If you go to Belize

BELIZE: www.travelbelize.org or 800-624-0686. Lodging options range from simple one-room guesthouses to five-star resorts.

GETTING THERE: Belize is about a 2-hour flight from Miami and Houston. Direct flights are available in several U.S. gateway cities, and from Cancun and Chetumal, Mexico. In-country airlines are Tropic Air and Island Air, serving Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, Caye Chapel, Corozal, Placencia and Punta Gorda.

THINGS TO DO:

— Visit the Shangri-La Spa, on stilts in San Pedro's resort district. The ocean breeze wafts over two massage beds. From the ceiling hang beautiful mobiles that the owner has constructed from shells, coconut blossoms, cockspur thorns, driftwood and seeds. A deep-tissue massage runs $80.

— Spend a day on Caye Caulker, the sleepy island next to Ambergris Caye. The village has only two streets and a handful of eateries, but vendors line the edge of the beach, selling bead, shell and seed necklaces at prices cheaper than San Pedro. Try lunch at the Rainbow Grill and Bar, where, for $15, you get fresh conch ceviche, a seafood platter, a Belikin beer and a lime daiquiri.

— Venture onto Belize's mainland to tour ancient Mayan ruins at Altun Ha, Lamanai, Caracol, Cerros, Lubaantun and Xunantunich. Most resorts offer organized tours, or book your own at www.travelbelize.org/tourop.html.

DINING: In San Pedro, at the sand-floored Reef Restaurant, two brothers catch fish and dive for lobster and conch every morning, then bring it back for Mom to cook; at Elvi's Kitchen, a bottle of sauvignon blanc is the perfect pairing for the "taste of the island" seafood dinner of fresh conch, lobster, shrimp and blackened snapper; and at Captain Morgan's, where the infamous "Temptation Island" reality show was filmed, the Belizean Night Buffet features blackened pork chops with pineapple relish, plantains and a Belizean spiced chicken.