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Any thoughts on best way using Avios, early next year ?
It’s easy to get to the US from Heathrow, but it’s the last bit…connecting from somewhere to get to Belize.
I guess I may have to call to use Avios on American internally.
Thanks for any input .You can search for AA availability on ba.com and it will show any seats which AA have made available for redemptions. Don’t rely on SeatSpy as the pricing isn’t right – I think they may use AA and its own miles availability which isn’t the same as what you can book via BA.
You can book AA flights using avios via the BA website but availability will be the problem. Phone agents only have access to the same inventory as you can see on the website.
As to routing look athe airports wiki page and then see where AA flies ftom into Belize and work backwards.
And check any IB routings as well
Coincidentally we were talking about Belize the other day, so I had a quick look on ba.com and there are, for example, 7 economy award seats showing for Jan 20th, MIA-BZE. Prices start at 16k avios plus $6 tax. (Tax will probably be a fair bit more on the inbound, however).
AA avios prices are quite high so it’s worth comparing with a cash booking before you make a decision.
There might be a couple of routing via other central American cities which might fit in with an IB booking.
US to/from the Caribbean can be very expensive. We did redemptions with AA for Roatan and for Belize and at the time, the cash fares were something like 400 quid. We paid 18k Avios plus £107 for two BZE-MIA.
I booked through BA around 7 months before departure as I could find no availability before that.
This was in 2022 so things could have changed of course.
Coincidentally we were talking about Belize the other day, so I had a quick look on ba.com and there are, for example, 7 economy award seats showing for Jan 20th, MIA-BZE. Prices start at 16k avios plus $6 tax. (Tax will probably be a fair bit more on the inbound, however).
AA avios prices are quite high so it’s worth comparing with a cash booking before you make a decision.
There might be a couple of routing via other central American cities which might fit in with an IB booking.
Coincidentally we were talking about Belize the other day, so I had a quick look on ba.com and there are, for example, 7 economy award seats showing for Jan 20th, MIA-BZE. Prices start at 16k avios plus $6 tax. (Tax will probably be a fair bit more on the inbound, however).
AA avios prices are quite high so it’s worth comparing with a cash booking before you make a decision.
There might be a couple of routing via other central American cities which might fit in with an IB booking.
Thanks. On BA.com, 2x Economy returns (mia/belize) = £147.60 + 64000 Avios. Where do I look for your 16k + $6 ? Thanks.
Wow that’s got expensive. Cash is ~£330 per person so it’s pretty much 1p per Avios. Not terrible, but barely worth it unless you are Avios rich right now.
16k is one-way, pp, I did say AA charges a lot of avios! Taxes are usually higher on the return because each country will set its own departure tax, and these saw a hefty increase after Covid.
@massaccio, yes prior to the increases we got a few 7.5K or 9k redemptions between the US and Caribbean.
We did Belize last summer. Used AA award seats ex MIA and had no problem getting 5 in J on a sensibly timed flight.
You might want to look at getting there via Mexico. TropicAir fly from Cancun to Belize City daily. It’s not cheap but avoids the US and also the YQ for Mexico was far lower than the US last year, so it might come out OK.
Via Mexico City is probably too much hassle, as you need to fly to Chetumal then take a boat to San Pedro.
One other option would be flying into Cancun then taking the new train straight from the airport down to Chetumal. https://reservas.ventaboletostrenmaya.com.mx/
Loved our time there but sadly I think TropicAir have had to up their security a bit in recent weeks…
And if you want I can also recommend a driver who took us through the rather complex border process between Corozal and Chetumal.
Thanks one and all, for the quick responses.
All booked easily on line via MIA with Avios Club. No problem with availability, surprisingly.And with the best part of a month away, should easily be able to pick up a last minute cruise to somewhere as well. Now to see what accommodation looks like.Thanks again.Do you have your Belize itinerary sorted yet? Plenty to see and do. We found it pricey for the region but loved it.
