Need advice -- 1st time to Belize
 

Okay all you Belizers. . .hop in here!

Chan Chich has come to my attention, and I've found good FF flights for March. I just need advice about how to spend 6 nights. In fact, I need to know pretty much EVERYTHING!

Fly into BZE?

Where to spend a couple of nights at a beach location possibly? CC is a birding property and DH isn't one of "us"! Thinking 2 nights beach location front or end of trip. . .no idea where. Amergris Caye? Other? Time could be a factor. . .

Have no idea how to get from place to place although CC seems to advise charter flights to and from. Would prefer not to drive this trip. Don't need a car at CC.

I'm waiting to hear availability from CC--okay to go ahead and book the FF flights?

Beach location a problem with spring breakers? Stupid question. . .

Thanks in advance!

Don’t what to highjack your post, shillmac, but after seeing Chan Chich pictures on a different post, I’m interested too – thanks EDH. Please also include snorkeling information – where is a good place to do that?
Thanks

No problem--I need to know about snorkeling as well!

I'm a huge fan of Ambergris, I can't help you with Chan Chich, other than I'd love to stay there one of these days.

Yes, fly into Belize City. (BZE) I don't know if a charter to Chan Chich would leave from there or the municipal airport, a US$25.00 cab ride away. I'm sure they can tell you.

Anyway, I'd head there first, then come back to Belize City and head either to the water taxi terminal (if you're heading to either Ambergris or Caulker), or to the municipal airport. From the municipal airport you can fly pretty much anywhere in the country in under an hour.

If snorkeling is a high priority, you could check out South Water Caye, I think only three hotels on the island. Not much else to do...

Ambergris and Caulker both have tons of places to stay, loads of restaurants, and both are less than a mile from the reef. The beaches are better on Ambergris, but still lots of sea grass in the water, so most swimming is done off piers. There's also some ok snorkeling right off the piers where the owners have started artificial reefs.

Spring breakers aren't an issue. There are young people, but most that come are divers. Not that they don't party, but it isn't the focus.

If you decide on Ambergris, I'll try and help, I haven't spent much time in recent years anywhere else.

Chan Chich is a destination onto itself. Huge swath of jungle, great birding, trails and wildlife, horses, canoeing and Lamanai Mayan site close enough for a day trip. Fly one way, drive the other way. I'm not sure about 6 nights at CC, unless you are an avid birder and hiker. I think the lodges in the Cayo district have more varied trips and activities to offer that'll keep you busy for 6 nights. For beach, Ambergris, Placencia or Hopkins.

Here is my review of Chan Chich which may help answer some questions. If not, feel free to ask more:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...eler&fid=6

I think flying to both the cayes and CC is the way to go. The roads are not good. The flight from BZE to CC is 95% jungle and really pretty (They do leave from the main airport). I believe you can also take a boat from BZE to some of the cayes but we are jungle people and haven't been to the cayes.

Thanks jean, katie, EDH--

Trying to process everything! Looks like, if I book the flights, we'll be arriving about 2:50 in the afternoon. Too late to head to CC on a charter flight? Will I lose out on an entire day of meal plan?

Suppose we go there first and stay March 17, 18 19, 20, then back east for beach time nights of 21, 22. Flight leaves late in the day on the 23rd, so we would have a good day and a half to snorkle and relax. Sound reasonable? Anybody recommending splitting it 3 and 3? I don't really care. . .husband wouldn't either. . .

That brings me to my zillionth questions: I like for someone to just tell me where to go (LOL!), so this is your chance everyone! For pretty beach, good snorkeling, moderate plus (bang for the buck) hotel on beach. . . .what are your recommendations? South Water Caye? Placencia? Otra? And what kind of expense and time are we looking at with regard to water taxi vs. air?

Air is almost free, hotel is our big splurge, and we'd like to keep other costs down as much as possible while still getting around in a timely manner. . .for example, I wouldn't mind at all a land transfer to CC and a flight back or vice versa. . .

I don't think 2:50 would be too late for a flight to CC. Ours was around that same time as well.

