Hi..Just returned from AC and Belize..ALAS...but necessity. Here is an abbreviated report of places, people and things we experienced while there.

Saturday: Arrival ... Plane was delayed over an hour in Dallas for repairs so missed scheduled flight on Tropic Airlines from BZ City to San Pedro. Don't fret. They just put you on the next one. Great flight, flew the scenic route to AC, over St. Georges Island and along the reef between the reef and Caye Chapel and lamented that $200 per round would keep us from playing golf there. Check in to Ruby's. Wendy just happened to be at the front desk...nice to meet her in person. Great but sparce and very clean room as close to the ocean as you can get and downtown for $47.50 per night. The Gomez family at Rubies does it right. Went to Choloes Bar and got golf cart from Choloe for a week. Great cart...went to Papi's for din-din. FANTASTIC...Papi's wife does the cooking, Papi does PR ... just like the Ozarks here in MO....Great meal and service.

Sunday: Bloody Mary's, Fry Jacks, and conch fritters at Estelles on the Beach. Best for all three on the island IMHO. drove around town, checked out shops, oldhaunts, took in the Bar B Q at BC's (A SHOULD NOT MISS) and nap before the Super Bowl Party at Pier Lounge. We were about the only Rams fans there..but recruited three gals from Chicago and threee guys from Colorado to our cause. Free conch fritters, hot dogs and kamakazis...WOW! Lost the game, but who cared.

Monday: Ricos, a new restaurant at Banyan Bay for breakfast. Pricey but who can beat the view and who can mess up breakfast? Rico's didn't. Drover up north across the Ferry...gosh what new development is going on up there!!!!...all the way to Captain Morgans...met the gals from Chicago again who had hoofed their way up the beach from San Pedro and gave them a ride back.
Nap time and then dinner at the Reef on Middle Street. Fantastic lobster!!!!! AGAIN.

Tuesday: Booked trip with Searious to Altun Ha. Great captain of Rickey the captain who navigated us through the jungle river to Bomba (Great buys on wood carvings there ) and then to Altun Ha, with return to Maruba to have lunch (Royal Rat is good as long as you don't think about what you are eating...another name is "Gibnut"). Lounged at hot tub and pool and then back to the boat for end of great day on the mainland with two very entertaining guys...Thanks lots Rickey and Steven and their boss, Sandy.
That evening the outdoor Bar B Q at Ramons...great food....moderate pricing...beautiful sitting but wouldn't stay there...too many $$$ for what you get.

Wednesday: Breakfast at Ruby's Cafe. Don't miss it!!!! Belizians flock there for a good reason. Johnny cakes with Ham anc c heese and fry Jacks with ham and beans for example for 75 cents US...yep that's right.

A drop off at Leslies on Middle Drive north for a manicure and pedicure for $37.50US and back to Choloes for tomato juice and a Belikin. Lunch at Fidos...great lobster soup. Belizian Arts is right there...met up with Orlando and negotiated a painting of my dreams to lug around for the next several days...then at 6:30 p.m. to Pier Lounge for the world famous chicken drop. Imagine over 200 adults drowding around a 10 foot square pen chanting in unison "s**t, s**t.."
Twas fun!!!!!!
Dinner at Jade Garden...fantastic deap fried lobster pieces.

Thursday: Bad backs, hangover from climbing to to of Altun Ha so no snorkeling but Parasailing is fantastic...Fido's lounge..Well worth the $$$. Very safe.

Shopped for a Condo...Gosh how many times have I done that before? Dropped by Coconut Beach Bar...again...for Pina Colado fixed by Margies.....best on the island and picked up a couple of carvings and dinner at Victoria House...can't smoke inside so they set us up outside...Shrimp Beignets were great.

Friday: Rubys for breakfast again, Belikins at Pier Lounge, picked up painting from Orlando, bought enough Marie Sharps to start my own store back here in the states and dinner ...final for the lobster...at Fidos..another great meal.

Saturday...water taxi back to Belize City, hired cab for ride around town, then to airport, bought more Marie Sharps, indulged at Jets Airport Bar and then home...arriving in St. Louis about ten p.m. exhausted!!!

Gosh I want to go back. But then I always do.

[This message has been edited by Raymond S (edited 02-11-2002).]

[This message has been edited by Raymond S (edited 02-11-2002).]

Great report!! Makes me all the more excited for my first trip to AC! You provide lots of great info on where to go and what to do.

Andrea in Atlanta

a perfect vacation! glad ya had fun.

BELIZED.....great vacation, thanks for sharing.

thanks for the report, it was like reliving my own trip there...we stayed at Ruby's also & went to several of the same places you mentioned

still, there are some tours I missed & some restaurants I keep hearing about that make me want to get back there...especially if I could meet up w/some of these fine folks here on the board! glad your trip was fun, gina

Thanks for the report. Makes me wish July would get here really fast!!!

Nice writeup----mebbe u should think of a new career?

Anybody know if Margie at Coconut Beach Bar is the same little Margie who used to work at Paradise Hotel Beach Bar with Paola about 4-5 yrs ago?

Heading that way 2/20 for 10 days yahooooooooooooooooooooooo

Yes, we stayed at Ruby's too and ate breakfasts there. Yeeha! Just last night we talked (on a rainy Seattle night!)about going back there this year. It was so funny because after our last (second year in a row) trip, we decided we should try to vacation somewhere else this year! So much for that idea! It really is a little slice of paradise....I hope it stays just the way it is, and doesn't get any more developed.

KLC....
Yup, thats the same cute Margie ya talking about!Anybody knows if Ada is still working @ the Coconuts? Hope to be there soon!!
B.M.

yep. frank keeps asking 'don't ya wanna see other places too?' nope!

It's great reading these reports! I'm getting married on Valentines Day and then it's off to Belize for our honeymoon. Neither one of us has been there before and we can't wait to get there. We'll spend the first 5 days of our honeymoon in Placencia before arriving in AC on the 22nd for another 5 days. After that, we close off the trip with 2 days on Caye Caulker.
I am soo ready for our trip, but I also have to remind myself that there is little thing called a wedding that I have to get through before I whisk my bride away to Belize. Don't get me wrong, we have a great Valentine wedding planned in the Colorado Rockies which I am looking forward to, but reading all these reports about how great it is in Belize sure makes me want to get the honeymoon under way.