No, need to do a bit of research! All we know is a friend who died said that if he had one wish, it would be to retire in Belize. So we would like to visit ourselves.
If you pick one place, Lamanai Outpost Lodge. Not luxe but in the jungle and just the most amazing location.
Didn’t stay at the lodge, but +1 for Lamanai which was fascinating – we did a fly in/fly out to a dirt strip, where we were met on the runway by our drivers. Kind of like Lufthansa First Class experience meets central American drug running…
Apparently avoiding Lamanai on days cruise ships are in is a big win. We hardly saw anyone else, so got great photos as a result.
Lots of Americans had retired down there, which I think keeps prices high. Also underwhelmed with the food a bit – fish and pineapple in abundance, but in short supply on the menu. Definitely a fascinating place and very welcoming to us as Brits (consensus seemed to be Independence hadn’t been the best move – maybe they were just being polite) but I don’t think I’d want to retire there.
Sargassum is also a problem on the coast and seems bad this year (I think they got off lightly in ’24) so do factor that into your planning.
Thanks a lot…any other advice of what to do….must visit etc., would be appreciated.
We were taking things easy for a few days so based ourselves just south of San Pedro. Did the day trip to Lamanai to learn a bit about Mayan culture (fascinating) but then it was beach/pool time, golf buggy rental to zip around town, not many sights to see. The country is a bit rough in places, I think especially south of Belize City, although the low population distorts some per capita rates badly.
Many places were quite reliant on cash – felt like I was having to find an ATM most days.
Mainland is cheaper than San Pedro, but was also noticeably hotter/more humid when we visited last August. Didn’t spend any time in Belize City itself – think the general message was you need to keep your wits about you. Do you know what part of the country your friend visited and how long is your stay? Roads are OK but the layout of the place means getting around can be time consuming unless you fly.
Also a lot of hotels outside of the big tourist areas seem to have an uneasy relationship with the online travel agencies, so if you see something you like, try contacting them directly. We needed a night in Corozal at the end and Booking.com/Expedia showed most places as closed, so we ended up somewhere that was passable but a bit pricey whereas other better options did exist but had to be booked direct.
And be aware of obscene American portion sizes in some restaurants. I couldn’t figure out the pattern here but under-ordering then going back for more might be a good play. And plenty of gift shops in Belize Intl airport – didn’t see many at all in the rest of the country.
Driving is easy and it’s not a particularly large country; we easily did Cayo district to BZE in two hours. The roads we went on didn’t warrant the 4WD we rented, even into Lamanai.
Agree with the comment about food: large portions and quite tailored to a US palate.
For beach we stayed on Ambergris Caye but the sargassum was very bad and we never saw the beach. There are supposedly beaches on the Caye that are sargassum-free. I expect you could rent a golf cart to go see.
If you fancy a splurge, the Lodge at Chaa Creek is very nice.
Our plans are coming together..fly in from Miami and immediately connect to an island flight for a few days, and back on a ferry to the mainland for 7/10 days. Sounds sensible ? Tx.
That’s what we did.
Unless you’re in some mega peak travel season, there’s no need to pre-book the local flight. Whilst TropicAir have a schedule for Belize City – San Pedro, it’s essentially a turn up and go service. Once they have 14 passengers, they load you onto a plane and you’re off.
Once through immigration/customs at BZE, there are some clearly marked doors for domestic departures rather than going back outside the terminal.
This puts you into what I guess was the old departures hall. Our experience was to simply go to the TropicAir check in desk and they will ticket you there – don’t try to find a ticketing desk.
And if you are going to San Pedro, you probably want to rent a golf buggy to get around. There are places immediately outside the airport – I booked as we boarded the plane in BZE but there was no need. I could have just walked out the airport and I reckon they will match on price as well.
Did you use any particular sim card, or pick one up at the airport?
I ask as scrolling through numerous esim options, all seem pretty expensive ?
try esimdb
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