Lorraine,
My husband and I used to stay at the Tides several times a year when we lived on the mainland. We'd come to the island for all of the amenities that we didn't have and really missed, such as hot water, air conditioning, supermarkets, restaurants and a swimming pool to cool off in. Now that we live here, if there are too many guests to stay with us, we always include the Tides in our recommendations, especially for the great price. Sabrina and Pat, the owners, are very sweet and friendly and will bend over backwards to make you feel welcome. The hotel is 3 stories, all facing the ocean. The 12 rooms all have a name rather than a room number, such as the Blue Hole and are decorated accordingly, some with murals. They are very clean and have TVs, hot water, a/c, a little fridge, and chairs out on a veranda where you can sit. They have a pool and a poolside bar cabana, where Butch the bartender will mix you a tropical drink. Room rates include breakfast, for example - eggs scrambled with ham, onions and peppers, toast, jam, and orange juice. You can eat out on the dock, that is where Patojo's dive center is located also. We snorkel with Eric (he's also a divemaster) every time we have guests, he used to work there but he now has his own boat. He usually takes just our family and we make a day of it, including a stop to Caye Caulker for lunch and shopping. He's very knowledgable and very laid back and fun loving. He brings fresh fruit and rum punch, and once he gets to know you he'll always remember to bring your favorite music. He's in no rush, so if you want to just take a while and relax with the rum punch and sit and talk or read you can.
Have fun and let us know how everything went after your trip!
AmbergrisCaye.com 
Any other suggestions. Any dive centres you recommend also? We'd like to go with a smaller number of people on board, rather that 12 or more as we did last time. 
