AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Talk Belize Travel 1st time travel to Belize

My husband and I would like to travel to Belize for our anniversary in September or October. I have no idea where to start looking for hotels/ packages etc. We want to stay on the beach but would like to do some tours to the jungles and ruins. Any help would be appreciated

You can't go wrong. Mention what your preferences is in hotel type and budget. You'll get plenty of great advice here. Most of all, relax, don't overplan, and enjoy!

Think about how many days you want to spend in the jungle and on the cayes. We did several days at the Mopan River Resort (all inclusive) to see ruins, go cave river tubing, kayaking etc. Took Tropic Air to spend another set of days on Ambergris Caye for the snorkeling/beach activities.

Since we want MORE time for snorkeling on our next trip, we will now lodge on AC the entire time and just do one or two day trips to the mainland by boat. (Or you can fly on day trips also).

Either way can be arranged quite easily through tour companies in the US or once you get to AC if you would rather be more spontaneous once you arrive.

As Otteralum metioned, tell us about budget and preferences and getready for a flurry of return messages.

Also, get ready for the time of your life! Belize is fabulous and you will want to return again and again!!

Thank you for your fast replies. I am looking to spend 7 days in Belize. I would like to stay at a beach resort. We would like to do day trips to the jungle and the ruins. We are more beach people but don't want to miss out on see Belize. We will be traveling from NY/NJ and would like to spend about $3000 with airfare. Is this possible? We went to Tahiti for our honeymoon and it was absoultly amazing and VERY expensive. I have looked through the pictures from Belize and the place looks amazing. Just wondering also how much activities and food would cost.

I did Belize for 9 days for under $3000 with 2 people. It can be done

Budget very doable. Truth in advertising -- the beach at AC is very different from a tourist-typical caribbean beach. The coral reef just off shore breaks most wave circulation at the coast. No less beautiful, just different. If you like clubs, bar-hoping and/or sampling many great restaurants, stay in town. If you plan on sampling town/inland 2-3 times but want seclusion and more beach, stay north of town (Belizean Shores is my fav).

Everyone will have their favorite places to recommend
We always stay at Banana Beach - they have one of the best beaches w/ little or no sea grass. The rooms are spacious, clean, well maintained & a great value. A large, full breakfast is included in the price of the room. It's far enough from town to miss the crowds and noise, but close enough to walk to the center of town w/in 20 minutes or easy golf cart or taxi ride.
For a first time visit must snorkel at shark/ray alley - very impressive about $30 per person. Go inland for a day trip to the ruins. Lamani is probably the best trip for a first time.
Rent a golf cart for the day and explore the island from end to end - about an 8 hour day w/ lots of stops for refreshments! Satisfying tasty meals can be had for anywhere from $5 to $40 per person. San Pedro is very relaxedz and you will love it!

nic

here's my two cents worth. i'm by no means an expert. have been to san pedro two times. first trip was with my spouse, second with my brother. each trip had a different agenda and thus different accomidations / costs / etc.

Ambergris is not like your typical "resort" style trip to the carribean. I've done those too (the all inclusive thing. Based on what I've seen, my take is that San Pedro is much more like what you would have found in the more touristy islands 50 years ago. Now, depending on what you looking for, this can be either great or a dissapointment (for me it was great).

I'd suggest working with a travel agent who specialized in this region. Barb's at Barb's Belize is who I used for my first trip and she was great. I'd suggest you call her and chat rather than try to do your whole search online.

Where did I end up? Spent a week at Victoria House with my wife and had a great mellow week. VH was lovely, upscale, refined, quiet and classy. Priced accordingly (for belize, for USA, it was a great deal). Second trip was with my brother and on a budget. Stayed at Bananna Beach. Functional, fine, comfortable, affordable, busy.

Again, first trip (given what you've said) I'd work with Barb for planning.

Feel free to post follow up questions. Boarders were very helpful in my search and I'll chime in if I have something meaningful to add.

Any suggestions on who you would recommend me booking a trip with?

http://belizetravelpoints.com/adventureandfun.htm

I think my agent's name here was Kelly Johnson.

Very pleased with all arrangements, they have some nice island/jungle packages and you can even shuffle the order of things.