blanchre
New
Hi folks
This is a report of my recent dive experience at St. George's Caye Resort. I decided to pursue Scuba certification this year after enjoying several years of recreational snorkeling -- but yearning for something more. I completed my SSI training on-line, my pool work at a local dive shop (near my PA home) and obtained a referral to complete my open water dives in Belize. We selected Belize as a vacation destination because 1) it is a place my husband and I have wanted to visit but never had, 2) seemed a good choice for diving 3) also offered fishing options for my husband (not a diver) and 4) seemed like a perfect "getaway" as I had just completed an extremely stressful and lengthy project at work and needed some rest and relaxation. Once we decided on Belize as our destination, I next looked for a resort that would offer all of the above, and was particularly focused on identifying a small operation that could offer truly personalized attention on my diving (being my first experience). Through web based research and guidebooks, my husband and I selected St. George's Caye Resort as our destination and were very pleased. The resort caters to diving and fishing and has a dive shop and dive crew on premises. The diving is very "pampered". When guests arrive the crew takes your equipment and prepares and maintains it for you each day so that you literally do no work to prepare (I felt like I was cheating!).
St. George's is a very small Caye (1 mile long by ~ several hundred yards wide) about 7 miles east of Belize City (south of Ambergris, Caulker and Chapel Cayes). St. George's Caye Resort is the only commercial entity on this small island. So, before anyone goes there it is important to recognize that there are no stores, no restaurants, no bars, etc. The Resort is small -- just 12 lovely cabanas, a main lodge with a great bar and dining room, and the caretakers home. Meals, softdrinks and rum punch are included in the price of the room (no opting out of the meal plan since it is the only way to get food on the island!). Meals are served family style. It is not an inexpensive resort, but I felt as though I got value for the extra cost as evidenced both by impeccable service and a truly spectacular setting.
The cabanas sit either on the Lagoon side or the Ocean (Caribbean) side of the island with the Lodge sitting between. On the Lagoon side, the cabanas are built on stilts literally over the water and are connected to each other and the mainland island via a circular dock. This was a very peaceful and beautiful place where the guests gathered each night to have a drink and watch sunset before dinner. Much comradery was had among the guests during this spontaneous "happy hour" each evening. The Ocean side cabanas sat literally 20 yards from the Ocean on a beautifully maintained beach with palm trees, lots of hammocks and plenty of tasteful beach chairs. All of the cabanas were identical, but the Ocean side setting was a bit nicer (in my opinion) with the constant ocean breeze and beautiful views right from bed. All cabanas had a front porch with chairs and hammocks for peaceful lounging. Each morning, coffee and juice were delivered to our porch prior to breakfast.
The setting was heavenly, the food was good -- but by far what made this place an outstanding experience were the people. All of them. The staff, the dive crew and even the other guests. You just felt like everyone was family (only no creepy uncles or in-laws). My husband mentioned when we checked in that he forgot his sunglasses and asked if they happened to have a gift shop where he could buy some. They did not, but (without being asked by us) one of the staff took the boat back to Belize City, picked up a pair of sunglasses and delivered them to my husband at dinner -- we were astounded. The atmosphere was very friendly, laid back, very low key and unbelievably relaxing. The lodge also had a small spa and Leonie gave a mean massage! The manager, Barry, was a really cool dude who often ate meals with us and had really great stories to tell. He is an archeologist by training and had spent several years digging at Mayan ruins before he accepted an offer to manage this resort. A real people person who made us feel like were were his long lost friends.
Now for diving. When we arrived, there were about 15 guests also at the resort, and about 12 of them were divers. I was the only one doing certification dives. The resort had 3 boats - and during the time we were there, they used 2 of them for diving (and the other to shuttle back and forth to Belize City and other destinations). I was assigned my own dive master (Jose) for my 4 qualifying dives, and he was the most experienced DM at the resort. All of my dives were to local Barrier reef locations within 30 minutes of the Caye (not out at the atolls). The first day, myself and 7 other divers went out the the local reefs while the other 4 guests went with a separate boat and DM to the atolls. Jose spent all of his time with me while the other 7 divers on our boat went out with Henrique. Jose was wonderful. He explained very clearly what we would do prior to entering the water and we did exactly as he explained. He started by ensuring that my weights were right (we had to play with that a little bit on the surface) and then made sure I could maintain bouyancy properly at the bottom. We then set off on a tour and worked on skills at the end of the dive. The moment I sank beneath the surface -- I felt like I had found my intended place on earth. I know that sounds hokey -- but I was so unbelievably comfortable, peaceful and happy and all of the stress I had been experiencing from work just melted away. Jose was a great guide, showing me around the wonders of these reefs that he knew like the back of his hand. He told me that he immediately recognized my ease and sense of peace while diving and knew that my qualification would be a breeze. We really enjoyed those 4 dives together. After I was qualified, I joined the rest of the group for the remaining dives. Each night at dinner, Jose polled the guests to see what we wanted to do the next day. Every day a boat went out to the local reefs for 2 single tank dives each morning and then again for one single tank dive in the afternoon. If any guests wanted to venture further out to the atolls, the other boat would take them (and of course for an extra charge). Being a beginner, I stayed local on this trip. After our first couple of days, the guest count dropped to ~ 8, with only 3 of us diving. So, even after I finished my certification, I enjoyed a very small dive group. I found the diving experience at the local reefs to be great (though understand I dont have anything to compare that to). The reefs were beautiful, we saw lots of fish included sting rays, loggerhead turtles and a few other large fish. I saw no sharks though. Other guests said they enjoyed the local reefs but they atolls were a bit more diverse in reef life and large fish. On my last dive, Jose brought his speargun and I bagged myself a lionfish! That was kind of thrilling.
