Where to Stay on Ambergris Caye Belize
I arrived on Ambergris Caye as a backpacker more than 13 years ago,at that time San Pedro was a very small town with just 2 white sandy streets, I can still remember the first vision that is clearly embedded in my mind to this day.
As I stepped off that small ferry from neibouring Caye Caulker, I gazed down front street (san pedros main street), all I could see was a beautiful white sandy lined street with one single golf cart making its way leisurly down the street, it passed a young couple holding hands window shopping in the quaint multi coloured gift shops that lined the street.
At that time there were only about 6 dive shops spread out along San Pedros multiple docks, each one offering services to the few adventuresome divers that had already discovered this beautiful island also known as la Isla Bonita.
Most divers that visited stayed close to town at a few select hotels such as the Sunbreeze or Ramons, there were not that many to choose from. The same can be said with the dive shops, most people would be diving with Bottom Time Dive shop which was located at Sunbreeze Hotel, (today they are at Banyan Bay) the Paz familly were the boatmen and Divemasters, they were to later to go out on there own under the leadership of Changa and Melanie Paz to form what is today Amigos Del Mar one of the leading dive operations on Ambergris Caye.
Today 13+ years later, many things have changed on Ambergris Caye, the island is quickly developing into a small island mecca and today there are over 40 diveshops and hundreds and hundreds of different quality hotel rooms, that cater to the thousands of divers and visitors that visit Ambergris Caye each year.
The reason for this article is as an up to date information source for those that are considering a vacation to Ambergris Caye, it is meant to provide clear accurate information on the options of where to stay on the island when visiting Ambergris, based on the wide variety of hotel options that are now available on the island.
For the visiting diver today, they have a huge selection of Hotels to choose from, depending on what it is they are looking for in a dive vacation.
The island now offers different hotel choices. At the very top of the scale you can have your own Private Villa with your own Butler on call 24/7 to the still famous backpackers hotels that offer basic clean accomodations but at a fraction of the price of the more upscale hotels.
Each offers different experiences depending on what the visitor is looking for.
Ambergris Caye now has hotel choices on three parts of the island NORTHERN Hotels SOUTHERN hotels and Hotels located in San Pedro Town or within easy walking distance to SAN PEDRO TOWN.
Each offers a uniquly difference experience
San Pedro Town Hotels
San Pedro Town is the heart of the island and this is where the majority of Shops, Banks, Bars, Nightclubs are located sadly today you will no longer see the white sandy streets with just one Golf Cart what you will see however is a bustling medium size town with a variety of vehicles from the local Golf carts to cars and trucks going about there daily business, the streets are still lined with multi coloured gift shops, restaurants where you can shop and dine at a variety of venues.
Staying in town is for those that want to be in the center of things close to bars and multiple restaurants.,
Positives are,no need for transport other than your legs and everything you will need is no more than a short walk away.
Negatives can be noisy late at night from revellers heading back to there hotels or live music going on into the night that may disturb guests that have retired for the evening.
In the dry season it can be very hot and extremely dusty in town due to the traffic kicking up the dust as they go by, plans are however in place to pave the existing roads to eliminate this and the first part is completed from tropic air terminal to Island distributors heading south of town. The center of town now has plans in the near future to pave the streets also.
There is no real beach to lay out on during the day (besides ramons) if thats your thing, in addition the multiple peddlers will continue to try and sell you local trinkets which is not too bad unless you want to be laying and not be disturbed every few minutes. However some Hotels have pools that you can sunbathe around but you will still be approached.
Some people love the interaction and thats great however some people also may find it annoying, being informed you have the choice.
In addition with the advent of Timeshare San Pedro now has the dreaded OPCs these are Outside personal contacts employed by the timeshare companys to get you to attend a presentation on the timeshare concept.
Over the past year there are now several timeshare resorts that now have these people on the streets constantly approching tourists to attend presentations.
All this can be considered either a negative or not such a negative again depending on what you want out of your vacation.
So to clarify, Staying in town is really for party animals that want to be in the thick of things and dont mind the hustle and bustle of a growing town and the positive and negatives that go with that.
Some Hotels to consider in town are Sunbreeze Hotel, Mayan Princess,Paradise Villas to name a few.
North Ambergris Caye
North Ambergris caye is going through a huge development boom and this can be confirmed by the many projects under construction as you head north of the Cut.
North Ambergris is where the future of Ambergris Caye lies it is the only area that can still be developed and eventually there will be another town probably in the Basil Jones area, about 12.5 miles North of San pedro Town.
