It needs to have some level of relaxation since we would be leaving the kid at home.
best shore snorkeling Caribbean
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Last: 4 yr ago by Hhilton82
Cay Caulker is a nearby island that is getting more stuff on it but he's very laid-back and not much there
Most people stay on ambergris cay - it has the main location where you take an excursion to all of the snorkel spots. It has the town with all of the restaurants and activities and resorts.
If Ambergris, then you have to decide if you will stay near the town, perhaps Ramon's as an example, or on the north side.. there are some nice resorts next to Rain Restaurant if you google it you can find.. that area is more laid-back and quiet And it's also closer to Secret Beach which you would definitely spend an entire day out at
When we went, we did an Airbnb that was near Ramon's but cheaper, had it's own kitchen and was nice and private and right on the beach
Most people stay on ambergris cay - it has the main location where you take an excursion to all of the snorkel spots. It has the town with all of the restaurants and activities and resorts.
If Ambergris, then you have to decide if you will stay near the town, perhaps Ramon's as an example, or on the north side.. there are some nice resorts next to Rain Restaurant if you google it you can find.. that area is more laid-back and quiet And it's also closer to Secret Beach which you would definitely spend an entire day out at
When we went, we did an Airbnb that was near Ramon's but cheaper, had it's own kitchen and was nice and private and right on the beach
Does Belize in those areas do all
Inclusive types? We are very active but we don't want to spend too much time away from
The resort other than snorkeling.
Inclusive types? We are very active but we don't want to spend too much time away from
The resort other than snorkeling.
And that area looks like a long way from the airport.
Can you share it?
here it is - i'm pretty detailed and enjoy sharing my exerpiences - hyperlinks all work
Monday, June 25 Arrive at Belize City / San Pedro on Ambergris Caye
o IAH Flight at 12:07 arrive BZE at 1:35, then take 2:40 flight -Maya Island Air 15 minute flight
o 3:00 Tony will pick us up and take us 5 minutes to Ambergris Villas - 130 Coconut Dr, South of Isla Bonita Yacht Club
o Norma Estrada drove us 20 minutes on the cart to Rain Restaurant for reservations at 5:30 - sunset at 6:30 so coming a little later would have been better.
o Spend time with Tony to book all of our tours for the week. Tony set us up with Belize Diamond Adventures Tour Company and Owner Norma Estrada belizediamondadventures@gmail.com
Tuesday June 26 Mayan Ruins
o 6:00 leave on 90 min Boat to BZE then 90 mins to Western Belize Mayan Ruins Xunantunich
o Lunch at a local restaurant, then Cave Tubing Adventure - decided to skip Zip Lining but nice option
o 5:30 90 minute water taxi back to San Pedro
o Walked to dinner at Blue Water Grill Restaurant excellent!
Wednesday June 27 Snorkel
o Walked to breakfast at Pineapples at Ramon's Village Resort nice!
o Meet at 8:45 Spear Fishing at Coral Gardens, Conch Graveyard, Shark Ray Alley, and Hol Chan Marine. Return home at around 5pm. Stunning wow turtles, stingrays, nurse sharks, amazing.
o Golf Cart to Dinner at Elvi's Kitchen
Thursday June 28 - Secret Beach
o Breakfast at Island Buzz met the owner Mike from Kansas City stop by and say hello!
o 10:00 Golf Cart 45 minutes to Secret Beach do not miss just stunning calm water and white sand on the lagoon side. Lunch, shade, drinks, and you can rent activities from paddleboards, to motorized mini-jet skis arrive in the morning for best pictures and stay as long as you want.
o Dinner at Carambas fresh seafood that you pick out yourself and they prepare for you
Friday June 29 Check out, head home
o Breakfast at Island Buzz
o 7:20 -Check out of Villa. Take the 8:00 Maya Island flight to BZE arrive at 8:15
Monday, June 25 Arrive at Belize City / San Pedro on Ambergris Caye
o IAH Flight at 12:07 arrive BZE at 1:35, then take 2:40 flight -Maya Island Air 15 minute flight
o 3:00 Tony will pick us up and take us 5 minutes to Ambergris Villas - 130 Coconut Dr, South of Isla Bonita Yacht Club
o Norma Estrada drove us 20 minutes on the cart to Rain Restaurant for reservations at 5:30 - sunset at 6:30 so coming a little later would have been better.
