Getting here
There are no direct flights into Placencia. You must first fly to Belize City International Airport, which is just a short flight away from many major airports across America including Miami, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, New York, Ft. Lauderdale, and Charlotte. Direct flights to Belize City are also available from Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica. Then take a short (30min) internal flight to Placencia with either Tropic air or Maya Island Air
American Airlines
(800) 433-7300
(268) 462-0950
www.aa.com
Continental Airlines
(800) 231-0856
(268) 462-5355
www.continental.com
Delta
(800) 532-4777
(800) 337-4777
www.delta.com
Grupo TACA
Tel: 501-227-7363
Fax: 501-227-5213
www.taca.com
US Airways
c/o Belize Global Travel Services
501-225-3589
Fax: 501-225-4091
www.usairways.com
Local Airlines also provide daily flights to Belize from Flores, Guatemala (Tikal)
Maya Island Air
1-800-521-1247
501-226-2435
501-226-2192
Email: mayair@btl.net
www.mayaislandair.com
Tropic Air
1-800-422-3435
501-226-2012
501-226-2338
Email: tropicair@btl.net
www.tropicair.com
Caribbean Holidays
now agents for Tikal Jets
501-227-2583
Driving from Belize City to Placencia (not recommended)
Placencia is approximately 150 miles from Belize City and the trip can take up to 4 hours to complete by road. Taking the bus is the least desirable way to reach Placencia. The buses are not air conditioned and have a well earned reputation for breaking down. If you are planning on driving down in order to view the scenery and some attractions then you may want to rent a car. The route from Belize City consists of the;
- The Western Highway - Some sections have been resurfaced and the road is in fairly good condition. Lots of speed bumps are being added near villages due to the high number of accidents in the past 10 years. The shoulders are very narrow and the road can be very slick after heavy rains.
- The Hummingbird Highway - This road is in excellent condition with a couple of bridges that only have one lane. The road "dips and swoops" through the countryside and offers excellent scenery.
- The Southern Highway - Once named as the worst highway in Belize, it has received a major overhaul and is now one of the best. Unfortunately, apart from a distant view of the Mayan mountains, the scenery can be quite non descript.
- The Placencia Peninsula Road - This road is currently undergoing major construction. Though only 21 miles long it can take you over an hour to travel it. The road is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2010 when the travel time should be reduced to about 30 minutes.
The scenery is quite lovely, however chances are you may not want to drive back and rental cars must be returned to where you picked them up in Belize City. Car rentals are also very expensive in Belize, costing from US$75 to US$85 per day. Therefore we highly recommend that you fly to Placencia.
Getting to TradeWinds
When you arrive at the airport ask a taxi to take you to TMM by the old sugar reef (actual address is "Sunset drive"). Please do not ask for "TradeWinds" as you will be taken to the TradeWinds hotel at Placencia Pointe which is not your destination. The taxi costs about 15 Belize dollars (approximately 7.5 US dollars). Don't worry about booking a return taxi, your crew will do this for you. We usually have several guests on the same flight, so you can share a taxi with your newfound friends!
View TradeWinds Cruise Club in a larger map
Arriving early
You are welcome to arrive in Placencia early and stay at Tradewinds Tianna suites (email our reservations team for more information). For more accommodation see www.placencia.com.
Contacting the base
If you experience delays and you feel that you cannot get to the base in time then please call + 501 523 3303, you can also call our head office (+ 784 457 3407) leaving your name(s) and a short description of the problem along with contact details for where you are.
Leaving
Total airport departure fees from Placencia are US $20.00. A further US $40.00 departure tax per person required when leaving the Belize International Airport.
Need more information?
See our further information section for information on visas, currency, weather and more.
Please note that all pricing was correct at the time of publication.
