My wife and I are considering a visit to Ambergris Caye to celebrate our anniversary and a birthday in June for five to seven nights. Belize sounds wonderful and exciting. Both of us are beach and water activity oriented plus we do like to explore the countryside (ruins, etc.).
The more I research, the more confused I become. The North End looked good, but we don't want to be way out or have to rely on water taxis. With this in mind, is the Belize Beach Suites viable?
How about someplace quiet, ocean front, anniversary appropriate on the South End?
Many thanks for any recommendations!

If you like to go out every night to a different restaurant or for drinks, you would be better off not staying on North Ambergris.

Among the excellent spots south of San Pedro town, I'd suggest:

* Banana Beach -- the seafront one bedroom suites on the second and third floors of the original section are my favorites, with balconies just a few feet from the sea.

* Victoria House -- generally more expensive than Banana Beach, but a lovely spot with a nice beach and a gorgeous pool, ideal for an anniversary.

--Lan Sluder
<San Pedro Cool and a half dozen other books on Belize>

Lan: Thanks for the good and concise information. I'll let you know which one we pick and how it turns out. In the meantime we have ordered San Pedro Cool!

We were on Ambregris Caye last month at stayed at Belizean Reef. Very nice condo, with daily maid service, on the beach, south side of town. Only drawback is there isn't a pool. Otherwise it was wonderful. If a pool is important to you, The Palms next door looks very nice and gets good reviews.

People love Banana Beach, but to me it looks too much like a motel from the 60's. Just a matter of personal taste, I guess.

Jean

Jean, Thanks for the info. We did book with Banana Beach for a week starting June 9. Any pointers toward activities?
(Note to all: San Pedro Cool is a good, informative read.

Lucky you, going for a week in June. We were there last year in June, it's hot, but pleasant. Hope we can get back in September.

As far as activities, I confess we haven't done any of the mainland tours. One of these days....

Snorkeling is fun at Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley. Go to these in the morning, before any cruise ship people find their way over. Also the fish are hungier, and really make a beeline for your boat. They know they're going to get fed. Mexico Rocks is also great snorkeling, and for a wimp like me, it's great because there isn't any current.

Last June we went to Caye Caulker via water taxi for a day. It was fun, but wish we would have taken snorkle gear and swam at the split.

Wednesday night is the 'world famous chicken drop' at the Pier House. Pretty hoky, but can be fun.

Sunday noon is the beach barbecue at BC's. Good food, and lots of fun people. Pretty much immediately following is a jam session at the Palapa Bar, north of the cut. We walked last time we were there, it took a while, but was pleasant. Of course, it wasn't as hot in March as it will be in June.

San Pedro has won a place in my heart. Can't even say for sure why, it isn't the most beautiful place we've ever been. I think you'll be glad to not be north of the cut. It's great up there if you just want to relax and have some privacy. But, if you want to explore and eat at lots of different places, you'll be happier at Banana Beach. Jean

Lan/JeanH: Banana Beach was wonderful! It surpassed our expectations. Thanks for the recommendation.

flypet, I'm glad you had a good time on Ambergris Caye. I'm hoping to get back there early this fall. Did you rent a golf cart for your trip? I've always wanted to stay closer to town than Banana Beach. Maybe I need to expand my horizons. Jean

Hi Jean. We rented a golf cart for one day (24 hours). We traveled north and had a great time visiting the out of the way places. That night we did use it for going back into town for dinner at Carumbas with some new friends. After that we found that taxis were the way to go. They were plentiful, there was usually one sitting outside BB at the little tienda (or the desk could easily call for one or you could just flag one down) and the drivers were always in a good mood. The standard rate from BB to the downtown area was $10 BZ, but all you had to do was ask and the rate would usually drop to $6 or $7 BZ. So, with that convenience, easier ride and a much better rate, we both recommend taxis.
Some evening we would taxi to a restaurant and walk back to BB along the beach. Of course we might then stop at Fido's, BC's, Canucks, etc along the way...