Trip Report (Long-winded) and thanks!
Dec 1st, 2004, 05:24 PM
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Trip Report (Long-winded) and thanks!
Just wanted to say thanks Lan and Katie for answering all my questions about Belize. We just returned on Sunday and had a great trip. Here’s a summary of what we did:
First 3 nights we stayed at Xanandu on Ambergris – switched our reservation at the last minute from Changes in Latitude. Turned out to be a good move, as we thought having a pool was key….it does get hot and humid during the day.
Xanadu was a great option….not too close, not too far. Rooms was comfortable, we enjoyed having the kitchen for making coffee and having breakfast in our room, courtesy of Marina’s Market. The pool area was quite nice as well as the palapa pier. Although I’ve read the beaches aren’t so great in Belize, I really liked them a lot - -there’s something about that blue, blue water and white sand that is so appealing. From Xanadu we snorkeled and went diving. Also enjoyed using the bikes provided by Xanadu to bike into town and north of the cut….
On day 4 we headed to Pine Ridge with stops on the way we at JB’s for lunch and San Ignacio to book some tours and have some ice cream. San Ignacio is a great little place and wish we had more time there. The drive from here to Blancaneaux Lodge was quite scenic…..San Antonio really stands out…we drove through just as the kids were coming home from school in their brown skirts or pants and melon-colored shirts. The sun was just beginning to set and the colors and scenery were spectacular.
First 3 nights we stayed at Xanandu on Ambergris – switched our reservation at the last minute from Changes in Latitude. Turned out to be a good move, as we thought having a pool was key….it does get hot and humid during the day.
Xanadu was a great option….not too close, not too far. Rooms was comfortable, we enjoyed having the kitchen for making coffee and having breakfast in our room, courtesy of Marina’s Market. The pool area was quite nice as well as the palapa pier. Although I’ve read the beaches aren’t so great in Belize, I really liked them a lot - -there’s something about that blue, blue water and white sand that is so appealing. From Xanadu we snorkeled and went diving. Also enjoyed using the bikes provided by Xanadu to bike into town and north of the cut….
On day 4 we headed to Pine Ridge with stops on the way we at JB’s for lunch and San Ignacio to book some tours and have some ice cream. San Ignacio is a great little place and wish we had more time there. The drive from here to Blancaneaux Lodge was quite scenic…..San Antonio really stands out…we drove through just as the kids were coming home from school in their brown skirts or pants and melon-colored shirts. The sun was just beginning to set and the colors and scenery were spectacular.
Dec 1st, 2004, 05:26 PM
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Trip report, continued..
Arrived at Blancaneaux and were just blown away by the beauty of the place.. We were lucky enough to get in the villa next door to the Coppola villa… loved the Guatemalan bedspreads, the rustic wooden furniture, Spanish tiles in the bathroom and garden shower…..the villa was open air and it felt as if the beauty of the area was right in our living space. The best part is that about 200 feet from us, we had our own private deck with Adirondack chairs overlooking the Privassion River. DH and I loved taking dips in the our *private creek* with small waterfall and then enjoying a Belikin on the deck….must have been what Eden was like (without the beer)….After dinner, I was reading one of the Zoetrope magazines provided, and it wasn’t long before I fell asleep on the sofa to the sound of the rushing river….slept like a baby there until DH finally woke me up to go to bed!
From Blancaneaux we toured Caracol on our own and stopped at Rio Frio Waterfalls and Cave. (One note: We really missed having a guide here….thought we could drive on our own and get a guide at the park, but there was no one available. Had a great time, walked quite a bit, hiked on a jungle trail, took pics, but would have loved to have more history than what was offered in the museum. Of course, now we’ll just have to get some books from library about Mayan history culture, which is also a good thing.)
We had ordered a box lunch from Blancaneaux and it was the best pack lunch I’ve ever had (sorry, Mom). The smoked chicken sandwich is the bomb! Though there were varied offerings for dinner, we opted for the Italian dishes both nights – pizza with fresh basil, calzones and, and lasagna were outstanding.
