Quick Belize Trip Report
Aug 25th, 2009, 09:10 PM
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Quick Belize Trip Report
Just wanted to get this off - we are back from Belize and had a wonderful time - I'd go back in a flash.
Where we stayed:
<b>Caves Branch</b> Loved, loved it! Stayed in a treehouse and it was beautiful, and fun, but ours was a hike from the main part. Good food - a note: all the food we had in Belize was tasty, but somewhat plain, except for one place, and a dish here or there. Excursions awesome - did the Black Hole drop - strenuous and cool; Kayaking - very fun; Cave tubing - also very fun; kids and DH did Waterfalls, I did not but they loved it - strenuous also. Great pool, and hot tub, friendly ambiance. Nice grounds.
<b>Martha's Guesthouse</b> in San Ignacio. Charming place - we had room 10 on the top floor. Huge with beautiful view and incredible porch with hammocks. San Ignacio was fascinating - bustling, busy, very interesting.
<b> Xanadu</b> in San Pedro. Wonderful! Little buildings here and there on the property much more pleasant than a big block building hulking on the property. We had a loft, not technically ocean view but we could see the ocean anyway. Not bothered by the lack of a restaurant, which had me worried - kitchenette was fine, we had breakfast and lunch in the room most days. Almost stayed at Banana Beach or Mata Rocks and so glad we didn't. Trees and plantings everywhere really gave a nice feel.
<b>Thatch Caye</b> Loved it here as well. We had a Cabana and a Casita, Cabana was smaller but over the water. We loved the family feel of the place, and the people. One of the owners was around all the time, and I felt very comfortable giving a couple of small suggestions (eg, they had very handy clothes lines, but no clothes pins) and my suggestions were well received. The cook came out and chatted with folks, the bartender was friendly, and the dive master hung out as well. The rooms were beautiful, spotlessly clean. The casita had a great rooftop deck. Food tasty, grounds very cool, and all the animals were great - especially the quash (coatmundi) and the agouti. Very sad to leave.
<b> Hotel Mopan</b> in Belize City. Well, they couldn't all be great. I couldn't figure out this place. Looked great on the internet - A/C, cable TV, WIFI, restaurant, not expensive - what's not to like? pretty much everything, as it turned out. The rooms could have been nice - recently remodeled, tile bathrooms, great water pressure, good beds. But - there was no towel bar on the nice, tile towel bar holder thing. And, no toilet paper bar thing, you know the thing with the spring inside that you put the roll of TP on. So, the towels (no washcloth or hand towel, just one bath towel for each of us) were folded on the beds and the TP just on the counter. Room not really clean, with a dead, totally brown and crispy dead plant. I put it out in the hall, couldn't stand it, and it was gone the next morning. Sheets didn't feel crisply clean, you know? They were kind of soft, and not fabric softener soft either. We wanted to stay one night in Belize City, my parents used to live there and liked it, and I didn't want to risk connections, and miss our flight home. Next time we will stay in the Coningsby Inn right across the street, which seemed delightful. Also a budget place, but they had an excellent breakfast (did I mention the Hotel Mopan Restaurant was closed?) and were very friendly. Place seemed clean, and the owner chatted with us about all the pictures of American basketball players with her son, on the walls. Kobe, Alonso Mourning, a few others.
I'll write up restaurants later - we did have a few good meals, and some really good ceviche.
Where we stayed:
<b>Caves Branch</b> Loved, loved it! Stayed in a treehouse and it was beautiful, and fun, but ours was a hike from the main part. Good food - a note: all the food we had in Belize was tasty, but somewhat plain, except for one place, and a dish here or there. Excursions awesome - did the Black Hole drop - strenuous and cool; Kayaking - very fun; Cave tubing - also very fun; kids and DH did Waterfalls, I did not but they loved it - strenuous also. Great pool, and hot tub, friendly ambiance. Nice grounds.
<b>Martha's Guesthouse</b> in San Ignacio. Charming place - we had room 10 on the top floor. Huge with beautiful view and incredible porch with hammocks. San Ignacio was fascinating - bustling, busy, very interesting.
<b> Xanadu</b> in San Pedro. Wonderful! Little buildings here and there on the property much more pleasant than a big block building hulking on the property. We had a loft, not technically ocean view but we could see the ocean anyway. Not bothered by the lack of a restaurant, which had me worried - kitchenette was fine, we had breakfast and lunch in the room most days. Almost stayed at Banana Beach or Mata Rocks and so glad we didn't. Trees and plantings everywhere really gave a nice feel.
<b>Thatch Caye</b> Loved it here as well. We had a Cabana and a Casita, Cabana was smaller but over the water. We loved the family feel of the place, and the people. One of the owners was around all the time, and I felt very comfortable giving a couple of small suggestions (eg, they had very handy clothes lines, but no clothes pins) and my suggestions were well received. The cook came out and chatted with folks, the bartender was friendly, and the dive master hung out as well. The rooms were beautiful, spotlessly clean. The casita had a great rooftop deck. Food tasty, grounds very cool, and all the animals were great - especially the quash (coatmundi) and the agouti. Very sad to leave.
