Where to stay in Belize?

[SStrecker]

I just got back (10 days ago) from staying at Ramon's Village. Despite some disparaging remarks, on various review sites, I was impressed. The accommodations were very good, the convenience to everything could not be beat, and the kitchy decor was rather fun. My only complaint was the food; they don't try very hard & it shows. The drinks were great but eat elsewhere (in town).

 

[peterbj7]

One thing I can say with absolute certainty after a number of dives is that the diving on the barrier reef near Ambergris Caye and at the northern atolls is much better than at Cozumel or Playa del Carmen. The latter may offer more marine wildlife, but the intrinsic interest of the reef at the Mexican locations greatly lags the Belizean ones.

 

[MaresMan1]

Great Place,

We were in Beilze AC last July 05 and really loved it. My daughter loved it so much that she wants to move there. Got a great deal at Banyan Bay, which is a nice resort/condo about a half mile south of San Pedro. It has one of the best beaches on the south side of the isl. We rented a golf cart for a few days and drove around the isl, but we also enjoyed the walk to and from town via the beach.

We did most of our dives with Amigo Del Mar which was a nice Op. The reefs were great and full of life; not to be missed.

Ramons was nice but it does have an active night life that can get a bit loud. For a quiet place to stay that's classy try Victoria House, although you will need a cab or cart to get to town.

Where ever you stay, you will have a wonderful time on AC, it's a great place to dive and relax.

Dive Smart; Dive Safe
Enjoy the ride
:14:

 

[Acrodog]

My intent isn't to hijack this thread, but since we have lots of Belize veterans posting, and the thread has been dormant for over a week, here goes.

I'm looking to plan a trip for this summer - just me (225 yrs experience) and my 14 yr old daughter (one dive trip under her belt). I've been around the Carib a fair amount, and was looking for something a little different. Thinking about a Belize-based liveaboard. Was told long ago that the way to dive Belize was off a liveaboard because the on-shore accomodations weren;'t great and the best diving was way off shore. I have no first-hand knowlegde of this on way or the other.

Does anyone have good or no-so-good experiences to relate re live-aboards down there. I know there is the Aggressor ship, and the Hughes ship (isn't this the one where a bunch of divers died in a hurricane a few yrs back?).

Any and all input welcome.

 

[Darnold9999]

My intent isn't to hijack this thread, but since we have lots of Belize veterans posting, and the thread has been dormant for over a week, here goes.

I'm looking to plan a trip for this summer - just me (225 yrs experience) and my 14 yr old daughter (one dive trip under her belt). I've been around the Carib a fair amount, and was looking for something a little different. Thinking about a Belize-based liveaboard. Was told long ago that the way to dive Belize was off a liveaboard because the on-shore accomodations weren;'t great and the best diving was way off shore. I have no first-hand knowlegde of this on way or the other.

Does anyone have good or no-so-good experiences to relate re live-aboards down there. I know there is the Aggressor ship, and the Hughes ship (isn't this the one where a bunch of divers died in a hurricane a few yrs back?).

Any and all input welcome.

Hi - I would not have said that the accomodations in Belize were not that great. On Ambergrise Caye you can choose anything from basic to luxury. The edge of the reef is minutes away and you have an interesting town and island to explore. I quite enjoyed my stay there a couple of years ago. In a weeks stay I went diving 3 days and spent the rest of the time exploring.

If you were to go south of Belize city to Placencia there are again accomodations ranging from basic to luxury. The good diving however is a long way out from shore - a good 90 min boat ride as I recall.

Would not stay in Belize city, not a pleasant place and the diving is quite a ways out.

I am booked to take a trip on the Nekton at the end of February. Picked mostly because it is less subject to weather and I get seasick. It gets great reviews on this board. However so do the Aggressor and Peter Hughes. I don't think you can go wrong with any of these boats. They all dive the same spots which I gather are better diving than Ambergrise Caye, but I thought the diving off Ambergrise was pretty good so we will see. I don't know about Aggressor and Peter Hughes but Nekton does not do the Blue Hole if that is important to you.

 

[manitou diver]

The original poster didn't mention when the trip to Belize was planned and with what budget so I will jump in and mention Caye Caulker, the smaller island south of Ambergris. It is more laid back with less of a tourist town feel to it. A variety of accommodations are available but generally more budget minded. I selected it for a January trip because my research suggested that the better dive sites are further south on the reef.

I dove with Belize Diving Services and found them to be professional and accommadating for experienced divers. I dove Hol Chan Marine Reserve which was filled with sleeping sharks and some rays but was crowded with snorklers and other divers. The other dives were all long boat rides south to Sargeant's Caye. We had to stay inside the reef as the water was just too rough so I didn't get to dive the Elbow or other sites on Turneffe Atoll.

Next time I would like to try a liveaboard as well. I've heard good reports from friends who were on the Nekton.

 

[Acrodog]

I looked at the Nekton web page last nite - unfortunately it looks like neither of their ships go to Belize during the summer months.

 

[jonahshark]

So it seems like most folks like the south, any dolphin experiences there?

When're you planning on going? My wife and I are looking to head out at the end of February. Anyone been to Tradewinds??

 

[Damselfish]

We had a short encounter with a few dolphins down south, someplace off Gladden Spit. One came especially close and checked us out which was so cool.

 

[PaulChristenson]

Good dive op...nice quiet place away from San Pedro


Paul in VT