Tipping In Belize - A Complete Guide
Quick Guide
🍽️ Restaurant - 10-15% If Good + No Service Fee
🍹 Bar - 10-15% If Good + No Service Fee
🚕 Taxi - Not Expected
🏨 All-Inclusive - Ask At Front Desk (Differs)
🛎️ Porter/Bellhop - BZ$2/Bag If No Serv. Charge
🛏️ Housekeeping - BZ$2-5/Day If No Serv. Charge
📸 Tour Guide - 10-15% Expected
🫧 Spa - 10-15% If Satisfied
🍚 Fast Food - Not Expected
🍛 Street Food - Not Expected
🧵 Art/Craft Vendor - Not Expected
In Belize, tipping isn’t mandatory but it is expected and appreciated for good service in a lot of scenarios. Most Belizean workers aren’t paid well so a little to you might be a lot to them. If you’re ever unsatisfied, don’t tip.
Calculate a culturally appropriate tip for Belize using the calculator below and read on for more detail on tipping in Restaurants, Bars, Taxis, Hotels etc.
Belize Tip Calculator
Good Tip For Belize
Tip
$0.00
Total With Tip
$0.00
Split Bill By
0 Each
Tipping in Restaurants & Bars
Servers and bartenders will usually expect a tip of around 10% for good service. 15% would be considered great, 20% exceptional but certainly not expected (it’s rare to tip that high).
Service charges aren’t common, unless you’re dining in an upscale hotel restaurant. If there is a service charge, you don’t need to tip extra.
It’s best to tip your server or bartender directly in cash. You can tip by card in some restaurants and bars but there’s a chance the owner will keep it.
Fast food and street food vendors don’t expect tips.
Tipping Taxi Drivers
Taxi drivers here don’t usually expect tips so feel free to leave no tip or tip any amount you like.
If you like one driver in particular, asking for their number and giving them a tip might allow you to secure a reliable chauffeur for the rest of your stay.
In any case, most Belizean taxis don’t have a meter so you should always negotiate your fare before you set off.
Tipping in Hotels
If your hotel adds a service charge on to your bill (more common in high-end hotels), you don’t usually need to tip extra.
No service charge? A tip is usually expected for good service.
Bear in mind that whilst service charges are usually split between all staff, that’s not always the case so you might feel inclined to hand additional cash tips to some staff directly.
You can tip your porter BZ$2/Bag. A good tip for your housekeeper would be around BZ$2-5/Day. Tip 10-15% for a spa treatment.
Tipping In All-Inclusives Resorts & Lodges
If you’re staying at an all-inclusive hotel, beach resort or jungle lodge, usually tips are prohibited as they’re included in the price. If in doubt, ask at the front desk or check your booking info.
All-inclusives generally prohibit tipping as an incentive for the customer and to prevent staff from treating tippers and non-tippers differently.
Tipping Tour Guides
Tour guides usually expect a tip of 10-15% in cash unless a service charge has already been added on to the cost of your experience.
Use this rule whether you’re snorkelling or you’re on a cave, boat, river or temple tour etc.
If there are multiple guides on your excursion, it’s best to just tip the lead guide and ask them to share it with the others.
Which Currency To Use
It’s best to use the Belizean Dollar (BZD), the official currency. However, US Dollars (USD), to which the Belizean Dollar is pegged, is widely accepted.
Since people pay in both BZD and USD, it’s best to specify which “Dollar” you’re talking about when negotiating.
Cards are more likely to be accepted in hotels, restaurants and chain stores but they’re not universally accepted. No matter how you pay, it’s always best to tip in cash.
Enjoy your trip to Belize! 🇧🇿🏝️🐚🗿