Over the past several years North Ambergris Caye has had a bunch of New hotels constructed such as the Hip and Chic Mata Chica Resort or Portofino resort that both caters to the rich tourists and then there is Playa Blanca Dive & Beach Club
which focuss specifically on divers. Each of these resorts offers something different to the traveller however all offer Beaches where you can lay out without being disturbed in fact you may not see anyone pass in front of the resort.
The peaceful natural beauty of the area is pristine and most resorts are only a few minutes (10-15 by boat) away from the Hustle and bustle of San Pedro town.
Many questions have arose in the past as to the accessability of getting into town when you want to, this has been a valid question however development has taken care of that, now there is a regular scheduled Island Ferry Boat that operates between North Ambergris Caye (as far as Costa Maya Resort) and San Pedro Town.
This ferry operates throughout the day and into the evening with the first ferry into town at 7.50am, and every 2 hours from that point until 5 pm.
At 6pm the service starts hourly into town. The last scheduled ferry leaving town for North is at 10pm after that there are Ferrys at 12am and 2am for those that wish to stay in town to party.
The cost of the Ferry is between $5-$10 per person each way depending on which resort you are staying at. (Ferry Schedule changes occasionally check with your hotel for current schedule0
Some resorts such as Mata Chica Portofino Playa Blanca Dive & Beach Club offer there own water ferry service into town at set times, We at Playa Blanca Dive & Beach Club like to ensure our guests can get to town when they wish therefore we provide our own ferry service and will wait for you to complete whatever it is you are doing ie having dinner or partying at Ladies night etc our crew will bring you back to the resort on your own timing which is a nice service to have.
Due to the high cost of fuel nowdays there is a small charge of $5 per person each way (In San pedro 1 gallon of regular gas costs $9.00 bze plus the cost of oil to mix for 2 stroke engines )
Whichever way if you choose North you can get to town easily HOWEVER it can become tiresome and costly if you were really better suited to be staying in town.
You can now also rent Golf Carts as far North as Costa Maya and getting to town will take about 25-30 minutes on the cart depending on how many Bars you stop at along the way. Renting a cart opens up 6-8 restaurants that will be within acessability to any northern hotel you decide to stay at.
There are now SOLID plans by the San Pedro Town Board and the Chamber of Commerce to install a Bridge at the cut, these plans are real and it should be realized in the very near future. This will replace the little pull ferry that has serviced those that want to cross the cut to head north.
Part 2 to follow
www.DiveBelize.com
I arrived on Ambergris Caye as a backpacker more than 13 years ago,at that time San Pedro was a very small town with just 2 white sandy streets, I can still remember the first vision that is clearly embedded in my mind to this day.
As I stepped off that small ferry from neibouring Caye Caulker, I gazed down front street (san pedros main street), all I could see was a beautiful white sandy lined street with one single golf cart making its way leisurly down the street, it passed a young couple holding hands window shopping in the quaint multi coloured gift shops that lined the street.
At that time there were only about 6 dive shops spread out along San Pedros multiple docks, each one offering services to the few adventuresome divers that had already discovered this beautiful island also known as la Isla Bonita.
Most divers that visited stayed close to town at a few select hotels such as the Sunbreeze or Ramons, there were not that many to choose from. The same can be said with the dive shops, most people would be diving with Bottom Time Dive shop which was located at Sunbreeze Hotel, (today they are at Banyan Bay) the Paz familly were the boatmen and Divemasters, they were to later to go out on there own under the leadership of Changa and Melanie Paz to form what is today Amigos Del Mar one of the leading dive operations on Ambergris Caye.
Today 13+ years later, many things have changed on Ambergris Caye, the island is quickly developing into a small island mecca and today there are over 40 diveshops and hundreds and hundreds of different quality hotel rooms, that cater to the thousands of divers and visitors that visit Ambergris Caye each year.
The reason for this article is as an up to date information source for those that are considering a vacation to Ambergris Caye, it is meant to provide clear accurate information on the options of where to stay on the island when visiting Ambergris, based on the wide variety of hotel options that are now available on the island.
For the visiting diver today, they have a huge selection of Hotels to choose from, depending on what it is they are looking for in a dive vacation.
The island now offers different hotel choices. At the very top of the scale you can have your own Private Villa with your own Butler on call 24/7 to the still famous backpackers hotels that offer basic clean accomodations but at a fraction of the price of the more upscale hotels.
Each offers different experiences depending on what the visitor is looking for.
Ambergris Caye now has hotel choices on three parts of the island NORTHERN Hotels SOUTHERN hotels and Hotels located in San Pedro Town or within easy walking distance to SAN PEDRO TOWN.