It was time to leave Blancaneaux after only 2 nights….will definitely come back and next time will stay a lot longer! (Did I mention how great the Jacuzzi is here???) Had to get up quite early to meet Maya Walk Tours in San Ignacio for the ATM Cave Tour….what a great day! Wading/swimming into the cave was so much fun, the cave formations were beautiful, and it was pretty mind boggling to see all that pottery and the human bones and skulls lying just as the archeologists found it. I’m amazed that they were allowed to do that….or wanted to do it???
Arrived at Blancaneaux and were just blown away by the beauty of the place.. We were lucky enough to get in the villa next door to the Coppola villa… loved the Guatemalan bedspreads, the rustic wooden furniture, Spanish tiles in the bathroom and garden shower…..the villa was open air and it felt as if the beauty of the area was right in our living space. The best part is that about 200 feet from us, we had our own private deck with Adirondack chairs overlooking the Privassion River. DH and I loved taking dips in the our *private creek* with small waterfall and then enjoying a Belikin on the deck….must have been what Eden was like (without the beer)….After dinner, I was reading one of the Zoetrope magazines provided, and it wasn’t long before I fell asleep on the sofa to the sound of the rushing river….slept like a baby there until DH finally woke me up to go to bed!
From Blancaneaux we toured Caracol on our own and stopped at Rio Frio Waterfalls and Cave. (One note: We really missed having a guide here….thought we could drive on our own and get a guide at the park, but there was no one available. Had a great time, walked quite a bit, hiked on a jungle trail, took pics, but would have loved to have more history than what was offered in the museum. Of course, now we’ll just have to get some books from library about Mayan history culture, which is also a good thing.)
We had ordered a box lunch from Blancaneaux and it was the best pack lunch I’ve ever had (sorry, Mom). The smoked chicken sandwich is the bomb! Though there were varied offerings for dinner, we opted for the Italian dishes both nights – pizza with fresh basil, calzones and, and lasagna were outstanding.
It was time to leave Blancaneaux after only 2 nights….will definitely come back and next time will stay a lot longer! (Did I mention how great the Jacuzzi is here???) Had to get up quite early to meet Maya Walk Tours in San Ignacio for the ATM Cave Tour….what a great day! Wading/swimming into the cave was so much fun, the cave formations were beautiful, and it was pretty mind boggling to see all that pottery and the human bones and skulls lying just as the archeologists found it. I’m amazed that they were allowed to do that….or wanted to do it???
Dec 1st, 2004, 05:29 PM
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Trip Report -- End
After the tour we drove to Placencia….this made for a long day, but it was fine. We were still able to enjoy the beauty of Hummingbird Highway, as it didn’t get really dark until we reached the Southern Highway.
Arrived at Turtle Inn and, at first, were just a little disappointed. Crazy, right? It was just not the same as Blancaneaux – we had a lot less privacy and felt a bit surrounded by the other villas and cabanas. And I suppose we enjoyed the mountain area, the river, and the trees more than the beach. But seafront is definitely the way to go here. The sea and beach were beautiful and seafront cabanas/villas are literally steps away from the water.
That being said, the villa was just gorgeous, lighting was spectacular at night, the hardwood floors were gleaming, the outdoor shower was the best I’ve seen, and it was beautifully decorated with Balinese furnishings. After our initial disappointment we started enjoying Turtle Inn for what it has to offer. From here, we kayaked in the lagoon and even saw dolphins, biked into Placencia, had dinner at Cozy Corner with its beautiful beach view on the night of the full moon, and went hiking in Cockscomb Reserve on our own to a pretty waterfall.
Time to say goodbye to Belize and head back for cold, cold Chicago! We had a great trip and would definitely return…as I mentioned, next time Blancaneaux will get a lot more of our time………
After the tour we drove to Placencia….this made for a long day, but it was fine. We were still able to enjoy the beauty of Hummingbird Highway, as it didn’t get really dark until we reached the Southern Highway.
