In the clear water around the tiny atoll that looks disconcertingly like the popular island screen saver, we see nurse sharks, barracuda and squid while acquiring sunburns of the kind that make you sit carefully even weeks later. But we are as content, snorkeling, as the character in Denis Johnson's new novel, Tree of Smoke, who thinks to himself: "The experience came close to what the birds of the air must enjoy, drifting above a landscape, propelled by the action of their own limbs, actually flying."
For dinner one evening, we drop in at the Coppola family's Turtle Inn. It's a quiet, intensely lovely resort, and the food - fresh fish, finally! - is very good indeed. We're happy to see this place but also happy to leave it. It feels packed with would-be hipsters, at least one wearing sunglasses at night, hoping for a glimpse of Sofia Coppola and the chance to force a screenplay under her arm.
Sometimes your happiest memories of a trip are the homiest, and the most unexpected. On our final night in Belize, at the Machaca Hill Lodge, a new resort in the Toledo District near the border with Guatemala, we sit on the veranda, taking in the views and drinking fresh watermelon-juice cocktails. The sun is a red fireball in the distance, and we play board games from the resort's collection of old American games.
IF YOU GO
GETTING THERE
>> United, Continental, American Airlines and China Airlines offer connecting flights from Taipei to Belize City. Most itineraries require at least three stopovers and last between 21 and 38 hours.
>> If you plan to drive much beyond Belize City, you will probably want a tough vehicle with four-wheel drive. At the Belize City airport, vehicles are available from Avis, Budget, Hertz and many local companies like Crystal Auto Rental.
WHERE TO STAY
>> Going to Belize means flying into Belize City. You may want to travel to your final destination right away. If you do stay in Belize City, the Fort George area has terrific views of the busy port.
>> A slightly funky but still nice option is the Great House, a restored mansion a block from the water (13 Cork Street; 011-501-223-3400; www.greathousebelize.com). Double rooms start at US$150. The Radisson Fort George Hotel and Marina (2 Marine Parade; 888-201-1718; www.radisson.com/belizecitybz) also has decent rooms and a view of the harbor, starting at US$134.
>> An easy two-hour drive beyond Belize City is Ian Anderson's Caves Branch Adventure Co and Jungle Lodge (Hummingbird Highway, www.cavesbranch.com). It has a range of accommodations and prices, from tree house suites at US$195 a night to bunkhouses for just US$15. Meals are family style, a bargain at US$12 for breakfast or lunch. Dinner is US$18. The locally made Lighthouse beer is excellent.
>> If you're heading for the beach in Placencia, it's worth spending more to stay at the Turtle Inn. (011-501-824-4914; www.turtleinn.com). With 25 rooms ranging from US$355 for a garden-view cabana to US$2,000 for the Francis Ford Coppola Family Pavilion, this is a lovely place, though you may miss the gritty, hippie charm of Placencia itself.
>> Near Punta Gorda, in Belize's southern Toledo District, a lovely and remote option is the Machaca Hill Lodge (Big Hill Road; 011-501-722-0050; www.machacahill.com). It has 12 elegant cabanas on a hillside with sweeping views. For double occupancy, a room during peak season is US$210. A meal package, including breakfast, lunch, dinner and hors d'oeuvres, is US$60 a day for adults and US$30 for children.
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