CC booked us with Javier’s Flying Service and both flights were great and the pilots were very knowledgable. The owner, Vern, flew us out of CC.

Do you remember the cost of the round trip for two?

So, the one "less than positive" thing to say about CC is that it is pricey.

The charter flight was $626 round trip. Also, be aware that if you arrive for lunch on day one and also want lunch on your last day, they will charge you for that extra lunch to the tune of $45 for two people. (Yes, those are US dollar numbers).

For the price you pay, they could throw in that last lunch. (Bosque Del Cabo did..)

Finally, to say some coin, consider staying in a standard cabana. The deluxe had more than we wanted (double sinks, double shower heads, personal robes, etc). However, I do believe the deluxe cabanas have are generally around the edges and have more privacy.

$626 for ONE person?

We generally stay in a standard at Bosque del Cabo as well, although I like the larger decks on the deluxe.

I'm gonna have a ton of questions--hope you don't mind me bugging you!

If I book quickly, there's a chance I can get a 10:30 a.m. arrival. . .

EDH, do you have an opinion if we should do a 4/2 split or a 3/3, beach being last 2-3 days.

Still looking for a pretty beach with good snorkeling, moderate hotel. Best bet?

Shillmac, we spent a week in Chan Chich in 2003. My husband's the birder, I'm not. I found plenty to do! It is expensive, but for us a once in a lifetime experience and worth it. It's been awhile, but at the time the food was good so it wasn't like you were getting horrible food for that much money.

Instead of trying to book all the transfers and the island part of your trip on your own, you might want to start booking through either someone like Katie Valk or through the booking company for Chan Chich. They know the ins and outs and make it much easier.

For example, we flew into BZE, spent an afternoon and overnighted in Belize City and had an early morning driver pickup. They drove us to Orange Walk Town and we did the river tour to Lamanai, visited the ruins and had lunch, then the driver picked us up there and drove us the rest of the way to Chan Chich.

When we left, we flew to San Ignacio on a chartered flight for the next leg of our trip.

I suppose I could have done this all on my own(the arrangements) but I have to say it was a lot easier getting the suggestions and then choosing.

Thanks so much--this is very helpful. We are so used to arranging our entire travel all over Costa Rica; I can see it's a little more logisticallly challenging in Belize. . .

Do you have a beach location to recommend for 2-3 days?

We didn't do the beach portion as so many do, so unfortunately I don't have a recommendation. We went to San Ignacio and stayed at Ek'Tun. Friends went to Caye Caulker and really enjoyed it, but I can't remember where they stayed. It's my understanding that Caye Caulker has a bit more of a laid back vibe, and maybe Ambergris Caye a little more posh, but I haven't been so maybe it isn't fair for me to say. Have you also visited the Belize Forum? http://www.belizeforum.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi
There's also www.belizefirst.com. Both were good for lots of additional information.

I'm feeling very jealous right now! We just looked at airfares to Belize in December and gulped really hard. We won't be going ):

shillmac, I'm so glad you're going to be our CR guinea pig that goes to Belize. You can give us all the scoop! We've had our eye on Chan Chich for a while and were thinking of pairing it with either Placencia or Ambergris. Seems like things in Belize are a little more expensive than the CR prices we're used to, but it does look amazing, and we love the combo of wildlife and water.

Shillmac, you've been such a help to me on my CR trip, I want to pay back in any way. We were supposed to go to Belize so I had done a fair amount of research. I was looking for places that could combine both beach and jungle without having to move (see a pattern here :)), and Hamanasi was perfect for 6 evenings. We also looked at Almond Beach/Jaguar Reef Lodge in Hopkins and Roberts Grove and Kanantik in Placencia. All resort-y places. Most- if not all- included flights from BZE to the area.

Good luck!

Ambergris does have some higher end resorts, but, I think the biggest difference between Ambergris and Caulker is that Ambergris is simply way busier. More traffic, more people.

With that comes more restaurants, more hotel options, more beach bars.

I love renting bicycles on Ambergris, you can ride up the beach for miles, it's not deserted, in fact there's lots of construction, but it's fun, and there's plenty of places to stop for food or drink.