Each offers a uniquly difference experience
San Pedro Town Hotels
San Pedro Town is the heart of the island and this is where the majority of Shops, Banks, Bars, Nightclubs are located sadly today you will no longer see the white sandy streets with just one Golf Cart what you will see however is a bustling medium size town with a variety of vehicles from the local Golf carts to cars and trucks going about there daily business, the streets are still lined with multi coloured gift shops, restaurants where you can shop and dine at a variety of venues.
Staying in town is for those that want to be in the center of things close to bars and multiple restaurants.,
Positives are,no need for transport other than your legs and everything you will need is no more than a short walk away.
Negatives can be noisy late at night from revellers heading back to there hotels or live music going on into the night that may disturb guests that have retired for the evening.
In the dry season it can be very hot and extremely dusty in town due to the traffic kicking up the dust as they go by, plans are however in place to pave the existing roads to eliminate this and the first part is completed from tropic air terminal to Island distributors heading south of town. The center of town now has plans in the near future to pave the streets also.
There is no real beach to lay out on during the day (besides ramons) if thats your thing, in addition the multiple peddlers will continue to try and sell you local trinkets which is not too bad unless you want to be laying and not be disturbed every few minutes. However some Hotels have pools that you can sunbathe around but you will still be approached.
Some people love the interaction and thats great however some people also may find it annoying, being informed you have the choice.
In addition with the advent of Timeshare San Pedro now has the dreaded OPCs these are Outside personal contacts employed by the timeshare companys to get you to attend a presentation on the timeshare concept.
Over the past year there are now several timeshare resorts that now have these people on the streets constantly approching tourists to attend presentations.
All this can be considered either a negative or not such a negative again depending on what you want out of your vacation.
So to clarify, Staying in town is really for party animals that want to be in the thick of things and dont mind the hustle and bustle of a growing town and the positive and negatives that go with that.
Some Hotels to consider in town are Sunbreeze Hotel, Mayan Princess,Paradise Villas to name a few.
North Ambergris Caye
North Ambergris caye is going through a huge development boom and this can be confirmed by the many projects under construction as you head north of the Cut.
North Ambergris is where the future of Ambergris Caye lies it is the only area that can still be developed and eventually there will be another town probably in the Basil Jones area, about 12.5 miles North of San pedro Town.
Over the past several years North Ambergris Caye has had a bunch of New hotels constructed such as the Hip and Chic Mata Chica Resort or Portofino resort that both caters to the rich tourists and then there is Playa Blanca Dive & Beach Club
which focuss specifically on divers. Each of these resorts offers something different to the traveller however all offer Beaches where you can lay out without being disturbed in fact you may not see anyone pass in front of the resort.
The peaceful natural beauty of the area is pristine and most resorts are only a few minutes (10-15 by boat) away from the Hustle and bustle of San Pedro town.
Many questions have arose in the past as to the accessability of getting into town when you want to, this has been a valid question however development has taken care of that, now there is a regular scheduled Island Ferry Boat that operates between North Ambergris Caye (as far as Costa Maya Resort) and San Pedro Town.
This ferry operates throughout the day and into the evening with the first ferry into town at 7.50am, and every 2 hours from that point until 5 pm.
At 6pm the service starts hourly into town. The last scheduled ferry leaving town for North is at 10pm after that there are Ferrys at 12am and 2am for those that wish to stay in town to party.
The cost of the Ferry is between $5-$10 per person each way depending on which resort you are staying at. (Ferry Schedule changes occasionally check with your hotel for current schedule0
Some resorts such as Mata Chica Portofino Playa Blanca Dive & Beach Club offer there own water ferry service into town at set times, We at Playa Blanca Dive & Beach Club like to ensure our guests can get to town when they wish therefore we provide our own ferry service and will wait for you to complete whatever it is you are doing ie having dinner or partying at Ladies night etc our crew will bring you back to the resort on your own timing which is a nice service to have.
Due to the high cost of fuel nowdays there is a small charge of $5 per person each way (In San pedro 1 gallon of regular gas costs $9.00 bze plus the cost of oil to mix for 2 stroke engines )
Whichever way if you choose North you can get to town easily HOWEVER it can become tiresome and costly if you were really better suited to be staying in town.
You can now also rent Golf Carts as far North as Costa Maya and getting to town will take about 25-30 minutes on the cart depending on how many Bars you stop at along the way. Renting a cart opens up 6-8 restaurants that will be within acessability to any northern hotel you decide to stay at.
There are now SOLID plans by the San Pedro Town Board and the Chamber of Commerce to install a Bridge at the cut, these plans are real and it should be realized in the very near future. This will replace the little pull ferry that has serviced those that want to cross the cut to head north.
Part 2 to follow
www.DiveBelize.com
