Gotta Belize it!

Just got back from a week at Belizean Shores Resort on ambergris caye, Belize. What can I say, the resort itself was wonderfully landscaped with lush gardens and swaying palms. The pool was to die for, the best on the island hands down. The rates for this resort were very competive compared to some of the other resorts with less amentities. The island and the people were always friendly and were eager to help you with whatever you need.

With so much to do, snorkle, scuba, parasail, mayan ruin trips, strolling the beach, kayaking, etc, the peace and tranquility of just sitting by the beach in a hammock was divine. There are numerous resteraunts on the island both north and south. The north part of the island had more of the higher priced resteraunts compared to san pedro, but is no different then what you would pay at a nice resteraunt in most cities in the states.

The town of san pedro itself is so unique with dirt streets that are finally being laid with cobblestones. Gets awfully nasty when it rains, so they have started the cobblestones. just know that there are rules about going down the one way streets in golfcarts... The locals will lelt you know with a strange look and then a point of direction with their hands.. followed by the familar san pedro smile.

My fiance and I were so sad when we left. It really makes you start to think about how the simple things in life are usually the most enjoyable. if you get the chance...get to belize city and take a puddle jumper over to the san pedro airstrip...you won't regret it!

Belizean Shores

We stayed at the Belizian Shores for seven days on Ambergris Caye North of San Pedro. The place was immaculate. The service was greate. The pool was wonderful and the best on the Caye. There are many things to do once you are there or if you just want to lay around, you can do that too.

The Shores is a great spot

Returned from Belizian Shores in early 1/05. The resort is a wonderful spot: PROs: clean beach, decadent pool w/ swimbar (truly best pool on the island), clean rooms, groomed sand, Sea-rious activity staff (ask for Hatcher) take great care of you for all trips and diving, on-site laundry, bike & cart rental, all rooms have a great porch. Cons: pale in comparison, but Due to NY Day, room not cleaned, but got towels, on-site restaurant is average. Staff can be pretty laid-back but they get the job done. Activities desk arranged a mainland trip w/ tour guide even tho there were just two of us - felt like royalty. Recommendations: bike along the beach - it's fun! Biking back on back road is hot & tiresome. Sundowner is a nice spot for dinner; also recommend Reef and Celi's in San Pedro. Easiest way to get around is the water taxi. Have low expectations for shopping in San Pedro unless you are interested in jewelry. We never found need to rent golf cart but then we were diving a lot. Go to Hol Chan and reserve a day for a mainland jungle trip/cave tubing trip. Belize zoo is a must stop if you are going tubing since it is right on way, compact and you can really see the animals which inhabit the jungle. Have low expectations for seeing jungle animals except at the zoo if going tubing at Jaguar Paw

Worth the Wait.

The photo of Belizean Shores Resort became the wallpaper on the desktop of my computer screen at work months before my vacation was to begin so that I could look forward to this very special time in subtropical air and sunshine.

My husband, Rick, and I would be celebrating our 35th Wedding Anniversary. An occasion as special as this one required a very special place. We researched possible locations via the Internet and decided on Belize -- a country that had everything that appealed to us. Once we chose the country, we needed to choose a resort. We were very fortunate to have chosen the Belizean Shores Resort.

We departed from Pittsburgh (12 F) and arrived several hours later in Belize City (mid-80s). It was when we boarded the small prop plane for the trip from Belize City to San Pedro that the excitement of our REALLY BEING HERE set in. From San Pedro, a water-taxi delivered us to our beautiful resort. Belizean Shores Resort is even more stunning in reality than in the photos!

Watching the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean the first full day after our arrival set the tone for renewal.

Rick and I were very fortunate that the staff of Belizean Shores suggested the Romance Package to celebrate our anniversary. So many wonderful excursions are included as part of this package. Of the many and generous options offered, we chose the Jungle River Tour as our first excursion.

We crossed the main waterway to an inland river, which snaked through the mangrove trees, where we had the privilege to see crocodiles, a manatee and her baby, and several toucans. Inland, we toured the Mayan ruins at Altun Ha with our very knowledgeable guide, Willy, from Sea-Rious Adventure Tours. Rick and I got to see the marvelous architecture and appreciate an advanced civilization that has a calendar that is still more accurate than our own.

On another day, we went snorkeling at Hol Chan Marine Reserve and at Shark-Ray Alley. We had a great deal of fun even though neither Rick nor I had snorkeled before. After awhile, we felt as if we were not only observers, but also inhabitants of this other world. Truly amazing.

We also chose the Couples Massage. Our masseuse, Noorul, was very skilled and eliminated any kinks that remained from the plane trip to Belize. The massage was a first for Rick (and probably not the last), although any subsequent massages would only pale by comparison.