Back on the ranch... my husband (the non-diver) enjoyed a couple of really relaxing days lounging in hammocks and on the beach while chatting it up with other guests. He also spent 2 days fishing. We had arranged for the fishing trips ahead of time since the resort associates with local fisherman for these trips. They typically use one particular fisherman (Richard). Well, on the first day, for unforseen reasons, Richard was not able to take my husband so he arranged for a replacement. This guide was AWFUL. He had no idea what he was doing, he drank all of my husbands beer, he forgot to bring a net and the boat broke down. Barry (the resort manager) was mortified when he heard about his experience, immediately refunded the entire cost of the fishing trip for us and arranged for Richard to come the next day. Richard gave my husband an exceptional fishing experience, he caught many barracuda and grouper and all was good.
So, we loved this trip. So much so, that we are coming back in August of this year. This time we are coming to Belize for 10 days and brining our 14 year old son. Our son will also get certified (with Jose for the open water dives) and henceforth be my dive buddy. We want to explore inland a little bit too so we will start our trip in Cayo district for 3 nights (Chaa Creek) and then return to St. George's Caye for a week. This time I would like to venture out to the atolls for at least one day of diving.
I am very much looking forward to returning. I have a feeling that Belize will become a frequent destination for us. As we get more knowledgable about the country and various vacationing options, I suspect that we will look to other accommodation options for at least some of our visits. From what I have heard, we may want to spend more time out at the atolls for diving and explore more inland as well. As much as I love St. George's Caye and expect I will love Chaa Creek -- they are spendy resorts. For these prices, we could probably go a little less expensive and make more trips to Belize (and dive more!). So, as our adventures continue, I am sure we will look for advice on other Belize destinations from this forum.
This is a report of my recent dive experience at St. George's Caye Resort. I decided to pursue Scuba certification this year after enjoying several years of recreational snorkeling -- but yearning for something more. I completed my SSI training on-line, my pool work at a local dive shop (near my PA home) and obtained a referral to complete my open water dives in Belize. We selected Belize as a vacation destination because 1) it is a place my husband and I have wanted to visit but never had, 2) seemed a good choice for diving 3) also offered fishing options for my husband (not a diver) and 4) seemed like a perfect "getaway" as I had just completed an extremely stressful and lengthy project at work and needed some rest and relaxation. Once we decided on Belize as our destination, I next looked for a resort that would offer all of the above, and was particularly focused on identifying a small operation that could offer truly personalized attention on my diving (being my first experience). Through web based research and guidebooks, my husband and I selected St. George's Caye Resort as our destination and were very pleased. The resort caters to diving and fishing and has a dive shop and dive crew on premises. The diving is very "pampered". When guests arrive the crew takes your equipment and prepares and maintains it for you each day so that you literally do no work to prepare (I felt like I was cheating!).
St. George's is a very small Caye (1 mile long by ~ several hundred yards wide) about 7 miles east of Belize City (south of Ambergris, Caulker and Chapel Cayes). St. George's Caye Resort is the only commercial entity on this small island. So, before anyone goes there it is important to recognize that there are no stores, no restaurants, no bars, etc. The Resort is small -- just 12 lovely cabanas, a main lodge with a great bar and dining room, and the caretakers home. Meals, softdrinks and rum punch are included in the price of the room (no opting out of the meal plan since it is the only way to get food on the island!). Meals are served family style. It is not an inexpensive resort, but I felt as though I got value for the extra cost as evidenced both by impeccable service and a truly spectacular setting.
The cabanas sit either on the Lagoon side or the Ocean (Caribbean) side of the island with the Lodge sitting between. On the Lagoon side, the cabanas are built on stilts literally over the water and are connected to each other and the mainland island via a circular dock. This was a very peaceful and beautiful place where the guests gathered each night to have a drink and watch sunset before dinner. Much comradery was had among the guests during this spontaneous "happy hour" each evening. The Ocean side cabanas sat literally 20 yards from the Ocean on a beautifully maintained beach with palm trees, lots of hammocks and plenty of tasteful beach chairs. All of the cabanas were identical, but the Ocean side setting was a bit nicer (in my opinion) with the constant ocean breeze and beautiful views right from bed. All cabanas had a front porch with chairs and hammocks for peaceful lounging. Each morning, coffee and juice were delivered to our porch prior to breakfast.
