BABSONDIVER
New
This trip report is a little belated, better late than never, right? I visited Ambergris Caye with my wife May 1st-8th. We stayed at Xanadu and dove with Chuck and Robbies. First the dive report and then I will provide some topside info.
Diving:
We are both very new divers and Robbie, with his crew Big Sexy and Giovanni, took such good care of us. The outfit is minimal on frills but high on customer service. They pick you up wherever you are staying, take your gear and set it up for you. When it is time to hit the water they would provide a detailed dive briefing, hand you your fins and help you into your BCD. At the end of the day they will keep your gear, rinse it, hang it and have it ready to go the next morning. Their boats dont have dive platforms for giant stride so entry is a backwards roll. I had never gone in that way and honestly wish I could always, you feel like Jacques Cousteau!
Most of our dives were drift dives talk about easy. We would gather below and wait for everyone to get down. We would always have at least two DMs with us one leading and one following the group. And on multiple occasions there was even a 3rd DM on the dive. When you broke the surface at the end of the dive the hawk eye captain would swing the boat over, toss a buoy line and assist you out of the water. Because the reef is so close to shore we would head back to the shop between dives for surface intervals and replenish tanks. A nice daily treat was a local guy stopping in with homemade tamales! All fresh and very delicious just watch out for chicken bones. There is also a great contingent of ex-pat locals that dive almost daily with C&Rs. They were an awesome group and really added to the fun. The groups on the boat were never more than 6-8 which was great. Maybe when the regulars dove there were more but they did their own thing for the most part.
The first couple days of our trip the wind was very strong and that kept us topside. Once things calmed down it had effected the viz quite a bit, maybe 50ft or so. Unfortunately we were not able to experience the advertised 80-100 feet, next time.
Sea life on the reef was abundant from green moray eels, angel fish, nurse sharks, loggerhead turtles, hawksbill turtles, spotted eagle rays, sting rays, barracuda, tarpon, and (although beautiful) unfortunately Lion Fish.
Some of our favorite dive sites were Esmerelda tons of nurse sharks, Hol Chan Marine Reserve dove this at night and during the day, and Mermaids Lair felt like I was flying through a Grand Canyon of coral, amazing. The night we dove Hol Chan we were the only boat out there and it had to be one of the most peaceful nights I have ever experienced. There was a strong current, which made for an exciting dive, as you dodged sleeping sting rays, coral and free swimming eels. During the dive we passed a small coral overhang where our DM purged his reg so you could see the bioluminescence. There was also an abundance of flee like critters that are attracted to your lights. They are a bit on the annoying side but they did give you something to feed to the coral which was very cool to see. I loved diving with Chuck and Robbies and would recommend them to anyone visiting Ambergris Caye. If you are a new diver, like I am, they give you the attention you may require and if you have hundreds or thousands of dives under your weight belt they give you the freedom to dive the way you want. I cant wait to see them all again.
Hotel:
The topside life and activities are a strong match for what we experienced under the water. The island was safe and clean. The people were kind and helpful. And the weather was great. As I mentioned we stayed at Xanadu and we absolutely loved it there. The rooms are clean and comfortable, the grounds are well manicured and the staff is beyond wonderful. The cleaning staff wouldnt just come in to make your bed and change the towels. They would wash your dishes if you had left any out, wipe down the deck furniture and keep everything in the room spotless. It also wasnt uncommon to be sitting at their beautiful pool and hear Shelly say looks like its beer thirty and be standing there with 2 cold Belikin beers. Every day when you were picking up fresh beach towels, or dropping them off, someone would ask if they could make dinner reservations, call a cab or rent a golf cart for you. And Orlando, the head grounds person, always took the time to say hello, see how your stay was going and point out something interesting like sleeping fruit bats.
Getting around:
The main modes of transportation on the island would be golf cart, cab, bike or walking (a little tough in town with 90 degree heat but great on the beach). We rented a golf cart one day which was fun but the cabs were abundant and $10BZ/$5US got you anywhere. We also rode a bike as far up as the Rojo Lounge about 5miles from Xanadu. I would not recommend doing this as the roads are mostly dirt/sand and the bikes are beach cruisers. It was a great way to see some of the island I just wouldnt ride quite as far next time.
Food:
I dont think we had a bad meal on the island and, although relative, prices were not bad (we live in NY City). For lunch be sure to hit the Tackle Box (their burger is great) and Estels right on the beach is a treat also. Our favorite place during the day to visit for drinks and fish tacos was Palapa Bar. The greatest idea ever was tying inner tubes to a pylon for you to float in as you knock back Belikins. There is also a bucket on a rope that they will lower down to you so you never need to get out of the water. They also have a big plastic jug filled with cherries soaking in 151 rum watch out!! For dinner Victoria House and Hidden Treasure are both as romantic as they are delicious. Wild Mangoes and Jambel's, a Jamaican place, were both great, ultra casual on the beach places. And be sure to go by Sunset Grill to feed the tarpon and have a great meal. Also, as you are making your way around San Pedro be sure to hit some of the roadside stands for local fruit and snacks. We kept going back to one stand for the homemade banana bread best I have ever had.
Tropic Air:
Something we were concerned about before we visited were baggage weights for the puddle jump from the mainland. We flew with Tropic Air and their website mentions a 35lbs weight limit. We had 2 suitcases both topped out just shy of 50lbs each and had no problems. They didnt even blink at the weight/size of our bags. We also had 2 carryon bags and had no issue there either.
