Late in 2003, my family decided to have our family vacation someplace new in 2004. We all wanted someplace tropical, with lots of swimming and activities, and we wanted an area with no big hotel high rises. As my mom put it, we were "looking for Miami Beach in the 1940's, with all the modern conveniences of 2004". So, after much agonizing and internet-searching, my sister Julie and I came up with a few options...Cancun (too glitzy), Dominican Republic (too much political strife with Haiti nearby), and Belize (perfect!). After a little research we decided there were basically three very good places to stay in the southern part of Belize. They were the Turtle Inn, The Inn at Roberts Grove, and Kanantik. We eventually eliminated both the Turtle Inn and Kanantik because they were quite a bit more expensive than Roberts Grove, and they seemed less "kid friendly", important for a family reunion vaction with seven of us under sixteen years old.For those who have not travelled in second world counties, you should be prepared for a few problems understanding the procedures at customs and maneuvering through the airports. Also, the flight into Placencia airstrip was a bit of an adventure too; kinda like hitting a postage stamp with a mosquito. After landing at several strips on the way south, it soon became obvious that our pilot knew his business, and by the time we arrived we were not nearly as alarmed by the airstrip as we were by the first jungle landing. This is a shot of the plane from the middle seat (one row behind and one row in front):
