# Ambergis Caye - Belize



## missmarie (Jun 23, 2010)

Hey Ho to anyone that has been to Belize lately!
I am thinking of March 2011, and wondered if anyone has any thumbs up or down re: Ambergis Caye. Probable house rental.
Thanks for anything  
Marie


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## timesharejunkie4 (Jun 23, 2010)

If you like to scuba dive you will love it! How far is this house from town? If you are north of town on the other side of the bridge, transportation in to town is either by water taxi or you could rent a golf cart for the week. Both times we were in Belize we were 7 miles from town. We did the golf cart thing once and that was enough, bumpy dirt roads and it took forever. The rest of the time we used the water taxi which was also time consuming and the water taxi schedule was limited.
We loved the diving and would only go back if we stayed right in town. There's not a ton to do on Ambergris Caye but there are a lot of trips to the mainland if you want activities. If you don't dive, the snorkel trip to Hol Chan is nice. There is a lot of sea grass in the water along the beaches so swimming and snorkeling off the beach may be considered to be limited.


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## missmarie (Jun 23, 2010)

*Thanks!*

I really appreciate the info. The house is approximately 4.5 miles north of town. I need to look into the "sea grass" issue, since we wanted to let kids splash about in front of the house. Probably don't mind off premises for snorkeling, but kids can't stand to sit on the sand and not be able to jump in!

Thank you. I will do more research 
Marie


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## Carolinian (Jun 24, 2010)

I am also interested in opinions on Ambergris Cay.  I have sometimes been tempted by the timeshare exchange inventory I see availible there from time to time at DAE.


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## judy23 (Jun 25, 2010)

We went in March 09 and it was very windy. 2 out of the 5 days they cancelled the dive trips. The natives told us March is ttypically very windy. It did affect the visiability for snorkling and diving. I would choose another time.


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## judy23 (Jun 25, 2010)

We were there in Mar 09. Very windy.It affected the diving and snorkling a lot. The natives told us that is typical for March. I would choose another month.


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## flexible (Aug 3, 2010)

We'd appreciate suggestions regarding Belize.

We've only gone as far South as Tulum when we spent a few months at the Mayan resort (South of Cancun/North of PDC) in 2007.

We might drive to Chetumal, store our car for two weeks, then take a water taxi from Chetumal to Ambergris Caye  - http://www.sanpedrowatertaxi.com/index.html. 

When I look at Belize maps, the Mexican Costa Maya area seems so close.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Maya - Is it very easy to cross from Mexico to Belize or do you need to do it at an official entry point so you pay the fees. 

It looks like the Costa Maya area of Mexico is close enough to swim when I look at maps but I have been advised they have yet to build a bridge for cars and there is currently a moratorium prohibiting bringing our vehicle to Ambergis Caye.

This is part of our itinerary:
30 Oct- 11 Dec 2010 - Mayan resort near Playa del Carmen, Mexico

11-18 Dec 2010 - Costa Maya Reef Resort http://www.costamayareef.com/transportation.asp   On the island of Ambergris Caye is the main town of San Pedro, and 6.5 miles north of the town is Costa Maya Reef Resort.

18-25 Dec 2010 - Tradewinds Cruise Club via RCI
http://www.tradewindscruiseclub.com/destinations/placencia_in_belize

My understanding is the catamaran is moored in the marina for the first and last nights but cruises for the rest of the week. All water sports equipment is available on board the vessels except for water skiing and diving equipment. Accommodations are small cabins for 2. 

25 Dec 2010-1 Jan 2011 – we are holding a reservation at Mayan at Playa del Carmen, Mexico in case the best choice is to leave our vehicle there on 11 December then fly back on 25 December after the catamaran cruise. Or if we store our car in Chetumal, then we could drive West  toward Acapulco. We'll be in ACA/PV/MZT until April 2011.


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## timesharejunkie4 (Aug 4, 2010)

flexible said:


> We'd appreciate suggestions regarding Belize.
> 
> We've only gone as far South as Tulum when we spent a few months at the Mayan resort (South of Cancun/North of PDC) in 2007.
> 
> ...



I don't know the answers to your questions but you may want to try the forums at http://ambergriscaye.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/.
I can say that the only vehicles in Ambergris Caye are taxis and golf carts. I suppose there are some other autos but it is very restricted so I highly doubt that you would be able to get your car on the island.
I have stayed at Costa Maya Reef Resort twice and submitted reviews each time. The resort is remote and you must rely on water taxis or rent a golf cart for the week. I would only do the latter if the roads have greatly improved since I was last there in '07. I highly recommend the onsite dive shop, Belize Academy of Diving. Tracey, Craig and their staff are wonderful!


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## Judy (Aug 8, 2010)

Thumbs up for diving, although the vis can be reduced due to rough water sometimes.


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## LannyPC (Aug 8, 2010)

flexible said:


> We'd appreciate suggestions regarding Belize.
> 
> We've only gone as far South as Tulum when we spent a few months at the Mayan resort (South of Cancun/North of PDC) in 2007.
> 
> ...



I was looking at Tradewinds Cruise on RCI's website and reading the reviews.  One complaint submitted by more than one reviewer is that, while you're cooped up on the boat for about a week, the staff try to bombard you with sales pitches about buying into Tradewinds.  Just a heads up.


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