where to stay in Ambergris Caye
 

My husband,daughter & I are traveling to Ambergris Caye for 9 days in June for the 1st time. We are torn between staying in a condo or on a resort. Paradise Villas and Belizian Shores condos were both highly recommended to us. Does anyone have any feedback about these 2 places or any other recommendations? Any feedback is welcome & helpful.

Thanks,
LaBohem

You could try searching on the Belize Forum in the accommodation section:

www.belizeforum.com

PV are on the edge of town,nice enough, some rooms a bit worn down, but can't beat the rates. Belizean Shores is north of town, accessible by boat, new, all one bdrm condos, good word of mouth

I've never stayed at either Paradise Villas or Belizean Shores, but here's my thoughts on them.

Belizean Shores has the nicest pool on the island. Just lovely. I've heard good things about the condos as well. They certainly look nice from the outside. Restuarant on site gets mixed reviews. For me, the biggest drawback is that it's several miles from town. You'll either need to rent a golf cart or take a water taxi. During the day, bikes are an option, depending on the age of your daughter.

Paradise Villas is located on the northern edge of town. Easy walking distance to grocery stores, restaurants, what shopping there is. The pool is very nice, the condos look good too, although I don't think the two bedroom units have balconies, which would make me unhappy.

Most of our stays on AC have been at Belizean Reef. Beautiful condos, but no pool. We've also stayed at the Palms, nice condos as well, small pool in the back of the property. Nicely landscaped, but small.

You might look at Xanadu and/or Banyan Bay. Both are a bit further south of town than the above two, but walkable, or a short taxi ride (or easy golf cart ride)to town.

I think it boils down to whether you are planning to spend most of your time at your condo/resort, or whether you're the type who wants to get out and explore their environs, and meet more of the locals.

I am not sure how old your daughter is, but my children were both under 5 years old and we stayed at Banyan Bay and it was without a doubt, the best place to stay. We visited friends in other hotels and were so glad we stayed in BB. Great pool, great beach and decent restaurant and only 5 mins froms town via golf cart or 2 mins. via taxi.

We stayed at Banyan Bay and enjoyed it very much (nice pool, beach, etc)

Thanks to everyone for all the great advise!

I think we would like to spend about 3 days on all day excursions, 3 days hanging around the pool relaxing /reading books and the other 3 days venturing into town. I love the idea of a great pool and I don't think the distance would be an issue if we don't NEED to go into town everyday. Does anyone know how much the water taxi's cost per person or how (in)convenient use can be? Our daughter is 6 and is just learning to ride a bike w/o training wheels, but golf carts sound really fun!

Banyan Bay was actually our 1st choice. While we are pretty concerned about costs, I wouldn't consider us budget travelers. We don't like to spend alot of time in the room, but we would like a nice mid-tier, well maintained property that is not run down. We would like to spend about $125 usd/nt for accomodations. Belizean Shores had the lowest rate (compared to PV)for available 1BR units + 1 free night. The lowest rates I found for Banyan Bay were $205/nt + tax. If we spend more on accomodations, we wouldn't be able to spend as much on the excursions which our travel agent warned were as much as $175/pp for the cave tubing & Zoo or Xunantunich(?)ruins day trips. Can anyone confirm this pricing? Last year we vacationed in Hawaii and spent similar amounts for excursions, so it doesn't seem unreasonable.

Thanks again for all the feedback!
LaBohem

Have you considered splitting your time between an inland spot like San Ignacio to use as a base for exploring, then finish with a few days on Ambergris (or another island/beach place)? Some places, like the zoo and Xunantunich, don't require guides and you might save some money on that you could spend on other things. My kids would have LOVED staying in the jungle when they were 6 (didn't have the opportunity then, but loved it as teenagers). Just a thought - have a great trip whatever you decide.

Cave tubing and zoo is 150.00pp. BB are all 2 bdrm units. Look at Coral Bay villas and Paradise Villas for lower rates.

We stayed at Belizean Shores a few years ago (I think the date was March of 2003). We really liked the whole condo-tel idea, since we were able to eat breakfast and lunch in our unit and then go out for dinner. We had a second-floor unit, which had a second bedroom in the loft, which your daughter mightlike, plus you have the extra room of the large patio, living room/dining room combo,kitchen, etc. The pool is great, and the onsite restaurant was fine (now called Blue Water Grill but called Crocs or something like that back then). We walked to Capricorn, Rendezvous, and Captain Morgan's for dinner (but it was DARK!). We biked to Sweet Basil, Mata Chica, and Portofino, during the day (as well as took our bikes across the hand ferry to San Pedro) but those would be a bit far to walk/bike/golf cart at night because the island is so dark. I would definitely stay at Belizean Shores again--it was quiet and secluded, which worked for us, but may not be suitable for those looking for evening entertainment, daily shopping, etc.

Paradise Villas are showing thier age. Banyan Bay is a newer project. And close 2 town. Enjoy