7-Nights Cayo And The Coast — CALL

Belize's Placencia Peninsula, like Hopkins, appeals to those who want to combine a mainland vacation with seaside activities. Lying 114 mi/180 km by road south of Belize City, it offers a sleepy, almost South Pacific atmosphere, though a number of housing and condo developments are changing the peninsula, and not necessarily for the better.

You'll find a mix of budget and upscale lodges, some of Belize's best mainland beaches and several good restaurants and bars—hang out there for five days or so. Visitors can enjoy diving and snorkeling, although the reef is 15-20 mi/25-30 km offshore, requiring a long boat trip. Fishing is available, too, primarily for tarpon and bonefish. The area is known for its Creole seafood cuisine.

The peninsula community of Seine Bight is a Garifuna fishing village that experienced some culture shock because of the tourism development in this once-isolated area. After years of hoping, residents got their fondest wish when paving finally began on the 25-mi/40-km road from the Southern Highway to Placencia village.

An international airport just north of the peninsula serves inter-island air traffic as well as private planes.

Most visitors spend their days taking a series of day tours, which can be arranged locally. You can go by boat to Laughing Bird Caye National Park (excellent snorkeling there and at other sites on typical daylong snorkel tours), Monkey River (home of crocodiles, howler monkeys, boas and iguanas) or Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary.

Red Bank, southwest of Placencia, is a mostly Maya village famous among birders as the January-March home of the endangered and beautiful scarlet macaw. Other options include renting kayaks to search for manatees in the local lagoon or renting bikes to visit other parts of the peninsula.

The medium-sized settlement of San Ignacio, on the banks of the Macal River in Belize's hilly western region, is another culturally diverse Belizean town—with quick and easy access to superb natural and historical sites. Its wooden and concrete buildings are picturesque, set against the green of the hillside 70 mi/110 km west of Belize City.

Surprisingly, the area has few mosquitoes or other biting bugs, a pleasant change from much of the rest of Belize. San Ignacio (called "Cayo" by many locals, a name which also refers to the entire western region) has mostly budget lodging, but nearby is "cottage country," where some of Belize's best jungle lodges offer horseback riding, romantic settings, river rafting and nature hikes in the bush.

The town's market is an excellent place to buy authentic Belizean crafts and sample local cuisine from food stalls. Green Iguana Conservation project provides rehabilitation for injured iguanas while allowing visitors to interact with them.

From San Ignacio, excursions can be arranged to a number of destinations in the area: Actun Tunichil Muknal and Barton Creek caves, the Rain Forest Medicine Trail, Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, the Belize Botanic Gardens at duPlooy's Lodge, three butterfly farms (Green Hills, Tropical Wings and the Blue Morpho Breeding Center at Chaa Creek) and the archaeological ruins at Cahal Pech, Xunantunich, El Pilar and Caracol.

Just 10 mi/16 km from the border with Guatemala, San Ignacio can also serve as a base for a day trip to the ancient Maya city of Tikal in Guatemala. To book a trip, go to one of the many tour businesses on Burns Avenue or check with your hotel or lodge.

San Ignacio is connected to its sister town, Santa Elena, by the only suspension bridge in the country, Hawkesworth Bridge. Road connections to San Ignacio from other points in Belize are good, although the Western Highway from Belize City has one of the highest traffic accident rates in the country, especially after rains when some sections are as slick.