 Wadi Rum, Aqaba (stay in Aqaba)

T 4/16 Dead Sea, Masada, Ein Gedi (stay in Jerusalem)

W 4/17 Jerusalem Old City (Dome of the Rock, Tower of David Museum, ramparts walk, St. Anne’s/Pools of Bethesda) (stay in Jerusalem)

Th 4/18 Nazareth Village (a living museum demonstrating what life was like for Jesus growing up), Sea of Galilee (we loved a boat ride by Galilee Sailing), Capernaum (stay in Tiberias)

F 4/19 (Good Friday) Tel Dan, Nimrod’s Fortress, Caesarea, Jaffa for dinner (We love Old Man and the Sea) (stay in Jerusalem)

Sa 4/20 Garden Tomb, 10am church at the BYU Jerusalem Center, Mt. of Olives (Garden of Gethsemane, Orson Hyde Garden—never crowded and beautiful!) (stay in Jerusalem)

Su 4/21 (Easter Sunday) City of David, Davidson Archaeological Park, Jewish quarter (stay in Jerusalem)

M 4/22 shopping and depart

Seattle WA from Becky Daynes

Pike Place Market is a must. Stay at the fish market until someone buys a fish and watch them throw the fish from one end of the stall to the other!
There's the first Starbucks ever there and an ABC (already been chewed) gum wall.
You can walk down to the waterfront from here. Get Ivars Fish & Chips (the local favorite) and here you can browse the shops on the piers. There's a Ferris wheel here, an aquarium and you can catch a ferry to visit other islands from there.

The Ballard Locks - this is a great place to visit on a sunny Seattle day.  You can watch the boats travel from

salt water (Puget Sound) to freshwater (lakes of Lake Washington and Lake Union).  There's also a fish ladder

there that Sockeye salmon travel through during the month of July to go spawn.  It is free.  Beautiful gardens there to

enjoy.  Have lunch at a greasy, local fish & chips place nearby: Totem Fish & Chips (It's actually called Red Mill Totem

House now) and they sell hamburgers too.  Red Mill took it over to save Totem from going out of business.  They still serve their famous fish & chips and clam chowder though!

The Space Needle.  Go to the restaurant at the top for dinner on a clear night.

Mariners baseball game.  The Mariners play at an awesome stadium  - Safeco Field.

The Fremont Troll under the bridge.  Located under the Aurora Bridge.  As seen in the movie "10 Things I Hate About You."

Downtown Seattle - shop at the first Nordstrom store ever, shops at Pacific Place Mall, lunch at the Cheesecake Factory or lunch in the Nordstrom Cafe (a local favorite)

Gas Works Park - amazing views of Lake Union (where Sleepless in Seattle was filmed) and the Seattle skyline from here

Greenlake - a small lake in the Wallingford area of Seattle.  It has a walking, jogging path around the entire lake 

(around 3 miles).  It's a great place to exercise and then enjoy lunch at a local restaurant beside the lake.

University District - the area near the Univ. of Washington.  You can rent canoes or rowboats and paddle around

on beautiful Lake Washington.  Website is: washington.edu/ima/wac/canoe-boat-rentals/ 

There is a great outdoor mall here, called University Village, with all the best shops: Lulu Lemon, Anthropologie, etc. Go to Trophy Cupcakes at that mall for beautiful cupcakes!

Great local place to eat lunch or dinner near there is:  

Northlake Tavern and Pizza House

660 NE Northlake Way, Seattle, WA 98105

Restaurants: 

Dicks (this is a fast food chain of drive ins located only in Seattle; it's loved by all locals. Get the dicks "special" or "deluxe" if u can handle a double patty burger. They both come with their special tartar sauce on it. The shakes and fries are a must as well. Complete greasy goodness!

Palisade - great seafood, amazing views of Puget Sound from Magnolia Bluff

Maggie Bluffs - also amazing view of Puget Sound, located on the Magnolia Bluff; fish and chips, burgers, etc. 

Rays Boathouse - High end, located in Ballard area, also with beautiful sea views.

6049 Seaview Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107