The setting was heavenly, the food was good -- but by far what made this place an outstanding experience were the people. All of them. The staff, the dive crew and even the other guests. You just felt like everyone was family (only no creepy uncles or in-laws). My husband mentioned when we checked in that he forgot his sunglasses and asked if they happened to have a gift shop where he could buy some. They did not, but (without being asked by us) one of the staff took the boat back to Belize City, picked up a pair of sunglasses and delivered them to my husband at dinner -- we were astounded. The atmosphere was very friendly, laid back, very low key and unbelievably relaxing. The lodge also had a small spa and Leonie gave a mean massage! The manager, Barry, was a really cool dude who often ate meals with us and had really great stories to tell. He is an archeologist by training and had spent several years digging at Mayan ruins before he accepted an offer to manage this resort. A real people person who made us feel like were were his long lost friends.
Now for diving. When we arrived, there were about 15 guests also at the resort, and about 12 of them were divers. I was the only one doing certification dives. The resort had 3 boats - and during the time we were there, they used 2 of them for diving (and the other to shuttle back and forth to Belize City and other destinations). I was assigned my own dive master (Jose) for my 4 qualifying dives, and he was the most experienced DM at the resort. All of my dives were to local Barrier reef locations within 30 minutes of the Caye (not out at the atolls). The first day, myself and 7 other divers went out the the local reefs while the other 4 guests went with a separate boat and DM to the atolls. Jose spent all of his time with me while the other 7 divers on our boat went out with Henrique. Jose was wonderful. He explained very clearly what we would do prior to entering the water and we did exactly as he explained. He started by ensuring that my weights were right (we had to play with that a little bit on the surface) and then made sure I could maintain bouyancy properly at the bottom. We then set off on a tour and worked on skills at the end of the dive. The moment I sank beneath the surface -- I felt like I had found my intended place on earth. I know that sounds hokey -- but I was so unbelievably comfortable, peaceful and happy and all of the stress I had been experiencing from work just melted away. Jose was a great guide, showing me around the wonders of these reefs that he knew like the back of his hand. He told me that he immediately recognized my ease and sense of peace while diving and knew that my qualification would be a breeze. We really enjoyed those 4 dives together. After I was qualified, I joined the rest of the group for the remaining dives. Each night at dinner, Jose polled the guests to see what we wanted to do the next day. Every day a boat went out to the local reefs for 2 single tank dives each morning and then again for one single tank dive in the afternoon. If any guests wanted to venture further out to the atolls, the other boat would take them (and of course for an extra charge). Being a beginner, I stayed local on this trip. After our first couple of days, the guest count dropped to ~ 8, with only 3 of us diving. So, even after I finished my certification, I enjoyed a very small dive group. I found the diving experience at the local reefs to be great (though understand I dont have anything to compare that to). The reefs were beautiful, we saw lots of fish included sting rays, loggerhead turtles and a few other large fish. I saw no sharks though. Other guests said they enjoyed the local reefs but they atolls were a bit more diverse in reef life and large fish. On my last dive, Jose brought his speargun and I bagged myself a lionfish! That was kind of thrilling.
Back on the ranch... my husband (the non-diver) enjoyed a couple of really relaxing days lounging in hammocks and on the beach while chatting it up with other guests. He also spent 2 days fishing. We had arranged for the fishing trips ahead of time since the resort associates with local fisherman for these trips. They typically use one particular fisherman (Richard). Well, on the first day, for unforseen reasons, Richard was not able to take my husband so he arranged for a replacement. This guide was AWFUL. He had no idea what he was doing, he drank all of my husbands beer, he forgot to bring a net and the boat broke down. Barry (the resort manager) was mortified when he heard about his experience, immediately refunded the entire cost of the fishing trip for us and arranged for Richard to come the next day. Richard gave my husband an exceptional fishing experience, he caught many barracuda and grouper and all was good.
So, we loved this trip. So much so, that we are coming back in August of this year. This time we are coming to Belize for 10 days and brining our 14 year old son. Our son will also get certified (with Jose for the open water dives) and henceforth be my dive buddy. We want to explore inland a little bit too so we will start our trip in Cayo district for 3 nights (Chaa Creek) and then return to St. George's Caye for a week. This time I would like to venture out to the atolls for at least one day of diving.
I am very much looking forward to returning. I have a feeling that Belize will become a frequent destination for us. As we get more knowledgable about the country and various vacationing options, I suspect that we will look to other accommodation options for at least some of our visits. From what I have heard, we may want to spend more time out at the atolls for diving and explore more inland as well. As much as I love St. George's Caye and expect I will love Chaa Creek -- they are spendy resorts. For these prices, we could probably go a little less expensive and make more trips to Belize (and dive more!). So, as our adventures continue, I am sure we will look for advice on other Belize destinations from this forum.