Arrived at Turtle Inn and, at first, were just a little disappointed. Crazy, right? It was just not the same as Blancaneaux – we had a lot less privacy and felt a bit surrounded by the other villas and cabanas. And I suppose we enjoyed the mountain area, the river, and the trees more than the beach. But seafront is definitely the way to go here. The sea and beach were beautiful and seafront cabanas/villas are literally steps away from the water.
That being said, the villa was just gorgeous, lighting was spectacular at night, the hardwood floors were gleaming, the outdoor shower was the best I’ve seen, and it was beautifully decorated with Balinese furnishings. After our initial disappointment we started enjoying Turtle Inn for what it has to offer. From here, we kayaked in the lagoon and even saw dolphins, biked into Placencia, had dinner at Cozy Corner with its beautiful beach view on the night of the full moon, and went hiking in Cockscomb Reserve on our own to a pretty waterfall.
Time to say goodbye to Belize and head back for cold, cold Chicago! We had a great trip and would definitely return…as I mentioned, next time Blancaneaux will get a lot more of our time………
Dec 1st, 2004, 06:25 PM
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Great report...glad to to hear you had a great time! Since we're (wife and kids 6 & 11) are planning our Spring trip to Belize, I'd love to hear a lot more. You mention diving & snorkeling. Did you take a boat trip to any of the atolls (or blue hole)? If so, I'd love to hear about it. If not, I'd still love to hear your opinion on good diving/snorkeling spots (Ambergirs Caye vs Palencia, is there good snorkeling from beach, etc). So far, we're planning on staying at Banyan Bay Villas (Ambergris Caye) for 4-5 nts and then? I was considering Turtle Inn / Palencia area since we want beach but also location closer to other outdoor type activities (rivers/caves/animal sightings, etc.) Based on what you've written, Blancaneux would be a good option. However, is this a good spot w/ kids? Your suggestions and tips would be greatly appreciated!
Dec 2nd, 2004, 03:54 AM
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Glad to hear you had a good time. I checked into Xanadu earlier this week when internet crashed in this part of the world. They have a direcway satelitte and were one of a few operating over the 5 day period. Lovely place, nice people, good beach and area. Pumpy-no snorkeling from the beach in either area. Snorkeling on ambergris is lots easier, only a 10 min boat ride to the reef. Trips to Lighthouse atoll for snorkelers and divers-wonderful marine life. Snorkel trips from Placencia depart at 9 and return after 3 or so. Blancaneaux Lodge is great, you might want to take a look at duplooys and chaa creek, in the same distrcit but along a river in tropical foliage. BL is closer to Caracol and Barton Creek. CC and dup are closer to Tikal, ATM cave trip, river canoeing and kayaking. All offer horses. Lots of very good options to choose from.
Dec 3rd, 2004, 01:55 PM
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Pumpy – we did not take a trip to the atolls…..this was my first time diving (resort course) so we dove (is that a word?) and snorkeled at Hol Chan. DH is the expert diver in our family and he thought that snorkeling at Hol Chan is just a good as diving there….basically he didn’t feel he needed all the hassle of diving equipment, etc., to see the fish and reefs at the 30 or 40 or so foot depths. If you all are expert divers, I would snorkel at Hol Chan (which usually involves going to Shark Ray Alley afterward), and then seek out diving elsewhere….
I do know that some girls who dove (again??) with us at Hol Chan also went diving the next day. They were picked up by the dive operator and didn’t know where they were going….and just hoped it wasn’t back at the same place again!
Also be prepared…everyone, but everyone is at Hol Chan. You will be snorkeling off the boat and there will be 4 -5 other dive/snorkel operaters there at the same time. It works out fine, but you are in a bit of line, kinda thing….so don’t go expecting anything different than that. Also part of this may be because it’s a marine reserve and are they’re now carefully watching what people do so as not to damage to the reef…You will see some pretty cool stuff, though – coral reefs, barracuda, large rays, nurse sharks, etc. Your kids will probably love it.