Are you guys divers? If so, I'd say three day for sure on the cayes, if not, depends on what you want to do.

Thanks, all. Let me digest the info for awhile. . .what we really want out of our 2-3 days at the beach is great snorkeling. We don't get that in CR--and a neat hotel (doesn't have to be high end). $200 per night is okay, but something cool for less is even better! AND we like to bicycle.

South Water Caye is best for snorkeling?

Ambergris has the sea grass, so you walk down the piers to get into the water?

Don't know anything about Caulker. . .

Guess it's time for me to e-mail Katie! :)

Anymore info? Please keep it coming! Guinea pig I'll be, vgirl!

I haven't been to South Water Caye, we spent a few nights at the cheaper Tobacco Caye a couple years ago. The draw for these cayes is the walk in snorkeling. Tobacco Caye is miniscule, you can walk entirely around the island in less than 10 minutes. South Water Cay is larger and way more upscale.

There are a couple resorts on Ambergris that have good walk in swimming on their beaches, Ramon's and Banyan Bay are on the nicest stretches of beach on the south end.

If you decide on Ambergris, next decision is how close to town you want to be. The north end of Ambergris is beautiful, lots of neat places to stay. You'll probably need a water taxi to get back and forth to town, the road up there really isn't a road. Only traffic allowed is golf carts.

There are also some nice places south of town. You can get out of the business of town, but still be able to walk or bike or easily go by golf cart. Or regular taxi.

I actually liked staying in town before we bought south of town. It was really nice to be able to run over to Ruby's and grab a couple of the wonderful cinnamon rolls for breakfast and bring them back to eat on the veranda.

Snorkel trips from Ambergris are usually half day affairs, although you can do all day ones that include lunch and such. There's also an all day one that has three snorkel stops, and also involves a stop at Caye Caulker for lunch. That was fun, although I would have liked more time on Caulker.

A few places have free bicycles for their guests, I know Xanadu does, as does Coral Bay (where I own). Otherwise, it costs about $5.00 a day to rent a bike. Certainly not a huge issue as far as where to stay.

The charter flight from BZE to CC was $626 for TWO people. The plane only held the 3 of us so having more people to lower the cost didn't seem like an option. They also have a baggage weight and size limitation so be sure to check on that before packing.

I have done a ton of research for other jungle lodges in Belize. The only two locations that we felt we might try some day would be Lamanai (about the same $ as CC but has the ruins) or Mamanoots. Not much information on Mamanoots so it is hard to tell exactly what to expect.

Here is a link to another forum with tons of belize experts:
http://www.belizeforum.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi

Thank you Jean and EDH,

I'm trying to sort through the information. Had forgotten how hard it is to plan when you really don't have a "feel" for the area. Maybe I just need to decide if we'd rather walk in and snorkel (and not do much else but R&R)-- or have the town of Ambergris to explore along with biking riding and a snorkle trip--is that about the long and short of it?

We love a hotel that's right on a nice beach where the surf is steps from the door and you can wade right in. . .does that bring anything to mind? I'm thinking we are going to have to choose between that and having a town nearby for a bit of a diversion. . .???

Jean, in reading your response to another poster, I'm looking at Hotel Del Rio and thinking one of the nicer Casitas might be a good fit for us. What is your take on the hotel and its location?

Am now looking at arrival on March 16, 2:55 in the afternoon, heading to San Pedro for 3 nights. On the 19th, flying over to Chan Chich for 4 nights. Return flight home doesn't leave until 3:30 in the p.m., so we should be able to get back to BXE in plenty of time, right?

How does that sound for a mix for a couple who want to see some ruins, do some birding at a more "luxe" hotel, and stay at a moderate hotel on a good beach for lounging and good snorkeling opportunities?

Nervous as a cat here. I've got the res. on hold for 24 hours.

The only concern I have is a 55 min. connection in Dallas, and I'm positive there will be a change in terminals. What if we are late on our original departure!?!?

I've lost the better schedule by not booking early yesterday, but can still manage with what is there (although will have to overnight in Dallas and take an extra half day from job). Am afraid to wait longer for fear I won't be able to do it at all!

