Best location for big family trip

[Boingo]

I'm trying to plan a trip to Belize. Not everyone dives, so trying to narrow it down to a location that will be close to diving, as well as top-side activities.
Mayan ruins, zip-lines, caves, etc.... Looking to find that happy medium, to satisfy everyone as best as I can. Will more than likely rent a large house to accommodate 15-20 people, including kids.
Once I narrow down a location, I can figure out the rest of the details.
Thanks

 

[chillyinCanada]

Mayan ruins, caves, ziplines aren't anywhere near the diving.

Is your family willing to do a split trip, where all of you go inland and do the adventures and then off to the beach area for the divers? The non-divers can then do beachy things and ride around in golf carts, etc.?

Or all go to the diving area and the non-divers do day trips inland.

I'm not a travel agent but let me know because I can point you in the right directions and probably help out with lodging ideas.

 

[Boingo]

I’m assuming it’s an hour or two drive to the cool inland stuff? Don’t want the others getting crusty at the divers, cuz we made it a 3 hour trip.
Appreciate any input you wanna throw my way.

 

[Damselfish]

What chilly says - I think a split trip is a better idea. Let the divers enjoy the jungle activities too, then the non divers can enjoy the beach while you’re diving.

Thing is, it’s (obviously) not a little island like most Caribbean dive spots. It’s a country the size of New Jersey or Massachusetts that has islands. From most of the places you’d want to dive from, it’s a short flight or a long boat ride back to the mainland, not a drive. Then the drive to wherever.

The main compromise location is staying along the Placencia peninsula. There are land things to do within an hour, but most of the cool stuff you may be thinking of will be more like 2 hours away, if not 3. (Since stuff is far tours tend to combine activities to make it worthwhile, so you’ll see a lot of 8-10 hour day tours. And they won’t be cheap but maybe for a large group you could arrange better deals.) And for diving you are talking hour boat rides for a lot of sites. (3 hours if you had in mind to do the blue hole, which personally I don’t suggest but that’s me.)

If you’re thinking staying in Belize City is a good idea because it looks centrally located, it’s really not where you want to stay.

 

[DeputyDan]

When we did this we stayed as follows:

Five days on Ambergris Caye - Blue Tang Resort - nothing fancy - but we could walk everywhere.
We dove with Chuck & Robbie's and they were right next door.

Six days - San Ignacio - Martha's Guest House - again nothing fancy but you could walk to everything in town even if you stay in the "annex".

I would recommend Luis Godoy with Belize Nature Travel for activities while inland.
He can also arrange transportation between the airport or ferry terminal and San Ignacio.

 

[Hank49]

Not sure where you'll find a house that holds 20 people, but you might consider Hopkins area.
Bocawina is a few miles away and has zip lining, some great jungle hikes up to waterfalls, and even some "real" Mayan ruins, not the ones that have been partially restored.
River canoe on Sittee River. Amazing wildlife. Toucans, crocodiles...the national jaguar reserve is a few miles back in the mountains.
And the diving is very good. Southwater Caye and all the cuts in the reef going south. Tobacco Caye to the north. Glovers Reef is just another 10 miles or so past the reef.
I've been in Belize for 20 years. Lived in San Pedro and near Placencia as well as the Coastal Rd just north of Dangriga. When I first drove down to Sittee River in 2003 or so, I remember telling myself..."man, if I stay in Belize, this is where I want to live". Been in Sittee River since 2016.

 

[Boingo]

I have found several places large enough for all of us to stay on AirBnB. Are day trips doable from AG or San Pedro?

 

[Downing]

It would be a long, all-day affair from AC. If you really have 15-20 people maybe you could rent your own plane, lol.

You didn't say how long you would be staying in Belize. If it's two weeks or more, I'd consider trying to split the trip up between the beach and the jungle. If it's less than a week, forget it. It would take a whole day's bite out of your vacation to transfer from one to the other.

Another idea is the Placencia or Hopkins area. Not sure there is that big of a house in Hopkins but there are lots of options in Placencia. The advantage is that you're on the mainland but can both dive and/or drive to the jungle. Placencia is my favorite, and I always dive with Splash (full disclosure: Ralph and Patty, the owner-operators of Splash, have become very good friends of mine but obviously I wouldn't dive with them if I didn't like how they run the place). The jungle stuff, like Cockscomb Basin, Mayan ruins and cave tubing are all easily accessible from either one.

If you do decide to split it up, consider San Ignacio as the base for the jungle stuff. Fun town but well away from the beach.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I have found several places large enough for all of us to stay on AirBnB. Are day trips doable from AG or San Pedro?

Yes, some are. Not an inexpensive endeavour though.

 

[Ralph Capeling]

You can leave Placencia in the morning and zip line, go river tubing, visit a Maya ruin and be back on the beach before dark!