Our family of 6 (2 adults and 4 kids, ranging in age from 5-12) stayed at the Placencia Beach House in December 2019 for almost the entire month. We absolutely loved our time in Placencia, and it was in no small part due to this beautiful space and welcoming host. The location is perfect- far from the noisy bars but still a short walk away from everything you could want.
First off, the house itself is beautiful. So clean, very nicely decorated, and lots of windows. My kids got a kick out of the fact that no room was completely closed off, but of course that means that you get great airflow and the space stays cool even without A/C. The kitchen was well appointed. It was great to have reusable shopping bags available for our trips to Top Value and the fruit market. The expansive beach front and grown palm trees gives a sense of privacy, and in fact it is hard to see onto the porch when you are by the water. We made good use of the laundry and loved getting to hang dry our clothes.
We swam in the sea almost everyday. I recommend bringing snorkel masks for comfort in the salt water. We would see fish and sand rays without having to go deep. The washed up shells and coral were cool finds for the kids.
I highly recommend: waking early to catch sunrise on the beach and for a quiet beach walk, Mim's restaurant for stew chicken, Brewed Awakenings for donuts and seaweed smoothies, Top Value for groceries, Sunnyside Tours for snorkel trips, Cha Chi's for the Kriol pizza, and Tutti Frutti for ice cream. It really is so good! We ate a lot of street food while in Placencia and never got sick, so if you are feeling adventurous also give the home cooking a try.
We used William's Shuttle Service to get to Placencia from the airport and were so pleased with the experience we booked it again on the way back. We decided to stop at the Belize zoo on our return trip and it ended up being one of the best experiences of the whole vacation.
Last but certainly not least, we know our time in Placencia was as special as it was because of Joshlyn. She knows so much about Placencia, and had recommendations and advice for us no matter the topic. She was available and responsive to our questions- before and during our trip. I am so glad we had the chance to learn about Belize from her.