Belize Travel Advice

[redgraccoon]

Hi Folks - sorry, newbie poster here - but was looking for some input.

My girlfriend and I are headed to Belize in a couple of weeks for our FIRST trip to the Caribbean, which we're pretty excited about! To be diving somewhere that doesn't require 100'+ depths just to see a few fish and having a viz more then 25' is going to be a novelity!

However, like everyone else who travels to Belize for the first time, we're not sure where to stay and which company to dive through. We only have 6 days, a modest budget and plans to limit ourselves to 2 days of diving and one or two rainforest/land excursions.

Ideal for us is quiet, by the beach, out of the way, and most importantly - not too expensive. Caye Caulker is on our list after looking at other posts, but can't find much written about the southern destinations. Can anyone recommend a good, safe dive company down in the Placentia or Hopkins area? [The one my guide books recommend was shut down for bad boating practices after 2 accidents.]

Also, does any area in Belize offer shore line snorkling (that isn't super expensive to stay near) - or are cheap excusion trips the only way to go?

Being our first trip to somewhere tropical, it's not going to take anything near a trip to the blue hole or a whale shark sighting to make us impressed. So any and all advice is appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Welcome to SB!

 

[scubajoe]

Welcome to the board!

Joe

 

[El Orans]

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[Dive-aholic]

We stayed at AquaMarina Suites on Ambergris Caye. They were reasonably priced and have several different dive packages. Land excursions are things that are going to cost you. They can cost anywhere from $80-150/person plus travel to the mainland (about $45 airfare/person roundtrip). The reef is about 1/2 mile from shore with lots of boat traffic between shore and the reef. Not a good idea to swim out to it. I'm not sure what a boat trip would cost. Caye Caulker is south of Ambergris and much smaller, probably a little more expensive to get back to the mainland from there. Placencia is even further south, on the mainland, but pretty remote. Look up Hank49 here on the Board. He lives there. I'm not sure about Hopkins. If you're not set on Belize, you may want to put that off until your budget meets your desires. You might be able to get a decent trip to Cozumel for less, and it's just a little farther north in the Caribbean. Good luck!

 

[pilot fish]

Hi Folks - sorry, newbie poster here - but was looking for some input.

My girlfriend and I are headed to Belize in a couple of weeks for our FIRST trip to the Caribbean, which we're pretty excited about! To be diving somewhere that doesn't require 100'+ depths just to see a few fish and having a viz more then 25' is going to be a novelity!

However, like everyone else who travels to Belize for the first time, we're not sure where to stay and which company to dive through. We only have 6 days, a modest budget and plans to limit ourselves to 2 days of diving and one or two rainforest/land excursions.

Ideal for us is quiet, by the beach, out of the way, and most importantly - not too expensive. Caye Caulker is on our list after looking at other posts, but can't find much written about the southern destinations. Can anyone recommend a good, safe dive company down in the Placentia or Hopkins area? [The one my guide books recommend was shut down for bad boating practices after 2 accidents.]

Also, does any area in Belize offer shore line snorkling (that isn't super expensive to stay near) - or are cheap excusion trips the only way to go?

Being our first trip to somewhere tropical, it's not going to take anything near a trip to the blue hole or a whale shark sighting to make us impressed. So any and all advice is appreciated!

Thanks!

I'm assuming you are referring to Ambergris Caye? If so, AVOID Ramon's Village "Resort". It is NOT quiet and the beach in front of the hotel is PUBLIC and gets a lot of town people traffic. Town's people and thier children use the beach and the beach is used for a pathway, which, I feel, creates some security issues.The rooms are smallish and not very comfortable for two people. For what they charge, expensive for what you get, you can do better elsewhere. Hope this helps.

 

[pigletfish]

We dove with Seahorse Divers in Placencia and had a good experience -- but the caveat is that it was 5 years ago. It was a nice day, though -- morning dive, lunch and snorkel on a small caye, and then an afternoon dive. There are plenty of inexpensive accommodation in Placencia -- check out this site:

http://www.belizenet.com/

If you only have 6 days, my recommendation would be to stay on mainland Belize -- maybe 3 days in Placencia for diving, beach, and Monkey River tour, and then 3 days inland for Mayan ruins, cave tubing, and other jungle fun.

Have a great trip!

 

[Darnold9999]

Placencia or Ambergrise or Calker. Would not plan to stay in Belize City if you can avoid it. Just got back yesterday from a Nekton trip and Belize City is not a place to spend any time. Any of the other three will be great. Ambergrise would be my first choice as the diving is pretty good and nearby. You could easily spend the whole week on the Caye, but you would miss ruins and the other things to do in Belize. Unfortunately it is the furthest away from the other things to do in Belize so you will pay more for excursions. Placencia is nice, but the reef is a long boat ride out and is also quite a way from anything. Caye Calker is smaller and there is less to do on the island, however it is generally cheaper and closer to other excursions.

 

[SStrecker]

I'm assuming you are referring to Ambergris Caye? If so, AVOID Ramon's Village "Resort". It is NOT quiet and the beach in front of the hotel is PUBLIC and gets a lot of town people traffic. Town's people and thier children use the beach and the beach is used for a pathway, which, I feel, creates some security issues.The rooms are smallish and not very comfortable for two people. For what they charge, expensive for what you get, you can do better elsewhere. Hope this helps.

I stayed at Ramon's at the end of December and I think that the place gets an undeserved "bum" rap on this board. It offers extreme convenience, very good service, good rooms, a fun bar and kitchy "tiki" decor. The dive operation is excellent and there are plenty of amenities. To be fair, the food service is substandard and the place is a little overpriced. They have great web site but are very vague about pricing (until you call the toll-free number). Overall, I would definitely stay there again.

 

[surlytart]

I'm assuming you are referring to Ambergris Caye? If so, AVOID Ramon's Village "Resort". It is NOT quiet and the beach in front of the hotel is PUBLIC and gets a lot of town people traffic. Town's people and thier children use the beach and the beach is used for a pathway, which, I feel, creates some security issues.The rooms are smallish and not very comfortable for two people. For what they charge, expensive for what you get, you can do better elsewhere. Hope this helps.

I understood that docks and beaches in Belize (at least on Caulker) are supposed to be public? This is what Lonely Planet says, and what seemed to be the reality.

I've never felt so secure in a foreign country as I did on Caulker. The only trouble we had with people 'invading our space,' to take a north American attitude, was during a fierce midnight rainstorm, and they were French. I can't see telling people to leave the shelter in that storm.

I still didn't leave my gear unattended, but I went so far as to consider showering while it was drying on the porch. Chilling out and matching pace with the locals can get you a long way.

I do recommend getting inland. It's like taking a completely different trip - you'll go from the Caribbean to Central America.