brendarfl

My husband and I are thinking of going to Belize next year. We'd like to spend half our time at the beach and the other half in the jungle. Beach questions first....

A little about us: We're 27 and fairly active. While at the beach we'd like to do a tour to Lamanai, snorkel and kayak (if possible). I hope to plan the trip during the peak whale shark migration period - so next April/May/June (I'm a planner ). We want our vacation to be relaxing, but also adventurous.

For our stay in Ambergis Caye we're debating between Banana Beach and Belizean Shores Resort. Do the rates at Belizean Shore include anything besides the room? I saw that they have several tours listed - are their prices and quality competetive with other operators? I think there would be a 20-25 dollar per night difference between the two. Is it worth it?

A more general question, when is the best time to book tours? Do you wait until you get there or do you try to do it ahead of time?

Thanks so much for your help.

Brian

You may want to post your questions on the Ambergris Caye forum at http://ambergriscaye.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi. It's a very active board and you will probably get several answers.

Katie_Valk

Whales sharks migrate off the Placencia coast further south. Best time to see them would be within 3 days either side of the full moon. You'll want to book your space on a whale shark snorkel or dive in advance as space is limited. If you prefer a condo with a kitchen, take a look at Laru Beya. Plenty of small beachfront inns on the peninsula. For jungle, look at the jungle lodges in the Cayo district close to maya sites, caving, river and jungle trips.

JeanH

We just returned yesterday from our fourth trip to Ambergris Caye. I haven't stayed at either place that you mention, but both get good mention from the people who stay there. Belizean Shores is north of the 'cut' and would require either a golf cart or a water taxi to get back and forth into town. I like being closer to town, but that's a personal choice. Banana Beach is south of town. We've walked there many times, but it gets to be quite a hot stroll. That said taxis are available and cheap. (No taxis on the north end, other than by water.)

We never quite get around to doing that trip to Lamanai, but when we do it will be with Danial Nunez of Tanisha Tours.

Hope this helps.

brendarfl

Thanks for the replies. I didn't know that it would be better to be on the Placencia coast for the whale sharks. Can you recommend a good tour operator for that? I think we'd really like to go to Lamanai though - is that possible from Placencia?

We probably wouldn't want a kitchen in our room, as we'd prefer to try the local restaurants.

JeanH

If you want to try lots of different restaurants, you're best off to stay in town or close to town. You can rent lovely condos for not much more than a regular hotel room. I don't cook while we're there, but it is nice to have a fridge and a microwave.

flypet

Banana Beach is a great place to stay: comfortable, convenient and very friendly. And the included breakfast is excellent. We've stayed there twice.
For Lamanai we recommend the tour offered by TropicAir. It might cost a few more $ (and I do mean few), but you take a private flight, and have a private guide... For snorkeling, all are good, but our fave is Tulu.
Have a wonderful trip!