o Spend time with Tony to book all of our tours for the week. Tony set us up with Belize Diamond Adventures Tour Company and Owner Norma Estrada belizediamondadventures@gmail.com
Tuesday June 26 Mayan Ruins
o 6:00 leave on 90 min Boat to BZE then 90 mins to Western Belize Mayan Ruins Xunantunich
o Lunch at a local restaurant, then Cave Tubing Adventure - decided to skip Zip Lining but nice option
o 5:30 90 minute water taxi back to San Pedro
o Walked to dinner at Blue Water Grill Restaurant excellent!
Wednesday June 27 Snorkel
o Walked to breakfast at Pineapples at Ramon's Village Resort nice!
o Meet at 8:45 Spear Fishing at Coral Gardens, Conch Graveyard, Shark Ray Alley, and Hol Chan Marine. Return home at around 5pm. Stunning wow turtles, stingrays, nurse sharks, amazing.
o Golf Cart to Dinner at Elvi's Kitchen
Thursday June 28 - Secret Beach
o Breakfast at Island Buzz met the owner Mike from Kansas City stop by and say hello!
o 10:00 Golf Cart 45 minutes to Secret Beach do not miss just stunning calm water and white sand on the lagoon side. Lunch, shade, drinks, and you can rent activities from paddleboards, to motorized mini-jet skis arrive in the morning for best pictures and stay as long as you want.
o Dinner at Carambas fresh seafood that you pick out yourself and they prepare for you
Friday June 29 Check out, head home
o Breakfast at Island Buzz
o 7:20 -Check out of Villa. Take the 8:00 Maya Island flight to BZE arrive at 8:15
this is only one option of many places - but it was nearby our place and looked nice - its in town and around lots of activity
https://ramons.com/
but compare that to this place and others that are farther north and closer to Secret Beach - lots of options
https://www.cocotalbelize.com/
https://ramons.com/
but compare that to this place and others that are farther north and closer to Secret Beach - lots of options
https://www.cocotalbelize.com/
We stayed at Ramon's last summer. We enjoyed it. Multiple boats go out daily for snorkeling, fishing, manatee swimming, scuba, etc. They have a restaurant on site (will cook your catch) and it's very close to town, like a few blocks. I'd stay there again.
We also spent three nights in San Ignacio for a different vibe. From there we did cave tubing and Mayan ruin trips to Xutantinich and Tikal (Guatemala)...which was just incredible.
We also spent three nights in San Ignacio for a different vibe. From there we did cave tubing and Mayan ruin trips to Xutantinich and Tikal (Guatemala)...which was just incredible.
Look into southern Belize, e.g. Placencia which has some quality resorts. I prefer the snorkeling/diving in that area - can take a small boat out to some great reefs. Look into the Turtle Inn.Matsui said:
Does Belize in those areas do all
Inclusive types? We are very active but we don't want to spend too much time away from
The resort other than snorkeling.
I have been to Belize a couple of times and feel like I saw most of the country. My good friend and her husband had a condo on Ambergris Caye and lived there year round for awhile. Both times we went with our kids and they were our tour guides. Here is my take... it really does have some of the best water and snorkeling and the town of San Pedro is pretty cool. We prefer Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker over Placencia. I honestly did not care for Placencia at all. If you look at a map where the reef is, you can see how close it is to ambergris caye. I felt like it was a long boat ride from placencia to the reef and the beaches down there do not feel as Caribbean like to me. My kids did not want to get in and swim at all down there. The further north you stay on ambergris Caye, the closer you are to the reef. Our friends had a boat and took us all around the island. You can probably kayak out to the reefs from some of the resorts on the north side. With that said, you have to plan excursions if staying on the islands. Belize doesn't have the big all inclusives you find in Mexico or other places and you can't just walk out and swim in the water due to all the sea grass. Also, if you are staying on Ambergris Caye, excursions to the mainland are going to be extremely far and make for a long day if you and your wife are just looking to snorkel and relax. I love Belize but I'm not sure it would be my first choice if I was looking for a relaxing getaway from the kids. I feel like you would need an itinerary like the one the poster above gave to stay busy.
