The Rough Guide to Belize Paperback – September 29, 2014

Hooray! Belize now has its own Rough Guide. In the past, Belize has been combined with Guatemala in one edition. The new Belize edition, by Peter Eltringham (who co-authored the old Guatemala-Belize guide and has a hand in several other of Rough Guides to Mexico and Central America) is a tour de force of relentless research, timely info and sharp writing.I want to try to explain why this is such a good guide. But first, let's get something out of the way -- the name. Many North American reader still think the Rough Guides, published in London, are for budget travelers. In fact, as I understand it, the name Rough is an Anglicism meant to suggest that it is an approximation, an expected plan, as in a "rough plan." The Rough Guides, of which there are now more than a hundred, are definitely not just for travelers who are "roughing it." In fact, they cover all levels of travel, from budget to upmarket. A name change awhile back didn't stick, and the guides now go by the name by which they're known to experience travelers the world over, Rough Guides.Anyway, back to the new guide to Belize. Peter Eltringham first came to Belize with the Royal Air Force. He's been just about everywhere in Belize and knows it inside out. Turn to any section, and his recommendations on hotels, restaurants and what to do are almost always spot on. Although he's generous -- occasionally to a fault -- with hotels he likes, Peter can be blunt: He's willing to call a hotel overpriced when it is or to point out the illegal cutting of mangroves by resort developers.This guide is especially good on lesser-known destinations such as the southern cayes or Corozal District. There's also a helpful section on Tikal and one on the Honduras Bay Islands, though this latter section was written before Hurricane Mitch and is therefore nearly useless. A section called Contexts offers insightful information on Belize history, music, literature and other subjects.In short, this is a must-carry for anyone traveling in Belize.

Before a recent trip to Belize, I bought the Rough Guide and the Moon Guide, figuring whatever one book missed, the other would cover. We ended up taking the Rough Guide with us on our trip and the Moon Guide stayed home. The Rough Guide isn't as current as the Moon Guide, but it's current enough. More importantly, the Rough Guide included more useful information, wasn't as editorialized and was better indexed. If you're going to buy one book and you're new to Belize, then buy this one. We visited a lot of hidden gems we would have otherwise missed thanks to what was in this book.

After looking at several other books we chose this one for our 14 day trip in January of 2001. It was an excellent resource for important info and interesting tid-bits. It is a little old now and some information is out dated at this point. It could really use an update. My husband and I would volunteer to go again!! We had a great time and higly recomend Belize for the less mainstream traveler. Go now though, it is definatly changing! Don't miss Hol Chan marine reserve snorkeling and Placencia village. Also, we loved Crooked Tree and Tikal. Have a great time and take this book with you!!!

I bought this and Moon. If you are the kind of person that wants to adventure in the interior get this book. If you want to spend your time on the Cayes, get Moon. If you want to mix it up, get both. Really just get both. Your trip will cost enough as it is. This thing definitely pointed me to better times, and at one point saved my bacon. It's worth it for the small price you pay, especially when you can't count on Internet access in Belize.

I was already familiar with this tiny, wonderful country, but this book provides an amazing amount of information I didn't know. As I'm considering retiring there, I'm studying it like a textbook! I bought the Kindle version and especially love the maps and the way you can move from section to section using the interactive table of contents.

Book was excellent....helped us plan our vacation excursions and even helped us decide what Islands to visit.

Great guidebook for my semi-backpacking trip in Belize and Tikal area. Information in the book is up to date and the lodging recommendations were useful. Maps were pretty good too. I didn't have to get maps of the towns and Mayan sites I visited because the book had maps within.

From what I have seen, this is one of the best of the Belize guides. Current information that can be used by a wide range of travelers to Belize. Great introduction to a small but wildly diverse country. Lots of practical details in a well-written and well-organized book.

I love rough guides they are very easy to use and informative to the right level when traveling

LOTS of information packed into this book. As with any R.G, I wouldn't be without it.

used extensively for planning next month's trip

A good guide to Belize but not enough detail on smaller towns; most eating and sleeping places are out of the budget of lower end travellers, and do not reflect a spirit of culinary adventures. Eat on the street!

I love the Rough Guides series and this one did not disappoint. Their descriptions of the towns, historical sites, and caves were really accurate. Even our guide was impressed with a few facts about Belize that he didn't know. The extra chapter on Tikal (Guatemala) is especially useful so that you don't need to buy another guide book.