The Traveling Vegan Goes to Belize

Belize is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.  Recently, I spent almost two weeks in Placencia for  adventure, SCUBA diving, relaxation, and rejuvenation.  Spending time in Placencia has given me a deeper appreciation for the beautiful simplicity of pure, fresh food.  If ever there was a place where being vegan could be exciting, this is it!

Since I was going to be in Placencia for an extended period of time, I searched for lodging that would provide me with a full kitchen.  I also wanted to stay somewhere within walking distance of Placencia Village.  I found lovely rustic lodging at Harry's Cozy Cabanas.  Not only was there a private beach, but fruit literally falling off the trees.

The fruit was so amazing: pineapple so delicate you could eat the core... starfruit with a perfect balance of tart and sweet flavor... bananas so complex in flavor they should be tasted like fine wine... the mangoes  oh, the mangoes, so spectacular and exotically delicious... For a "raw" vegan, there was certainly and abundance of food.  Of course, there were plenty of avocados and a variety of vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, tomatoes, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, celery, carrots, cucumbers) at the local markets.  

I was able to prepare plenty of exotic salads and veggie/fruit plates, spiced up with a dash of Marie Sharp's Hot Sauce or Exotic Sauce.  At the grocery stores, it was easy to find the staples for preparing vegan cooked food: coconut oil, olive oil, rice, beans, pasta, yellow split peas, granola, soy milk, and some of them even sold almond milk.

Eating out at restaurants was easy for a "cooked food vegan" - most all restaurants had a variety of vegetable stir-fry dishes.  Best of all, most all of them also understood what "vegan" meant.  There was also the option of the traditional Belizean plantains and rice-and-beans. (Ask if the beans are cooked with pork/meat; this was not the case at the places I ate.  Usually the stewed beans and rice would be prepared with pork.)  At The Secret Garden Restaurant, the chef offered to alter a multitude of dishes to be prepared vegan -- the curry was spectacular along with the black bean soup.  The Shak served the best, perfectly seasoned veggie and rice dishes, although B.J.'s was pretty good for the creole vegetable plate.  For dessert, Tutti Frutti, the local gelateria serves the most delicious fruit sorbetto (all flavors are vegan except the coconut).  For coffee, Above Grounds, offers soy milk beverages (and free WiFi).

Lots of places also had fresh fruit juices (made by blending fruit and water then straining it) as well as fresh coconut water.  (At B.J's Restaurant I saw the guy walk behind the building with a machete   He came back with a whole coconut that he had hacked open and put a straw in it!)

Perhaps the best place, or at least my favorite place, was The Shak for their smoothies.  They use real fruit, fresh fruit.  There was a huge variety of combinations.  Raw vegan heaven.  They were also keen to make substitutions/modifications -- anything with diary, such as the traditional and very popular "seaweed shake", could be made with soy milk instead.

In a "coconut shell", Placencia is paradise: "barefoot perfect" as they say, a perfect vacation spot for vegans, raw foodies, and SCUBA divers!

If you're thinking of traveling to Belize and have more questions about Placencia, please post a comment below.