For what it's worth, we went to Belize last year for and this year we are going to Exuma.. I have that 5 day, four night itinerary locked down already as well
Lots of good options to consider
Lots of good options to consider
Can you share your itinerary to Exuma? We were planning to book something there but waited too long. May plan it for our next trip though.
If you go to Ambergris Caye you will WANT to go out and about. That's a large part of the fun there...Matsui said:
Does Belize in those areas do all
Inclusive types? We are very active but we don't want to spend too much time away from
The resort other than snorkeling.
Exuma Bahamas - I put a lot of work into this - absolutely can't wait! this is just my wife and I trip while the kids are at Pine Cove for the week this summer.. we went to Belize last year
Monday, Arrive at George Town, Bahamas on Great Exuma Island
o IAH Flight at 7:25am arrive GGT at 1:20pm ET
o 2:00 Get a rental car from Thompson's Rental turn right towards George Town
o Hoopers Bay Beach - check out the turtles under the docks then pop into Jolly Hall Beach
o 3:00 - Stop for lunch at Shirley's Seafood Restaurant
o 4:00 - Drive into George Town - stop for Groceries at the Exuma Markets
o 5:00 - Drive 15 minutes south to Harbour View Vacation Rental in the Hartswell area. Also see their Facebook page Yellow house at the end with the large balcony and wrap around drive.
o Get the Kayak's and make a quick run out to the reef and then Moriah Harbour Cay
o Grill dinner at home pack mixed grill items and enjoy stargazing from back porch of the house
Tuesday Staniel Cay Day Trip - Robert's Island Adventures.
o Leave Harbour View at 6:30am arrive at Barraterre Dock by 8am. Return at 3:30. Sights include:
Thunderball Grotto -007 James Bond movie filmed here.
Major Cay to swim with the pigs and Leaf Cay to feed the iguanas.
Compass Cay or Sampson Cay to swim with the nurse sharks.
Visit Musha Cay Sandbar or Big Farmers Cay - mile long sandbar at low tide.
See the mermaid, the piano, and the sunken plane.
Island hopping including Hollywood Stars homes.
o 4:00 - Stop at Coco Plum Beach - go an hour before low tide. You can walk out on the sandbars and find shells and sand dollars THE BEST! Go for a swing too!
o Drive 8 minutes to Dinner Big D's Conch Spot then 40 mins back home stop at Hoopers/Jolly Hall?
Wednesday Moriah Harbour Cay and Man-O-War Cay
o Pack lunch and drinks. Kayak along Moriah Cay go all the way to Man-O-War Cay then work your way down Moriah Cay to Little Exuma - hang out in the lagoon in the middle of the Moriah Cay.
o Get home, clean up, then drive 15 minutes - Dinner at February Point Rusty Anchor Bar and Grill
Thursday - Stocking Island boat tour of Elizabeth Harbour
o Drive 15 minutes to George Town and rent a boat from Minns Water Sports - open 8:30-5:00.
o Drive the boat to the sand bank 30 minute drive - go at low tide to find it. Snorkel around.
o Drive the boat to Chat N Chill for lunch and swim with the sting rays.
o Drive the boat down to Sand Dollar Beach, see the abandoned boat, and more.
o Dock the boat at 5:00 then Drive 25 minutes to dinner at Tropic Breeze - try the lobster poppers.
