Planning Belize trip

[peterbj7]

It's 4 miles north of town, do-able on a golf cart (gasoline, not electric) but not at night. A bicycle is perfectly feasible and fun, though neither is practicable in the rainy season as the (single) road becomes a quagmire. A bicycle is rather better then as you can still ride along the beach. The island water taxi (called "ferry") has a good service running late into the evening, but the cost can mount up.

Being well north has its advantages. It's very quiet, you can see the stars, and the beaches are (generally) good. Against that, getting to and from town if that's what you want to do is time consuming and costly, there is little choice over activities and eating, no shops, and a very poor telephone service. Some people love being away from town, others hate it. It all depends what's important to you.

 

[94GTStang]

Thanks Peter for the input.

I looked into getting the gas golf carts since I heard the electric ones aren't that great for going far. Plus I can always rely on gas HP over electric HP to get me moving. Bikes are also just fine for us.

Even though I prefer quiet sometimes, I think it's best to have easy access to town during the evening/night hours. We don't party, but sitting back and relaxing with a cold one is what we have in mind. How safe is the town at night? Wise to walk around?

We also enjoy having the local cuisine and restaurants being at our disposal, so maybe I'll look into another hotel close to town. Thanks again!

 

[peterbj7]

If you want quiet but within easy reach of town then you should look at Xanadu and Caribbean Villas. Near each other, in similar "bird sanctuary" ambience, maybe a mile south of town. Quite near Crazy Canucks bar, which should serve your purpose!

Of the two, Xanadu is the more popular. It has a pool, but no bar or restaurant. CV is on an enormous site, most of it dense "jungle" with an observation platform above the canopy that's great for observing birds and ... well, the view. No bar, restaurant or pool.

Nowhere is TOTALLY safe but San Pedro is about as safe as it gets. People often wander around at night and walk back alone. There have been occasional incidents (muggings) in some dark areas (most are illuminated by street lighting) but pretty rare.

A lot depends when you're likely to visit. Xanadu in particular gets booked up very early. Remember that www.ambergriscaye.com has a section on hotels with descriptions and photos.

 

[yakivet]

94GTStang-
Peter is correct. Xanadu is nice. Walking distance to town and a nice pool. Havn't stayed there but did check out the accomodations on an earlier trip. Closer to town is Paradise Villas. Simple accomodations with also a great pool. Only down fall is no on site office. The collection of Villas is nice and we had no problems during our most recent stay in March. If you're interested in cooking in, either location will have good kitchens. If you're planning on eating out, might also consider the Sunbreeze Hotel. Simple hotel room but nice accomodations with a great pool. Their "Blue Water Grill" has some pretty fantastic food. Do your diving with Peter and his Protech. You won't go wrong. We've done 3 trips with Protech in 3 years. Ken :42:

 

[94GTStang]

Thanks to the both of you for the great advice. We have never had a kitchen in a room before, but we do enjoy having a refrigerator to keep milk etc to eat cereal and any other kind of breakfast food.
Last year I got the Belize travel book and they cautioned travelers about a lot of petty theft etc in Belize. I figured I should ask people who have actually been there/live there on their opinions on safety. I am a good cautious traveler and don't take all my money and valuables with me out on the town.
We will be on a budget of sorts and enjoy traveling cheap, but not terribly cheap. If we decide to go, we would be traveling in August or late July/August. Are though good times to go? Water viz effected much by the rains and runoff from the mainland?
Thanks again for the advice!

 

[H2ODoc]

We stayed at Belizean Shores and rented bikes to go into town. Riding on the beach was fun and relaxing. If you are in a hurry to get downtown and eat, etc., then that may not your best choice. We just took our time and had fun with it. You can also take the water taxi, but they don't run as often as I thought they should. I don't think I'd ride back at night, though. Not from a safety perspective, but from a "too many Belikins, so I endoed into a palm tree" perspective.

There are good restaraunts up that way, so don't count out BShores. The rooms are VERY nice and you'll have a kitchenette which we used a lot - even for dinners (tortillas from the factory, beans, eggs, cheese and a Belikin. Yummy).

 

[philmayer]

I went to Blackbird Caye on Turneffe Atoll last year. There is no shore diving. The diving was OK, but not great. There were a lot of particles in the water.


Under no circumstances would I ever recommend Blackbird Caye. We had the TRIP FROM HELL and the management did not care in the slightest.

Turneffe Island Lodge is supposed to be great, as is much of the diving in Ambergris Caye. If I were to return to Belize, I would go to AC.

 

[ScubaBabe22]

Hey guys! I've been to belize 6 times and have stayed in Placencia and San Pedro. I recommend Ambergis if you're doing any diving-- the reef is closer. In addition, there's more opportunity to get groceries, check out the local bars.

I heard BZE Shores is good-- I've stayed at White Sands for the past 4 years when ever I'm down and love it-- so much in fact that I've bought a condo there with my parents.

Diving? I'd recommend Amigos Del Mar and Alonzo Flota of Under Da Sea at El Pescador. I've been diving with Alonzo for 4 years and did the Blue Hole, ect with Amigos Del Mar.

If you have any questions about specifics, PM me, I know that island and love it!!! Its practically a second home to me

 

[peterbj7]

ScubaBabe22 - next time you go to White Sands you'll find a change! They now have their own dive center, and you'll want to give them a try.

 

[Gr8ful Diver]

I would definitely recommend Turneffe Island Lodge, but I don't thing they offer air conditioning... but you get plenty of breeze. Turneffe Island Flats is really geared more towards fishing.

As for Whale Sharks in Belize, they're there in very late May. There is a lottery system for Dive operators, so if you consider it, do your homework.