minnesota01r6
Contributor
San Pedro Belize: what I learned from 9 days in Paradise.
Diving:
We used Ramons Village for all our diving because it was where we were staying, and we had contacted Elbert Greer (www.scubalessonsbelize.com) about doing my girlfriends OW referral beforehand. The DMs were very nice, knowledgeable, and pointed out lobster, sting rays, spotted eagle rays, crab, nurse sharks, moray eels, the occasional turtle, etc. We did all local reef diving, no trip to the blue hole, although I heard that the other 2 dives that accompany the blue hole are the most beautiful all 3 are wall dives with the blue hole being to 130-140 fsw. They will let anyone go to these depths you can decide if thats a good thing or a bad thing. Also, the blue hole divers encountered reef sharks and bull sharks if youre scared of either of these two you might want to ask the DMs if they have been spotted recently before you go on the trip.
My girlfriend and I did our AOW course with Elbert Greer of Ramons village instead of going to the blue hole. Hes a great guy, very nice, and makes you feel very at ease. We basically decided to do the course because we had seen what a great instructor he was during my girlfriends OW referral dives. I would recommend him to anyone doing a referral OW or AOW.
We went on a night dive to hol chan marine reserve 28 fsw is the maximum depth great spot to not get in too much trouble on a night dive. We saw 15 or so sting rays, parrot fish that were 3 feet long, hermit crabs, and more. It was a blast (even though my girlfriends HP hose blew out on the surface at the beginning of the dive). I would not recommend Hol Chan or Shark Ray Alley during the day they are pretty crowded with snorkelers and you can see everything you see there plus more on a dive somewhere else to 60 fsw.
Nitrox:
Nitrox is available almost anywhere on the island, although I believe there are only 2 places that actually do the fills: Protech for sure does them and I think Amigos Del Mar does too. Getting nitrox was easy as long as you let someone know ahead of time that you were going to be using it. Oxygen analyzers, on the other hand, were hard to come by and usually meant going down to Protech to use one on the way out to the reef.
If I had it to do all over again:
I wouldnt change a thing. I had a great time and got a ton of bottom time (over 12 hours) in 7 days of diving. However, if I were going back with my AOW cert, I would probably dive with Protech because I am interested in doing a nitrox cert and possibly some technical diving training as well. this isnt to say that Ramons or any other place isnt capable of doing nitrox certs, its just that waiting for the 02 analyzer and then finally just driving down to protech was a PITA. If youre going there to dive air and do rec diving, I highly recommend the guys at Ramons. The largest dive group we had was 8 people, and usually it was 4-6. They also sort you by experience, with the more experienced people going out on a different boat - not babysitting - the new/rusty divers. Again, its up to you where you stay, but I would get a cheap, off the beach place because it just isnt worth the $$$ to me.
Lodging:
Ramons Village was a little pricey, there was no T.V., and a mini-fridge cost extra. In the future well probably stay someplace cheaper I dont really care what Im looking at during my SIs. Everyone has access to the beach, so staying a block away isnt that big of a deal.
Food:
I should start the food section out by saying that the food in Ambergris is great, and with a few exceptions, I dont think you can go wrong if you go to the most beautiful restaurant or the smallest hole-in-the-wall.
Celis Deli: There are 2 of them. We ordered deli sandwiches to go for lunch from the one that isnt on the beach. The food was great and the women working there are very friendly. My girlfriend really liked their ice cream too.
Jam-Bel Jerk: Great jerk chicken (very spicy), service was slower than most (and most are pretty slow). Key lime pie was also great. We went there twice because I love jerk chicken.
Caliente: Decent Mexican food, although it wasnt very spicy and I like spicy food. My girlfriend really liked the food, but shes a Spanish teacher that lived in Mexico for 1 ½ years, so she loves authentic Mexican food.
Blue water grill: Good food but pricey. Coconut shrimp appetizer was really good. Dont get the carrot-mango soup it tastes like puréed baby food.
Jerrys Crab Shack: Good food, I think. I was there when the power went out on the island, so everything had to be grilled. Everything on my plate tasted good, but I couldnt see what I was eating. Jergen (yur-gan) the German was a great waiter.
