AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Talk Belize Trip Reports My take on AC & Placencia...

Tarpon, I tink you gonna like the place. A $15 dollar lobster in a place with a sand floor tastes just as good (or better) than a lobster that costs $125 in a fancy spot. My lobsters in GC cost me that, but on the + side, I did have a little left over for brunch on the beach the next day, due to the fact that my wife could only eat about $80 worth of her meal. Women like that are hard to come by and worth their weight in gold.

For people that are into beaches, so to speak, I think the northern end of placencia peninsula is best. Maya Beach and Riversdale have proably the best beaches in Belize. These of course, don't compare to Daytona or Cancun, but they are certainly "off the beaten track."

Tyshepp, I totally agree. Hubby and I would bike from Placenica north to Maya beach, and then cut over from the road and take a swim. Ah, fantastic. Not a soul around. That WAS the most beautiful beach in Belize, now that I think of it. Although, the north end of Placencia Bay, just on the beach outside Turtle Inn, looking south towards town, is pretty nice, too!

Thanks for the support. Hopefully we've all done our research before traveling somewhere, I have received the best input off of message boards, not a hotels website. That is why I feel it is so important to have a board that talks about both sides, good & bad. I want the honestly and then based on that honesty, I will make a decision as to visit or not. By the way my previous post mentioned travel agents, that was just tougue and cheek. I didn't mean to insult anyone if I did, just a timing thing.

Hi, first off I agree with one of the other posters that it's great that people can have different opinions without having a witch hunt. Actually, someone told me that my posts would be booted off of these forums. It was already removed from Belizeforums.com..Fascists..lol.
I have read all 23 posts(so far) and everyone seems to be fair and reasonable. That being said, I will reiterate my take on AC and even Placencia: The beaches were in bad shape. If you don't think so, then you haven't been to nice beaches. Im sure you can find some decent beaches in Belize; I walked for miles and found very few.
Also, I was not looking for Cancun type nightlife. I did my research and was very aware of the difference. Bottom line: If you are single and don't drink to the point of not remembering last night and are not a big rap fan, then you are better off picking another location. I can see that most of the posts were from married folk and families. I have no doubt that you will enjoy your stay. Im not beig a wise ass, Im just giving my opinion. I will now answer a couple of questions that were asked about my trip. We used the Belize Yacht Club to snorkle. We explicitely told them to bring 2 sets of fins. They said no problem. We get to the snorkel site(there are really only 3 of them on AC, so it's best to learn scuba) and while the other 10 people jump into the water the guide just stares at us. He questions our claim of having confirmed the use of 2 sets of fins, and we just stare at each other. He says that there is no way to contact the shop, which turned out to be a lie, because he pulled out a cell phone after making us sweat for 10 minutes. Then he fanagles 2 sets of fins, that don't fit, off one of the other 35 boats within shouting distance from our own. The net result, was blisters on our toes for the rest of our trip...Fishing in AC: we used a tour operator in the middle of town next to that great ice-cream shop. To the person who questioned my complaint about the fishing guide bringing his girlfriend on a small boat that we paid for; I guess you have never fished..Initially he gave us due attention, but as time went on, he spent more time catering to his girl(very unprofessional)..To the person that made a big deal of the singer visiting her table at Fidos..Are you kidding me? Sounds like I was wrong about the nightlife on AC..lol. Im sure there are people who have had the exact opposite experiences that we had. Im just telling you what we saw..

Just gonna add my 2 cents worth on this thread...first I think that if I had taken 10 days somewhere out of the middle of my 6 months of living in Belize and rated just that 10 days..big trouble! Because weather happens!! Ankle deep mud and getting stuck in a jungle isn't that fun. However, for the most part I loved Belize. I think it is sad when folks (like Jono) go with a certain expectation and get either bad weather, or everyone's "off day" on the Island for the week or two they are there. SH** happens! My sister just returned from Cancun and HATED it!! She and her Doctor Husband stayed at the nicest resorts and could afford the best offered...she had some bad experiences that flavored the whole trip. Our friend that referred her to the Cancun area loved her trips, and has gone back many times with good luck... So I don't think anyone should be mad at Jono or anyone else that might have a bad trip report, we all take a chance when we go anywhere.
Enough said!

Amen!!!!
Rick

This whole issue of beaches is a tricky one.

(And, yes, I know a little about beaches, having written a Frommer's guidebook to the best beaches in the Southeast U.S., having visited most of the best beaches in the main Caribbean and the Yucatan and having in the course of writing six guidebooks to Belize having visited nearly all the beaches in the country.)

But it's tricky to explain to someone who has never been to Belize what the beaches are like. I always try to explain in my guides that the beaches are not the wide, white sandy beaches with near dead zones you'd find in say, Anguilla or in much of the Yucatan.

As President Clinton used to say about the economy, "It's the barrier reef, stupid."

But some of the beaches in Belize are certainly beautiful, at least to look at, if not for swimming -- on North Ambergris, in Placencia, Hopkins, on a number of the small cayes and elsewhere.

Yes, there is a lot of seagrass washed up in many areas, and yes, especially in Placencia, there is a problem with trash. Some of it is a local problem, some a problem caused by trash dumped elsewhere and brought in by currents. Mostly it is a problem of not having the money or perhaps the planning and incentive to keep the beaches swept.

I always tell people that if wide, white sandy beaches are your # 1 priority, that all you want to do is to veg out on a classically beautiful beach, go elsewhere. But if you want a nice seaside setting with lots to do besides beach time -- snorkeling, diving, rainforest, ruins and more -- in an accessible, friendly, drink-the-water multicultural package, the coast and cayes of Belize offer a lot.

--Lan Sluder

Lan's last paragraph sums it up pretty well. Also, AC in no way can be compared to Cancun. Cancun is an over-priced city; however, there are places on the Yucatan peninsula that are absolutely beautiful. After traveling all over Mexico, Hawaii and Tahiti, Raratonga, etc., I would take Belize over them all!

Lan, has stated it correctly.

Just dawned on me, LAN, has the most perfect occupation. What a job, having to check out all the beaches, and then writing about the beaches.