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Posted By: ktwillie01 First time to Abergris Caye - 03/05/14 05:34 PM
Hello all! My wife and I have chose Ambergris Caye as our honeymoon spot after looking over many locations in the Caribbean. We are pumped to visit this beautiful Island.

We had a few questions:
- We have never been scuba diving. I understand there is certification on the island. How long is the certification? Is this a entry level(shallow)? Can you obtain a more advanced in one trip? Any pricing ideas on certification?

- We have done snorkeling and was curious is there a big difference in experience to justify paying for certification?

- Is the Blue Hole a dive only trip? Can you scuba dive at this location without being and "advanced" diver?

- How much money should I plan for each day just doing food and boozin moderately for a day in San Pedro?

- Is there any boat rentals on the island?

- We are staying at the Xtan Ha resort (north side) and found out, after the fact, that we will have to water taxi to the city. Are there any golf carts that can handle the roads that would almost be consider an ATV? The resort mentioned some guest ride bikes on beach to San Pedro, which seemed to me a long haul. We like the resort so we sacrificed the distance, so hopefully was the right move.

Any insight for the new visitors would be very beneficial. We will be visiting from June 6-16 and are from Atlanta Georgia if anybody wants to get together for some beverages!

Posted By: collyk Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 03/05/14 06:00 PM
Hi ktwillie01. I'll do my best to answer the questions that I can, but there are much more knowledgeable people here who can help you with the diving information. If you decide to certify, you can do the first part of the course locally and that will save you a lot of time and time studying instead of being in the water once you are here. I'm a lapsed diver, who is now quite satisfied snorkeling, but that doesn't mean everyone would be. That said, the snorkeling here is quite spectacular, but there some things and experiences that you can only have as a diver, so it really does depend on what you want. Certainly learning to dive and diving in Belize are absolutely amazing experiences.

I've not been to the Blue Hole myself, but understand that it's a pretty long trip if you're just going to snorkel. I have had one or two people report that they enjoyed the experience thoroughly though.

You can truly spend as much or as little as you like on eating and drinking in San Pedro Town. If you stick with local drinks and local eateries, you could budget for $100usd for two of you, but on holiday sticking to a low budget can be a bummer. Think about how much you'd spend to eat out and drink out say, in Florida, and estimate from there. Always better to over than under budget.

You can hire boats with a captain to take you fishing, snorkeling and exploring. You can't do this legally without a licensed captain/guide as far as I'm aware.

Hope you both have a wonderful time. X'tan Ha is a gorgeous resort!
Posted By: doggirl Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 03/06/14 12:34 PM
Just my 2 cents on the diving part of your trip. You may want to do your pool instruction in your hometown and take your open water test when you reach Ambergis. We did it this way before and planned a trip to Grand Cayman for our certification and glad we did.

It would certainly free up a lot of your time on the island without the pressure of class and studying everything that leads up to a certification dive.

Congrats on your upcoming wedding. You are going to love the island and its people.

Posted By: apache1048 Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 03/06/14 03:38 PM
When we did the Blue Hole trip there was a snorkelling Option. It was not, in my humble opinion, worth the length of the trip though. The Blue hole is not a great dive. It is a deep dive but that does not make it a great dive. The dives afterwards are nice but personally speaking, the local diving if you have just certified is more than enough. Diving is a nice slow and relaxing thing to do but boy, does it wipe you out!

On the roads, last time I was there the roads up north were still rough, the water taxi was the best way to go or a long walk on the beach with a few stops at the local hostelries smile

Boat rentals I will leave to a more local person to answer.

Money? It really depends on where you go and what you do. Rent a golf cart and your outgoings will soar. Eat at the more local restaurants and you'll have some great food but if you go to the resorts and 'better' (I may take argument with that definition) places you'll spend a lot more.

Most places have web sites but not all show certification prices, check trip advisor as well. We will probably try Chuck and Robbies this year - we have dropped Amigos del Mar due to very poor front of house service - that's my admittedly biased opinion.

At the risk of sounding like a complete tourist (I am though) we have been to Belize multiple times and still find it tough to beat going into town and sitting in the Reef or Fidos while we plan our next move.

Have fun!
Posted By: Otteralum Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 03/06/14 07:16 PM
I would never discourage anyone from doing what they want to do, but for just a 10 day trip, I would plan less and take it all in as it comes to you. Depending on your personality, planning the steps for a dive cert (even with major portions done stateside) can take away from just experiencing the good life Belize has to offer.

That said, boat rental is a good question. Never hurts to have leads before you arrive. I will leave that to others as I typically do a charter where I can simply sit back, snorkel, and imbibe heavily smile Gone out twice with Oliver -- he is da man!!! Fish, snorkel, beach BBQ with your catch of the day -- bliss!! http://caribeantoursbelize.com/

Just my opinion, of course. I planned far too much my first trip and wished I had just come to town with an openness to explore as the mood and conversations with locals dictated.

