Please express your views on any (or all) of the following resorts. We want to know the good, the bad, and the ugly. . .

Journeys End Resort,
Belizean Shores,
Portofino,
Ramon’s Village,
Coral Bay Villas,
Paradise Villas Belize,
Sun Diver Beach Resort,
Sunset Beach Resort,
Paradise Villas,
Capricorn Resort,
Agape House,
Caribbean Villas,
Xanadu,
Exotic Caye/Playador,
Belize Beach Suites,

Can you tell that we are undecieded as to where we should stay. . .

Please help.

Thanks,

Kevin.

Kevin, Kevin, Kevin, help us to help you! What do you guys want? Do you want a condotel (ie: your own kitchenette)? Do you want a pool? Do you want to be near town? Do you want seclusion? Do you like to party or are you into early to bed, early to rise? Do you need a nice beach? What do you guys like to do with your days? What is your budget?

Seashell (and anyone who will listen). . .

I suppose I could have added some additional information . . . so here it is. . .

1. Location: We don't really care how close to town we are.

2. Budget: We are willing to spend a little extra for the little extras . . . but not Mata Chica extras . . .

3. We would prefer a pool AND a kitchen (or kitchenette) but neither is a necessity.

4. We would like something with a walkout onto the beach.

My (way too long of a) list is composed of the resort that (according to their web sites) fit much of this criteria.

I hope that I have helped you to help me.

Kevin.

I'm staying at the SunDiver in September, and they seem to have it all. They have a variety of rooms at all price ranges. Some rooms have kitchenettes, some don't. All rooms face the ocean and have a private balcony or patio facing the ocean. It's out of town, but that's one of the reasons I chose it (I'm getting married there). The people there are wonderful and so accommodating with my wedding plans. They've really gone out of their way for us. I have heard nothing but wonderful things about the resort, and my wedding coordinator recommended it (and she lives on the island). I hear it's very relaxing and the restaurant is wonderful. I hope this helps! OH - and it's a little smaller than a lot of the hotels you mentioned, which means more personal attention and service (usually).
Best of luck to you!

Banana Beach Resort is not on your list, but we stayed there for a week in mid April and loved it. South of town $5 us cab fare one way--take a car load to cut expenses. We also walked into town a couple of times. Barefoot all the way. Nice pool. Nice room --beach front, with balcony overlooking the beach, and a living room/kitchenette, nicely equipped.We didn't cook much, but a funky tiny store across the street for essentials--but go into town for a lot of supplies. BBR sells the famous Bellikin by the case delivered to your refridgerator. We were on the 3d floor (top) and left the french doors to the balcony open all the time.Fabulous breeze. There is air conditioning but we did not use it. King bed. Very clean. Very friendly. It was easy to set up snorkling trips and other stuff from the nearby docks, or at the desk--we did not use the desk. They pay the cab fare from the boat or airport upon arrival. Nice beach but the water was a little cloudy due to windy conditions and some dredging near town. Can you tell I wish we were headed bak today..My husband took the Belize map out of my hands this morning and reminded me I was off to work today, not to Belize . We had a wonderful vacation, and BBR was one reason why.

Journeys End was perfect for us. Check out trip report a few pages back. Has been totally redone after Keith. Private cabanas, pool, beautiful grounds, close to the reef (makes a difference as you go South if you are interested in snorkeling).

Kevin,

Just to clarify things a bit:

* I persoanlly think WHERE on the island you stay is one of the most important decisions you make, especially as between the "main" part of the island and North Ambergris. This decision basically influences a lot of the rest of your vacation -- whether you're going to have an active vacation visiting a lot of clubs and restaurants or whether, if on North Ambergris, you'll have a quieter, more isolated situation and only go into town on occasion.

* Nearly all resorts on the island are directly on the water -- there's no decision to make about this. I don't know what you mean by "walk out" on the beach, but the main differences in one hotel and another is whether it has a seawall or not and also on the quality of the beach area it fronts.

* Not all places on your list have pools -- among the ones that don't are Caribbean Villas, Capricorn, Coral Bay, Agape and Xanadu.

--Lan Sluder
Belize First magazine http://www.turq.com/belizefirst/

HAve you looked into Victoria house? There are a variety of rooms there from hotel type to casita to villas. They don't have kitchens, though. Just another one you might want to research...

HI,
Seven Seas is not on your list but it has a kitchen and a pool, reasonable rates.Never stayed but will in August.

Just returned Sunday. Stayed at Caribbean Villas and there's no negative I can say. We liked the fact it had no restaurant or bar--there are several 20 steps away. The beach front was very well kept, one of the nicest on the island (AC does not have Aruba type beaches) interesting snorkeling off the pier (my first seahorse sighting after 15 years of snorkeling...)

Peaceful, wonderful staff, free bicycles, and a 15 minute walk to town. Reciprocity with Banana Beach Resort lets you use their pool, though Capt Morgan's let us as well when we ventured up their way.

Wherever you stay, have a wonderful time. It would be hard not to.