Nautical Inn resort, located on Placencia Peninsula, Belize offers beach-front accommodations, great dining, SCUBA diving, snorkeling, jaguar reserve and Monkey River tours plus the culture of Garifuna drummers and dancers all rolled into a fun vacation. You'll find us where the Caribbean meets the jungle! http://www.caribbeanmag.com/search/hotels/Belize/nauticalinn/hotel/371/3/ en-us Copyright 1998 e-TravelMedia.com/CaribbeanMag.com Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:10:15 EST The Placencia Peninsula has the Caribbean Sea on the east and the Placencia Lagoon on the west. At the southern tip of the Peninsula, 700 Creoles have made Placencia Village their home and busy themselves along the narrow side walk where pirates played two hundred years ago. Seine Bight Village is in the middle of the Placencia Peninsula. Over 700 Garifuna people make up the heart and drum beat of this fishing village where the dug out canoe is still the way to the sea. Nautical Inn is situated on the north edge of this village. Nautical Inn occupies 4 acres on the Placencia Peninsula. The resort was built 9 years ago by your hosts, Ben and Janie Ruoti. The four main buildings are in a half circle on the beach with the swimming pool in the center. Our twelve beach front rooms have air conditioning, ceiling fans, modern bathrooms and great beds. Mahogany and wicker furniture are accented with a nautical theme. For your convenience and comfort, air conditioning and telephone are included and a TV can be rented if you want to catch up on the news or watch a movie. The Oar House, our restaurant and bar, is the place for fine dining and Caribbean cocktails. The daily activity board lists tours and excursions to help you see Belize from the reef to the rain forest. The friendly staff will make this an adventure you'll long remember. AMENITIES: Other amenities include our beach front pool, giftshop, thatch palapa with hammocks on the beach, and gazebo on the pier. ACTIVITIES: We can arrange just about any adventure at Nautical Inn. Activities include SCUBA, snorkeling, fishing and jungle trips to Monkey River or Jaguar Reserve and Maya ruins. But, if you prefer to just kick back and relax at the resort, you can cool off in our swimming pool or read a book in the hammocks under the palapas on the beach. On Friday afternoons, guests are invited to try their hand at water volleyball. The pool is three feet deep on each end and 5 feet in the middle so everyone has an equal chance. After a day of jungle or reef exploration, a little water therapy is great. Sunset Booze Cruise goes out on Monday afternoons for a leisurely trip up and down Placencia Lagoon. Great conversation and unlimited local rum or soda makes for a relaxing way to enjoy the setting sun. Perhaps you'll see manatee, dolphin or birds along the way. We return to the Nautical Inn just before dinner with great pictures and fond memories. On Wednesday nights, Beach BBQ night is a big hit at the Nautical Inn! People from up and down the peninsula make reservations to join the fun. Cocktails start a little before 6 PM and as the sun goes down, the drums go up! That's the Garifuna drummers and dancers from Seine Bight Village. They will show you their cultural dances, explain the origin of these traditional rhythms, and teach you to Punta! A great BBQ follows with Grilled snapper fillets, BBQ chicken, baked beans, potato salad, fresh fruit, tossed salad and coconut pie. After eating your fill, step up to the line to try something different, try Coconut Bowling! Ten mahogany pins stand at the end of our cement bowling alley. Rounded coconuts are the balls and the liquid center drives a real bowler crazy! First prize is a bottle of local rum. Visit our "Love a Lizard" Iguana raising project anytime and view over 50 baby green Iguana. Iguana eggs are collected in the spring and incubated 90 days before hatching in late June. Janie prepares fresh ground vegetables and serves her "babies" in their private lizard lodge. The Iguana are released to protected areas after 9 months for a successful re-entry to the jungle. Our Iguana Raising Project is in co-operation with the Belize Zoo. Our "Love-a-Lizard" T-shirt sales support the project. At Nautical Inn, your days will be filled with activities allowing you to experience beautiful Belize from the colorful barrier reef to the mysteries of the rainforest. Following is a selection of what we have to offer, but we can tailor a custom itinerary to fit your interests and needs. Jaguar Reserve Your guide meets you in our parking lot for the 25 mile trip. You stop to see birds, the banana plantation and the Maya Center Crafts on the way. Then hike the subtropical jungle trails in search of the jaguar. Your guide leads the way pointing out jungle plants and animals under the green canopy. A cool jungle waterfall is a welcome sight after lunch, so bring your suit for a swim before the ride home. Maya Ruins Travel to the Toledo District where your guide will take you to the late classic site of Lubaantun. Unusual in many ways, Lubaantun used no mortar, but, each stone is cut exactly to fit. The magnificent mayan site has 11 major structures around 5 plazas. And what about the crystal skull (ask us about it)?? Fishing Drop a line in the rich Caribbean waters. Fly fish for bone or permit or troll inside the reef for snapper, grouper and barracuda. Excellent local guides pick you up at our dock and help you find the big ones, your dinner is half price if we cook your catch. Monkey River Adventure Pack your binoculars, sunscreen, bug repellent and bathing suit for a fascinating trip to Monkey River. Your guide will pick you up at our dock and take you 12 miles south where you'll cruise up the river seeing many birds, plants and trees. Then hike newly cut jungle paths where you will find monkeys, iguanas, and more. Stop for lunch at isolated Monkey River Town before you head back to Nautical Inn. From the dock at the Nautical Inn, you can see over forty square miles of islands and reef to explore and enjoy. We choose your dive locations to match your diving experience. Whether it is a drift dive, a wall dive, or canyons, the Belize Barrier Reef has great visibility and will provide life long pictures and memories. Our friendly PADI Dive Masters and Instructors help make your trip to the Belize Barrier Reef safe and super! Boats are equipped with oxygen and first aid. The 35 foot Happy Banana is powered by twin 200 HP Yamahas while the 26 foot "Nauti-Too" moves right along with a 200 HP Johnson. The boat is designed for diving convenience and easy entry plus the latest in safety and navigation equipment. We leave from Nauti One Dive Shop at 8:30 a.m. for exciting scuba and snorkeling destinations. After the first dive, your guide finds a beautiful island to rest and eat a box lunch prepared by our restaurant. We hit the second dive and then return to Nautical Inn around 3 PM to continue the adventure. Crew and guides are knowledgeable and equipment rental is available. DINING/RESTARUANTS: Type: Resort Beach Location: Beach Front (Directly on Beach/Water Front) http://www.caribbeanmag.com/search/hotels/Belize/nauticalinn/hotel/371/3/ Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:10:15 EST