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Joined: Jun 2006
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My wife and I recently visited AC (4-10 December) and even though the weather was not ideal (it rained most of the time) it could not dampen our enjoyment of the island or the wonderful people we met.

Even as I have kept up to date on the board recently on issues such as the growth of AC and the nice stuff such as restaurants and new services as well as the headaches it can bring, I was still a bit surprised at just how much things had changed over the past few years, especially traffic and the streets. This would be my only significant complaint of the entire week. But then that is probably a whole new message thread. The highlights�.

Lodging
Upon arrival Taxi took us Blue Tang Inn, north end of town along the beach. 12 condo style rooms with full kitchens, AC, fans, cable TV and free Wireless Internet. Included in the price of the room was a homemade breakfast every morning of fry jacks, pancakes, waffles or French toast along with fresh fruit, juice and coffee. Available Golf Cart and bicycle rental, full activity planning and excursions offered. The staff here goes out of their way to make you feel at home. The grounds are well kept and rooms very comfortable.

Dining

Don't Miss�..

Rojo
Every bit as advertised, the place is located north of San Pedro about a twenty minute water taxi ride from town. Wonderful hosts/proprietors Jeff and Vivian are the real reason for the success of this place. Our evening started with out of this world frozen Mojitos, Lobster Poppers with a trio of dipping sauces and the plantain encrusted shrimp. Both appetizers were outstanding and quite plentiful. We actually shared the delicious stuffed grouper and a very tasty ice cream trio for dessert so that we could make the stroll to the dock to catch the water taxi back to town. A great evening out. We'll be back here.

Casa Picasso
Fantastic place on the lagoon serving a large and tasty Martini menu, a tapas menu as well as pasta dishes. We tasted several martini's before starting our meal with a stuffed peppers, appetizer followed by a seafood pasta special and the can't miss desserts - cracked coconut and tiramisu. Yum!! Good wine list and very attentive staff. A definite return trip warranted.

Beach 'N' Kitchen
Located about 1 mile north of the bridge, near the Palapa Bar, Kathy's new place open since October serves breakfast and lunch. We decided on lunch (as most of our mornings were not of the early variety this trip). Kathy was a great host, also turning out our order of two specials for the day - Chicken pot pie and a bowl of Gumbo. The Chicken pie was a delicious "localized' version of what the Banquet folks only wish they could do. Very tasty large portion of home made pastry filled with spicy chicken, vegetables and a creamy sauce tying it all together. The gumbo was very good as well, chicken and sausage with veggies and rice. We finished it all off with a piece of cinnamon bread pudding - excellent stuff.

Pedro's
Friday night pizza and message board gathering. Lots of fun. Pizza was very good. Thin crispy crust and fresh toppings, as advertised. Met many boarders including, Krazy K, Indy Gal and Indy boy, Jesse, SIN, Taco Girl and Taco Boy, Travel Queen, many others (and Peter of course!). Worth a try with or without the message board gathering. Pedro's was doing a brisk to go business as well. We crave the pizza, now that we are back in the States. Pizza Inn and Little Caesars are our only options in town. No comparison to Pedro's yummy pineapple and pepperoni pie.

Dan De Ice Cream
Middle Street. Excellent homemade gelato-like frozen custards. A definite return engagement is in order! This ice cream is comparable to the authentic gelato in that you get in Italy. Delicious.

Other notable eats�..

Mangos - dinner of seafood pasta/marinara and Seafood Stew substituted for the Bouillabaisse which was not available. Dessert was banana chimichanga and coconut flan.

Fido's (dock in town) - stayed close to hotel first night and stopped in at Fido's a reliable staple in town. Fast service brought us an appetizer of Lobster Rangoon (south pacific pot stickers), very tasty and outshone the main course of Malaysian Snapper. A few Belikin's and we were off to a good start in San Pedro.

Elvi's - Warm bread delivered immediately upon seating. Once again appetizer Jalapeno fish fingers out did the main course Lobster/Shrimp in Chardonnay sauce.


