We believe in taking time to stop and celebrate milestones in life. Quitting a decade long corporate career and stepping out in faith to run Travel Patterns full time was one of those milestone moments for my husband and I.

My personality tends to check a box and then move quickly on to the next task.

But after a year of financially preparing for me to leave my corporate career, we knew that taking some time to relax, spend time with each other, and celebrate the transition would be beneficial on multiple levels.

We knew we wanted to go somewhere tropical, and the gorgeous Caribbean waters and world-renown barrier reefs of Belize were calling our names. Read on to see the beauty of Belize through our lens.

GetAway GUIDE: Thatch Caye, Belize

We chose to getaway to a boutique eco resort off the coast of Belize. The intimate island experience was exactly the kind of rest and relaxation we were seeking. We stayed at Thatch Caye which only hosts up to thirty guests at a time, and during our stay there were only around fifteen guests on the island. Wifi is limited to certain areas of the island, and all meals are served communally under the swaying palm trees.

We settled easily into a daily routine that consisted of starting our morning kayaking around the island searching for starfish in the shallows, napping in our favorite hammock spot mid day, and drinking coconut drinks in the lagoon as the sun set.

One of our favorite spots on the island was Serenity Point. We spent many afternoons there reading and unwinding, listening to the waves.

We didn’t take any photos of our snorkeling trips to the reefs, but I can tell you that the sea life and the coral is the most spectacular I have ever seen. No trip to Belize is complete without dipping below the surface yourself. The fan corals seem as big as a house, swaying like underwater trees. And the spotted eagle rays would dance and swirl below you showing off their graceful moves.

There are several other islands near Thatch Caye that you could take excursions to as well. We spent a day island hopping. The Smithsonian Research island and Tobacco Caye were both interesting to explore.

If you need a little getaway, we would definitely recommend the beautiful and intimate setting at Thatch Caye. Just thinking about our time there and putting this post together makes me eager to plan our next getaway!

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