Caramba: Good (and cheap) Mexican food. We all ordered the fajitas and they were excellent. This place was busy, so it might be a good idea to plan for a 15 minute wait when you show up.
Elvis Kitchen: Awesome Food. We read a book on belize that said this place was not that good, expensive, and small portions. However, the feedback we got from people while we were on Ambergris convinced us to try it. We were only upset that we hadnt tried it until our 2nd to last day. It was a bit expensive, but well worth it from our point of view.
Ramons Village: If I didnt stay there, I wouldnt have eaten there. The food was so-so, it was expensive, and the waiters were pretty slow.
Rubys Bakery: We grabbed some banana bread and cinnamon buns for breakfasts and they were very good. I was asleep when my GF went to get it, so I have no clue on the price.
El Patio: Great open-air with thatched roof eatery. Be sure to get a table under a fan, because you need some air movement since its not air conditioned and away from the beach. The food was great, we all ordered seafood burgers/sandwiches.
Capricorn: I saved this review for last because we went to this place the last night we were in Belize, and it was a memorable one. First, if you stay in San Pedro (or anywhere south of san pedro) you need to get a water taxi to take you to Capricorn. Its $10 US for 1 person round trip. Capricorn is a very romantic restaurant, and the only one on the island I wouldnt feel comfortable dining at in a swimsuit and t-shirt. Be sure to ask for an oceanside table when you make reservations (you need to make them, and during high season they usually have a 3 day wait to get in). Also, it was the most expensive restaurant we encountered appetizers, dinner, and desert cost $50 US per person (no tip or alcohol included). The stone crab, stuffed grouper, and fillet (mignon) were all wonderful.
The Conclusion:
I loved this vacation. Maybe it had a bit to do with the people I went with, maybe it had to do with not going on vacation for over 2 years, but it was awesome. I met a lot of people who hadnt gone home from their vacation, and I was tempted to go on a dive to 130 fsw my last day there so I couldnt go home too. I wish the visibility would have been better, but for this time of year I was happy with the 40-50 feet I would estimate it to be. The food was great, the locals were all friendly, and the dives were incredible.
Diving:
We used Ramons Village for all our diving because it was where we were staying, and we had contacted Elbert Greer (www.scubalessonsbelize.com) about doing my girlfriends OW referral beforehand. The DMs were very nice, knowledgeable, and pointed out lobster, sting rays, spotted eagle rays, crab, nurse sharks, moray eels, the occasional turtle, etc. We did all local reef diving, no trip to the blue hole, although I heard that the other 2 dives that accompany the blue hole are the most beautiful all 3 are wall dives with the blue hole being to 130-140 fsw. They will let anyone go to these depths you can decide if thats a good thing or a bad thing. Also, the blue hole divers encountered reef sharks and bull sharks if youre scared of either of these two you might want to ask the DMs if they have been spotted recently before you go on the trip.
My girlfriend and I did our AOW course with Elbert Greer of Ramons village instead of going to the blue hole. Hes a great guy, very nice, and makes you feel very at ease. We basically decided to do the course because we had seen what a great instructor he was during my girlfriends OW referral dives. I would recommend him to anyone doing a referral OW or AOW.
We went on a night dive to hol chan marine reserve 28 fsw is the maximum depth great spot to not get in too much trouble on a night dive. We saw 15 or so sting rays, parrot fish that were 3 feet long, hermit crabs, and more. It was a blast (even though my girlfriends HP hose blew out on the surface at the beginning of the dive). I would not recommend Hol Chan or Shark Ray Alley during the day they are pretty crowded with snorkelers and you can see everything you see there plus more on a dive somewhere else to 60 fsw.
Nitrox:
Nitrox is available almost anywhere on the island, although I believe there are only 2 places that actually do the fills: Protech for sure does them and I think Amigos Del Mar does too. Getting nitrox was easy as long as you let someone know ahead of time that you were going to be using it. Oxygen analyzers, on the other hand, were hard to come by and usually meant going down to Protech to use one on the way out to the reef.
