BELIZEmagazine.com - The Internet Magazine of Belize

RESTAURANTS in TOLEDO

BELIZEmagazine.com visited a variety of available restaurants throughout the Toledo District during a three month long visit to the region in the winter of 2003. The BELIZEmagazine.com guide to dining reflects those that are personally recommended by the staff of BELIZEmagazine.com.

Emery's Restaurant one block off Front Street in the southern port town of Punta Gorda is Belizean home cooking at it's very best. Carl the owner and the staff guarantee that every customer goes away with a big smile reflecting pure satisfaction. Excellently prepared fresh seafood dishes as well as the Belizean standards you expect in a good local restaurant, stewed chicken, fried fish, fried chicken, rice and beans cooked to perfection. We suggest you contact Carl a day or so in advance for special large fish request. Belizemagazine.com did on several occasions and Carl always came through with the larger varieties of the catch of the day. With the fresh fish market two blocks away and the ocean less than one, you can count on the quality of seafood freshness at Emery's. Open for lunch and dinner every day except Sunday, closed for lunch on Saturdays. Absolutely some of the best food you'll find in Punta Gorda.

Grace's Restaurant is located on Main Street in Punta Gorda just up from Mel's Grocery. Open seven days per week, Grace's has been a long time favourite in Punta Gorda by the backpacking crowd catching the boats that ply the waters between Belize and Puerto Barrios, Guatemala. The food is consistently served hot and fresh, all Belizean local dishes are available for breakfast, lunch & dinner. Peter the bartender insures that the Belikins are always cold. And besides the bank, Grace's is also the best place in town to cash a traveller's check. Two blocks from the Belizean Immigration Office and the boat dock.

Earth Runnings is located on Middle Street in Punta Gorda. It is not only a tasty restaurant for breakfast and dinner, but the bar provides relaxing reggae sounds and the best Internet Café in town. Giovanni and his staff provide a welcoming atmosphere. The dinner menu is one of the more creative and innovative blends of local cuisine that you'll find in PG. Earth Runnings also has a large front porch and fenced courtyard for outdoor dining, as well as reading and lounging. All said a great place to hang out.

Waluco's Beach Bar is located just short of Cattle Landing on the road in or out of Punta Gorda, depending on the direction you're travelling. Waluco's is open for sure usually on Sunday afternoons for Belizean barbeque, Belikins and sunbathing off the pier. A quick ten minutes by bicycle from the central square in downtown PG.

The Restaurant at the Indian Creek Lodge is located just off the Southern Highway within the confines of the Belize Lodge & Excursions compound in Indian Creek Village. We aren't sure that it's open to the public. However, the service, quality and hospitality certainly make up for the sheer remoteness of the place, which is about half way between Big Falls and Golden Stream.

LODGING in TOLEDO

BELIZEmagazine.com visited a variety of available hotels, lodges, inns and resorts throughout the Toledo District during a three month long visit to the region in the winter of 2003. Listed in the BELIZEmagazine.com guide to lodging are only those that are personally recommended by the staff of BELIZEmagazine.com.

The Lodge At Big Falls On the Rio Grande, 30 minutes from Punta Gorda	Tranquility Lodge In Jacintoville, 10 Miles from Punta Gorda on the Southern Highway	The Airport Hotel At the Airport in Punta Gorda
Nature's Way Guesthouse Just South of the Market, off Front Street, in Punta Gorda	El Pescador PG 5 miles out of Punta Gorda	Belize Lodge & Excursions In Indian Creek, 45 minutes by road from Punta Gorda
Sea Front Inn Punta Gorda	St. Charles Inn On Middle Street in Punta Gorda	Charlton's Inn Near the Gas Station and Emery's Restaurant in Punta Gorda

"Next time we'll just wing it"

The BELIZEmagazine.com owner and his family of three travelled over five thousand miles to visit Belize during the winter of 2003 and wrote to BELIZEmagazine.com to say:

"We contacted the hotel we stayed at for a month in Belize four months in advance of our arrival and paid the required deposit. The 'innkeepers' never told us about their barking dogs, they never told us about the 'dog surprises' that awaited us every morning in front of our porch, both especially challenging obstacles with our two year old son. The 'innkeepers' also failed to tell us about the view looking out our window. Instead of complaining and asking for money back we did what smart guest should do, we'll never go back. So much for the guidebook recommendation or the advance reservations, next time we'll just wing it, even with the little one."