took a taxi from royal palm to town center,$7 belize.. for the capt must think I am a local.. but I look like a gringo ..that was two weeks ago..

Thanks Capt! That's more like it Will we see you in September - could a trip to paradise be good for what ails ya?

Please be aware that ibanole is overflowing with sour grapes from a business deal gone bad. Her information re taxi fees is not correct. johnrobertsdenver is correct with US$5 per taxi.

actually...i recently returned home to the U.S after a two week vacationing period in belize, ambergris caye! i stayed at the belize yacht club and found it to be more than comfortable and enjoyable to stay there! they have rooms for all the family at reasonable prices! i loved the fact that they had kitchenettes in the room! alfresco dining was really romantic at night...
one of the best features though was the fact that their dive center is PROTECH...i was able to complete my scuba course with them!
i think the belize yacht club is a truly worth experience!

ps
reasonable rates!

I find the rate from town to Woodies varies as much as 100%, from 5Bz to 10Bz, for the same journey at the same time of day.

I wouldn't spend too much time stressing about small details like cab fares. Just get down there...you'll see. It's amazing. Believe me, your trip to town from BB (where you should definitely stay) will be far worth your experience...whether it's dining, shopping, sight seeing. It's a beautiful place. Just relax and make the most of it.

Avoid the question of taxi's altogether and just stay at The Palms... Beautifully appointed condo's close in (less than 5 minutes to almost anywhere in town) yet quiet and serene while in your apartment. Fantastic views from your veranda and the staff will do as much or as little as you desire... IMHO, it is THE place if you want to experience San Pedro's restaurants, shopping and nightlife and have a very short walk home!

Scott

Ask before you get in is the easiest thing to do, if you don't like the price, close the door. The same goes for Belize City. In BC I've paid as much as $10BZ more for the same ride at the same time of day because I was too dumb to ask before I got in.

Tag- i have been to both the Palms (last week)& Banana Beach (last year) and IMO the Palms has BB beat hands down. Its not that BB is not nice its just that the Palms is simply better. And very inexpensive for what you get.

The location is perfect if you want to be closer to town and it is right next to Ramon's and their ammenities (restaurant, bar, pier etc).

As for sailing etc. Belize Sailsports is a really short walk away as are any number of tour companies (better to book direct for a better price).

Go with the Palms.

Just returned from an 11 night stay at Banana Beach. We walked into town and back a couple of times, but with a 6 year old that walk is a bit too long. We grabbed a taxi a couple of times BZ$10 and then for the 2nd half of the trip rented bikes from Joe's bike rental. Having the bikes worked well for us (1 with a child seat on the back) and at BZ$50 each for a week was the most economical.

As for the beach at Banana Beach, there is an area between Banana Beach and Banyan Bay with no sea grass which you can swim in from the shore. Also, there is a VERY large sandbar off the end of the dock which has no sea grass, soft white sand and crystal clear water and ranges from 2 to 4 feet deep, we spent a lot of time there!

Having seen the location of The Palms I would agree that this is probably a better location if you want to be closer to town, but then I did notice that as you get closer to town the boat traffic increases and swimming from the beach might not be as easy.

The staff at Banana Beach is great, helpful and friendly and at the price for a 1 bedroom apartment the value is great, the grounds and rooms are clean and the small size of the resort means that you get to know the other guests very quickly. There were a couple of things at Banana Beach that could have been better. 1)We had a 3rd floor apartment and most mornings between about 7:30am and 8:30am we had no water. Once we figure this out, we showered earlier! 2) The large pool became very cloudy about 5 days into our stay and you couldn't even see the bottom of the pool. It was closed for over a day while they attempted to fix the problem, but never returned to "normal" the rest of our trip. So...we swam out on the sandbar instead.