Friday Tropic of Cancer Beach - Check out, head home
o 6:00 - Pack up then Drive 15 minutes to Tropic of Cancer Beach.
o 10:30 - Drive 5 minutes and check out the Salt Beacon on Salt Pond in Williams Town.
o 11:00 - Lunch at Santana's Grill then drive 15 minutes back to Harbour View to get our bags.
o 12:00 Leave Harbour View and get to Airport by 12:45 pm.
o 2:45pm flight out of GGT arrive at IAH at 8:45pm and home at 10:00pm.
Monday, Arrive at George Town, Bahamas on Great Exuma Island
o IAH Flight at 7:25am arrive GGT at 1:20pm ET
o 2:00 Get a rental car from Thompson's Rental turn right towards George Town
o Hoopers Bay Beach - check out the turtles under the docks then pop into Jolly Hall Beach
o 3:00 - Stop for lunch at Shirley's Seafood Restaurant
o 4:00 - Drive into George Town - stop for Groceries at the Exuma Markets
o 5:00 - Drive 15 minutes south to Harbour View Vacation Rental in the Hartswell area. Also see their Facebook page Yellow house at the end with the large balcony and wrap around drive.
o Get the Kayak's and make a quick run out to the reef and then Moriah Harbour Cay
o Grill dinner at home pack mixed grill items and enjoy stargazing from back porch of the house
Tuesday Staniel Cay Day Trip - Robert's Island Adventures.
o Leave Harbour View at 6:30am arrive at Barraterre Dock by 8am. Return at 3:30. Sights include:
Thunderball Grotto -007 James Bond movie filmed here.
Major Cay to swim with the pigs and Leaf Cay to feed the iguanas.
Compass Cay or Sampson Cay to swim with the nurse sharks.
Visit Musha Cay Sandbar or Big Farmers Cay - mile long sandbar at low tide.
See the mermaid, the piano, and the sunken plane.
Island hopping including Hollywood Stars homes.
o 4:00 - Stop at Coco Plum Beach - go an hour before low tide. You can walk out on the sandbars and find shells and sand dollars THE BEST! Go for a swing too!
o Drive 8 minutes to Dinner Big D's Conch Spot then 40 mins back home stop at Hoopers/Jolly Hall?
Wednesday Moriah Harbour Cay and Man-O-War Cay
o Pack lunch and drinks. Kayak along Moriah Cay go all the way to Man-O-War Cay then work your way down Moriah Cay to Little Exuma - hang out in the lagoon in the middle of the Moriah Cay.
o Get home, clean up, then drive 15 minutes - Dinner at February Point Rusty Anchor Bar and Grill
Thursday - Stocking Island boat tour of Elizabeth Harbour
o Drive 15 minutes to George Town and rent a boat from Minns Water Sports - open 8:30-5:00.
o Drive the boat to the sand bank 30 minute drive - go at low tide to find it. Snorkel around.
o Drive the boat to Chat N Chill for lunch and swim with the sting rays.
o Drive the boat down to Sand Dollar Beach, see the abandoned boat, and more.
o Dock the boat at 5:00 then Drive 25 minutes to dinner at Tropic Breeze - try the lobster poppers.
Friday Tropic of Cancer Beach - Check out, head home
o 6:00 - Pack up then Drive 15 minutes to Tropic of Cancer Beach.
o 10:30 - Drive 5 minutes and check out the Salt Beacon on Salt Pond in Williams Town.
o 11:00 - Lunch at Santana's Grill then drive 15 minutes back to Harbour View to get our bags.
o 12:00 Leave Harbour View and get to Airport by 12:45 pm.
o 2:45pm flight out of GGT arrive at IAH at 8:45pm and home at 10:00pm.