As for daily budget, I echo colly, but it depends a lot on your tastes and what "moderately" means. I typically do one swanky dinner per trip and that $100 is gone right away. For most days, for two of us, I'd say we spent closer to $150 for meals and drinks. You can do it for much less (and we have when we needed to), but that $150 includes a potential desire to catch the Coastal Xpress or a cab to a more remote location for a drink, or buy a round of shots for new friends.

Best advice I ever got is to pack and when we thought we were done, double the cash and get rid of half the clothes. That was amazingly accurate smile

Enjoy!
Posted By: ktwillie01 Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 03/07/14 02:50 PM
I wanted to thank all of you that responded. It help provide the insight that I was looking for.
I think we will pass on the Blue Hole, try some local scuba diving, snorkel a lot, eat and drink a lot (haha), and just plan by the seat of our pants.
I like the suggestion of pack and then take half the clothes and double the cash!!!!
I cannot wait!
Posted By: Loansum-Al K Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 03/07/14 03:29 PM
Originally Posted by ktwillie01
I wanted to thank all of you that responded. It help provide the insight that I was looking for.
I think we will pass on the Blue Hole, try some local scuba diving, snorkel a lot, eat and drink a lot (haha), and just plan by the seat of our pants.
I like the suggestion of pack and then take half the clothes and double the cash!!!!
I cannot wait!

Well made decision............you will have a blast!!
Posted By: Nobody You Know Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 03/11/14 02:21 PM
As has been said, unless it's on your Bucket List the Blue Hole trip is a whip. The only way I'd do it again is if there were an amorous Mermaid with low self esteem and Daddy issues at the other end...
Posted By: Amanda Syme Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 03/11/14 03:40 PM
I must have dived the blue hole at least 50 times - and everytime was magical for me. I absolutely love the geological architecture and the thought that this used to all be above water - and the mystery of the deep when you reach the limit and recreational diving depth and see there is a long ways to go down further.

However, I would not recommend diving the blue hole immediately after receiving certification as it can be an arduous journey and for a beginner the shallow diving on the reef is so full of beautiful colour and abundant wildlife to see.
Posted By: reaper Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 03/11/14 04:41 PM
Take a trip by air out to the Blue Hole. When you are on a boat, you really can't see the awesomeness of it, but from above....wow!
Posted By: pamkillen Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 03/11/14 04:58 PM
If you want to get the bookwork of certification out of way before you get here, get in touch with White Sands Dive Shop. My nieces did PADI online before they got here and could get right in the pool and then Hol Chan first day
Posted By: ACBum Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 03/11/14 06:07 PM
Go to XTan Ha resort site and go to activities ... you will see the dive / tour company that is on site there at the resort. You can call the owner of the dive shop (Hill) and get all the information you need. We have stayed at XTan a few times and Hill does a great job.

Budgeting for food and drink can be any amount that you want to spend ... food and drink is expensive on the island when going out. Where you are staying they have little kitchens and you are well advised to get some things from town ... You can have a provisioning company get things for you ahead of time and they will be in your room when you arrive ... we usually just shop when we get to the island.
Posted By: ktwillie01 Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 03/11/14 11:49 PM
Thanks again for all the suggestions. My wife and I are still trying to decide on the diving part of the trip.
Is there a big difference in snorkeling and diving? I understand the concept, but I see it is an investment to get certified, and then for rental of equipment.
Snorkeling obviously is limited, but I had a great experience.
I just want to avoid the dive commitment, and find out we dive once and are distracted with all the other fun activities.
I hope this post makes sense, and somebody can elaborate if it is worth the investment for first timers.
Thanks!
Posted By: ScubaLdy Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 03/12/14 04:56 AM
There is a danger in getting certified - you may never want to ever do anything again but dive. smile

Honestly you sound like you really don't know f you want to dive or not. You have lots of options and one may be to take a resort course. We all have our favorite dive shops (there must be about 50 of them here on the island - LOL) and dive instructors.

One of the fun things to do would be to, on your first day here, visit a number of different shops.

I think everyone charges about the same so don't go looking for something cheap - your life may depend on who you choose. After some time watching a video and getting basic instruction you will be taken to a safe dive site that is not deep. After the first experience you will know if this is something you really want to do.

After I had done all the book and pool stuff but before I had done my open water I went to Mexico and found 'Victor' who agreed to take me out. It was him, me and the boat captain. Fearfully I back rolled into the water, the dive master held my hand, we descended down a rock wall, I cried in my mask it was so beautiful and I knew I wanted to do this as much as I could for the rest of my life. Upon surfacing I said "Let's go again."

So be warned! This is an expensive addiction.