If I had it to do all over again:
I wouldnt change a thing. I had a great time and got a ton of bottom time (over 12 hours) in 7 days of diving. However, if I were going back with my AOW cert, I would probably dive with Protech because I am interested in doing a nitrox cert and possibly some technical diving training as well. this isnt to say that Ramons or any other place isnt capable of doing nitrox certs, its just that waiting for the 02 analyzer and then finally just driving down to protech was a PITA. If youre going there to dive air and do rec diving, I highly recommend the guys at Ramons. The largest dive group we had was 8 people, and usually it was 4-6. They also sort you by experience, with the more experienced people going out on a different boat - not babysitting - the new/rusty divers. Again, its up to you where you stay, but I would get a cheap, off the beach place because it just isnt worth the $$$ to me.
Lodging:
Ramons Village was a little pricey, there was no T.V., and a mini-fridge cost extra. In the future well probably stay someplace cheaper I dont really care what Im looking at during my SIs. Everyone has access to the beach, so staying a block away isnt that big of a deal.
Food:
I should start the food section out by saying that the food in Ambergris is great, and with a few exceptions, I dont think you can go wrong if you go to the most beautiful restaurant or the smallest hole-in-the-wall.
Celis Deli: There are 2 of them. We ordered deli sandwiches to go for lunch from the one that isnt on the beach. The food was great and the women working there are very friendly. My girlfriend really liked their ice cream too.
Jam-Bel Jerk: Great jerk chicken (very spicy), service was slower than most (and most are pretty slow). Key lime pie was also great. We went there twice because I love jerk chicken.
Caliente: Decent Mexican food, although it wasnt very spicy and I like spicy food. My girlfriend really liked the food, but shes a Spanish teacher that lived in Mexico for 1 ½ years, so she loves authentic Mexican food.
Blue water grill: Good food but pricey. Coconut shrimp appetizer was really good. Dont get the carrot-mango soup it tastes like puréed baby food.
Jerrys Crab Shack: Good food, I think. I was there when the power went out on the island, so everything had to be grilled. Everything on my plate tasted good, but I couldnt see what I was eating. Jergen (yur-gan) the German was a great waiter.
Caramba: Good (and cheap) Mexican food. We all ordered the fajitas and they were excellent. This place was busy, so it might be a good idea to plan for a 15 minute wait when you show up.
Elvis Kitchen: Awesome Food. We read a book on belize that said this place was not that good, expensive, and small portions. However, the feedback we got from people while we were on Ambergris convinced us to try it. We were only upset that we hadnt tried it until our 2nd to last day. It was a bit expensive, but well worth it from our point of view.
Ramons Village: If I didnt stay there, I wouldnt have eaten there. The food was so-so, it was expensive, and the waiters were pretty slow.
Rubys Bakery: We grabbed some banana bread and cinnamon buns for breakfasts and they were very good. I was asleep when my GF went to get it, so I have no clue on the price.
El Patio: Great open-air with thatched roof eatery. Be sure to get a table under a fan, because you need some air movement since its not air conditioned and away from the beach. The food was great, we all ordered seafood burgers/sandwiches.
Capricorn: I saved this review for last because we went to this place the last night we were in Belize, and it was a memorable one. First, if you stay in San Pedro (or anywhere south of san pedro) you need to get a water taxi to take you to Capricorn. Its $10 US for 1 person round trip. Capricorn is a very romantic restaurant, and the only one on the island I wouldnt feel comfortable dining at in a swimsuit and t-shirt. Be sure to ask for an oceanside table when you make reservations (you need to make them, and during high season they usually have a 3 day wait to get in). Also, it was the most expensive restaurant we encountered appetizers, dinner, and desert cost $50 US per person (no tip or alcohol included). The stone crab, stuffed grouper, and fillet (mignon) were all wonderful.
The Conclusion:
I loved this vacation. Maybe it had a bit to do with the people I went with, maybe it had to do with not going on vacation for over 2 years, but it was awesome. I met a lot of people who hadnt gone home from their vacation, and I was tempted to go on a dive to 130 fsw my last day there so I couldnt go home too. I wish the visibility would have been better, but for this time of year I was happy with the 40-50 feet I would estimate it to be. The food was great, the locals were all friendly, and the dives were incredible.
