Belize trip help needed for newb divers - moderate budget

[momliz]

Hi! We (me, two 13 year sons, and maybe husband) are considering going to Belize late August, '09. We want to dive (aren't certified yet but will be by then), since we went snorkeling in Coz last summer and absolutely fell in love with the underwater world. I am thinking a few nights in Placencia, a few on an atoll, and a few in Ambergris Caye. 2 week trip.

How does this sound? I think it will give us some variety in lodging, food choices, and mostly dive sites. We are newbie divers, so want mostly novice sites, not too deep, I guess, and would prefer not to have to spend a lot of time on the boat getting to the site. I realize this may be the case in Placencia, but I understand that the south does have some neat diving.

Any advice on moderately priced places to stay, with good food (I will be on vacation, so don't want to cook, so prefer a hotel, or an AI)? A place with a beach would be nice, for the kids to chill. How about dive ops? Unfortunately, in this economy, we are on a moderate budget...

I am overwhelmed by the choices and advice here, there is so much good information - thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Gaz]

On Ambergris Caye you wont have a problem with good food as there are loads of restaurants to choose from. with regards to hotels etc you probably would want a condo since there will be 4 of you so you could choose from The palms, Banana Beach, Paradise Villas all are close to town and within walking distance except Banana Beach.

Dive Ops I personally am working with Ecologic divers to send my clients to they consistenly get good reports I personally know the staff there and know they will take care of my guests.

Hope this helps be sure to let me know if you have any additional questions I will let Avadon divers comment on Placencia.

Dive Safe

Gaz Cooper
Dive Belize and Belize Dive Vacations

 

[dashark]

On the subject of saving money: Belize is very expensive.
As far as destinations: Amberguis in fun for tooling around town , food, and quick easy diving. i didn't think that the reefs were as healthy as in the south or outer atolls. Particulary Turneffe. If you choose an outer atoll for diving, this is by far the best.
Make sure you plan some inland stuff for you and the kids. The cave tours are outstanding. ATM cave and some of the float through caves are real fun.
The highpoint of our trip down there was an overnight trip into Guatemala to tour Tikal. Not only is this one of the most historically significant areas in Central America, the rainforest and wildlife viewing is the best I have seen anywhere in the world. Howler monkeys, spider monkies, toucans, and endless varieties of birds. The kids will love it...
Enjoy!

 

[diverrex]

Make sure you plan some inland stuff for you and the kids. The cave tours are outstanding. ATM cave and some of the float through caves are real fun.
The highpoint of our trip down there was an overnight trip into Guatemala to tour Tikal. Not only is this one of the most historically significant areas in Central America, the rainforest and wildlife viewing is the best I have seen anywhere in the world. Howler monkeys, spider monkies, toucans, and endless varieties of birds. The kids will love it...
Enjoy!

Two of the best things we have ever done were the ATM tour in Belize (it has nothing to do with money machines, you walk through ankle to neck high water 1/2 mile back into a Maya cave - check this out - Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) - "Belize's Ultimate Caving Adventure...") and 1 1/2 days in Tikal - that place is just awesome. And the diving off AC was fun too. But if I was to go back to Belize and spend two weeks I would definately plan some jungle time.

 

[momliz]

Thanks for the quick replies!

I asked the kids about inland adventures, but they said all they want to do is dive. But, I may plan a couple days inland - Tikal or Caracol would be really interesting (didn't they have human sacrifices - always a plus for a 13 year old boy ), and ATM sounds cool too. I must admit, I was wondering about the adventure of going to a money machine...

Do you prefer one condo to another?

 

[Gaz]

On the subject of saving money: Belize is very expensive.
As far as destinations: Amberguis in fun for tooling around town , food, and quick easy diving. i didn't think that the reefs were as healthy as in the south or outer atolls. Particulary Turneffe. If you choose an outer atoll for diving, this is by far the best.
Make sure you plan some inland stuff for you and the kids. The cave tours are outstanding. ATM cave and some of the float through caves are real fun.
The highpoint of our trip down there was an overnight trip into Guatemala to tour Tikal. Not only is this one of the most historically significant areas in Central America, the rainforest and wildlife viewing is the best I have seen anywhere in the world. Howler monkeys, spider monkies, toucans, and endless varieties of birds. The kids will love it...
Enjoy!

