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#32818 01/02/01 11:50 PM
Joined: Dec 2000
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My experiences in A/C

I would suggest that if you are getting in after 5 P.M. and you want to be on a tour or die the next day, ask your hotel before you get there to make the plans for that first day. We ended up with a half day snorkeling trip - which was good for us, but we would have preferred a whole day.

Ratings 0 - 10. 0 being wouldn't ever go back and 10 - recommend it strongly. A 5 means it may not be for everyone so read the comments and decide for yourself.
1. Sundiver Resort
Rating 10 for accommodation friendliness and food.
Rating 5 for accessibility to town.
Notes:
We stayed at the Sundiver resort. It is located about 5 miles north of San Pedro Town.
We had a lovely Jr. suite that was very comfortable. Nothing I can think of to complain about. Very clean, roomy, well decorated...

The Chef there is fantastic! His name is Kenrick (spelling may be wrong). Everything we tried there was delicious. And we tried something different every night we ate there.
I would suggest calling to see if they are requiring reservations if you want to eat there. Every night it seems that more and more were eating there.
Prices were reasonable. Most expensive was steak and Lobster for 45 Belize dollars (22.50 USD).
They had Italian food, pork, chicken, steak...
also appetizers.
George will probably be your waiter, or one of the family members that run the place.
Again, I can't rave enough about the food. (we did have lunch other places and it just didn't compare)
Oh, and for lunch if you get the hamburger it is HUGE! My husband video taped the hamburger because it was so big.


Accessibility to town - well, we are the kind who like to be around lots of people, and we didn't like the idea of taking a boat into town (we do many things on a whim). BUT most of the people we met said they were glad to be isolated with the ability to go into town if they wanted. Also it is a great place to base yourself for dives. They pick you up right on the pier, no need to go into town.

Rendezvous
Rating:0
We only ate away one night that we were in A/C and we went to Rendezvous. This is supposed to be a French/Thai restaurant and very goo. I love Thai food, and was bitterly disappointed. We had a traditional Tom Yum Goong, Pad Thai, a salmon appetizer, and chicken curry. All medium spicy. Well, the soup had the tails left on the shrimp - hard to eat it properly, but then it also didn't have much taste :-(
The Pad Thai also had the shrimp tails left on. also hard to eat and not much flavor.
I didn't eat the salmon, so I can't comment, and my husband only ate half his chicken curry.

Snorkeling, Mexico rocks:
10 for a beginner who is scared of snorkeling
I'm the person afraid of the ocean, but this was just right. I don't know how experienced divers/snorkelers would rate it. about 31 USD a person for a half day trip.

Tikal:
Rating 10
I would strongly suggest that if you want to go to Tikal you do one of 2 things...
1. take the overnight trip - you get a bit more time and best of all you get to stay in Flores.
or what we should have done
2. Taken a separate trip to Flores and stayed there for a week. Making the trips to the many many ruins from there. It would have been a fraction of the price and less rushed.
Exchange is about 7.5 to 1 USD.
We don;t speak Spanish and got along fine. Go to the highest point in town at night and hang out with the locals. It's fun.

Lamanai
Rating 5
I give this a 5 because of the travel to and from the ruins. It is a great place to see, but read on for a detail of the travel.
Start out at 7 am. Boat (no cover - too bad if it is raining) across the bay to the mainland (45 min). A bit choppy and during the summer might be a good temperature. Get to the mud flats. Well, the tide was low and the boat gets stuck. All the boats but 1 were getting stuck, so it wasn't just one operator. You would think that the tide tables would be known (they are!) and they could distribute people on more boats or take less people. So...
Get to a small village that exists to sell wood carvings to tourists. go to the bathroom (outhouse), get in a mini-van (or a bus if you are unlucky) and travel for about 45 min on the pan american highway. It was paved 25 years ago and has not been touched since. If your kidneys survive, you are lucky.
Then you get to another boat. You then get to see some really tame spider monkeys and go for another 45 min ride to the ruins. This boat trip is a good one, smooth and good scenery.
At the ruins you get lunch and a tour.
Then you do it all in return.
Arriving back at your pier at about 5:30 PM, we were exhausted and frozen.
If you can deal with the travel it is a good tour.
RECOMMENDATION:
It was brought to our attention after we got back that the Lamanai outpost has a 2 day package that gives you a tour of the ruins, and other river activity (so you can see the birds, monkeys...). You do this by air and the food we were told was good. So, I would suggest this if you can find out more about it.

