San Pedro for non-diver family vacation? Also, getting there?

[RJP]

Looking for someplace to go with my non-diving wife and non-diving kids for a Spring Break vacation in April. Diving would not be a priority at all. I might sneak a few dives in, but don't need/want a dive resort.

Appreciate any recommendations folks may have.

Also, how does one get from Belize City to San Pedro? Flying I guess. How often are flights? Cost?

 

[peterbj7]

You could try The Tides resort at the northern end of San Pedro town. On the beach with its own in-house dive center. Very good value.

Assuming that by "Belize City" you mean the international airport, I would fly directly to San Pedro, using either Tropic Air or Maya Island Air. Each has an hourly service, and the round trip costs around US$100 I believe. There are other options - how will you be coming into the country?

 

[Darnold9999]

Second the Tides.

First time into Belize we took the boat from Belize City up to San Pedro. Cheap, interesting - once - probably wouldn't do it again unless I was really into going on the cheap and/or had lots of time but glad I did it that way the one time.

 

[peterbj7]

The ferries aren't that cheap any more - they've rocketed in price.

 

[RJP]

There are other options - how will you be coming into the country?

We'd be flying in to Belize via Continental EWR-BZE.

 

[Ralph Capeling]

Why not consider going to Placencia? Placencia is known as the Caye you can drive to and has the best beaches in Belize, so in addition to some great diving, you have very good access to inland attractions that are close by. If you go to our website Belize Scuba Diving Packages, Snorkeling & Whale sharks|Splash Dive Center|Placencia Belize and

 

[Ralph Capeling]

Why not consider going to Placencia? Placencia is known as the Caye you can drive to and has the best beaches in Belize, so in addition to some great diving, you have very good access to inland attractions that are close by. If you go to our website Belize Scuba Diving Packages, Snorkeling & Whale sharks|Splash Dive Center|Placencia Belize and click on Dive Center and then on Placencia Inland Tours you will find a few of the inland attractions.

 

[peterbj7]

We'd be flying in to Belize via Continental EWR-BZE.

What I said above then. You can save money at the cost of time and extra stress by flying from the Municipal airstrip right in Belize City. The journey is quite long by taxi and pretty costly, but with four of you there would be a saving overall. The air fare from the Municipal is around half what it is from the International.

Or you could take basically the same taxi ride and then take a water ferry (misleadingly called here "water taxis"). Trouble is the ferries aren't that frequent, there are several competing ones leaving from different docks and you won't know where to go, and there's a distinct risk of getting wet. The journey itself will take upwards of an hour, and you won't be able to see anything as you'll be in a large cabin with a hundred or more other people.

My choice? EVERY time, fly direct from the International. Messing around at the end of an international journey isn't my idea of fun.

Ralph has suggested a perfectly valid option, which I can't comment on as I've never been there. But if you've already decided on San Pedro then the above are my suggestions. If you're interested in The Tides I suggest you PM me, as I know them and can get even better rates.

 

[billmosel]

I stayed at Banyan Bay which I would go back to in a heart beat. 2 BR condos on the beach. They have a beautiful pool and grounds. About a 20 minute walled into "downtown" or rent a golf cart which is a lot of fun. They have a dive shop on site. The Villas at Banyan Bay - Caribbean Vacation in Banyan Bay Villa Resort San Pedro Belize

 

[S&V]

My wife and I were just (22-29 Jan) in North Ambergris Caye with a group of 13, 8 divers, 5 non, all adults. We stayed at a rental house, which was reached from BZE to San Pedro airstrip via TropicAir, taxi, and then water taxi.
Diving was fine, we were with Aqua Scuba, no real complaints there. There any several dive ops to choose from.
Now, to the "non-diver what to do" issue. Our non-divers found that all the fun things to do, such as cave-rafting, hikes, sight-seeing, tc, were all off the Caye, so it would be expensive and time-consuming to backtrack to BZE for further transport to adventure sights. They signed up for deep-sea fishing off San Pedro but were cancelled for heavy seas. (diving was tough that day, too)
So this is just one data point, but I would look into other Belize areas that offer easier access than San Pedro to non-diving events, in addition to the diving. Unfortunately I am not well versed enough to offer an alternative, so hopefully above posters have more insight.
Belize is a friendly, laid-back place, and we hope you enjoy your vacation.