Tranquilo

Permanently closed.

Getting to Tranquilo took a phone call and a boat. The bar and restaurant sat on Placencia Caye, a small island a short boat ride off the Placencia Village municipal pier, and you reached it by arranging a pickup ahead of time. Also listed as Tranquilo Sunset Lounge and Tranquilo Bar and Restaurant, it served Belizean and Caribbean-style food and built its name on the water itself: sunset views, floating rafts with cupholders anchored offshore, and a complimentary sunset shot.

That over-water setup is what set it apart from the palapa beach bars back on the peninsula. The draw was the caye, the boat ride, and the raft you could drink from while the sun went down.

What Happened to It

The original Tranquilo bar on Placencia Caye has closed. Travelers on Tripadvisor's Placencia forum confirm it plainly: "there used to be a bar there, Tranquilos, but it closed." The same over-water site is now operated as Placencia Yacht Club, a separate current business running as a restaurant, bar, lounge, and marina at the former Tranquilo location.

If you found this page searching for the sunset spot on the caye, that is the honest state of it: Tranquilo is gone, and a different operation holds the spot today. For places still open on the peninsula, browse the full Placencia restaurant list.