My wife and I have always been interested in Belize, so we finally have some time to go there in Sept. After reading through a lot of the postings on this site, seems like going in Sept will hit 2 things:

1. possible hurricane
2. stores/restaurants close

I want to get everyone's opinion re: whether we should even go there in mid Sept-end Sept.

We are also looking for a good place to stay. We love the water, so snorkeling is a must. We also like to have stores, restaurants around us. based on some of the postings, people like to stay around Amber. Cayes...seems to be the most popular and touristy.

Suggestions on nice but too $$$ accomodations? I was thinking of $150 US/night at the most.

Thanks in advance for everyone's help.

It will be slow most everywhere, except a little busier in San Pedro and also, during the independence celebrations mid-month September, in Belize City (quite a few Belizeans come back then.)

Chances of a storm during a given period are pretty low (hasn't been one in four years), but it could happen and Sep/Oct is the definite peak.

--Lan Sluder

My boyfriend and I went to Belize last July and had an amazing time. We got a package deal through Blancaneaux and Turtle Inn. We stayed 4 days at Blancaneux where we went horseback riding and took a day trip to Tikal in Gautemala. The staff and food there was amazing! They then drove us to Placencia to Turtle Inn. Let me say this place was unbelievable!! The cabana's were so big and luxurious it was hard to leave. Placencia is a very nice small town not a lot to do, but we did go on a monkey river tour where we saw howler monkeys. I would definitely recommend this place. The infinity pool and large dining palapa were beautiful. The staff at Turle Inn were up every morning raking the beaches to keep them gorgeous. This is important because if you stepped off the Turtle Inn beaches and walked by other hotels they were covered with seaweed. Although this place is expensive IT IS WORTH IT!! Our last stop was ambergris caye. We took the small plane and stayed our first night at banana bungalow which was a definite downgrade compared to the rooms we had been staying in. Therefore, our second night we moved over to Victoria House which was much better. The problem with ambergris is that it is really touristy, but if this is what your looking for you'll enjoy it. We did have a great fishing trip while we were there. In retrospect we would have stayed at Turtle Inn longer and skipped ambergris. Hope this helps!

Thanks so much for your reply. Sounds like the places you indicated here are a bit out of my price range. Although I would love to stay at these 2 places you mentioned, I am afraid our budget does not allow

We were in San Pedro last September, it was hot, but very pleasant. We hadn't planned the trip so that we were there for Independence Day, but I'm very glad that we were. There was fireworks, speeches, a parade, street dances, lots of fun.

It's a small town so all the restaurant owners know who is closing and for how long. There were several places closed, but many more open. A couple opened while we were there and a couple more shut down for vacation.

As for where to stay, I like to be close to town. Our last stay was at the Palms, very nice condos. We've also stayed at Belizean Reef, also very nice condos, but no pool.

For regular hotel rooms, Sunbreeze gets good reviews, and lots of people like Ramon's, although I think it's sort of expensive for what you get.

For travel in September, you might want to consider trip insurance. Hurricane season seems to be starting out with a bang.

jean

Go for it, but as JeanH suggests you should buy trip insurance. We left for AC one year in late Sept and there was a small tropical storm off the coast of Venezuela. After we arrived the small storm quickly became category 3/4 Hurricane Keith. So watch the weather and be open to rebooking.

As for places to stay, we prefer a condo over a hotel as you can save $ by eating breakfast and some lunches in and then spend a little more on lodging. We've stayed at The Palms, Banana Beach, and Paradise Villas. All have their pros and cons but we liked them all.