After a quick flight and smooth landing at BZE, we wound up getting stuck in the super-long pandemic-slowed customs line at the airport. What should have taken us 30 minutes to an hour, ended up taking us about two and a half hours just to get through customs.
With that, our plans to hit the islands straight away (via water taxi) were dashed, so we decided to try and make lemonade out of lemons, and we booked a last-minute stay in Belize City at the Radisson Fort George Hotel and Marina.
Was it a hotel I would recommend?
Review: Radisson Fort George Hotel And Marina (Belize City, Belize)
Image: radisson.com
About Radisson Fort George Hotel and Marina
Radisson Fort George Hotel and Marina is a large hotel on the waterfront that boasts 102 guest rooms through two separate building wings.
The hotel accurately bills itself as a “hub” in Belize City and gateway to the many popular destinations Belize has to offer, like the Mayan ruins, the offshore tropical islands, the inland jungles, and the world’s second largest Barrier Reef.
Image: radisson.com
Location
The Radisson is located on the extreme East End of Belize City near such notable landmarks as the Baron Bliss Lighthouse, the Belize Welcome Sign, Fort St Tourism Village, and the San Pedro Belize Express water taxi.
The hotel is located about 40 minutes from BZE International Airport, where a taxi ride will cost you the standard rate of $25 dollars (USD).
End of the road. Nothing past here but the Caribbean Sea
Parking
If you do choose to rent your own car, you are in luck, because parking is free.
FHOP Tip: You can book tours directly with the van drivers (who are parked directly across the street from the valet area and main entrance to the Radisson, next to the entrance to the Villa Wing). I found booking direct with the drivers was about half the cost of booking through a tour company online.
Booking
During our stay, Radisson Fort George Hotel went for a rate of $120 USD per night.
Strangely enough, this was my very first stay at a Radisson, and therefore I did not have a membership with Radisson Rewards Americas (and truth be told, I’m unfamiliar with the loyalty program or if it’s any good).
Lobby
I’m not exactly sure what my expectations were as far as aesthetics go for a Radisson hotel in the Caribbean, but the lime green colored lobby with portraits of Macaws and Red-Eye Tree Frogs somehow made total sense.
Front Desk & Check-In
We were quickly helped by the two friendly and helpful ladies working at the front desk.
We were handed our key, and informed we’d been given a room in the Villa Wing of the property.
FHOP Tip: Fun-fact, English is the official language of Belize, therefore there were no language barriers to checking-in.
Room #1
By this time (it was past 5 PM and the sun was going down), we realized our room was dead centered across from a whole flock of tropical birds who were screaming their heads off.
I almost decided to just turn around and head back to the lobby to ask for a new room away from the birds, but I decided to just take a look at the room first. Who knows, maybe they gave us some type of huge upgrade right?
Well, as I attempted to stick the key in the door, I realized the door handle had been broken. It honestly looked like somebody tried to smash it to break into the room. Nevertheless, I couldn’t even open the door.
Room #2
We marched back down to the front desk to inform them the room door knob was broken and to request another room, but before I could say anything else, front desk attendant smiled – with and expression that read “totally not surprised about the door” – and she handed me a new key explaining that this time I’d been given a room on the other side of the property, in the Colonial Wing, away from the birds.
Two Wings
Entrance to the Villa Wing
Hallway
Tower Elevator Area
This sign cracked me up. She’s obviously mad the dude is always on his phone.
Room Upgrade
Turns out, the broken door knob and the squawking birds equated to room upgrade for us as we were given a “Business Class 1 King Bed Room” in the “tower”.
Room Entrance
Bedroom Area
By American standards, the room may be considered “slightly below standard”, but by Belizean standards, this was a decent upgrade to a large room for business travelers.
Overall, the room appeared clean, well-lit, and in good shape.
The decor of the room was fine, in a style I would describe as “1980s colonial”.
Living Area
Room Amenities
There was a small coffee machine in the room along with one bottle of water and an empty mini-fridge.
Closet
Bathroom
BathroomThe bathroom was clean, brightly lit, and came with Radisson branded toiletries.
View From The Room
Perhaps the best feature of the room was the view of the Caribbean Sea and the hotel’s official marina.
Sunrise
Late afternoon
Dusk
Dinner At Baymen’s Tavern
For dinner, we opted for Baymen’s Tavern. When we arrived, we noticed it was packed with expats and showing Sunday night American football. The bar definitely had a chill vibe and it appeared everybody was having a good time.
We went with a couple of Belikin Beers (the official beer of Belize), some ceviche, and some tacos. Overall, the food was pretty good, and semi-reasonably priced In US dollars.
If you are drinking beer in Belize, there’s a 90% change you are drinking Belikin
Breakfast Buffet At St. George’s Restaraunt
For breakfast we headed down to St. George’s Restaurant for the breakfast buffet.
The buffet had a decent spread, and the food was rather good (if not a little on the salty side). They had local favorites like pulled jerk pork, fried jacks, and johnny cakes – all of which went great with the local Belizean favorite hot sauce “Mrs. Sharp’s Habanero Pepper Sauce”.
The breakfast buffet cost $23 USD per person, which was definitely on the expensive side.
This way…
Image: radisson.com
St. George’s Restaurant Breakfast Menus
For those not wanting to eat from the breakfast buffet, the restaurant also offered a la carte breakfasts and combination orders.
The VIP Lounge
On the way back from breakfast, we passed by the VIP lounge, which we sadly did not have access to (I hate it when that happens).
Image: radisson.com
Le Petit Cafe
For those not willing to drop $23 USD on breakfast, there was the more reasonably priced Le Petit Cafe in the Villa Wing.
The Property Interior
The Property Exterior
After breakfast, we went for a walk around the property and discovered that the “backyard” of the hotel was quite attractive – with a nice lawn, fountain, dining area, and bench swing with an ocean view.
Swimming Pool
Likewise, the Radisson’s swimming pool was nice as well, which came complete with its own ocean views and adjacent bar.
Fitness Center
The Bottom-Line Review: Radisson Fort George Hotel And Marina (Belize City, Belize)
The bottom-line was the Radisson Fort George Hotel and Marina was a perfectly good hotel in a slightly “iffy” part of town.
Although I personally wouldn’t use the Radisson Fort George Hotel to explore Belize City on foot, I would easily recommend the hotel as a base for one-night to explore the surrounding Mayan ruins, for international business travelers, or as a jumping-off point for the airport or the islands on the reef.
On the plus side, we found the Radisson to be a solid choice, with good service, good dining options, and clean rooms.
On the negative side, the surrounding area has a high crime rate, the busted doorknob likely signaled security concerns, and the squawking of those darn birds at sunset is enough to drive you crazy. But in all fairness, these are issues common to the Caribbean and Central America and not necessarily the fault of the hotel.
We enjoyed our stay and would likely stay there again if we needed to stay in Belize City to catch an early flight or tour. I would recommend the hotel for tourists, people looking for a wedding option in Belize, business travelers, and people traveling with a tour group.
Final Rating: 7.5 out of 10.