<b> Hotel Mopan</b> in Belize City. Well, they couldn't all be great. I couldn't figure out this place. Looked great on the internet - A/C, cable TV, WIFI, restaurant, not expensive - what's not to like? pretty much everything, as it turned out. The rooms could have been nice - recently remodeled, tile bathrooms, great water pressure, good beds. But - there was no towel bar on the nice, tile towel bar holder thing. And, no toilet paper bar thing, you know the thing with the spring inside that you put the roll of TP on. So, the towels (no washcloth or hand towel, just one bath towel for each of us) were folded on the beds and the TP just on the counter. Room not really clean, with a dead, totally brown and crispy dead plant. I put it out in the hall, couldn't stand it, and it was gone the next morning. Sheets didn't feel crisply clean, you know? They were kind of soft, and not fabric softener soft either. We wanted to stay one night in Belize City, my parents used to live there and liked it, and I didn't want to risk connections, and miss our flight home. Next time we will stay in the Coningsby Inn right across the street, which seemed delightful. Also a budget place, but they had an excellent breakfast (did I mention the Hotel Mopan Restaurant was closed?) and were very friendly. Place seemed clean, and the owner chatted with us about all the pictures of American basketball players with her son, on the walls. Kobe, Alonso Mourning, a few others.
I'll write up restaurants later - we did have a few good meals, and some really good ceviche.
Oct 16th, 2009, 07:38 PM
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we were diving - we dove with Ecologic at San Pedro, and they were excellent. We had arranged a private Dive Master there, since this was our first time after getting certified, and we thought it would be safer, and we wouldn't hold a group up. Also we had to stick with shallower dives since the boys were Jr Open Water, and so limited to 40'. I think our dive master may have preferred a larger group, I got the feeling that he was going through the motions with us. I did listed in on a class that Steve Lee (owner? manager?) was giving, and he is an incredible teacher! We did two dives every morning, and chilled and played in the afternoons.
We also dove at Thatch Caye with the in house dive op. The diving there was very different, mostly wall diving, as opposed to the "spur and groove" formations at San Pedro. Ian, the instructor, was our DM, and he was unbelievable - very knowledgeable, and thorough. At one point, he gestured to me, and pointed at a sponge. He made the signs for something really small, and really cool Right There! well, I went over and looked, he is gesturing away, and I never saw it... as it turns out it was a small blenny, a cool teeny fish, that was rare. His enthusiasm was infectious!
We are by no means experienced divers, but are definitely hooked now - saving up our pennies for the next trip!
<b>Restaurants</b>
<i>San Pedro:</i>
Rico's - only OK, but it was close. Pedestrian food, but great setting.
El Divino - glad we didn't stay at Banana Beach, almost did. Awesome ceviche, but only OK setting.
Wild Mango - on the beach, tasty
Elvi's - delicious - I'm trying to remember the soup which was delicious. and the ceviche...
and, my favorite - Hidden Treasure! really good food - imaginative, well prepared.
<i>San Ignacio</i>
Hannah's - I had a stewed chicken with rice and beans. Tasty but nothing special, like most of the chicken/rice/beans combos. But, the kids had what they swore was the best burger that they had EVER had.
The fresh fruit everywhere was incredible - we were scarfing down mangoes, papayas, cantelopes, and the pineapples! Wow! and fry bread for breakfast - great! The breakfast at the Coningsby Inn was delicious, as well, really good fry bread and fresh fruit.
But, you could taste the British influence on the cooking - tasty, filling, but not very imaginative. And heavy on the carbs. Not a culinary destination, but we did have some good meals.
We also dove at Thatch Caye with the in house dive op. The diving there was very different, mostly wall diving, as opposed to the "spur and groove" formations at San Pedro. Ian, the instructor, was our DM, and he was unbelievable - very knowledgeable, and thorough. At one point, he gestured to me, and pointed at a sponge. He made the signs for something really small, and really cool Right There! well, I went over and looked, he is gesturing away, and I never saw it... as it turns out it was a small blenny, a cool teeny fish, that was rare. His enthusiasm was infectious!
We are by no means experienced divers, but are definitely hooked now - saving up our pennies for the next trip!
<b>Restaurants</b>
<i>San Pedro:</i>
Rico's - only OK, but it was close. Pedestrian food, but great setting.
El Divino - glad we didn't stay at Banana Beach, almost did. Awesome ceviche, but only OK setting.
Wild Mango - on the beach, tasty
Elvi's - delicious - I'm trying to remember the soup which was delicious. and the ceviche...
and, my favorite - Hidden Treasure! really good food - imaginative, well prepared.
<i>San Ignacio</i>
Hannah's - I had a stewed chicken with rice and beans. Tasty but nothing special, like most of the chicken/rice/beans combos. But, the kids had what they swore was the best burger that they had EVER had.
The fresh fruit everywhere was incredible - we were scarfing down mangoes, papayas, cantelopes, and the pineapples! Wow! and fry bread for breakfast - great! The breakfast at the Coningsby Inn was delicious, as well, really good fry bread and fresh fruit.
But, you could taste the British influence on the cooking - tasty, filling, but not very imaginative. And heavy on the carbs. Not a culinary destination, but we did have some good meals.
Oct 17th, 2009, 01:24 PM
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never mind - we didn't make it to Elvi's as I recall, they were closed but went to El Patio. Very good.
and a note on the difference between Banana Beach and Xanadu - Banana beach was a boring square building plopped on its lot - Xanadu was a collection of huts placed all around, with trees, and space between them - much nicer!
and a note on the difference between Banana Beach and Xanadu - Banana beach was a boring square building plopped on its lot - Xanadu was a collection of huts placed all around, with trees, and space between them - much nicer!
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