ALSO, on the over night tours, I would suggest doing them on your way to or at the end of your stay. Then you can cut out one trip from Belize city to A/C.


Kerri Hallbeck
#32819 01/03/01 10:48 AM
Joined: Dec 2000
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Thanks for your report. I will be going to AC end of Jan. Unfortunately, we will only be there 9 days (diving primarily)so don't have time to travel the interior.
I recently had knee surgery and was wondering about the lamania tour. With one bad leg, sound like a no go. I will try to get to the mainland for one of the ruins. Any recommendations??????????????????????????


rubicon
#32820 01/03/01 12:40 PM
Joined: Dec 2000
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Atul Ha (sp?) might be easier on you. I believe that you fly over. But I'm not sure and haven't been there. That tour ends with a trip to a massage place (extra). But that sounded good to me :-)
But your legs won't hurt from Lamanai. It's just exhausting and jolting. Think of a road 45 min long that is all pot holes. That is the only part that would hurt you. If you are OK with that, then the site itself is easy to get around.
Hope this helps.
Definately try to get to Sundiver for dinner one night. It is good food, and a nice place.

Anything else, just ask!
Kerri


Kerri Hallbeck
#32821 01/03/01 10:20 PM
Joined: Nov 2000
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All I have to say about this report is that:
You all have gone to a 3rd world country, that is coming along, and to expect the AMERICAN WAY of vacations, Belize is not it!!! Thank you for you comments, but if you go down acting and expecting Americans, no matter where you go in the world then Good luck, but if you go down as someone with an open mind and learn the culture, then you have gain so much!!!! Slow down and enjoy what God gave us that is not here in the states!!!!

#32822 01/03/01 10:32 PM
Joined: Dec 2000
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hi rick and cherry,

I am a climber, kayaker, river guide and diver I have traveled all over the world specifically in 3rd world country doing my "thing". I am very use to "primitive conditions". I just had major surgery on my knee dec. 1 and was concerned about over use of this injury since my doc told me to cancel my trip. By the way I am staying at rubies and will be looking up hillibo (sp)at your advice.


rubicon
#32823 01/03/01 10:36 PM
Joined: Nov 2000
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Rubies is a good place too, especially for the price, we stayed there too. Hillyboo will take very good care of you... tell him we sent you... Go over to the Holiday and they will get in contact for you!!!! Hope you injury will not stop you, it is a beautiful country and so so much to see.. Email us [email protected] and we can talk!!!!!

#32824 01/03/01 10:46 PM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 16
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Geez. I have traveled all over the world and lived in some really scary places. I don't know how I was being "american" in my post. Except that I was born there.
Many people like to experience the developing countries but can't physically cope with the hardships. luckily in Belize you can take other routes that are less strenuous.
Personally I prefered Flores, Guatemala to Belize. But that's me. I like towns.
Sorry if I offended anyone. Just stating my opinion.


Kerri Hallbeck
#32825 01/04/01 03:21 PM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 5,563
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Khallbeck:
When in January will you be arriving?
How long will you be staying?
Who will you be diving with?


Harriette
Take only pictures leave only bubbles
#32826 01/04/01 03:25 PM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 16
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We already had our stay. We arrived back in California on New Years Eve. I wish we could have stayed longer, but air reservations were not available.
Have a great time. We just tried to do too much in our short time.

Kerri


Kerri Hallbeck

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