Just wanted to post a quick note to thank everyone on this site for their help in planning our recent trip. Most of you do not know us but we're John and Julie from Indiana. We talked with CaptJeff and hooked up with Bicho for two days of fishing.

The weather was great all week with temps in the 80's and lots of sun. We stayed at the Sunbreeze hotel and really liked it. I can't imagine a more convenient location, within walking distance to almost everything and right across the street from the airport. We ate at Elvi's, Stain Glass Pub, The Sunbreeze Restaurant(I forget the name). We liked Elvi's the best. Try the Maya Chicken, it's baked in a banana leaf and real good.

We fished two days with Bicho. Both days were windy and kinda rough outside the reef. We did real well with the fishing. The first day we went to Rocky Point and caught a lot of reef fish. Bicho and Bicho Jr. did a great job of preparing lunch while we relaxed in the shade. The second day we went over to Caye Cauker and trolled outside the reef. Julie got a little green in the face but got over it. I caught a 20 lb grouper and a lot of big barracuda. The pictures will be sent to captjeff for posting on fishingsanpedro.com as soon as I get my computer photo software working again. For lunch we stopped on Caye Cauker and ate at a small dockside restaurant, good food and cheap. The water was a bit rough for snorkeling so we didn't give that a try.

Later in the week we went to the mainland and drove to the western part of Belize. For those who have not tried the interior, it is worth the effort. Be sure to stop at the Belize Zoo. What a value for a few bucks! We found the Cayo district to be friendly and beautiful. The Maya ruins are unbelievable.

I just wanted to thank a few people who made out trip more enjoyable.

Bicho and Bicho Jr. - Great guys, friendly and professional. I will look forward to my next trip with them.

CaptJeff - Called me back and answered every question I had. Thanks for the help and the advice. I look forward to meeting up sometime in Belize.

Patrick from PlayaBlanca resort. Thanks for the great conversation on the play ride over to Ambergris. Your real estate advice was well taken.

Elvi's - Great Maya chicken!

Ramon's - Good breakfast under the palms!

Sunbreeze Hotel - You guys ought to see this place now that the renovations are complete! A first class hotel with Florida quality. We really liked the cable TV with the early darkness in Dec.

Look for our pictures soon at fishingsanpedro.com I'll be the grinning geek standing by Bicho while he holds the big grouper!

Thank you for sharing your trip with us.

It's really refreshing to hear many positives
I was especially interested in hearing about Sunbreeze.

You had a great trip, and will you be back.
I look forward to seeing the pictures

Thanks for the trip report. 'Specially happy to see that I can get Chicken Pilbo [Mayan chicken] at Elvi's. Had it in MX and been dreaming of it ever since. Food for the god's!

j.j nice report love the chicken there but I get the caribbean chicken yum yum ... glad you got to live the dream !!!!!a 20 lb grouper big mother fish ..yes like I preach the fishing ability every day about bicho and bicho jr his son and mate ,good folks ,real nice guys full of fun and super knowledge about the sea and the local fishing scene ..the board is full this week with there rave raviews.they catch lots of fish ,give outstanding service ,and show the best of what sanpedro fishing is all about .. thank you for your kind comemnts on me ..I so enjoy helping people go out and have a blast fishing ,snorkeling and living life large and will continue to do that for bicho fishingsanpedro .com he works hard to earn that..to bad the weather did not cooperate I was sea sick once so I no how your wife felt ,next trip skip the burrito breakfeast in the am .. you guys keep in touch!!!!! may we all fish together one day in the future in paradise .lets live the dream and enjoy ..

I forgot a few things on my previous post. I was surprised about a few things since my previous trip five years ago. First, San Pedro and AC in general have developed a whole bunch since then. I regret not buying that 5 acre parcel on the beach for investment purposes back then. In general I think the development has been good, although I think the "downtown" San Pedro area is more dirty and congested. I think the decision to allow three story buildings in town has made the streets seem like dark canyons. It was different and better a few years ago. Honestly, I was surprised at the quality of the hotels. The Sunbreeze for example, is of the quality of anything found on Ft. Myers Beach and yet the prices are quite reasonable by Florida standards.

One other surprise was the difference in Belize City. It's obvious that the cruise ship business has transformed that place. It's much cleaner and frankly feels safer than last time I was here. I don't think it will ever be a great tourist destination due to the low lying terrain and lack of tourist sites, but an improvemtn has been made.

One disappointment; Mountain Pine Ridge. The pines are gone, eaten by the pine borer beetle. The roads are terrible once you leave the western highway. Some people on this site talk about staying at the various lodges in the area and then touring about. Be prepared for a ROUGH drive back to the highway! We rented a Geo Tracker 4X4 from Crystal (good people and prices) and drove to Blancaneux and Five Sisters lodge in the Pine Ridge. The roads were dry, but it was boulder hopping in some places. My advice is this; if you want to go to Tikal, Xunantunich, or other sites not in the Mountain Pine Ridge, then stay in San Ignacio or at a place close to the road such as Chaa Creek. If you stay at the lodges deep in the Pine Ridge you add a good 1 hour rough ride just to get to the highway. Frankly, after that drive I was afraid the rental company was going to charge me extra for damage. No wonder the rental cars are so expensive in Belize! One other note; if you stay on the highway a car is fine to rent. If you plan on going to Mountain Pine Ridge be sure to get a 4x4 type vehicle. There are ruts and rocks in the road that a car will not clear.

More thanks;

Albert and Hugo, our guides from San Ignacio. Great job in showing us the area and your knowledge of the Maya sites!

Good food at Cheers restaurant!

Very nice hotel at the San Ignacio Resort Hotel. Toucans in the tree in back of our room in the morning, awesome!