Rick and I decided to enjoy the food that was a specialty of the region --blackened grouper, in a spicy lime sauce or chicken poached in coconut milk with spiced vegetables. Delicious! Although a complimentary breakfast and a choice of lunch or dinner were included in our package, we also had the option to preorder various items prior to arrival from a list via a link to the resort website. Belizean coffee is now my new favorite!

It did not matter which tour we chose, or when we decided to go, each request of the wonderful staff was met with an easy grace and the now very familiar -- No problem.

On the final evening before our departure, we set sail on the Romantic Sunset Cruise along Ambergris Caye Barrier Reef. Rick and I were given the royal treatment. Caribbean music, accompanied by rum punch, on a beautiful catamaran provided a lovely ending to the perfect vacation.

Paradise Found

All I can say is your expectations will be met and more. I just returned from a wonderful week at Belizean Shores and having travelled to several other caribbean destinations I was completely impressed not only with the resort but the island itself. The rooms are clean and comfortable. We bought most of our own food in town on the way to the resort. Just a tip but bring foods like Pringles, Doritos and Miracle Whip, peanut butter, tuna fish for sandwiches in your suitcase. ALso like sugar and coffee stuff that is very expensive on the island. Snack stuff..the rest you can buy down there. The staff meets you at a dock downtown like 2 blocks from the tiny dirt airstrip and will take you to the resort by boat ( what a fun way to travel). We had a group of 6 singles and had so much fun going on tours that Hatcher the activities coordinator arraged for us. The cave tubing and Mayan site tour is a must. It was the most fun I have ever had and you have to see the river and caves to appreciate their unmatched beauty. I am handicapped and had to be piggybacked around all week by friends and staff members...they were all so sweet. Andre who works for Tough Enough tours carried me a mile through the jungle in 100F heat just so I could go on the cave tubing tour. This is more than anyone has ever done for me and I was in tears at their generosity at the resort and island. Fidos downtown is a must see for nightlife and great drinks! Mangos resturant at Mata Chica resort had TERRIFIC food as well as the Laguna Grill right on the grounds at Belizean Shores. None of us got sick the entire trip and even ate at some street vendors downtown San Pedro ( $1 burritos are the way to go)! YUMMY! Try Capricorn resort for dinner ( get the stuffed grouper). All in all I give this resort a 10. We toured several other places to stay and this resort has the best pool/hot tub on the whole island. Enjoy your stay and if you have any questions you can contact me at lvs2fsh@hotmail.com Make sure to bring lots of small bills $10's and $5's for the water taxi as it is the best way to get to town and back..although you will need to experience renting a golf cart for about $45 to see the real island..fun fun fun..many potholes which are hilarious to drive on! Also when you book your trip..have the resort book your round trip flight from Belize City to San Pedro on Maya AIr. It is $90 round trip but well worth the money as the cheaper boat ride takes like and hour and is not that fun especially if it rains!!

You better Belize it!

Tammy

Great value, gorgeous pool, spacious 1 bedroom condo

You won't be disappointed. For about $100 per night or less, you get transportation from the airport to the resort (which can take some figuring out for the 1st timer since it involves tokens and water taxis). The condo is clean, housekeeping does a great job and is stocked with everything including all of your kitchenware. The pool is spectacular and everyone is very helpful. We explored to the other major resorts on the island and would definitely stay here again.

So relaxing!!

What a wonderful vacation! My fiance and I wanted to get away and relax, and Belizean Shores was the perfect place for it. Getting there was a little bit stressful. There was a transfer in the larger city of San Pedro to a small plane that took us to the island. Then you need to be transported from the airport on the island to your hotel, which is a 5 to 10 minute boatride.

There are two things which stick out in my mind from this vacation. First, I felt like I was in paradise. The whole complex was kept so manicured, with the rooms practical but clean and inviting. The landscaping was breathtaking, with staff cleaning any fallen branches and raking the sand every morning. The pool was magnificent with waterfalls and a swim up bar. Second, the friendliness of the staff was something I've never seen anywhere else.

My luggage was lost for 3 days, and I met the owners on the first day while we were walking around. They were so nice, that they loaned me clothes until my luggage came!

There were many options for food on the island, especially in town. But the restaurant at Belizean Shores was delicious, as was Rendezvous, just down the beach.

Hatcher was wonderful; always ready to help out and he knew everything about the island. As another review said, Graham from the restaurant was definitely a loon! It was a fun place to eat, and he knew every guest that came in.

