alisa23

We (my husband and I, our two boys ages 6 and 8 and my parents) just came back from Belize. We had a great time! Thanks to everybody here who posted Belize reports and also to everybody who answered my questions.

We loved Lamanai. Everything was good at the lodge. The logistics of getting to the lodge, guides, food were good. The location is the best! In the jungle, on the river and near the ruins -- so many possibilities for activities! There were practically no bugs, which was great too. I read that in other months some guest were eaten alive.

We did the following tours: dawn, night tour, the Mayan ruins, medicine walk and the village visit and the spotlight safari. My parents also did the sunset cruise. We liked everything but if I were to do it all over again, I would have done the birding safari on the river at dawn instead of the spotlight tour.

We saw lots and lots of howling monkeys at the ruins and at the lodge. They made it hard to sleep on one of the nights but we were more amused than annoyed.

We then flew to Ambergris Caye on tropic air. Tropic air was awesome! On time, helpful, nothing to dislike.

On Ambergris Caye we stayed at X'Tan Ha. Getting to the hotel via a grocery store was a breeze. Everything was so well organized! The hotel itself was good but not great. I really liked that their beach is nice and swimmable. The boys liked the pools. Our room was very good except for the bed, which was very soft. The restaurant was passable but not great. I had stomach problems for a couple of days, probably because of the water? Nobody else was sick, which is good.

We went snorkeling with No worries tours. Everybody at the shop was great except for one person but even that was minor. We went snorkeling to Hol Chan and the Shark alley. We had a good time but the sites are way too crowded. We also did Mexico rocks twice (it was in front of the hotel) and tranquility resort. We liked Mexico rocks the best, especially one time when we could swim by ourselves without a guide.

We went for a half a day to the tranquility resort and had a good time. We dined (besides X'Tan Ha and the hotel room) at Mambo's and Tranquility. Both places served some good and some not so good dishes.

Overall I am not a fan of Ambergris Caye. Snorkeling is not the greatest. There is tons of smelly sea grass (I was very happy that X'Tan Ha cleaned the beach). And there is just not that much to do IMO. We liked our 3.5 days there but I think we should have gone to one of the atolls instead.

We flew United to BZE. United was awful. It canceled one of our flights, changed two and delayed one. Also TSA destroyed a zipper on one of the checked bags so everything fell out onto a carousel in Houston where we stayed overnight. I had to take Uber to a local mall to buy a new suitcase.

Overall I would rate places as follows:
Lamanai - 5
Tropic Air - 5
United - don't know what. I appreciate that we made it home in one piece so maybe 2?
X'Tan Ha minus its restaurant - 4.5
Ambregris Caye - 3.5
Three restaurants we went to on Ambergris Caye - 3. I was happy to land in Houston and finally eat well

JeanH

Thanks for taking the time to post a report. I love Ambergris Caye, but, realize that not everyone doesn't. I've never eaten at any of the places you mention, I rarely get up north.

volcanogirl

We loved Lamanai Outpost Lodge too, but like you we didn't love the spotlight safari tour. Did your boat driver go super fast in the dark without the lights on? That freaked me out. I had visions of us tumbling into the croc filled river, although I'm sure that was just in my own head!

We love Ambergris too - saw so many cool thing at Hol Chan and ate at great restaurants, sorry it was crowded for you. Have not heard of X'Tan Ha and will have to check that one out. I hope United paid to fix your suitcase. At least it didn't break until the end of the trip!

Patty

Glad you enjoyed LOL. It's still one of the favorite places we've ever been. We went at a similar time of year and experienced no biting insects either. We really enjoyed the spotlight safari and would've liked to have squeezed in the village tour too. Ambergris has gotten too crowded for us too. We liked Caye Caulker. In addition to the atolls, you might also enjoy South Water Caye.

volcanogirl

alisa, what did you guys do on the village visit - do they still do the cooking lesson?

alisa23

JeanH, sure different people have different priorities. We had too kids with us and my nervious parents with me so I had to think about all of them. If I were alone with my husband, maybe we would be doing tours all day long and I would feel that there are lots of activities on Ambergris Caye

Volcano girl, I was not scared I knew he would drive fast in the dark because I read your report but it was not that dark really. I could see the silhouettes of the trees and where the river was.

Yes, there is still a cooking lesson in the village. It was fun for the kids! I would not have done that particular tour if I was without kids. But there was one couple without kids who seemed to thouroughly enjoy the village tour so it is person-dependent as usual

United did not pay for anything. To be honest, I did not even ask. It was getting late. I had other people with me and the last thing I wanted to do is to argue with the airline. I decided it was easier to just write off.

Patty, yes you are right. I considered the South Water Caye before selecting Ambergris Caye and I will consider it again if we go back. I was worried it would be too rustic. But if kids are bigger and there are no parents, a little rustic can be just fine.

lindatx

What airport did you use to get from LOL to Ambergris? I had assumed just go back to Belize city, but guessing there are closer spots. Also, to the rest of you on this thread, who I know are also experts! - what are some options for getting from LOL to San Pedro? JeanH, you've mentioned a cool day trip with Tanisha - would this be a fun way to maybe get FROM LOL TO Ambergris....? Just looking for alternatives. On the way back from Ambergris, we will just take TropicAir back to our flight home from Belize city, but just trying to understand options from the midweek transfer from LOL to Ambergris. (We will be staying at Tranquility Bay for that part of the week.) Thanks all!

volcanogirl

We had Lamanai Outpost Lodge take us down river by boat and then drive us to the airport where we got a Tropic Air flight over to Ambergris; it's a very quick flight, about 15 minutes and very pretty, right over the water.

lindatx

Thanks, volcanogirl, that makes sense since it also gets us another river boat ride with LOL, which I've heard is fantastic! I have been looking forward to this trip for so long....5 more weeks! And being from Texas, I am just looking forward to a little sunshine

volcanogirl

Yes, we loved the river boat ride. It was almost like a free tour in itself. We saw some crocs and nice water birds along the way. Fingers crossed for nice weather for you.

Patty

Two additional transfer options between LOL and Ambergris without returning to Belize City:

You can charter directly from the airstrip at LOL to Ambergris.

You can take the LOL boat to Orange Walk and a scheduled flight from there to Ambergris on Tropic or Maya Island Air though I'm unsure of the distance between where the LOL boat docks and Orange Walk airport.

alisa23

We took a boat and a bus to Belize city and then flew to San Pedro on tropic air. Everything went very smoothly so I definitely recommend this route. I inquired about chartering a plane but the prices were very high. We had six people in the group and we were told that we will need two planes since a six-seater plane is no longer in service. That seemed too implicated and expensive

alisa23

I am not having any success posting comments today. This is a test.