Ambergris Caye is by far my favorite place that I have visited and I just cannot wait to get back there. Enjoy!!
Diving:
We are both very new divers and Robbie, with his crew Big Sexy and Giovanni, took such good care of us. The outfit is minimal on frills but high on customer service. They pick you up wherever you are staying, take your gear and set it up for you. When it is time to hit the water they would provide a detailed dive briefing, hand you your fins and help you into your BCD. At the end of the day they will keep your gear, rinse it, hang it and have it ready to go the next morning. Their boats dont have dive platforms for giant stride so entry is a backwards roll. I had never gone in that way and honestly wish I could always, you feel like Jacques Cousteau!
Most of our dives were drift dives talk about easy. We would gather below and wait for everyone to get down. We would always have at least two DMs with us one leading and one following the group. And on multiple occasions there was even a 3rd DM on the dive. When you broke the surface at the end of the dive the hawk eye captain would swing the boat over, toss a buoy line and assist you out of the water. Because the reef is so close to shore we would head back to the shop between dives for surface intervals and replenish tanks. A nice daily treat was a local guy stopping in with homemade tamales! All fresh and very delicious just watch out for chicken bones. There is also a great contingent of ex-pat locals that dive almost daily with C&Rs. They were an awesome group and really added to the fun. The groups on the boat were never more than 6-8 which was great. Maybe when the regulars dove there were more but they did their own thing for the most part.
The first couple days of our trip the wind was very strong and that kept us topside. Once things calmed down it had effected the viz quite a bit, maybe 50ft or so. Unfortunately we were not able to experience the advertised 80-100 feet, next time.
Sea life on the reef was abundant from green moray eels, angel fish, nurse sharks, loggerhead turtles, hawksbill turtles, spotted eagle rays, sting rays, barracuda, tarpon, and (although beautiful) unfortunately Lion Fish.
Some of our favorite dive sites were Esmerelda tons of nurse sharks, Hol Chan Marine Reserve dove this at night and during the day, and Mermaids Lair felt like I was flying through a Grand Canyon of coral, amazing. The night we dove Hol Chan we were the only boat out there and it had to be one of the most peaceful nights I have ever experienced. There was a strong current, which made for an exciting dive, as you dodged sleeping sting rays, coral and free swimming eels. During the dive we passed a small coral overhang where our DM purged his reg so you could see the bioluminescence. There was also an abundance of flee like critters that are attracted to your lights. They are a bit on the annoying side but they did give you something to feed to the coral which was very cool to see. I loved diving with Chuck and Robbies and would recommend them to anyone visiting Ambergris Caye. If you are a new diver, like I am, they give you the attention you may require and if you have hundreds or thousands of dives under your weight belt they give you the freedom to dive the way you want. I cant wait to see them all again.
Hotel:
The topside life and activities are a strong match for what we experienced under the water. The island was safe and clean. The people were kind and helpful. And the weather was great. As I mentioned we stayed at Xanadu and we absolutely loved it there. The rooms are clean and comfortable, the grounds are well manicured and the staff is beyond wonderful. The cleaning staff wouldnt just come in to make your bed and change the towels. They would wash your dishes if you had left any out, wipe down the deck furniture and keep everything in the room spotless. It also wasnt uncommon to be sitting at their beautiful pool and hear Shelly say looks like its beer thirty and be standing there with 2 cold Belikin beers. Every day when you were picking up fresh beach towels, or dropping them off, someone would ask if they could make dinner reservations, call a cab or rent a golf cart for you. And Orlando, the head grounds person, always took the time to say hello, see how your stay was going and point out something interesting like sleeping fruit bats.
Getting around:
The main modes of transportation on the island would be golf cart, cab, bike or walking (a little tough in town with 90 degree heat but great on the beach). We rented a golf cart one day which was fun but the cabs were abundant and $10BZ/$5US got you anywhere. We also rode a bike as far up as the Rojo Lounge about 5miles from Xanadu. I would not recommend doing this as the roads are mostly dirt/sand and the bikes are beach cruisers. It was a great way to see some of the island I just wouldnt ride quite as far next time.
Food:
I dont think we had a bad meal on the island and, although relative, prices were not bad (we live in NY City). For lunch be sure to hit the Tackle Box (their burger is great) and Estels right on the beach is a treat also. Our favorite place during the day to visit for drinks and fish tacos was Palapa Bar. The greatest idea ever was tying inner tubes to a pylon for you to float in as you knock back Belikins. There is also a bucket on a rope that they will lower down to you so you never need to get out of the water. They also have a big plastic jug filled with cherries soaking in 151 rum watch out!! For dinner Victoria House and Hidden Treasure are both as romantic as they are delicious. Wild Mangoes and Jambel's, a Jamaican place, were both great, ultra casual on the beach places. And be sure to go by Sunset Grill to feed the tarpon and have a great meal. Also, as you are making your way around San Pedro be sure to hit some of the roadside stands for local fruit and snacks. We kept going back to one stand for the homemade banana bread best I have ever had.
Tropic Air:
Something we were concerned about before we visited were baggage weights for the puddle jump from the mainland. We flew with Tropic Air and their website mentions a 35lbs weight limit. We had 2 suitcases both topped out just shy of 50lbs each and had no problems. They didnt even blink at the weight/size of our bags. We also had 2 carryon bags and had no issue there either.
Ambergris Caye is by far my favorite place that I have visited and I just cannot wait to get back there. Enjoy!!
