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- I traveled to Belize with friends recently and had a great time for under $1,000.
- By traveling during the low season, I was able to get a cheaper room, and cheaper flights.
- I cashed in points from my travel rewards credit card, which makes it easy to save hundreds.
Every summer, my friends and I like to vacation together. We try to find affordable locations that offer beaches, nice accommodations, and good food. Since summer is the low season in most of Central America, we decided to plan a trip to Belize, which is known for its affordability.
Belize is a popular vacation destination because of its warm weather, beaches, and great exchange rate. We knew a large part of our budget would go toward our hotel. We wanted a beachfront apartment at an adults-only property. After researching, we found an ideal property in Placencia, a sleepy beach town south of Belize City, and split the cost of the room.
Traveling during Belize's low season means experiencing high temperatures and a few rain showers. However, low-season travel has some advantages, such as uncrowded beaches and restaurants and deals on flights and hotels. I used points from my travel rewards credit card and spent just over $1,000 in total.
I spent $628 on accommodations
Our biggest expense was our accommodations. We stayed at Caribbean Beach Cabanas, which offers a sliding-scale discounted rate for booking during the low season, depending on the room level. We booked a two-bedroom, two-bathroom villa with a fully equipped kitchen, living room, and an oversized deck that overlooked the hotel pool.
Our total cost for the villa for five nights was $1885, which we split three ways. We did take advantage of the hotel's low season rates (though it only saved us about $30 a night since the villa is their largest unit), but we felt like we got our money's worth.
We felt comfortable splurging on the villa because the hotel was right on the beach and within walking distance of Placencia's main street. This meant we didn't have to budget for taxis to get around all week, and the hotel also offered complimentary round-trip transportation from the local airport. Although there were less expensive accommodations in Placencia, we wanted to stay at an adults-only property, and we enjoyed having a full kitchen and living room.
My flights were just over $100
After we booked the villa, I set a tracker for flights, and I found a good deal on my flight. I booked an American Airlines flight from Miami to Belize City and spent $272 on a roundtrip flight, hundreds below peak prices. I'm an American Airlines AAdvantage member, so I also used the flight to accumulate frequent flyer miles, which I can eventually cash out on future flights.
Once we arrived in Belize City, we had two options for getting to Placencia: rent a car and drive for two to three hours or take a "puddle jumper" plane that would get us to our destination in about 15 minutes. We opted for the plane and purchased the additional flights from Belize City to Placencia on Tropic Air, which cost $129 each way, or an additional $258 round trip.
I'm a Bank of America Travel Rewards credit cardholder, and I cashed in $425 worth of travel credits (which were applied to my next billing cycle) to bring the cost of my flights down to just over $100. I use my Bank of America Travel Rewards card for nearly all of my everyday spending. The card doesn't have an annual fee, and I earn 1.5 points on all purchases. A few times a year, I cash out my points to cover flights or hotels.
Our food and activities were very affordable
Food was the least expensive part of our trip — in total, I spent around $350 on food and activities. Our hotel offered complimentary coffee and pastries every morning for breakfast, and we ate at local restaurants for lunch and dinner. Most of our meals were under $20, and instead of ordering drinks at each meal, we picked up a bottle of wine to enjoy back at our villa.
Plencencia is a very low-key vacation spot, perfect for lying out on the beach, which is what we did most of the day. We alternated between hanging out by the pool and the beach, and the hotel also had a few complimentary kayaks, inner tubes, and snorkel gear.
We also explored Placencia by walking and using the hotel's complimentary bikes to get around town. We skipped the expensive excursions and rented a golf cart for one day, which cost $50, which we split three ways.
I came in just over my $1,000 budget, but I don't regret splurging on the villa — especially because I was able to accumulate points for my flight and food purchases I charged to my credit card.