Other Strong Recommendations�.

Caye Coffee - Located south of town back towards the lagoon (follow the signs off the main road)Excellent fresh roasted coffee (whole bean or ground to your requirements), fresh brewed cup of choice, fresh baked goodies (we bought out entire day's supply of coconut/oatmeal cookies two days in a row!) Great folks too.

Sausage Factory - Located next door to Caye Coffee
Tried their bacon, polish sausages and both the mild and hot beef sticks. All very good. They have smoked hams, roast beef and sausages aplenty to name a few things here. Not enough days in the week to try all of the fresh smoked goodies here, but will try again next time for sure.

Scuba Diving with Ecologic Divers was a great experience. Good inventory of well maintained rental gear (always a good sign). Dove with dive master Junior who was excellent with his pre-dive briefings, care for divers and exceptional in water dive guide. Complimentary photo CD presented at end of stay was a real nice touch.
(as a former resort based dive operator, I can attest to Ecologic's solid operations). A strong recommendation. Will dive with them again in the future.

SAGA Humane Society - whether you can donate or volunteer or not, plan to stop by SAGA. You can't help but appreciate the work these dedicated folks are doing in an attempt to keep the dog and cat population on AC healthy and in relative check. Have visited more than a dozen islands over the years, seen numerous humane society efforts and would have to say that Heather and staff are achieving amazing results. Hands down, the best run Island humane society we have ever seen with successful results evident on the island. Kudos to everyone involved. Be sure and buy an original SAGA t-shirt, in great colors.

Post Script�

What a great time, albeit way too short a stay. Planning a longer stay in Feb (can't miss the big poker tournament and an opportunity to take everyone's money!!) To those of you we met, it was a pleasure and we'll see you again before too long and to those we missed this time, hope to see you soon.

P.s.s., On the way down, we started off in Arizona on the 3rd and over-nighted at the DFW Grand Hyatt - brand new located in the newly opened Terminal D. Travel Tip - Excellent choice for anyone transiting DFW overnight as the front lobby elevator is literally steps from the AA ticket counter and security. A Big plus. Next day we made it to BZE via AA and then the 4:40 Maya Island flight to SPR - barely missing the 3:40 departure. Oh well, was able to spend the time visiting with other passengers headed for AC and the time flew by.


This is Dana here, DB's partner in crime cool. This is my first time to Belize, AC. I have two observations that I would like to add to the above. One, we have visited lots of islands over the years and I found the people of AC to be the friendliest by far. They were happy and helpful. A real plus from a tourist's standpoint. I am acustomed to the locals being resentful of foreigners. That just seemed to be the norm in the past, but not on AC. What a pleasant surprise!

Second, the island seems to be designed for pedestrians, bicycles and the occasional golf cart. The full size automobiles have absolutely no place on the island. The mini vans (mostly taxis") are a real danger. Not only do they drive way, way too fast, they ride up on the bumpers of the golf carts and intimidate the bicycle riders and pedestrians. The roads are too narrow for full sized cars and they should be outlawed. What a shame to have the obnoxious mini vans and pick ups zipping and speeding up and down the sandy streets of such an otherwise beautiful serene island.

Last edited by DB; 12/18/06 02:26 PM.
Joined: Feb 2003
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DB great trip rport.Glad you got to enjoy and live the dream ,Thanks for taking time out to share....


Living The Dream Every Day!
Joined: Jun 2006
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CJ,
Pleasure all ours...

DB

Joined: Jun 2004
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Nice trip report DB!!
We have stayed at the Blue Tang our last 4 trips and again in Jan/Feb. 07. Just can't wait!!
Especially enjoyed your dining out report. Always fun to hear what other people think about places to eat.
thanks!

Joined: Jun 2006
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Windyw,
Say hello to Fanny, Allan for us and the resyt of the folks at the Blue Tang.

p.s.s., to all others re: Don't Miss items - don't miss a chance to have a cool refreshment at the Victoria House bar on the veranda. Way Cool!


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