A/C resort with pool food and drink on site?

[DakotaKid]

I have been looking for a destination for a couple days now and have been advised Ambergris Caye could be a great fit for my needs. However my wife is adamant that the hotel we stay at has a pool to lounge around and to cool off in. In addiiton another sticking point is we would like a small restraunt/bar ither on site or directly next to the hotel so that we can grab a quick bite and beverage (again while lounging around the pool).

We would like to be within walking distance of town....so we have checked out xanadu, ramons, exotic caye, and the palms. Do any of these meet all of those needs without breaking the bank
(we are looking to spend no more than $1750 on hotel for 7 nights).

Also if we wanted to go to A.T.M. and Tikal could we do that by adding one extra night to our stay somewhere near san ignacio or is ther a better local for the one extra night?

thanks in advance

 

[Damselfish]

San Ignacio area is a good base to do daytrips to ATM and Tikal, but with all the travel time I'd say you need to stay 3 nights to do both. ATM will take the better part of a day. Tikal is a very long daytrip, between the travel time, crossing into Guatemala, and seeing much of Tikal itself which is quite large. Many people suggest staying at Tikal for the night, breaking up the trip and allowing you to explore early when it's not as hot. These places are not that close together and the roads aren't superhighways. (Much of the road in Guatemala to Tikal isn't even paved, though it's actually in better shape than some of the paved roads.)

 

[robint]

I have been looking for a destination for a couple days now and have been advised Ambergris Caye could be a great fit for my needs. However my wife is adamant that the hotel we stay at has a pool to lounge around and to cool off in. In addiiton another sticking point is we would like a small restraunt/bar ither on site or directly next to the hotel so that we can grab a quick bite and beverage (again while lounging around the pool).

We would like to be within walking distance of town....so we have checked out xanadu, ramons, exotic caye, and the palms. Do any of these meet all of those needs without breaking the bank
(we are looking to spend no more than $1750 on hotel for 7 nights).

Also if we wanted to go to A.T.M. and Tikal could we do that by adding one extra night to our stay somewhere near san ignacio or is ther a better local for the one extra night?

thanks in advance

check prices here:
Belize Resorts and Diving Packages for Divers.
or
Belize vacation hotel dive package rates with Bay Adventures
all the hotels have restaurants, Ramons and Exotic Cay both have pools. Sunbreeze also has both restaurant and pool. Those 3 places would meet your needs. The prices shown are with dive packages, but since your wife doesn't dive the price will be lower. Easily within your budget limit. Caradonna and Bay Adventures people are great and can help you with details and also get airfare quotes for you (usually cheaper than you can get yourself). I would call one of those companies and talk to them.

 

[sks700]

I've got the same situation here. My family and I are going to be going to Ambergris for the first time this August. She and my 11 yr old daughter like the pool and a comfortable room and my son and I want to dive. We were looking closely at the Villas at Banyan Bay and Pelican Reef Villas. They're not exactly walking distance into town, but it's supposed to be a $5 taxi ride. Look at their websites and see what you think.
Does anyone on SB have any thoughts on these two places?

 

[sw2]

Sunbreeze Hotel has one of the best resturants in town on the property (Blue Water Grill) and is an easy stroll to many other very good resturants. The Blue Water grill is open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner and has snacks avaliable in the afternoon between lunch and dinner.

Sunbreeze does have a pool onsite as well.

Our second favorite dinner spot was Wild Mango which is about 3 or 4 doors down the beach towards town!

 

[DakotaKid]

thanks for the tips......I am checking into both exotics and ramons.......I am getting stoked about the possibilities of escaping the blizzard we are in the midst of.

Any other mainland tours you feel are must see/experience?

 

[DakotaKid]

One last question...I was bouncing around some sites tonight and on trip advisor they stated you would spend $50-60 per meal on AC (per 2 people). Is that the case or are there some good eats for better pricing than that?

 

[robint]

One last question...I was bouncing around some sites tonight and on trip advisor they stated you would spend $50-60 per meal on AC (per 2 people). Is that the case or are there some good eats for better pricing than that?

trip advisor is not a reliable source for information in my opinion. People who post there are non-divers and expect something completely different from their vacation. I read one report where a couple trashed a resort because they didn't provide pool towels and that there were people saving chairs by the pool. Sheesh!

$50-60 per meal? Sounds way high. Maybe Belizean dollars.
Belize Vacations, Tours, Resorts, News, Hotels, Travels, Flights, Weather, Maps, Real Estate
restaurant prices and menus:
Belize Dining Guide, Restaurants, Dinner, Lunch, Meals, Delicious, Food, Restaurants on Ambergris Caye, Belize

robin

 

[diverrex]

I've got the same situation here. My family and I are going to be going to Ambergris for the first time this August. She and my 11 yr old daughter like the pool and a comfortable room and my son and I want to dive. We were looking closely at the Villas at Banyan Bay and Pelican Reef Villas. They're not exactly walking distance into town, but it's supposed to be a $5 taxi ride. Look at their websites and see what you think.
Does anyone on SB have any thoughts on these two places?

We've stayed at Banyan Bay twice. We really liked it. Great pool, one of the better beaches in AC. We dove with Ramon's. We walked along the beach each morning to Ramon's, about 20 minutes and a pleasant way to start the day before diving. We would walk into town about half the time and take taxis the other half.

 

[diverrex]

trip advisor is not a reliable source for information in my opinion. People who post there are non-divers and expect something completely different from their vacation. I read one report where a couple trashed a resort because they didn't provide pool towels and that there were people saving chairs by the pool. Sheesh!

$50-60 per meal? Sounds way high. Maybe Belizean dollars.
Belize Vacations, Tours, Resorts, News, Hotels, Travels, Flights, Weather, Maps, Real Estate
restaurant prices and menus:
Belize Dining Guide, Restaurants, Dinner, Lunch, Meals, Delicious, Food, Restaurants on Ambergris Caye, Belize

robin

We've been to AC twice, probably half our dinners were $50-60 or more, the other half less. AC has a number of high quality restuarants. You don't need to spend that to get a good meal, but when you do you do eat well. I wasn't aware that divers did not appreciate nice restuarants.

Our favorite for lunch by far was Fido's. We usually would just order a number of the appetizers, pan roasted shrimp was our favorite. Tackle Box was also fun and close by Ramon's for lunch after the dive. For dinner there was a newer Tapas place on the lagoon side of the island, Casa Picasso that was excellent, we ate there twice during the week. Blue Water Grill was very good. For high priced quality meals Portofino, Mambo and Rendevouz were excellent.