I just wanted to take a moment to share the great experience that I had last week in San Pedro. My boyfriend (now fiance!) and I arrived in Belize City on Sunday, August 4th. We immediately got on a Tropic Air flight to San Pedro and despite being EXTREMELY NERVOUS on the quick flight, I can tell you that the moment we landed in San Pedro, it was ALL worth it. Before we even had a chance to worry about getting a cab to Ramon's, a golf cart pulled up and was ready to take us to the resort. I thought that was extremely good service, considering we were actually supposed to arrive on a later Tropic Air flight and had decided last minute to catch an earlier flight.

Ramon's is just a block away from the air strip and when we got there I could not believe my eyes. Okay, it's true, the pool is smaller than you would think from the photos they have online, but the place is BEAUTIFUL, and the grounds are impecccable.

We had to wait about an hour or 2 before we could get into our rooms so of course we headed to the Purple Parrot. I was still slightly frazzled from the plane but within 1/2 hour of arriving on the grounds of Ramon's I felt all of my stress slip away, all of my worries (would it be nice? safe? air conditioned???) just disappeared and a sense of real calm and comfort came over me. Oh and by the way I was drinking Sprite NOT Belikin!!!

The staff at Ramon's was wonderful. Yes, things do move slowly and it may take a little longer than you'd like to get a glass of juice but they are so respectful and friendly. You really feel like you're part of their family for your entire stay.

After settling in to our rooms our next mission was to talk to the folks at the dive shop. We had pre-paid for 4 days of diving for the 2 of us. I had not been diving since getting certified 3 years ago so I was a little reluctant to jump in with a regular group. NO PROBLEM (the mantra of the island). Rick at the dive shop was amazing and told us that we could arrange a refresher with one of the dive masters. I think his words were, "we want you to feel safe and comfortable"... when I heard that I KNEW that I would be taken care of. And the next day, Rick linked us up with Carlos for our one-on-one lesson. I can't say enough good things about Carlos and Mr. T the boat driver. These guys are really special and they take great care of you. If you are at all unsure about diving go to these guys! I was blown away by their professionalism, and they are a lot of fun too.

As an aside, on the 3rd day of the trip we heard about the diver that was lost at the Blue Hole. Neither of us were on that trip, nor did we speak with anyone that was on the boat that day. We don't know what happened but what I'd like to say is that please don't let this scare you from diving at Ramon's.

The week pretty much flew by. We packed in a lot of diving and a lot of lounging by the pool. My boyfriend did end up diving the Blue Hole later in the week but he had to go with Aqua Divers as Ramon's was not taking any boats out there.

We had some excellent meals-- I would highly recommend Elvi's Kitchen and Caliente. Those were our 2 favorites. While not the best food, dining at Ramon's was fun too because there's always a ton of people around. I would also recommend taking the water taxi to the resort at the northern end of the island called Mata Chica. We did this on our last night. The water taxi is a real adventure because it's this tiny little boat, smaller than a dive boat and it's a 20 minute ride in pitch black!!! We were scared but it was totally worth it. The restaurant at Mata Chica is called Mamba and the ambience is unreal. It looks like something you'd find in NYC and the food was terrific. Make sure you get the chocolate souffle if you go!

I can't wait to get back to San Pedro. We met amazing people along the way, people from all different places and cultures. If I never see these people again, I won't forget what a fabulous time we shared in San Pedro.

And to everyone thinking of going-- GO! Stay at Ramon's if you can. The Purple Parrot is the place to be and there's no better way to end a full day of diving than hanging out at the bar, having a drink and rehashing diving adventures with other guests. Thank you to everyone at Ramon's for making this a perfect trip.

If anyone out there has questions please feel free to email me at [email protected].

- Jamie

Hey Girl!!
It was a real pleasure meeting the 2 of you...even though you were afraid to post to me that you were hanging out there!! Glad you got to meet the Pirate! (Actually, I'm glad you introduced yourself...you folks are a great couple!)

We had a grand time as well...even though a couple of boarders failed to show on Tuesday...Caligirl, Partyhair, R99, Mannix, Arkansas Bob....where da heck were ya, mon? Hey...NO PROBLEM...I almost forgot about it too!

JMK

I enjoyed reading about your experiences at Ramones. I was there in April of this year and truly enjoyed myself as well.

It was my first time to fly in a plane that small and I loved every minute of it. However I was weary from the travel and wanted nothing more than to just get my toes in the sand. Once we were all in the golf cart, not even going yet, our driver said "Well, we are almost there" He wasn't kidding.

Ramones is BEAUTIFUL. I really liked all of the tropical plants and flowers. My room was just two away from the beach and I couldn't have been more excited.

The Staff at Ramones is EXCELLENT. George would greet us every morning for coffee, Rick assisted us at the Dive Shop, Carlos was our guide and (I will probably spell this wrong so I apologize) Truliano was our captain. I am not an experienced diver. With the exception of my open water certification in a local lake this was my first dive experience. They were very helpful, very patient, very professional and very funny!!

I have heard it said that "life is just a candle, it's your dreams that give it flame" My dream was to experience SCUBA but Ramones' Resort and staff along with the people of AC made that flame burn brighter than I could have ever imagined.

I forgot to mention that rather than taking the plane back we actually took the boat to Belize City! Just another adventure to add to the memories. Honestly though, if there was no boat, it'd still be worth it to get on that little plane!!! I can't wait to get back.

BTW elykc, I think it's Toriano but I could easily be mistaken. That's why we just called them Boots and Mr. T.