Day 1: We started our trip by landing in Belize City and immediately taking a 12 passenger plane for a 15 minute flight to Ambergris Caye and took a cab from the "airstrip" to our Hotel - Xanadu Resort, which is about 1 mile south of the town of San Pedro. After checking into our suite, we grabbed some lunch, settled in and eventually got dinner at a local Tapas Restaurant, Casa Picasso (which had a very cool atmosphere, but unfortunately, the food fell short)Day 2: We spent the morning basking in the sun by the pool and then by the beach before heading into San Pedro to walk around. It was quite an interesting little town, with a collection of small wooden buildings with hotels, shops and restaurants built very close to the beach. It certainly was not the wide pristine beaches of places like Aruba, but it had a very unique feel with a mix of luxury in some places, and pretty grungy in others.
Day 3: After sitting out a rainstorm in the AM, we headed out to Hol Chan along the Barrier Reef for Scuba (Michael) and Snorkel (Amy). The water was incredibly clear and warm and the marine life was amazing. We swam with tons of fish, sea turtles, nurse sharks, stingrays, lobster and eel. After a great afternoon at sea, we enjoyed a great Dinner in town at Mangos.
Day 4: Another day of lounging by the beach combined with bicycling into town and exploring further before finishing off the evening with a sunset dinner at Sunset Grill.
Day 5: It was time to pack up and move back to the mainland. This time we took an 8-passenger plane back to Belize City where we rented a car for the drive to the Cayo. Before going to our hotel, we stopped at a resort called Jaguar Paw for lunch. After lunch, we convinced ourselves to try ziplining and had the time of our lives. We were both scared, but after watching so many episodes of the Amazing Race, it seems like something too cool to pass up. We swung between 8 different platforms in the jungle as high as 80 feet in the air!After the zipline, we continued the adventure with the exploration of "Crystal Cave", which comprised of a hike through the jungle and into a massive cave, where we rode an inner tube into the pitch darkness of the cave with only headlamps (and our guide) to guide the way. Inside the cave we saw stalagmites, stalagtites and lots of ancient Mayan pottery scraps. We paddled our tubes out of the cave and continued our journey to our next stop - Chaa Creek. As we arrived, it was just getting dark, we we could tell it would be worth the 2 hour drive, including a several-mile dirt road to arrive.
Day 6: We were awoken at sunrise by the enormous sounds of multiple species of birds in the trees and we looked outside, it appeared as if we were in paradise- with immaculately kept grounds surrounding the handful of "cottages" scattered 
around. After the previous days adventures, we decided to explore the grounds and relax in our hammocks before venturing up to the spa in the afternoon. Yes - after convincing Amy to join me on a zipline, she made me a deal that I had to join her at the spa, so I grudgingly agreed and had a pedicure. I must admit it felt like going to the dentist with all the prodding and poking that was going on, but the end result looked good. :)
We ended the day with a sunset canoe trip on the Macal River where we saw numerous iguanas and birds in the trees.Day 7: We woke early to join a group of 8 other people on a guided trip to visit the Mayan ruins of Tikal in Guatamala. The trip itself involved a 2.5 hour van ride (about 30 minutes on a paved 
road in Belize and the 2 hours over a virtually unpaved road into Guatamala). While we initially thought Belize was a poor country, compared to the U.S., once we crossed into Guatamala, Belize looked like Beverly Hills. It was incredibly sad to see so many "shacks" alongside the road with wild pigs, chickens and dogs running all along the road. We finally made it to Tikal, where we hiked a 5 mile perimeter of the main Mayan site and learned about the history of the area and got to climb upon the ruins, while also seeing monkeys swinging from the trees above. After a long day, we headed back for the long drive back to Belize. (stopping to see a Tarantula in the road)
road in Belize and the 2 hours over a virtually unpaved road into Guatamala). While we initially thought Belize was a poor country, compared to the U.S., once we crossed into Guatamala, Belize looked like Beverly Hills. It was incredibly sad to see so many "shacks" alongside the road with wild pigs, chickens and dogs running all along the road. We finally made it to Tikal, where we hiked a 5 mile perimeter of the main Mayan site and learned about the history of the area and got to climb upon the ruins, while also seeing monkeys swinging from the trees above. After a long day, we headed back for the long drive back to Belize. (stopping to see a Tarantula in the road)Day 8: After packing up, it was time to depart and drive back to the airport and back to civilization. Overall it was one of the most amazing vacations I have ever taken, had an incredible time and highly recommend it.
If anyone wants to see additional pictures of the adventure, you can do so at: share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AaMWjdm5as2TE
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