Fort George Area

In general, the Fort George area is one of the most pleasant in Belize City. Meander the neighborhood and you’ll pass some lovely homes and a few that have become charming old guesthouses. The Baron Bliss Memorial and Fort George Lighthouse stand guard over the old, stately goings-on of upscale hotels, embassies, and restaurants.

The sea breeze can be very pleasant here as you glimpse numerous cayes as well as ships at anchor offshore. Once you round the point, the road becomes Marine Parade and runs past the modern Radisson Fort George Hotel and Memorial Park, a grassy salute to the 40 Belizeans who lost their lives in World War I, and ends at Hutson Street. The U.S. Embassy sits at the end of the block on the right. The old colonial house was built in New England, dismantled, and transported to Belize as ship’s ballast. It was reconstructed 120 years ago and houses the entire U.S. Embassy, which has been in Belize since 1840.

From the Radisson Fort George dock you’ll get a good view of the harbor. Originally this was Fort George Island; until the 1850s it was the location of the army barracks. The strait separating the island from the mainland was filled in during the early 1920s and dedicated as a memorial park for the dead of World War I. Today, it is the site of the Baron Bliss Memorial and the Radisson Fort George Hotel. After World War II, visiting dignitaries from England surveyed the country armed with plans for various agricultural projects to help the people, but they couldn’t find a place to stay. So, accommodations went to the top of their priority list and became one of the first postwar projects in the colony. An easygoing, low-key charmer with excellent service and tasty meals, Fort George was the best hotel in town. Today, the hotel is part of the Radisson chain and has taken over the Villa Hotel across the street, one block off the waterfront.