Our Mission

     The original concept of Bird Island was and still is to provide a very-affordable place and get to share it with only your friends or family in total privacy (no other guests nor staff is staying at the island during your stay with the exception of the cook, if you exercise that option).
    When staying at Bird islandf, adventuring awaits literally right outside your door. If relaxing, having a great time and being free in an informal, self-catering setting is what you are after, you will definitely be coming to the right place as one can surmise from the hundreds of very kind and grateful reviews we have received from our guests over the last 8 years.

                                                                        Other Things to Note
                                                                               
Important Information (Updated May 1, 2023)

>> Reservations: It is important that the reservation is indeed accurate as to the number of guests coming ~before~ arrival since it helps us plan for your stay that much better.  The island's capacity is 6.

>> Price: The base price is $795 (2023) for the first two guests. $100 per persons per night beyond that. Base price will be $895 for 2024. Many great additions are already scheduled the Fall of 2023.

>> Length of stay: We have a minimum of 4 days;  we leave a 24-hour window between guests for general cleaning and maintenance.  

>> The overall sequence of events for our guests on the day they are going to the island is: 1- Pick you up at the Placencia airport or hotel where you are staying; 2- get vegetables; 3-swing by our office for personal equipment outfitting and finally do the food shopping and off we go. The entire process takes approximate one hour.

>> General Meeting Place: Unless other arrangements have been made, the best meeting place is in our main office (Bird Island/Privasea Tour building) which is right on main street Placencia, where the sidewalk crosses the main road in the middle of town. 

   >> Getting to Placencia from Belize City Airport is now much easier with the just-opened coastal road that bypasses the mountain roads and the city of Belmopan. Price does not include the transport from Belize City to Placencia, though now is a simpler and less costly affair. We could arrange this for you.
~By Shuttle: The shuttle service we recommend is Truly Wild in Placencia - their prices are $275usd for 4 people, $305usd for 6 people each way.  2.5 hr drive or less. 
~By Rental Car: The auto rental establishments we have heard the best opinions on are Pancho's - (their prices ranging from $75usd-$100usd) and Crystal (their prices ranging between $53usd-$100usd). Their places of establishment are right at the Belize City international airport where you will 
be landing. 2.5 hr drive or less.
~By Air: (Maya or Tropic Air) About $130 USD each way per person. Only 40-minute flight. When it is only two persons involved, flying is the most inexpensive option.
 
(Note: If going to Bird Island the same day as arriving, the shuttle/rental car route works well if one if arriving in Belize International Airport by 2pm or so;  it is now only a 2.5hr drive to Placencia, plus (1) hour for food shopping plus  20 minutes to get to the island. It gets dark  in Belize by 6:30pm. If arriving to Belize International well after 2pm it is best to ~fly~ to Placencia if leaving for the island on the same day. Either way, staying a day in the village of Placencia prior to coming to the island is also a great choice since it is a safe and fun place to be.

   >>  In order to help you with your logistics and food shopping, we can pick you up at the Placencia airport (or local hotel) at 12 Noon (or later) when going to the island the same day. Just let us know when you are arriving.

   >>  Exclusivity. Yes, when you book Bird Island, you will have the entire island all to yourself in absolute privacy. There is no staff on the island (unless a cook is requested), which makes Bird Island the only truly totally-private island opportunity in Belize. 

>> Cook : If you would like a cook we have a very good one available (Elaine, owner's daughter). $150 a day (pay direct). 

   >> Accommodations: The island has 3 separate places to stay in (with 6 beds)  and each with their own bathroom plus a 4th place (small cozy cabana with a separate detached bathroom). There are many additional  places in the island to make use of with our extra cots and hammocks.

>> The trip from Placencia Village to Bird Island via boat is included in the price (18-minute run).  Pick-up from the island when returning should be about 2 hours before flying out of Placencia. A mid-stay trip (when staying 5+ days) to the mainland for necessary supplies is available; though it is by far easier for us to get anything needed to the island during your stay than  having to make a trip back & forth to the mainland.