We inquired about snorkeling in Placencia, but we had done so much by the time that we got there, we pretty much vegged and just did kayaking, hiking on our own so as not to have to get up early for an organized tour. The one difference is that if you snorkel, say, at Laughing Bird Caye, you would snorkel from the shore there rather than from a boat. It was mentioned that we’d see lemon sharks here, as well as some of the same things we saw at Hol Chan.
Sorry I can’t help more, but you might have to be a bit assertive or do a heck of a lot more research than we did about going somewhere off the beaten path. We were fine with the beaten path, though!
I do know that some girls who dove (again??) with us at Hol Chan also went diving the next day. They were picked up by the dive operator and didn’t know where they were going….and just hoped it wasn’t back at the same place again!
Also be prepared…everyone, but everyone is at Hol Chan. You will be snorkeling off the boat and there will be 4 -5 other dive/snorkel operaters there at the same time. It works out fine, but you are in a bit of line, kinda thing….so don’t go expecting anything different than that. Also part of this may be because it’s a marine reserve and are they’re now carefully watching what people do so as not to damage to the reef…You will see some pretty cool stuff, though – coral reefs, barracuda, large rays, nurse sharks, etc. Your kids will probably love it.
We inquired about snorkeling in Placencia, but we had done so much by the time that we got there, we pretty much vegged and just did kayaking, hiking on our own so as not to have to get up early for an organized tour. The one difference is that if you snorkel, say, at Laughing Bird Caye, you would snorkel from the shore there rather than from a boat. It was mentioned that we’d see lemon sharks here, as well as some of the same things we saw at Hol Chan.
Sorry I can’t help more, but you might have to be a bit assertive or do a heck of a lot more research than we did about going somewhere off the beaten path. We were fine with the beaten path, though!
Dec 3rd, 2004, 02:01 PM
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Pumpy -- I'm getting wordy again and didn't have space to answer your second question...so here goes...
I think that Turtle Inn is a great place to do just what you mentioned….you have both the beach and snorkel/dive activities, as well as some of the nature type activities. Turtle Inn had guided trips to Cockscomb, Monkey River, the ruins in the Punta Gorda area (Nim Li Punit and Lubataan (sp?)), and also some caving tours.
We don’t have kids, so it’s hard for me to address the kids and Blancaneaux question. My first thought would be that you would have to watch your 6-year old a bit if you were in the villa….the living area is open and is kinda high off the ground…there are several steps from ground level to the actually living space. Also, I’m sure that pools are pretty much a requirement with kids, right? The river would not be the best place for them to swim…it is REALLY cold and it has slippery rocks, etc. I even had to have DH help me *climb out* of the river when I took a dip.
In my trip research, it really sounded like the San Ignacio lodges would be good area for families.....Du Plooys looks kinda cool. All that being said, I’m sure kids would be welcome at Blancaneaux and they have good tours as well – Caracol, Barton Creek, Tikal, etc. Would you have time to go to both places? Next time we plan to do that.
I think that Turtle Inn is a great place to do just what you mentioned….you have both the beach and snorkel/dive activities, as well as some of the nature type activities. Turtle Inn had guided trips to Cockscomb, Monkey River, the ruins in the Punta Gorda area (Nim Li Punit and Lubataan (sp?)), and also some caving tours.
We don’t have kids, so it’s hard for me to address the kids and Blancaneaux question. My first thought would be that you would have to watch your 6-year old a bit if you were in the villa….the living area is open and is kinda high off the ground…there are several steps from ground level to the actually living space. Also, I’m sure that pools are pretty much a requirement with kids, right? The river would not be the best place for them to swim…it is REALLY cold and it has slippery rocks, etc. I even had to have DH help me *climb out* of the river when I took a dip.
In my trip research, it really sounded like the San Ignacio lodges would be good area for families.....Du Plooys looks kinda cool. All that being said, I’m sure kids would be welcome at Blancaneaux and they have good tours as well – Caracol, Barton Creek, Tikal, etc. Would you have time to go to both places? Next time we plan to do that.
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