Golf Cart Rental in Placencia: Explore Restaurants, Craft Beer, Mini-Golf and More
Would I Recommend Getting a Golf Cart Rental in Placencia? Yes!
I’ve visited Placencia Village about a dozen times (maybe more!) over the last decade; I absolutely love it each time. But this recent visit was different. I was visiting my family – my brother, his wife Laurie, and my three nephews, Nate (14), Tommy (12) and WIllie (8) were down from Rhode Island. And splitting their Belize visit between Cayo and Placencia. Beach and jungle.
Their last visit was to Ambergris Caye in 2018. You can see some of it in this post that they helped me write: Kids in Belize: Stuff for Children Of All Ages to Do On Ambergris Caye that Won’t Break The Bank
I wasn’t just doing my solo-traveler thing. As a bigger group, it made sense to rent a golf cart for our 4 days on the peninsula. And…We loved it. Not only was it great for getting back and forth to Placencia Village from our resort but it allowed us to explore the larger area.
But before I get into the specifics, the spots we visited and the food we ate…let me back up a bit.
Placencia is a popular spot for visitors in the south of Belize. Note: “Placencia” is often used interchangeably – for both the peninsula that juts off the Belize mainland into the sea – and the name of the tiny Creole village at the tip of that peninsula.
Here’s a picture of the dock at the end of the peninsula.
You can see it below if you click on this map. The peninsula starts in the north by Riverdale and ends at the village of Placencia with Maya Beach and the Garifuna village of Seine Bight in between. Mile 1 to Mile 18.
You can view all the maps here – Moon Guide, I find, publishes the best.
One long flat road runs up and down the peninsula – a paved, two-lane road with quite a few speed bumps used by cars, buses, bicycles, and golf carts.
In fact, it is perfect for golf cart driving.
Why Rent a Golf Cart?
My main reason to seek out a golf cart on this trip to Placencia was to explore with the family. We could pop out early in the morning to grab coffee or run into the village for gelato at Tutti Frutti (we did that at least once a day). Of course, you can definitely bicycle on the peninsula – and it’s lovely to do it. But when the sun is shining bright and very hot or if it is drizzling or the dark night or if you are traveling with a group, biking is not always ideal. Yes, you can call a taxi (though it can be expensive and require a phone and sometimes a long wait) and some hotels have shuttles that will take you to the village at certain times, but for ease, fun and flexibility, I love a golf cart.
Where to Rent a Golf Cart in Placencia
We got a six-seater golf cart from Captain Jak’s Golf Cart Rentals right in the village. I set it up ahead of time – and the cart was delivered to our hotel upon arrival. A full tank of ready-to-go.
Here are the boys posing in the cart. (Note: You need to be 17 and have a valid license to actually drive it)
I am accustomed to driving a golf cart every day at home (in San Pedro they are the main source of transportation) – and it was a delight to drive on a smooth road! (As opposed to the bumps and jolts of driving in San Pedro) So while I enjoyed it…but everyone else (non-golfcart-everyday-drivers) thought it was SO FUN. MUCH more fun than a regular boring car.
Now let’s get to the all we explored which we were there. All the places we ate and drank and played and visited because we had a golf cart.
What We Got to Explore with Our Golfcart
We were staying at a gorgeous resort called Chabil Mar Villas that is located about 1/2 mile north of Placencia village.
It’s absolutely stunning and a great location. And you could spend endless days on the beach…lounging, swimming, and ordering room service but…not with three kids. No way. Everyone wanted to explore. And eat out. And we had 2 overcast days. We needed transport!
Miniature Golf and Lunch at Inky’s 19th Hole
On the first overcast morning, just after everyone was instructed to put down their devices, we needed an activity. And Inky’s Mini-Golf course and restaurant was just about perfection.
It was a 15-20 minute drive in our cart – the longest one we took! But easy. It’s the beauty of one road (literally one) – you can not get lost. To Inky’s!
It’s a beautiful course.
And…I got crushed.
By everyone. (That’s me, Reba)
We had a great lunch – a wide selection from pizza to fish of the day.
You can read all about my 2021 visit to Inky’s and the resort, Sirenian Bay here. I scored WAY better in that round of mini golf…I swear!
A few years ago – 2019 I believe, Hobbs Brewing, a company based in New Hampshire, started brewing beer in Placencia, Belize. You can find a few flavors, the Hummingbird Ale and the Wildcat IPA, in cans in spots around the country.
