Need help with Belize trip in August

[ctmcewen3]

My fiancee and I are looking at heading to Belize for our honeymoon.
We want to dive at least 2 -3 days while we are there but would also like to do some land tours/treks to see some ruins, etc.
Any one have any suggestions on where to stay? Hotel recommendations? Can this all be done with out switching locations (too many times)?
I have heard good things about Ambergris Caye, any other suggestions?
Thanks for any help!

 

[Darcey]

What type of lodging are you looking at? Private resort type? Villas?

Ambergris has lost of great places and pretty much any type of accomidations you're looking for at many different rates.

I have a broken hand (that I just happened to get in Belize two weeks ago! LOL) so I'll wait to hear what you're looking for before I start typing too much and myhand starts to scream at me!

 

[ctmcewen3]

That's a great question...We would like something smaller (which doesn't seem to be an issue) but has the basic amenities like a pool, bar, restaurant, etc. Some place we can relax comfortably when we aren't diving and close enough to town that we can ride bikes or golf carts to restaurants and cafes.
We started doing some research and have come across Pelican Reef Villas, Victoria House, and Xanadu. Travel agents we have spoken with seem to know very little about Belize so I am hoping for recommendations from anyone that has been down there before.
Thank you and I hope your hand gets better soon!

 

[hopefulist]

I love to dive but we always split our trips because we love hiking, caving, rappelling, and exploring villages and ruins, too. Belize has incredible inland activities on offer and is culturally fascinating. There are some day trips you can do from Ambergris or Caye Caulker (visiting Lamanai ruins and/or the zoo, cave tubing, ziplining, etc.) but I'd plan to choose an inland place, too unless you know you want to be by the water all the time. Lots of folks choose a lodge in the Cayo area - lots of choices in all price ranges. If you haven't been to Tikal in Guatemala, just a few hours over the western border, an overnight stay there is HIGHLY recommended. Here's a link to my photos and recommendation in case you're interested: hopefulist's collections on Flickr

We're heading back this summer to revisit favorite places and check out some new ones. Let us know what other activities might interest, your general budget, and how much time you have and we can advise you better. Happy trails!

 

[ctmcewen3]

You're pictures are beautiful. We just received our new digital SLR last night. I hope we will put it to use as well as you did.
We are hoping to stay in Belize for about ten days. We'd like to spend 2-3 days diving, 2-3 days visiting ruins/light adventures and leave a few days to do nothing. We've always wanted to go zip-lining. Is that the best way to see the jungle? We'd never heard of Cave Tubing until we started researching Belize. Sounds fun. Would you recommend it? Seems like you see a lot of wild life on your adventures. Is a trip to the zoo worth while?

 

[Darcey]

That's a great question...We would like something smaller (which doesn't seem to be an issue) but has the basic amenities like a pool, bar, restaurant, etc. Some place we can relax comfortably when we aren't diving and close enough to town that we can ride bikes or golf carts to restaurants and cafes.
We started doing some research and have come across Pelican Reef Villas, Victoria House, and Xanadu. Travel agents we have spoken with seem to know very little about Belize so I am hoping for recommendations from anyone that has been down there before.
Thank you and I hope your hand gets better soon!

Mmmkay...lets see. I'm no expert but I have done some extensive research on what's around San Pedro. I know that Sunbreeze Suites has a pool, bar, restraurant etc. right there. We didn't stay there (we stayed at the Blue Tang Inn but they don't have a bar or restaurant) but I know that kdbeckstrom did...as we ran into her and her hubby at the bar there called Mojitos. (And yes, their mojitos there are to DIE for!) It looked like a very nice place to stay and was very centrally located. Ramones Village is larger, but has everything you could want and then some and has a very neat cabanna village type motif. I hear they're pretty pricy...but nice. I don't know much about Pelican, Victoria or Xanadu other than we went by all of them and they all looked nice. It seemed that as long as you didn't stay on the northern end of the island, like at Captain Morgans, you were within walking, biking and golf cart distance to town.

My hand is throbbing but I'll try to pick my brain more and add more later!

 

[GatorCT]

We stayed at Victoria House. It was terrific, and fits your criteria. Several pools, restaurants, and very well-kept beach. Very nice. The downside (or upside, depending on your perspective, I guess) is that it's about a mile from town. An easy bikeride, and an easier golf cart ride. I loved the Vic House. No phones, no TV's, but they did have a fully functional wireless internet site running. It might not be for everybody. If you do decide, the Vic House has a "honeymoon suite" that just looked phenomenol. Insist on the "Casitas" rooms, at the minimum. They're stand-alone little cottage. Very nice rooms, and right on the beach and the pools. Lots of private room to lay out your wetsuits to dry, while sucking down Belikans.
I agree with Darcy's suggestion/recommendation of Ramon's. It's a bit closer to town. I didn't get a chance to look closely at the lodging, but each building looked to be a thatched hut. Kind of cool.

Hope this helps.

Happy Honeymooning!

Peter

 

[hopefulist]

Glad you liked the pictures - such great memories! We're really looking forward to our return trip to Belize this summer.

We like to start inland and then hit the water; best place for doing nothing is by the water, too, imo. Ziplining actually isn't a great way to see the jungle (flashes by too fast) but it is a thrill. There's one by Tikal but the one I'd trust most is the one at Caves Branch Belize Vacation Travel Packages: Caving and Jungle Adventures at Caves Branch - they have highly trained guides and much attention to detail and safety. Our favorite adventure there was The Black Hole Drop - not for the faint of heart. We haven't been cave tubing because it seemed pretty tame to us and we wanted more adrenalin. It's really popular, though. You might also consider the ATM cave if you want adventure - you could do that from Caves Branch, too, though we're doing it through Pacz Tours PACZ tours homepage .

We loved the zoo and I highly recommend it; you won't find another like it anywhere on earth. I like that they have all indigenous species and avoid wild caught animals. The best (non-zoo) wildlife spotting we've had was around Tikal - lots of spider and howler monkeys, butterflies, orapendolas, toucans, parrots, gray foxes, coatis. There's a howler troop at Lamanai, too, and we'll be staying a few nights this summer at the Baboon Sanctuary which will be new for us. Great birding and some other wildlife at Macal River Jungle Camp Chaacreek - Belize Resort, Belize Hotel, Belize Jungle Lodge, Belize Jungle Resort, Barrier Reef Vacation near San Ignacio, too (jungly cousin of Chaa Creek Chaacreek - Belize Vacation, Belize Resort, Belize Honeymoon, Honeymoon Vacation, Belize Eco Tours ).

Hope that helps a bit! Let me know if you have more questions. Happy trails!

 

[hopefulist]

Grrrr! I keep forgetting the web links print out funny on this forum unless I jump through different hoops - sorry!

 

[Thatch Caye Belize]

If you have your heart set on Ambergris Caye, then it may not make sense to go down south but Thatch Caye offers diving, ruin tours, cave tubing tours, and jungle walks to see waterfalls and Mayan trails with Mayan guides who can teach you about the plants, birds, and animals that you will see along the way. They also do a great honeymoon package and you can see and do a lot from there as your base. Check them out at Thatch Caye Resort - A Handmade Resort off the coast of Belize

Right now they are preparing some special discount rates for dive vacations in the summer time.