This ribbon of barrier beach and mangroves extends from the coastal village of Riverside to Placencia Town proper, 16 miles away on the southern tip of a serpentine barrier beach. The area used to be a forgotten cul-de-sac on the tourist trail, but no more. Traveling to nearby cayes (sailing, snorkeling, diving, paddling) is a snap from anywhere on the peninsula. So is transport to inland attractions like the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, Maya villages, and Maya ruins of Toledo—a quick boat trip across the lagoon brings you to waiting tour vehicles at the dock at Mango Creek.

In Placencia, you have the full range of accommodations—whether you prefer to mingle with backpackers in Placencia Town, or rub elbows with fellow well-to-do guests at any number of both established and new beach resorts, each with its own personality.

The road that runs the length of the peninsula is notoriously horrendous, especially in the wet season, and government promises to pave it (which only come in election years) have—to date—resulted in only a few paved miles from the airstrip into the town at the extreme southern end. The latest projections have the road paved by the end of 2007, si Dios quiere (God willing).