The English Maximalista

The second port of call on our cruise was Harvest Caye, the private island Norwegian Cruise Lines leases from the Belize government.

We pulled into port at 6am, and since I was wide awake, I stood on my balcony watching the dockers attend to our ship. 

I idly wondered whether they live on the tiny island or were shuttled in from the mainland. What time must they have to get up each morning, considering how early it already was when our ship arrived.

Did you notice that one of the dockers waved back at me? That made me so happy!

*****

On every cruise I have ever taken, I have always booked an excursion at whichever port we stopped at on that particular day. There are plenty of fun things to do, for all tastes and ages. Snorkeling and other water activities, renting jet skis or kayaks; tours, hiking, the beach, the zoo, drinking, swimming with dolphins. The list goes on. 

Personally, we prefer to visit places of historical interest, preferably with a guided tour of the area. Extra brownie points if there are churches or museums involved… especially if the excursion ends with a visit to a beach or a local market!

Since Mr Maximalista and I have both previously been to Belize, we opted to NOT do an excursion this time; instead, we made our own way to the beach, and had a slothful day, left to our own devices.

It actually made a nice change for us to not be on someone else’s timetable, to not get shuffled from point A to point B. We got to poke about the island at our own pace, dawdling if we wanted, and literally stopping to smell the flowers.

Norwegian Cruise Lines went to great lengths to cut out a slice of heaven in what is naturally a wild swamp. They have created a 75-acre resort with restaurants, shops, a marina, beaches, and recreational facilities.

Harvest Caye is small — as the name suggests — yet perfectly proportioned for the requirements of day trippers such as myself.

The beaches there are lovely. (But then again, aren’t they all?!) There were only a few dozen other holiday-makers scattered about when we got there, although I’m sure it gets insanely crowded during the busy season. 

Farther along the lido, tucked amongst the trees, there were some cute little waterfront villas available to rent for the day. These come with a butler and access to a private beach. This sounded like my cup of tea, and I would have rented one if the main beach hadn’t been so tranquil.

It also helps that I have my own personal handsome beefcake to buttle for me!

*****

Another fun activity on Harvest Caye is zip lining. The lighthouse was built as a novelty attraction, serving as the launch point for the zip lines.

I did extreme zip lining in the Honduran jungle when I was younger — it had 19 jumps down the mountain — so the lines at Harvest Caye seemed a bit tame in comparison. But as you can see from this video, folks were enjoying it.

Our day in Belize was chilled out and relaxing. Just what the doctor ordered!

Lots of love,

M xo

PS if you would like to see more pictures, check out my FaceBook page!