We arrived on the island, and immediately were impressed with the friendliness of the locals, the cleanliness of the stores and resorts, and the peaceful, relaxed feel of the whole town. We stayed at Caribe Island Resort on the south end, it was fantastic. Jules, and his entire staff, were wonderful. Albert, the bartender there enjoyed our India Arie cd, too. Alberto caught some fish and we had the chef at Caribe Island cook it up and it was served to us in our room with pasta and salad. YUM!! Talk about FRESH FISH! The band, FFTN, played at Fido's and Hammock House, and seemed to be well received by both the locals and tourists. Grant and Ebby at Fido's took good care of our boys and made them feel welcome and appreciated, and the food was incredible. Grant took us out snorkeling and we all had a blast swimming with sharks and sting rays and fish and coral. Barefoot Skinny at Hammock House was great, he helped us a lot. The food out there is awesome as well. But the bon fire on the beach with music was the best! We sold a lot of cd's and t-shirts, so they won't soon forget about our visit! The white coral sands and the clear blue waters were enough to make you want to move there. But, that wasn't all, the locals were so friendly, that we felt like we had made new lifelong friends. We will definitely be back soon. Armancia does the BEST hair braiding at Banyan Bay Resort. We are now looking into a time share so we can come back often. Thank you to the entire town for having such a charming and inviting place. We really enjoyed the golf cart experience and didn't miss cars or city traffic one bit. Parasailing (at Fido's) was another highlight, WOW, if you haven't done it, DO IT! And take a camera. The only thing we regret was not staying longer. We left with a long list of things we didn't have time to do and will definitely be back, for about a month next time, to check them off. AC ROCKS!! Our pics will soon be posted to www.fftnrocks.com , please come see! Thanks again from Christi, Steve and FFTN (Fallen From The Nest)!

13 days and counting for us...each time I read a trip report it psychs me up for our first visit You mentioned hairbraiding...my 2 girls may want it done...they have very thick hair. Can you give me an idea of the cost? And where is Banyan in reference to Banana Beach? Thanks and welcome back

Banyan Bay is south of Banana Beach, ask for Armancia, half head is US $15, whole head US $25, may be more for thicker hair. She is FAST, my hair is mid way down my back and she did my whole head in less than 45 mins! Call them ahead of time to schedule an appt with her. She will let the girls pick out styles, beads, and bands. She can do straight back rows, or designs of your choosing. She does it good and tight so it will last. Since I have been home, all my friends and family LOVE my hair. It will last 1-2 weeks depending on how well it is taken care of. Enjoy your stay, it is HARD to leave.

thanks a million...I already told my girls that it looks like there's no mention of hairbraiding in Belize and they will be thrilled to hear they can have it done to show off in school when we return

goody...

banyan bay is actually just north of banana beach....you can't miss it...going towards town.

you'll find lots of hairbraiders around. we saw one woman braiding right on the beach directly in front of banana beach on the lounge chairs there.

i get my hair braided at least once or twice a year and can leave it in for a couple of months...i have very thick, long curly hair. sounds like they are pretty good at it on AC!! and the price quoted above is great!

so tell us, how was playing with Jimmy Buffett? Your website says he was going to be there playing with you.......inquiring minds want to know :p

Thanks again Mikell...I saw in response to one of your reports people's comments on your braids. Thought that you had them done at home because there wasn't any braiding on AC. We've had it done on Mexico,Turks & Caicos etc. and my girls were really looking forward to having it done while in Belize. Nice to know that there are people doing it there to. And yes...the price is right. We always have it done a day or two before leaving so that they last

tazchristi...

OK...i just had to mention that i checked out the website for FFTN and spent at least two or three minutes playing with the very cool poster for your gig at Spiro's!!! i think i'll go back and play with it again! that has to be the coolest website thing i've ever seen! maybe i just have too much time on my hands...

Mikell and Goody2shuz-So sorry, my bad, Banyan Bay is north, on a corner, can't miss it on your way into town. I saw many girls in town with braids and asked where they had gotten their hair done, and the nicest "do's" were always Armancia's. She will come to your room, or anywhere, if you prefer, no extra charge. She did mine outside on the pier facing the ocean. Eli,(she's GREAT, too! ), at Banyan Bay's Dive Shop will have her number. I have long hair and the open air rides on the golf carts, and the high humidity, made my hair very hard to untangle, manange, etc. I wish I'd gotten mine done the first day I was there. You can always have it rebraided for tightness and neatness right before you leave.

klcman-Jimmy Buffet was there! FFTN's drummer, Munnch, has a great sense of humor! Stay tuned to www.fftnrocks.com lots of updates coming up, been VERY busy since getting home...sorry for the delay, but will be worth the wait.

Mikell- The cool effect you got lost in is available for free at www.durius.com , it is called a Durius Water Pic Applet. You can place it over any picture, and I keep it there for all the new flyers that FFTN's Bassist, Brent, makes with great talent.

I can't say enough good about AC! I have been talking of nothing else since my return to Dallas. We WILL be back SOON. This time we're bringing our daughter and some other friends and family. It was paradise being there with the band, but I can hardly wait to share it with my daughter. To the locals of AC, kudos, you've got a great way of living and we appreciate your smiles while sharing it with us!

Hey Everyone!... Steve here (tazchristi's husband). We LOVED our trip out there. Leaves visions in your head of abandoning this life for something far more simple. Maybe we'll start off with a computer repair company. Anyone know of a need for a computer tech/LAN guy?

Steve