Belize trip coming along......
 

So I just booked my plane tickets yesterday (at a fantastic price!). I will definitely be doing Chaa Creek for 4 nights but I'm still trying to decide how to split up the rest of my time. Considering 1 night at Tikal before flying to AC or just doing 4 nights AC or 4 nights Placencia. I typically would be happy spending my entire trip in the jungle but I recently got certified to dive and I figured I should make it worth it. On AC I'm also torn between staying somewhere up north like Tranquility Bay or something more convenient to town like Xanadu, So many choices!
PS. For those that have been to BDC, how does Chaa Creek compare?

Well, not anywhere near as much wildlife. for starters. We stayed at their camp, so not sure of the difference in accommodations. Completely different feel to me.

We really liked Chaa Creek, but agree that the wildlife does not at all compare to what we saw at BdC. Food and service were great, and they have a beautiful pool area, nice birding, and hiking. The accommodations were beautiful - very hot when we were there though. We had a big fan in our room, and I moved it to be about one inch away from the bed! I don't know if Victoria House interests you at all, but it's one of the best places we've ever stayed. We loved Ambergris.

We liked their camp too. A very nice local family run it. It was just impossible to compare much of it though, as we didn't stay or eat much in their main area. The hiking trails were interesting, not as diverse or dense as BdC. The included activities were very, very good. We were favorably impressed.

If your main interest is diving, I probably wouldn't stay at Tranquility Bay. You certainly can dive from there, but, the main draw is the proximity of the reef for snorkeling. It's a lovely place, don't get me wrong, but, it's really far north. Not even the water taxis go that far.

I live very close to Xanadu when I'm on the island. Great location, nice place. Easy walk to town. If you don't want to walk home, US$5.00 cab ride.