But just last year, they opened a brew barge just a few miles north of Placencia village. A restaurant, brewery, a beer garden that’s HUGE. We stopped in to check it out.
For lots more pictures of the brewing barge – check out Megan’s great blog, Real Life Recess, about expat life in Placencia.
Tip: Stop in the store! They have some GREAT t-shirts and merchandise. Almost everyone got one of their very cute shirts. The graphics are really great – and there is a WIDE selection. This toucan and the Mango hefeweizen were my favorites but I’m not a t-shirt gal (or a mustard yellow gal). 
Our Morning Coffee Spot – Brewed Awakening
Every morning, those of us awake piled in the cart to go get coffee and maybe a bit of cake. Brewed Awakening, at the north end of Placencia Village, was perfect. And quick!
They also have a fearsome guard animal named Susie.
Another daily stop…
Tutti Frutti Gelato
After every single dinner, no matter how much or little room was left in our stomachs, we stopped in at Tutti Frutti Gelato. We had 4 nights to perfect our orders and a bunch of delicious fresh amazing flavors to try.
Willie went in all sorts of crazy directions – like the Blue Bubblegum below.
The best best best flavors in my opinion are Passionfruit (AMAZING), Coconut, Pistachio and Ferraro Roche. While we have some great ice cream in San Pedro, Tutti Frutti takes it to the next level. It’s THAT good.
Dinner Places We Tried: Rick’s Cafe, The Galley Restaurant and Chachi’s Pizzeria and Restaurant
Sadly I did not take too many photos in the evening. For some reason, it is harder to get organized when there are 3 kids around…
But we ate at three very good restaurants in the village.
Rick’s Cafe was our favorite – they have a huge variety, great pizza, GREAT conch fritters, really good pasta. Something for everyone. We ended up eating at Rick’s twice. On our first and last nights. Bonus: They are right ABOVE Tutti Frutti.
The Galley Restaurant is a small spot located just behind the football field in the village. It was full when we arrived and we ate inside – rather than the screen in the outdoor porch.
They do pizza – and it was very good. (Our order everywhere was Cheese pizza, well-done) And rather than a regular menu, they read you a list of specials each night. A few appetizers (we tried the lobster bites and the conch fritters) – and we all had either the butter-garlic lobster or butter-garlic shrimp on coconut rice. It was very very tasty.
Cha Chi’s Restaurant was everyone’s favorite pizza. Billed as NY-style, thin crust, it was pretty dang delicious. Since this one was larger, we ordered half sausage and half well-done plain cheese. I also REALLY liked the meatball appetizer. All the food was very tasty.
Added bonus pretty much everywhere. All restaurants stocked a wide array of Fantas. Grape, Orange, Fruit Punch – I’m not sure if it is the soda or the fact that they are served in glass bottles but the boys love them.
You Can’t Go To Placencia with Walking Down the Sidewalk
The river rock beach sand of Placencia can be tricky to walk on. It gets hot in the sun – and is deep and loose…it can be quite the leg work out to walk distances on it. And so…Placencia village is a grid of sidewalks. The longest one – that runs parallel to the main road is called just “The Sidewalk”. It’s often described as The World’s most Narrow Main road…and walking along it is just dreamy.
Here are some pictures!
Tips for Driving a Golf Cart in Placencia
Driving a golf cart is pretty straight forward and if you can drive a car, you can most certainly drive a golf cart. In Placencia, you are driving on a road used by cars – so you are going to be moving slower than they are. At night, make sure your lights are on. In the day and night, use your hand signals so cars know that you are pulling over or stopping. And, I found that it was easiest to pull over a bit to make way if a car is behind you.
You need to stay on the peninsula – no making a run for Belize City! Golf carts are not made for highway driving and…certainly would be no match for a logging truck!
Pullover at any spot that looks good and explore. Stop the juice guy if you see him on his bike – the cucumber-ginger juice is SOOOOOOO refreshing.
Other than that…enjoy! There is a ton to do. Great restaurants up and down the peninsula, mini-golf, and pickleball (the courts are ready at Sirenian Bay). There is even a bowling alley! You can read my post from 2013: Regulation Bowling in Belize? I Couldn’t Have Been More SUrprised at Jaguar Lanes!
Rent a golf cart in Placencia! It’s very fun.
And I’ve got a code for you for a discount from Captain Jak’s. Just mention SCOOP and you’ll get $20US off a 5+ day rental. Email them at [email protected] and ENJOY. And Placencia? I’ll be back VERY soon.
Posted in: