Ambergris Caye Where To Stay
The TREE HOUSE Belize
A Diver’s Beachfront Dive Base
Why not rent a private beach house when visiting Belize? This beautiful 2 bedroom home is located on a secluded stretch of beach 4 miles north of San Pedro Town and close to some of the island’s top restaurants and resorts.
When you book and confirm the Tree House as your island accommodation, Lorna the owner will set you up with your diving and will pass along a massive 20% discount off all your diving. This can save you a considerable sum.
Here is the info on the home. Be sure to tell Lorna that Gaz sent you over and have a great time in Belize. There is nothing better than firing up your own private barby and drinking a cold one looking out over the reef.
.
THE TREE HOUSE
A unique 2 bedroom beach house 4 miles north of San Pedro
CONTACT US:
For reservations contact: info@cayemanagement.com. For additional information call the owner Lorna McKenzie-Pollock at (617)734-5042
RATES:
Nov 15 through April 30: US $190 per night for 1-2 guests. Five nights minimum stay
US $ 230 per night for 3-4 guests
May 1 through Nov 14: US $165 per night for 1-2 guests. Four nights minimum stay
US $ 200 per night for 3-4 guests
There is an additional 9% Belize Lodging Tax
Until confirmed, prices are subject to change without notice
Ambergris Caye Belize How to Choose the right place to stay and Dive
The reason for this article is as an up to date information source for those that are considering a vacation to Ambergris Caye, it is meant to provide clear accurate information on the options of where to stay on the island when visiting Ambergris, based on the wide variety of hotel options that are now available on the island.
Where to Stay on Ambergris Caye Belize
When I first arrived on Ambergris Caye as a backpacker in 1992, San Pedro was a very small town with just 2 white sandy streets,
I can still remember the first vision that is clearly embedded in my mind to this day.
As I stepped off that small ferry from neibouring Caye Caulker, I gazed down front street (san pedros main street), all I could see was a beautiful white sandy lined street with one single golf cart making its way leisurely down the street, it passed a young couple holding hands window shopping in the quaint multi colored gift shops that lined the street.
At that time there were only about 6 dive shops spread out along San Pedros multiple docks, each one offering services to the few adventuresome divers that had already discovered this beautiful island also known as la Isla Bonita.
Most divers that visited stayed close to town at a few select hotels such as the Sunbreeze or Ramons, there were not that many to choose from. The same can be said with the dive shops, most people would be diving with Bottom Time Dive shop which was located at Sunbreeze Hotel, (today they are at Banyan Bay) the Paz family were the boatmen and Divemasters, they were to later to go out on there own under the leadership of Changa and Melanie Paz to form what is today Amigos Del Mar one of the leading dive operations on Ambergris Caye.
Today 18+ years later, many things have changed on Ambergris Caye, the island has quickly developed into a small island mecca and today there are over 40 dive shops and hundreds and hundreds of different quality hotel rooms, that cater to the thousands of divers and visitors that visit Ambergris Caye each year.
The reason for this article is as an up to date information source for those that are considering a vacation to Ambergris Caye, it is meant to provide clear accurate information on the options of where to stay on the island when visiting Ambergris, based on the wide variety of hotel options that are now available on the island.
For the visiting diver today, they have a huge selection of Hotels to choose from, depending on what it is they are looking for in a dive vacation.
The island now offers different hotel choices. At the very top of the scale you can have your own Private Villa with your own Butler on call 24/7 to the still famous backpackers hotels that offer basic clean accommodations but at a fraction of the price of the more upscale hotels.
Each offers different experiences depending on what the visitor is looking for.
Ambergris Caye now has hotel choices on three parts of the island NORTHERN Hotels SOUTHERN hotels and Hotels located in San Pedro Town or within easy walking distance to SAN PEDRO TOWN.
Each offers a uniquely difference experience
San Pedro Town Hotels
San Pedro Town is the heart of the island and this is where the majority of Shops, Banks, Bars, Nightclubs are located sadly today you will no longer see the white sandy streets with just one Golf Cart what you will see however is a bustling medium size town with a variety of vehicles from the local Golf carts to cars and trucks going about there daily business, the streets are still lined with multi colored gift shops, restaurants where you can shop and dine at a variety of venues.
Staying in town is for those that want to be in the center of things close to bars and multiple restaurants.,
Positives are, no need for transport other than your legs and everything you will need is no more than a short walk away.
Negatives can be noisy late at night from revelers heading back to there hotels or live music going on into the night that may disturb guests that have retired for the evening.
In the dry season it can be very hot and extremely dusty in town due to the traffic kicking up the dust as they go by, plans are however in place to pave the existing roads to eliminate this and the first part is completed from tropic air terminal to Island distributors heading south of town. The center of town has also now been paved which elimintes some of the issue.
There is no real beach to lay out on during the day (besides ramons) if that’s your thing, in addition the multiple peddlers will continue to try and sell you local trinkets which is not too bad unless you want to be laying and not be disturbed every few minutes. However some Hotels have pools that you can sunbathe around but you will still be approached.
