Frequently Asked Questions

We suggest you make a stop in Belize City to stock up on food.  We recommend Publics (our go to) or Brodies as they provide a good selection and set up in a way North Americans are more accustomed to. Most car rental companies provide coolers to make transport easier.

If you are arriving late, we can provide a list beforehand and stock you with the basics so you can go shopping at your leisure.  We do MOST of our supply runs in Dangriga, a town 45 minutes away.  We do recommend where to shop for what in our house guide.

Have a special occasion?  Or you just want a few of your meals prepared for you?  We have sourced an excellent local chef for this.  Please inquire for details.

YES! We have a vehicle for rent by the day.  Only available to our guests while staying at The Happee Manatee. Don’t need it one day? Don’t rent it! Before moving here, we found our biggest expense was the car rental and we want to offer an alternative for our guests who may be a bit more budget conscious.  See more details here.

We provide broadband internet signal and this has been sufficient for all our internet needs.  

It can get very hot in the summer, but in the winter the average temperature is 83F (28C) with lows of 70F (21C). It is almost always warm, yet comfortable with the ever-present sea breezes to keep you cool year-round. A light jacket would be advisable for the evenings in the winter months.

Fun fact: There are only two seasons in Belize, dry (Nov-May) and wet (Jun-Nov).

It’s a tropical environment and the bugs are as varied as your location. The entire coastline has what are called midges/no-see-ums/gnats/mozzies/sand flies which are miniscule but mighty. They are most active at sunrise and sunset and on very calm days, so we recommend bringing a lightweight long-sleeved shirt and pants. Antihistamine tablets are helpful and we’ve found that repellants containing picaridin work better than Deet. 

Please be advised we maintain a regular schedule for spraying if you have a sensitivity or opposed to chemicals.

Fun fact: Midges are the only pollinators of Cacao, so without midges, there would be no chocolate and who wants to live in a world without chocolate! (Belize has some great chocolate!)

Zip lining, caving, river tubing, hiking, bird watching, rappelling, kayaking, fishing, and Manatee/Lagoon tours.  Our location is also perfect for relaxing.

BZE International Airport 1 hr 20 mins, Excalibur Adventure Park (Zip line, Caving, Rappelling, Via Feratta) 26 mins, Corridgeree Belize 45 mins, Dangriga 46 mins, Billy Barquedier National Park 47 mins, Bocawina 56 mins, Maya Center/Cockscomb/Jaguar Reserve 58 mins, Angel Falls (Zip line) 59 mins, Hopkins 60 mins, St. Hermans Cave 1hr 23 mins, Placencia 1hr 49 mins, Red Bank (Scarlet Macaw) 1 hr 23 min, Caracol 3 hr, 43 min

If we have a guest booked to arrive the same day as you are scheduled to leave, we cannot accommodate a late checkout. We strive to ensure our accommodations are exceptionally clean and stocked for every guest.  

We offer kayak rentals on site for self-guided sea or lagoon tours.  We could arrange for a guided tour should that be your preference.

We DO NOT have bikes on site.  The area isn’t really set up for bike exploring other than the road coming in.  

Most of the snorkeling in Belize requires a boat. In our immediate area, there are no tour operators that offer consistent and regular service, but an hour drive south in a place called Hopkins, you will find many tour operators.

Our Overlanding (camping) guests trickle in gradually and typically without notice. We could have one or two in a row and then nothing for 2 weeks or longer. It is something we could not predict during your stay. 
We promote camaraderie and typically attract guests that are more laid back who enjoy nature and meeting new folks.  One half of the property is designated to our Overlanders but we open our sea side deck, hammocks and outdoor rinse shower to anyone staying here. 
That said, all overlanding guests are parked on the south side of the property, still allowing privacy for the beachside cabanas.  We have had no issues with overcrowding to date.

We have a raw natural beach.  We keep it clean but it is not immaculately groomed, white and pristine.  There are no machines or a little army of people that rake it before sunrise.  We have a groundskeeper and we do our best to maintain it. Trash floats in and while we dislike it, that is the reality and one of the many reasons we NEVER buy/use disposable water bottles. We collect the trash and keep our beach as clean as we can.  We have fallen palm fronds or seeds that drop, but that is a small price to pay to have beautiful vegetation.

Sargassum is a thing and not unique to Belize. In the last few years, it’s most likely to appear in the months of April to July.  It is an algae that looks like brown seaweed and when it arrives on the beach it is unpleasant in appearance and smell, releasing hydrogen sulfide. It comes and goes along the Caribbean coast unpredictably. There is no way to predict when it arrives or how long it will stay.  We may go six months without any and then, the sargassum literally appears overnight. It stays for a few days or even weeks at a time. We do our best to keep it at bay, but sometimes it becomes too much and we cannot fight Mother Nature.  

We are!  You can find a complete list of approved accommodations here.  (scroll to the bottom of the page)

Why it’s important to stay at approved locations:

  1. They have been certified to operate under the Laws of Belize.
  2. Ensures certain safety and quality standards, including fire and health inspections.
  3. Supports the local tourism industry through fair tax contributions.
  4. Management and staff are required to have first aid training.
  5. Establishment required to have a safety plan in place to protect guests in emergencies.
  6. Legally, international tourists are required to stay at a BTB approved location.