BUT I've managed to get 7 nights instead of 6--that has opened up some new doors! So now I feel I have time to work out the other details with less urgency. . .

Thanks, all--if you think of anything else or want to add to something I've said, please do!

This forum is such a life saver and I'm so glad to be a part of it!

Meant to say "BZE"--no telling where BXE is! :)

Hotel del Rio is in the north part of town, still south of the 'cut' though. On that end of town, there is some vehicle traffic on the beach. More right now, since they're working on paving (cobblestoning) the main road in that part of town.

That stretch of beach is really shallow. I don't think I've ever seen anyone in the water there. Nice views though, and maybe a 10 minute walk to ok swimming.

I would stay at Hotel del Rio, if I could get one of the ocean front cabanas.

That said, take a look at Corona del Mar. It's such a cute place, the people who stay there always seem to be nice. There's usually a game of horse shoes going on, and we get invited to join in almost every time we walk by.

Also, maybe look at Exotic Caye, the beach does look nice there, although once again, it's very shallow water.

I am such a worrier that I've always avoided those one hour connections in Dallas. However, most of our flights into Dallas have been on time. And the flight to Belize City seems to be late more often than it's on time, at least when we fly. Downside is, if you miss it, you lose an entire day. Where do you fly from?

We're flying out of Amarillo, TX, which is a very non-busy airport. Just thinking mechanical problems (which almost never happens) or some such. I avoid anything less than 1.5 hr. as well. Had just the perfect flights yesterday, lost them from FF availability. This is the best I can do. And it is such a bonus (if all goes well) to get in a day earlier to get that extra night.

You see, I have no "feel" whatsoever for Ambergris, so when you describe it to me, I have a hard time visualizing. I'll look into the hotel you suggested. . .we do want to get in the water!

Thanks!

Jean, am I being too picky? Corona del Mar looks great, but do we want to be on a wharf? Is the swimming good there? Can you tell me a bit more about it? Thanks!

No pool at Corona del Mar, or at Hotel del Rio, for that matter. The pier at Caribbean Villas is maybe a seven minute walk, that's where I do most of my swimming/snorkeling from shore.

I've avoided mentioning it, but the condos where I own are nice, but, at least for now, no pool. They're in between Corona del Mar and Caribbean Villas. We have absolutely awesome views, one of the hurricanes greatly enlarged our stretch of beach some years ago. Coral Bay Villas is the name. I'm not trying to 'sell' my condo, we'll be there the month of March.

I'm having a hard time figuring out what kind of place you're looking for. If walkin swimming is your priority, Ramon's has a really wonderful beach, and an artificial reef off their dock. Expensive though. We used to stay a couple places down the beach, at Belizean Reef. Nice condos, but, once again, no pool. The Palms is right there too, more expensive, but really nice condos, and it does have a pool, but it's in back.

Banyan Bay also has a great stretch of beach, but I think all their units are two bedroom. Close to there is Banana Beach, nice place, a bit too resort like for me, but it's got a very good restaurant, and is close to that great stretch of beach.

I've been to the Amarillo airport, only because we were fogged out of Dallas, and circled so long we had to refuel. That was the trip we were heading to Grenada and ended up having to spend the night in San Juan.

Check out the lodging section of this site:
http://ambergriscaye.com/
Also, there are some good maps that show where things are in relation to each other. If you want to e-mail me, I can send you some pictures, [email protected]

Thanks--this is extremely helpful to me. I'm not sure we're big on having a pool. Definitely will check out your place. . .it would be nice to meet you!

I guess we just want nice beach out our door--and a view. Ability to get in the water and swim. We can alwyas do a snorkle trip. Not interested in artificial reef. I'll keep checking--and will probably go "underground" with you via e-mail--if you don't mind me "dogging" you! :)

Thanks so much--Jill

It seems a group has Chan Chich booked that entire week that we will be in Belize. I am quite bummed.

They have us in the #1 waiting spot, and say there's a 50/50 chance someone will back out by Sept. 1 deadline for final commitment. Birders, I'm sure. We're a stubborn group!

