Need help ASAP for Belize
 

Last minute trip, 2 weeks in Belize 8/5-19. 2 adults and one 15 yr old boy. We are interested in snorkeling, diving, fishing, and a trip to Tikal and have a recommendation to visit Actun Tunichil Muknal. I have tried to contact a tour operator with no luck so far so am trying to plan!
Any advice in itinerary and places to stay ( nice but not necessarily luxury) welcome.

We like staying on Ambergris - lots of good hotel choices, and Hol Chan is just a quick boat ride away. The snorkeling there is fantastic; we saw huge rays, sea turtles, nurse sharks, and lots of colorful tropical fish. Lots of good restaurant choices as well. We liked to stay at Victoria House, but it is a little pricey. If you want something quieter, Caye Caulker is also popular. We split it with jungle time at Chaa Creek in San Ignacio; we did a day trip to Tikal from there with PACZ tours and loved it. The national language is English so it's pretty easy to get around even if you don't speak Spanish. A lot of the resorts have sea grass close to shore, so snorkeling can be better via a quick boat trip.

You have time for 3 or 4 different stops; we like to start on the mainland and end up on the water. If you don't have one already, in my opinion you should get your hands on a guidebook and devour it, even an older 1 from your local library would work. They have good historical and cultural background sections and suggested itineraries in addition to travel, food, and lodging specifics. When you have a better idea of what you’re wanting, you can get more updated info from the internet and come back with more specific questions so we can help you better.

In the mean time here's a link to my photos with blog, travelogue, and review links on the main page of each collection - all my recommendations are embedded there.
Happy planning!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections

I would recommend stayin in Belize City 2 nights so you can visit Lamanai Ruins or Caracol Site, here you can stay in Biltmore hotel. Then drive down to San Ignacio and do ATM caves and Tikal, stay at Table Rock, then go to Placencia Village and enjoy the beautiful beaches!

We also like the Lamanai Outpost Lodge, located right on a nice river, and you can walk to the great Lamanai ruins from there. Lots of monkeys on site.