Some people love the interaction and that’s great however some people also may find it annoying, being informed you have the choice.
In addition with the advent of Timeshare San Pedro now has the dreaded OPCs these are Outside personal contacts employed by the timeshare company’s to get you to attend a presentation on the timeshare concept.
Over the past year there are now several timeshare resorts that now have these people on the streets constantly approaching tourists to attend presentations the island has them pretty much under control and they are now required to .stay within there allocated pitch areas and are not allowed to approach people outside these areas.
All this can be considered either a negative or not such a negative again depending on what you want out of your vacation.
So to clarify, Staying in town is really for party animals that want to be in the thick of things and don’t mind the hustle and bustle of a growing town and the positive and negatives that go with that.
Some Hotels to consider in town are Sunbreeze Hotel, Mayan Princess,Paradise Villas to name a few.
North Ambergris Caye
North Ambergris caye is going through a huge development boom and this can be confirmed by the many projects under construction as you head north of the Cut.
North Ambergris is where the future of Ambergris Caye lies it is the only area that can still be developed and eventually there will be another town probably in the Basil Jones area, about 12.5 miles North of San pedro Town.
Over the past several years North Ambergris Caye has had a bunch of New hotels constructed such as the Hip and Chic Mata Chica Resort or Portofino resort that both caters to the rich tourists and then there is Xaman Ek which focus’s specifically on relaxation and Spa Services. Each of these resorts offers something different to the traveler however all offer Beaches where you can lay out without being disturbed.
The peaceful natural beauty of the area is pristine and most resorts are only a few minutes (10-15 by boat) away from the Hustle and bustle of San Pedro town.
Many questions have arose in the past as to the accessibility of getting into town when you want to, this has been a valid question however development has taken care of that, now there is a regular scheduled Island Ferry Boat that operates between North Ambergris Caye (as far as Costa Maya Resort) and San Pedro Town.
And new for 2011 Taxis are now permitted to take people North of San Pedro town over the Bridge.
Some resorts such as Mata Chica Portofino etc offer their own water ferry service into town at set times. Whichever way if you choose North you can get to town easily HOWEVER it can become tiresome and costly if you were really better suited to be staying in town.
You can now also rent Golf Carts as far North as Costa Maya and getting to town will take about 25-30 minutes on the cart depending on how many Bars you stop at along the way. Renting a cart opens up 6-8 restaurants that will be within accessibility to any northern hotel you decide to stay at.
There is now a Bridge at the cut, so it’s easy to head north now on a bike or golf cart.
Diving on the North side is very diverse and pristine, Diveshops in town very rarely head up that way during a weeks diving maybe one day they will head up North however some of the best diving on the island is located North of San Pedro Town, one such site is M&M’s which is considered one of the best dives on the island and a favorite of visiting divers.
There are several dive operators North that have dive shops located on site, Belize Ocean Divers, and Aqau Dives, Belize Academy of Diving located out of Costa Maya Resort, most of the other resorts North either use one of these operators and some that are closer to town such as Captain Morgan’s have affiliations with shops in town.
Some operators in town will come up North to pick you up for diving but normally they require there to be more than 2 divers check with your favorite diveshop for confirmation of that.
Staying North is for those that want to be away from the Hustle and Bustle but be close enough to get into town when they wish if your looking for a peaceful vacation with relaxation natural beauty, remote setting and diving sites less dove then North Ambergris could be for you.
A Resort located North should not be the choice of those that want to party every night or that want to go to town every day if that’s the case then choose to stay in town or on the outskirts.
Southern Ambergris Caye
Hotels South of Town
South Ambergris has a multitude of hotels and they are located south of San Pedro Town and accessible either via road or by boat. Getting to town is either via a Taxi cab or you can rent a Gold cart for the week but be prepared Golf Cart rentals can be expensive even more than rental cars, a daily rental of a gold cart can be $60 U.S + in addition during peak time i.e. Christmas Thanksgiving etc prebooking a golf cart rental is advised.
There is no better way to see the island than by a Golf Cart and its highly recommended you rent one at least for a day to see the sights. (Drivers License is required)
There are several nice hotels located on the South side of the island such as Banana Beach or Banyan Bay each of these are excellent condo hotels and diving can be arranged either thru the onsite diveshop at Banyan Bay which is Bottom Time DiveShop or any of the other dive shops will pick up at most of the southerly hotels.
South has easy access to town via taxi cab (About $7.50 each way for the Cab) or Golf cart but is developed with regular traffic back and forth to town you can lay out on the beach South of Town in fact Banyan Bay has one of the nicest beaches on the island its called Mar De Tumbo and a favorite of the locals that flood there over the weekends.
South is a choice that is not as busy as town but not too quiet either its close enough to town to get back and forth independently and at the same time offers a variety of restaurants within easy walking distance.
I hope this short Article helps you make the right accommodation choice and the most out of your trip to Ambergris Caye and Belize.
Dive Safe
Gaz Cooper
www.DiveBelize.com