SO, supposing we get bad news come September 1,and there is no availability still, any other suggestions for a combination with the beach? Still interested in birding at least some. . .

Thanks!

Jill, Chaa Creek is another one I've heard good things about - don't know much about it, but I'm sure the Belize experts could give you more info.

That's a real bummer. I wish I could be of more help. I would e-mail Lan Sluder and see what he suggests. I know I read a wonderful review of a birding spot in Belize that wasn't Chan Chich. I'll keep trying to find it.

http://www.belizefirst.com/ That's Lan's web site.

Thanks to both of you!

vgirl, don't you have PACKING to do? :)

Chaa Creek is a very comfortable resort in a great location. You have easy access to Mayan ruins, caves, rivers and other Cayo attractions. They offer bird walks but as these are not a particular interest of ours, I can't comment on their quality. No pool, but the river runs by the property and they have a fleet of canoes. We took a day trip to Tikal, wish we'd made it an overnight.

On Ambergris. We stayed at Caribbean Villas, because our first choice, Banyan Bay, was full. The Villas are functional, nothing luxurious, and do not have a pool. The pier is useful for swimming and a bit of snorkeling. Better snorkeling trips can be arranged by the hotel or on your own. Half-day trips to Mexico Rocks or Shark/Ray alley are the usual choices. I found the snorkeling excellent, although the ray and shark bit was crowded and felt "packaged." Note that you are not going to find surf or long stretches of pure white sand.

We were picked up at the airport, and driven to Chaa Creek. We stayed three nights, then were driven back to Belize City (via the zoo) to the municipal airport for the short flight to Ambergris. The cost, by the way, was half of what it would have been from the international airport. Not sure why.

Ambergris boasts a small town, San Pedro, with a sandy road running north and another running south. It's a very relaxed, sandals and shorts kind of place. I thought it was funky and charming. Some call it touristy, but I thought the "tack factor" was pretty low. Blue Water Grill was our favorite restaurant. The Villas we stayed at are south of town, slightly closer in than Banyan Bay or Victoria House. Only transportation you'll need is a golf cart.

We enjoyed our trip to Belize and hope to return. I'm sure you will too.

Chan Chich looks very nice. However, having stayed at Chaa Creek, I don't believe you'll be taking a step down. We really really enjoyed Chaa Creek. We didn't have time to make it to Tikal (wish we did), but did tour Xunatunich (very close to Chaa Creek). Though not Tikal, we had a great time at Xunatunich (sp?)....they let you climg on the ruins. We spent 3 nts at Chaa Creek and 6 nts at Banyan Bay on Ambergris Caye. The snorkeling from Amgergris Caye is wonderful!
Enjoy!!

This is all great information. I may be able to drag myself away from Costa Rica and try Belize! Jill, I am notorious for packing the morning that I leave; my husband packs a week ahead of time, so every day he asks if I need help packing. I think I'm torturing him.

me, too!

Chaa Creek is beautiful, I'm not sure if it is as "birdy" a trip (not that they aren't around...of course they are!) but at Chaa Creek you will have all sorts of different travellers, not the primarily birder group you may have at Chan Chic. It's a very nice place though. Another place that is particularly birdy is DuPlooy's. Not as upscale. You may also look up Mama Noots. Definitely not upscale, but, a great place for a birder.

We visited Ek'Tun which is near Chaa Creek. You won't have a bird guide there, and it is very very private (only two cabana's) but quite lovely. Black Rock Lodge further up the river from Ek'Tun is a bit bigger, and you might want to take a look at those.

Don't blast me, but Chaa Creek just felt like another beautiful resort...it didn't feel like "Belize." Does that make sense? Maybe I'm nuts.

Chaa Creek is highly regarded based on my research but we wanted a place with more wildlife which Chan Chich supposedly has. Of course, Chan Chich is regarded as the best place in Belize to see a big cat in the wild (we saw two ocelots and probably a Marguay).

However, with that being said, Chaa Creek has activities that you can't do easily from Chan Chich (caving, tubing, big ruins, etc).

So, figure out what matters to you. I don't think you can make a bad decision between these high end lodges.