Damn...you plan too much.nosoupforyou said:
Exuma Bahamas - I put a lot of work into this - absolutely can't wait! this is just my wife and I trip while the kids are at Pine Cove for the week this summer.. we went to Belize last year
Monday, Arrive at George Town, Bahamas on Great Exuma Island
o IAH Flight at 7:25am arrive GGT at 1:20pm ET
o 2:00 Get a rental car from Thompson's Rental turn right towards George Town
o Hoopers Bay Beach - check out the turtles under the docks then pop into Jolly Hall Beach
o 3:00 - Stop for lunch at Shirley's Seafood Restaurant
o 4:00 - Drive into George Town - stop for Groceries at the Exuma Markets
o 5:00 - Drive 15 minutes south to Harbour View Vacation Rental in the Hartswell area. Also see their Facebook page Yellow house at the end with the large balcony and wrap around drive.
o Get the Kayak's and make a quick run out to the reef and then Moriah Harbour Cay
o Grill dinner at home pack mixed grill items and enjoy stargazing from back porch of the house
Tuesday Staniel Cay Day Trip - Robert's Island Adventures.
o Leave Harbour View at 6:30am arrive at Barraterre Dock by 8am. Return at 3:30. Sights include:
Thunderball Grotto -007 James Bond movie filmed here.
Major Cay to swim with the pigs and Leaf Cay to feed the iguanas.
Compass Cay or Sampson Cay to swim with the nurse sharks.
Visit Musha Cay Sandbar or Big Farmers Cay - mile long sandbar at low tide.
See the mermaid, the piano, and the sunken plane.
Island hopping including Hollywood Stars homes.
o 4:00 - Stop at Coco Plum Beach - go an hour before low tide. You can walk out on the sandbars and find shells and sand dollars THE BEST! Go for a swing too!
o Drive 8 minutes to Dinner Big D's Conch Spot then 40 mins back home stop at Hoopers/Jolly Hall?
Wednesday Moriah Harbour Cay and Man-O-War Cay
o Pack lunch and drinks. Kayak along Moriah Cay go all the way to Man-O-War Cay then work your way down Moriah Cay to Little Exuma - hang out in the lagoon in the middle of the Moriah Cay.
o Get home, clean up, then drive 15 minutes - Dinner at February Point Rusty Anchor Bar and Grill
Thursday - Stocking Island boat tour of Elizabeth Harbour
o Drive 15 minutes to George Town and rent a boat from Minns Water Sports - open 8:30-5:00.
o Drive the boat to the sand bank 30 minute drive - go at low tide to find it. Snorkel around.
o Drive the boat to Chat N Chill for lunch and swim with the sting rays.
o Drive the boat down to Sand Dollar Beach, see the abandoned boat, and more.
o Dock the boat at 5:00 then Drive 25 minutes to dinner at Tropic Breeze - try the lobster poppers.
Friday Tropic of Cancer Beach - Check out, head home
o 6:00 - Pack up then Drive 15 minutes to Tropic of Cancer Beach.
o 10:30 - Drive 5 minutes and check out the Salt Beacon on Salt Pond in Williams Town.
o 11:00 - Lunch at Santana's Grill then drive 15 minutes back to Harbour View to get our bags.
o 12:00 Leave Harbour View and get to Airport by 12:45 pm.
o 2:45pm flight out of GGT arrive at IAH at 8:45pm and home at 10:00pm.
My itinerary would be:
Monday, Arrive Georgetown, Bahamas on Great Exuma Island
Tuesday
yep - my wife thinks like you do... we'll likely never make it back so when I go, i want to make sure we see everything we need to see so we have a full view of the place
but vacation is rest - somehow we'll find a way to take it slow
i will say planning helps to make sure you get the excursions and boats you want without worry of a sellout which does happen
but vacation is rest - somehow we'll find a way to take it slow
i will say planning helps to make sure you get the excursions and boats you want without worry of a sellout which does happen
I wonder if nosoupforyou carries around his clipboard of fun. Blue star to who gets that reference.
You are awesome! I think my husband dreams that I would be this organized! I'm more like Ag with Kids and it drives him nuts! We went to Colorado last August without any plans but river rafting. I told him on the plane that since we had all day before our check in, let's just take a drive through Rocky Mountain National Park. That's how I roll, sadly for him!
We wanted to do the Bahamas but I couldn't come up with a plan
Thank you for sharing your itinerary. I'll be ready for next summer now!