Your right dashark Belize can be expensive and I am currently working on a website calles BelizeDiscounts.com which will offer discounts on tours diving,airfare etc. you are also correct when you say the best diving is located in the Atolls of Belize, I have always said that however the problem with the Atolls is unless your a die hard diver there is nothing else to do while you are not diving ie for those that are not die hard and want to do other things while still being able to access the Atolls for a day then Ambergris Caye is the perfect location.

Lots of things to do a vibrant town good diving with some very unique experiences, day trips to turneffe and Lighthouse reef Atolls, lots of restaurants etc.

Also being based on Ambergris you have multiple day trips to the mainland for caving tubing mayan ruins etc.

For a 2 week trip you will definately want to change locations and see more of Belize as it offers so many diverse experiences.

Gaz Cooper

BelizeDiscounts.com (coming soon)

 

[dashark]

Thanks for the quick replies!

I asked the kids about inland adventures, but they said all they want to do is dive. But, I may plan a couple days inland - Tikal or Caracol would be really interesting (didn't they have human sacrifices - always a plus for a 13 year old boy ), and ATM sounds cool too. I must admit, I was wondering about the adventure of going to a money machine...

Do you prefer one condo to another?

If you are planning on doing ruins, nothing compares to Tikal.
As far as diving there, nothing compares to Turneffe. We actually did a day trip to Turneffe out of Amberguis. Long day, but, a beautiful boat ride.
If I was going back to do nothing but dive, I would do the Turneffe Island lodge. Then I would go inland to Chaa Creek again for the inland excursions.
You really need to insist on your family doing the inland stuff. It would be a waste not to.At 13, they may not appreciate it now; but, they will remember it for a lifetime.
I fealt that the inland stuff was the highlight of my trip (Tikal in particular). And we dove a lot.
Enjoy!

 

[dashark]

P.S. Yes they did have a lot of human sacrifices. It is a very comon them throughout the Mayan empire. If he is into that, he will love the skeleton in the ATM cave.....

 

[diverrex]

P.S. Yes they did have a lot of human sacrifices. It is a very comon them throughout the Mayan empire. If he is into that, he will love the skeleton in the ATM cave.....

The first 14 dives of my short diving career were off AC in Belize during two different trips in 05 and 06. As much as I love diving Tikal and ATM were the highlights of those trips.

Here is a photo of the skeleton from a National geographic article about ATM in 2001. Adventure July/August 2001 @ nationalgeographic.com make sure to read the article and look at the different photos if you are interested in ATM - http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0107/life.html

Below is my photo of the same skeleton, not nearly as good, it was hard to get the lighting right, but from the positioning of the bones you can clearly see it is the same skeleton from almost 1,000 years ago. What 13 old year wouldn't love that?

 

[RonFrank]

I don't have experience with Belize, but I do have a son, and neither he nor my wife dive. We like to have a kitchen, and a condo type room if possible. Close beach access and a pool with two 13 year olds sounds like a must!

I don't want to make my wife cook, but milk/cereal/bagels/frozen waffles/fruit and such make for easy breakfast food. A sandwich at lunch is generally enough, and we skimp on restaurants, but make up for it by purchasing fresh seafood or local treats in place of traditional sandwich fare. Shrimp salad or a cod sandwhich is easy to prepare, and yummy.

Another way to skimp is to go out for lunch, and then prepare a simple dinner. Peel and eat shrimp is good, simple, and quick. Paper plates and cups will cut down on cleanup.

For Dinner we sometimes go out. The problem with a family on a budget is one can spend $80+ a night on just dinner. AI is certainly a good option assuming the upcharge is reasonable. Another option is prepared food at the grocery. You can turn a bag of salad into an entire meal if you add some meat, fresh fish, or seafood. If you have a grill at the resort, most guys LIKE to grill! I certainly don't mind while on vacation, but your millage/husband may beg to differ.

I wish I had advice on where to stay, but I'm sure you will get good advice here, and on other travel sites. Have a great trip!