My husband and I will be making our first trip to AC the latter part of May for 10 days! We have never travelled out of the states and have no idea of what to expect or what to look for. Does anyone have any suggestions on what we should do while we are there? Dell would love to deep sea fish and it seems pretty expensive...any suggestions? What about the cave tubing any suggestions and also approx. how much? We welcome suggestions and thanks in advance!

When are you going to be there?? We (the Flo clan) will be there from may 19-26 at the Seven Seas.....my 1st time also, so I cant give you any advice from experience

Canjunflo:

We will try this a third time, my reply is not being sent through. We will be there 5/24 - 6/2 and have a couple of ideas for things to do...Winne Estelle day trip, Altun Ha, cave tubing and snorkeling. We have never snorkeled before...any advice from anyone is welcomed. Thanks again,
Donna



[This message has been edited by dellndonna (edited 05-06-2001).]

Hi. My husband (RobertE) and I were there last September for our first trip. You can expect to have a million and three things to do. We especially enjoyed the snorkeling at Hol Chan and Shark/Ray Alley. We also enjoyed the trip to Lamanai, but I'd suggest Altun Ha for the first venture to the ruins.

A nice relaxing dinner at Capricorn is a MUST! You'll have to get there by water taxi if you're not staying above the cut. We also enjoyed the BBQ on Sunday at B.C.'s. The folks there are great the BBQ is great. Also Banyan Bay palapa bar serves up a delicious Stewed Belizian Chicken. (My husband is still trying to replicate the recipe!) <grin>

We're not anglers, so I'm going to rely on Pescador's review of the fishing. Met him while staying at The Palms and he's a pretty serious fisherman. "Tarpon fishing with Nesto Gomez: This guy is incredible. "Eyes of a hawk". Although no fish were landed (my fault) Nesto put me within casting range of at least 50 fish!!!"

This time we're going to take the cave tubing excursion on the mainland. We're going back in July...only this time we're getting our scuba certification and will be spending much of our time diving.

Have a fantasic trip! We'll be back on Ambergris Caye July 5 -14 and can't wait!

-Laura-

Laura-
Thanks for all the info. What about the water there? Should we take bottled water or just get it there? Read on the message board to watch out for the salads there as well? Any thoughts? Please advise if you can.

Loie -- Finally! Someone who is going to be there when I am!


Donna -- I've read on this board that most people don't take too many precautions with eating/drinking things in Belize, and it is very rare that anyone gets sick. We ate and drank like normal, and didn't even have a twinge of a problem. Thought I was going to DIE once in Queretaro, Mexico (and wished I would at the time) from the "bug", and hubby usually gets a queasy stomach when traveling, but did not in Belize.

Hint: Put in some time by just reading stuff on this website. I've been reading for months, and I still find interesting and informative articles.

kathy

dellndonna, I noticed in your post that you said that you have never travelled outside of the states. Therefore, you should be prepared for things to be quite a bit different than they are at home. If you do that, you should not be dissappointed.

I remember my first time. Our group was supposed to stay at Ramone's but the guide changed our stay to Rock's Inn. (some temporary problem at Ramone's apparently) I was pretty upset because I'd been so sold on Ramone's. Rock's didn't have a pool either (now it does and is called Blue Tang Inn). When I first saw my room, I was kind of dissappointed because I was used to resorts in places like Cancun, Cabo & Puerto Vallarta. In less than 2 days, I'd never felt so comfortable and was very happy with everything. I found myself very pleased that Ambergris didn't have any resorts like the places I'd stayed before. And on my second visit, I intentionally booked at the same hotel with no regret.

When in Mexico, as much as I'd enjoyed myself, I was always glad to get back home because I got so tired of being hustled on the beach and everyone having their hand out for a tip. I felt none of that in SP. It was so refreshing.

Go with an open mind and an open heart. Belize it!

Seashell and Kathy:

Thanks for the updates. What about the food from the street vendors I've been reading about? Do either of you recommend any place in particular for us to go/see?

You shouldn't have to worry too much about eating salads and brushing your teeth, etc. However, I buy bottled water to drink. Many of the hotels provide good water for you in your refridgerator or at a central spot for refills.

I can't speak for eating at the vendor's as I've never done it. Lots of my friends have and only one ever complained to me. She'd eaten at the vendor's plenty of times before that and so it could have been anything. Regardless, since this is your first trip out of the states, just to be on the safe side, why not take a pass on the vendors (except for the johnny cakes, that's OK). I recommend you wander down to Papi's once or twice. It's off the beaten path but don't be afraid to go down there. Also, have a romantic dinner at Jambel's. To do that (ie: have a romantic dinner at Jambel's) you have to be up on the roof over looking the square and the ocean.

Don't be afraid to learn to punta. Let your spirit free.

Loie...Where did you stay on AC? Were you happy and was it clean? Any info would help. Going in mid July.. Cherie