Have an awesome trip!
We wanted to do the Bahamas but I couldn't come up with a plan
Thank you for sharing your itinerary. I'll be ready for next summer now!
Have an awesome trip!
I'll update it after the trip as well with the actual plan as thins always get modified, but for this one, I have already booked the boat and the excursion to swim with the pigs so it won't change too much
Yes. Please update after your trip. Have you ever done the Florida Keys? I need an itinerary! We just booked some flights into Fort Lauderdale in July, so now I have to come up with what to do. The kids are coming and they are adventurous.
Oh there will be plenty of time alone.. I read that Moriah Cay is so secluded, the wife can get rid of those darn tan lines.. yeah.. it's happening - open air - !
Also, to be fair, if you look close, each day Basically is 1 event - so it's much slower than it looks
Also, to be fair, if you look close, each day Basically is 1 event - so it's much slower than it looks
I think I'm settling on Roatn.
These are some client favorites in Roatan:
Grand Roatan Resort
Turquoise Bay Resort
Las Verandas
Grand Roatan Resort
Turquoise Bay Resort
Las Verandas
Lauren K '07
www.breezecustomtravel.com
@breezecustomtravel
www.breezecustomtravel.com
@breezecustomtravel
I third or fourth Roatan. 2 hr & 40 min flight direct from Houston. Probably another 30 or 40 min from dfw.
I think we are doing same flight - and our kids will be at Pine Cove for the week as well. Looked like it was a tight connection in Fort Lauderdale to get Silver Air to Exuma - is that what you found? But we are staying at Sandals - no worries on food and drinks.
That's true.. only a 40 minute window so no room for delays out of Houston
There were people with kids at Pine Cove last year when we went to Belize- smart of us all to get in a trip with no kids while we can!
There were people with kids at Pine Cove last year when we went to Belize- smart of us all to get in a trip with no kids while we can!
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We stayed at Las Terrazas on Ambergris Caye and had a blast. As has been mentioned, there isn't much in the way of all inclusive in Belize but that is part of the fun. Driver picked us up at the "airport" and took us to one of the local groceries to provision up. Grabbed my wife and I a beer and handed it to us as we walked through the door which really set the mood. The resort was about 25 minutes by water taxi but also reachable by golf cart. Onsite spa was excellent for what it was and their restaurant honestly was just a peg or two behind the Intercontinental in Bora Bora (at 1/12 the price). Getting into town is easy and access to just about anything you want to do can be arranged at one of the local tour shops. We did 5 hours of snorkeling for two with food and drink for about $75 including tip. Most things including eating out are very reasonable. One of our best trips for sure.
Bonaire tips in Caribbean
maldivesag said:
Bonaire tips in Caribbean
Just left the dive shop and the owner said the same thing. Planning a trip there next summer probably (already hitting Maui this summer)
Guys, it's unreal! Most dive shops on Bonaire also provide truck rentals and unlimited tanks. We rented 3 trucks for our group of divers/non-divers. I'll have to remember who we went through, but we also had several in our group that rented all their equipment from the same dive shop. The guys were very helpful and more than happy to provide their personal favorite dive sites all over the island. For the most part, it was super inexpensive and the tank drop off and refill was super easy! I cannot wait for my next trip to Bonaire!BSD said:maldivesag said:
Bonaire tips in Caribbean
Just left the dive shop and the owner said the same thing. Planning a trip there next summer probably (already hitting Maui this summer)
nosoupforyou said:
That's true.. only a 40 minute window so no room for delays out of Houston
There were people with kids at Pine Cove last year when we went to Belize- smart of us all to get in a trip with no kids while we can!
How was the trip - we leave in 2 weeks!
Ramon's Villiage or for more economic choice The Palms condos. (Palms good for families to avoid having to book multiple rooms.) Next door to each other.
Nothing to do at Palms (small shady pool) beach is not good. Good location to be based tho.
Nothing to do at Palms (small shady pool) beach is not good. Good location to be based tho.