Thank you all for the wonderful source of info on AC.
We are celebrating two 50th birthdays on AC in December.
While being somewhat anal and having read all the messages we are still torn between Banana Beach and Xanadu.
???
thnx

We stayed next door to BB 2 weeks ago, used their pool ,& everybody that we talked to said they loved it....BB--hands-down..

i have heard only positive things on xanadu as well.

I think they're both very good places.

Some differences:

* With the new addition, Banana Beach is much larger, with around 67 units. Believe Xanadu has 10, maybe 12, one-bedroom condo suites (units have lofts with an additional bed).

* Banana Beach is more traditional construction, reinforced concrete with a Mexican-influence style, especially the original building. Xanadu is unique in that is has dome construction with thatch roof.

* Banana Beach has a wider variety of rooms, from regular hotel rooms to four-bedroom suites (in the addition the hotel has the ability to combine several one-bedroom units into a single large suite). The majority of units at Banana Beach, however, are one-bedroom suites with a bedroom, kitchen/living area.

* Banana Beach has two pools, Xanadu one, but Banana Beach's are "courtyard" pools, inside the central patios.

* Xanadu is a little closer to town.

* Banana Beach's management and staff are top-notch; nothing wrong with Xanadu's either but Banana Beach is known for its professional and friendly staff.

* Xanadu throws in free use of bikes, canoes, etc. Banana Beach does not.

* Banana Beach has always been known for its superior value, and it's still a top value though prices may be a little higher or a little firmer than before, and Xanadu has been discounting some, so the prices may be closer.

* The beaches are similar. There's a low seawall right in front of Banana Beach and, if I remember correctly, not a seawall at Xanadu, but you can walk a few steps at Banana Beach and be on a beach without seawall.

* Depending on when you go, Banana Beach may have its on-site restaurant open, but in any case there are plenty of good restaurants on the island.

Believe in my guide to the island, San Pedro Cool, we give Banana Beach four stars and Xanadu three and a half.

I'd be very happy at either, though I'm still a big fan of the second and third floor seafront corner suites at Banana Beach, and especially so when the old A/Cs are replaced with new units.

--Lan Sluder www.belizefirst.com

Thanks Lan, YOU really eased my mind.I guess I made a good choice.
Jackie

*

Banana Beach - I'm a regular now!!!! Hope to be there in November for my 4th time.

Hi, Sandb:
I will be blunt in order to emphasize the point I'm trying to make:
Stayed in Banana Beach: it's a glorified Howard Johnson's....really....not that there's anything wrong with that, just highly overrated, especially the front desk staff that collectively had the personalities of those who are heavily sedated, or victims of frontal lobotomies.....and we stayed there.
Xanadu: much, much prettier. The British couple who owns the place was kind enough to give me spf #30 that had been left in their front office by previous guests (I couldn't find any in any of the stores on the island). As the bottle was almost full, I offered them money, which they refused. Additionally, the thatched roofed condos had a real island feel, the pool was beautifully landscaped, and right on the beach - not a plain rectangle, enclosed in a courtyard like Banana Beach.
It is a comfortable walk to town from Xanadu, whereby the walk from BB was a schlep.
Xanadu has bicyles and kayaks, free of charge to their guests.
So, I would never again stay at Banana Beach, but when I go back to Ambergris, which I love, I will stay at either the Xanadu or the Banyan Bay, or, if I want to do the Jungle Jane thing, I'd even stay at the charmingly tiny Mata Rocks.
Happy double birthdays and I hope this helps.

GetMeOuttaHere!
You could have waited til I was gone, to post that lovely Banana Beach report.
Jackie

Don't worry Jackie, we don't need a thatched roof to know that we're on an island. Personally, I don't plan on spending that much time by the pool staring at the roof anyway.
I'll have to see for myself.