Last Night I Dreamt of San Pedro

Sunrise Over San Pedro

Few experiences are as lovely as waking up to the sun’s rays shining on your face. It’s especially enjoyable when it happens over the balcony of your accommodations (The Phoenix Resort) in view of palm trees and the crystal clear waters of San Pedro, Belize. San Pedro, a hip town on the southern part of the island of Ambergris Caye, has a range of activities and restaurants that will keep even the most seasoned travelers awed.
Sunrise © Gennaro Salamone

Swimming With Sharks

No trip to San Pedro would be complete without a visit to Hol Chan Marine Reserves and Shark Ray Alley. Depending on the location of your hotel, a simple walk along the white sand beaches of the town will lead you to a plethora of companies who specialize in diving and snorkeling trips. Xtreme Adventures was responsible for ensuring that five travel bloggers and writers (see below) including myself experienced the vast underwater wildlife of the area. This included seeing sea turtles, barracudas, sharks, and stingrays over the course of a forty-minute swim. For those who are interested in getting close to the wildlife, the leaders of the expedition will hold onto sharks and stingrays for participants to pet.
Swimming With Sharks © Gennaro Salamone

Streets of San Pedro

After filling much of the morning with swimming and sunning, it’s a smart move to navigate the shop-filled streets of San Pedro looking for lunch. Be sure to keep your wits about you during your walk as golf carts, which can be rented on the island, are often whizzing bye.

Our landing spot for the afternoon was Elvi’s Kitchen. The restaurant gives off the feeling of home both in its presentation and cuisine. Started by Elvi Staines and her family, the spot has become the most famous restaurant on the island. Patrons can select from a wide-range of fresh seafood, which is prepared with a local touch. On this day, the ceviche, conch, and coconut curry shrimp were particularly memorable.
Elvi’s Kitchen © Gennaro Salamone

Parasailing

If you’re looking for some excitement after lunch, parasailing in the early evening will provide for a unique experience. Either in pairs or solo, Extreme Adventures will launch willing participants off their boats and over the waters of Belize connected to their parasailing gear. There is a slight adrenaline rush after lift off, but a relative calm sets in while looking over the blue waters and island formations off the coast of the Central American nation. The activity is also considered to be safe and people of various ages and abilities will be able to participate. One of the leaders of the adventure company even talked of a man who was wheel-chair bound going up earlier in the morning.

Melanie and Kara Parasailing © Gennaro Salamone

I was joined on the trip by travel writers: Melanie Waldman of Travels With Two, Christine Gilbert of Almost Fearless, Kara Williams of The Vacation Gals, and Kerrin Rousset of MyKugelhopf.

This trip to Belize was courtesy of the Belize Tourism Board. The content and opinions in the article are those of the author.
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Gennaro Salamone is the founder and editor of Enduring Wanderlust. Feel free to contact him with questions, comments, or inquiries with reference to contributing a travel article or photograph for publication.

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