Another alternative is you can go on line to PADI and do all the book work and bring the papers here and do the open water dives in nice warm Caribbean water.

Posted By: seashell Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 03/12/14 09:05 AM
I'll be perfectly honest with you. On this trip just enjoy the snorkeling. If you come away from the trip thinking snorkeling is just not enough, get certified or certification ready for your next trip. As Subsidy said, diving is addictive and an expensive hobby. My whole life is different because I became a diver, different good but life has become more expensive than I'd originally expected it to be. smile Not that I'd change a thing . . .unless it was to dive even more!

Anyway, your thinking that it might not be the best thing to do on THIS trip, is probably the right approach this time. Have a wonderful time! I know you will.
Posted By: WWIII Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 03/31/14 05:26 AM
I have the property just south of X'tan Ha and a golf cart is not an option. You are also almost directly in front of Mexico Rocks. The second best snorkeling spot on the island. You will have kayaks at you disposal there, and you can tie up and snorkel at Mexico Rocks.
Conciser the water taxi similar to a bus service in the states. They run on a schedule and it is an easy thing to use. I also recommend stocking up on groceries in town. The restaurant there is good but a little pricey (as to be expected up north). We eat there at least once on every visit we make. Make sure you try the burgers. The chef is DJ, formally from DJ's, in San Pedro
Oliver, the manager, is very nice and will help you out with your questions.
Posted By: ACBum Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 03/31/14 11:14 AM
Also remember when you are staying at XTan Ha question what days they have free rides to town on a boat ... when you are taking a water taxi to town it is 12US each way from there to town per person ... so keep that in mind if you decide to save some money and take dive courses in town.
Posted By: Diane Campbell Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 03/31/14 11:25 AM
About diving - you can usually find a shop that does a "resort course" whereby you have a couple of hours instruction in the morning and then do a shallow dive in the company of an instructor in the afternoon. This is an excellent way to discover if you like the diving experience. I highly recommend it.
Diving is actually less physical than snorkeling - I loved it but discovered that an ear condition made it impossible for me to go deeper than 30 feet and I could not pursue this most wonderful of activities. To me, diving was serene and glorious beyond words. Diving is not for everybody, but it is an amazing experience for many.
Posted By: gsreimers Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 04/01/14 12:13 PM
My wife and I are on Ambergris Caye for our second trip right now. Both times we had provisioning done for us by Mata Grande. You can order what you want online ahead of time and it will be delivered to your room and waiting for you when you get there. (that means you will have cold Belekins in your fridge waiting for you).

We have ordered the bare essentials pack which has rum, vodka, beer and some sodas along with groceries. As I said, it's not cheap but I think you save quite a bit over getting all your drinks and food from resorts or restaurants. You also get to play "what in the hell can I make from this." This moringings scrambled eggs with calabrese salami was awesome.

Have a great trip.
Posted By: ktwillie01 Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 05/20/14 03:24 PM
We are getting close to our trip, and was curious should we bring cash for our daily spending, or is Credit cards accepted most places?

Posted By: Diane Campbell Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 05/20/14 03:31 PM
Best to plan on a combo - you'll want cash for street vendors, small shops, grocery stores.....
Posted By: Otteralum Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 05/20/14 03:34 PM
Credit card accepted most places (actually amazed at how many people take AmEx in belize). I would encourage smaller bill cash for every day bar hopping and souvenirs on the beach. US$ taken by most with change given in BZ$. Do not engage an exchange service.

Just saw Diane's post. There you have it from an expert smile
Posted By: klcman Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 05/21/14 12:21 AM
I thought Milo's offered a slightly better than 2:1 return. Ernie always told me that smile smile smile
Posted By: arklatex Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 05/21/14 01:01 AM
TIP: Make sure your bills are in good condition - no rips or tears. Some businesses will not take them. I had read about that, but thought it was a little far fetched. However, we watched two women go round and round with a server at Elvie's Kitchen this past January. He said the bank would not take the money if it was torn and she didn't have any other cash with her.
Posted By: Otteralum Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 05/21/14 01:05 AM
You trust Ernie, klcman? Tsk tsk. smile
Posted By: Inplub Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 05/21/14 01:13 AM
Most businesses will not take damage or ripped bank notes as the bank's will not take them. You can slip them in and hope nobody see them.
Posted By: ScubaLdy Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 05/21/14 02:25 AM
InPub is right. No one will take them if they have any marks on them. A couple of times I had ones slipped to me in change. Just sent them home with some one who is leaving.
Posted By: J DOG Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 05/21/14 10:51 AM
Milo's has moved to a new location & no longer changes your cash.
Posted By: klcman Re: First time to Abergris Caye - 05/23/14 01:57 AM
Originally Posted by Otteralum
You trust Ernie, klcman? Tsk tsk. smile


Trust never entered the conversation or minds smile
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