  >>  Snorkeling / Fishing equipment: Either bring your own, specially a mask that you are comfortable with or borrow one from us from our tour shop on the mainland. We have every size of good-quality Cressi snorkeling fins equipment available which are usually cumbersome to bring. Also there are a few  lightweight fishing rods at the island, but if you are a fishing aficionado best to bring your own outfit. Make sure to buy some shrimp bait when food shopping. 

>> Showers. We have switched to all electric (as with refrigeration) units, to make showering an absolute pleasure 

>>  Wading slipper-type shoes. The island is surrounded by shallow sand flats and within 100 feet a spectacular reef with live coral; bringing soft shoes are a good thing to have when walking about.  We do have many at our shop.

>>  Food Supply: Bird Island is a self-catering scenario, so the plan is just to bring enough meats, vegetable and drinks that can be bought at the local market. The island already has a myriad of condiments such as cake mixes, flour, rice, spices, oils, paper towels, garbage bags, etc., so you are not required to think of every little thing.  Food shopping is a very simple affair and will be the very last step before leaving for Bird Island. If hiring our cook, she does the shopping with you. The island has a big refrigeration, ice cooler and 2 Yeti coolers at the bar to maintain ice.

   >>  Drinking Water: The island has a well-filtered rain-water system for all general uses; however, we still provide purified bottled drinking water. No need to worry about bringing drinking water yourself.

>>  Refrigeration: The island has an electric large-size refrigerator with an  ice compartment.  Bringing at least six (6) bags of ice when food shopping is recommended.

>>  Power. The island runs on solar-power and a wind generator. Considering it is solar, power usage should be kept in mind though now you can run our whisper-quiet powerful generator that you can run anytime and it powers anything while on.

>>  Communication:   The island has very good (and unlimited) High-Speed Internet and two 32' Smart TVs. A local phone is at the island so you can make local calls.

>>  Entertainment: The island has Bluetooth (2), many great board games and an extensive library of books. If you love reading, you will find no finer selection of books. 

>>  Side Tours (while staying in Placencia or Bird Island): We have our own tour company ( Privasea Adventures right on main street) which like Bird Island caters more to small-groups interested in private tours. We include a  superb lunch and the use of the best equipment with them. One tour we highly recommend while staying in Bird Island:  a fishing trip which will provide all the fish you will need the rest of the week.  Also the Laughing Bird Caye tour is a  great one to go on.  We also can arrange any inland tours, but those should be done when staying in town because of the timing realities, most go out very early in the day.

   >>  Security: Though Bird Island is only 6 miles away from town and inside its own atoll, we share a security association with other islands. The new Coast Guard station is in an island within sight of Bird Island.

  >>  Getting around the atoll. There are 2 single-person and 2 new double-person kayaks; and also two (2) Paddle boards to cruise the atoll that surrounds the island.  

  >>  Sun Tan Lotion (and Bug Spray). Remember, it is the tropics; the best type of suntan lotion is one of a high Block Factor (50), either lotion or spray type. There tends to be many types at the island.

  >>  Bugs (i.e. sand flies, mosquitoes). Unlike the mainland or most other islands, Bird Island just doesn't have them, in fact it is one of the things our guests really appreciate the most. We have never have had to even spray for them either. 

  >>  Places to stay in Placencia Peninsula: if arriving before your stay in Bird Island,  there are many places to stay nowadays right on the Placencia beach, and within walking distance to where we depart from.  If you need a recommendation, we can provide it.

  >>  General weather pattern:
January-June 15th: is considered the 'dry season'. 
June 15th-July 15th: the first seasonal rains tend to occur.
July 15th-September 15th: usually is very nice weather, interrupted by the occasional 30-minute passing shower.
September 15th-October 20th: the second seasonal rains tend to occur, again passing showers.
November 1st-December 30th Occasional thunderstorms here and there but great weather in long stretches between them.  

  >> Nothing ever stays the same in Bird Island, we are always changing in order to improve our place for the benefit of ours guests. We reserve the right to make changes without notice. 

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