If you want to relax, but have plenty of options for tours and exploring, Belizean Shores is the place to go. Not a big nightlife, but who needs it when there's a Belizean winery (go to Rendezvous) just down the beach??

Belizean getaway

Won a trip thru Skyauction that used belizean shores for accomadatons. You have to take either a water taxi or plane from the mainland to Ambergris Caye. We took the plane. The Shores had a representative their to pick us up in a taxi and took us to a dock for a 10 minute boat ride to the resort. (local water taxi service to get around isalnd. The resort is beautiful on the outside, daily manicured. No walk in beach, sea grass grows because of reef. They do clean up the shoreline daily. Beds were rock hard so we took fold out mattress and placed on quenn sized bed, problem solved. Restuarant onsite is fairm great pizza place down the beachsouth. Shop in town at local market and you can cook for yourselves and save big $$$

Expectrd lots of gug bite, only got 3 in a week. Book your excursions early. sateliteTV only worked between 8 am and 10 pm with 4 channels .Very friendly staff, you'll enjoy your stay, Located 4 miles north of San Pedro, it's $5 us to take water taxi to town, ask staff if they are going to town and get free ride if room is available. Very serene, peaceful, not a wild ambience. Enjoy Dennis

Two thumbs up from the man who never vacations!

Belizean Shores was incredible. The tours are not only inexspensive but well thought out and fun. The resort has two great bars. One is a swim up bar that needs to stay open a little longer but it's no big deal. Met the owners, who are very accomodating. Hatcher who is everywhere doing everything at all times is a great guy. He knows how to please his guests and keeps his vacationers happy. I fished, slept, swam, slept, dove, slept, snorkelled and slept. All in all a great vacation. Will be back a soon as possible.

The Land of Make Belize

Where to begin? This hotel is fab! From the moment you get picked up on the docks in San Pedro you are taken care of in a hands off/hands on manner. The Belizean Shores staff are there if you need them but not intrusive and underfoot in any way. After being water taxid to the resort (which in its self is just plain cool) we were greeted at the dock by Corey and co. who took us to our rooms. Rooms is not an accurate description of these condos. They are full apartments including stove, full size fridge and come fully stocked with all appliances and kitchen necessities like plate and such. Our room had been aired out. The windows were open allowing the ocean breeze to blow through. We loved it! We were told that our apt. had a king size bed but that others didn't. We did not mind! Everything was immaculately clean. In fact, every day the maids came in and swept the sand out, did the dishes, gave us fresh towels etc. I had even picked flowers for a glass on the table and the maid actually replaced them for me the next day. It s stuff like that that Belizean is so good about.

Hatcher is the man who knows how to get stuff, do stuff and does not mind sharing his knowledge. He is a work horse. After tipping/losing our sea kayak on our way to the reef I looked up to see Hatcher running down the dock to get a boat to save us from being ran over by another boat. He over exceeds customer satisfaction and comfort and his love of the island is apparent. Every tip he gave us on restaurants were right on and he was always recommending day trips that were perfect for what we wanted. We weren't planning on a fishing trip/beach BBQ but Hatcher talked us into it and it was our favorite trip. Our guides were awesome! They took us to catch our own sardines for bait which was an experience in its self and then took us snorkelling/ fishing. We FILLED a 5 gallon bucket with fish, lobster and conch for lunch and then went to another dive site (Mexico Rocks) for more snorkelling. By the time we got to the beach for a BBQ we were all starving but I can say the meal we had that day was the best we had on the entire trip. There is nothing better than fresh seafood out of the ocean caught with your own hands. We also went cave tubing (long day, take snacks) which was incredible. The guides are very up on Belizean culture and wild life. It was educational without being boring in any way. Our trip included the Belize zoo and lunch too. A very good trip. There were days we did not want to even leave the resort. The pool is a work of art with a swim up bar, water lounges, shallow and deep areas, colored lights and a hot tub. We met the resort designers (actually caught a ride with them to town on their boat) and apparently their son designed the pool. It is beautiful and well thought out. It's also close to every room so no one has a bad spot.

The restaurant was a little pricey but the food was delicious. We never went away hungry or dissatisfied with what we ordered. One day I was craving a cheeseburger in paradise and they did one for me even though it's not on their diner menu. Very accomodating. Graham the restaurant owner is a complete loon. He's a very funny Brit who charms his guests and fast becomes a friend.

The whole pace of Belizean Shores is VERY laid back. There aren't any wild parties or discos. If you're looking for night life go to Cancun. At times the resort appeared deserted which we loved. I don't think I ever saw more than 20 people in the pool at once. Speaking of the pool, be sure to see Roberto the bartender and try one of his famous Dirty Bananas. They speak for themselves.

If you have questions... feel free to email.