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Things to See and Do | Shopping | Dining | Accommodations
THINGS TO SEE AND DO
If water is the goal, then Ambergris is the place. Jump in. The Belize Barrier Reef opens a hatch to a fascinating world below. Stand on any eastern pier at dawn and listen to the surf break over the reef - the longest, most prolific ridge of coral in the Western Hemisphere. Look closely for staghorn and elkhorn corals piercing the surface. Three quarters of Belize visitors snorkel the reef and another quarter fish - two activities that kids can enjoy too.
Popular Hol Chan Marine Reserve is a five-square-mile underwater park, just four miles and 15 minutes south of San Pedro, where the snorkeling and diving are fabulous. With gentle rays gliding under the boat, jump into this giant natural aquarium full of vibrant parrot fish, royal fairy basslets, groupers, snappers, barracudas, even moray eels. In shallows of just 10-35 feet, visitors admire delicate sea fans, iridescent sponges, and thick brain, staghorn, and star corals, all glowing with color. Attentive guides point out the varied marine life and offer helpful hints on how to defog a mask and find the best views.
Pay attention to guides when they warn never to touch, bump, or stand on corals. One careless contact can kill them, damage their delicate ecosystem, even injure the swimmer. Stay far enough away to avoid accidents. Stand only on sand. To help protect the park, Belize charges an entry fee of US$10.
Usually combined with Hol Chan, Shark Ray Alley thrills even the most experienced snorkelers. Swim with nurse sharks and rays in water just 6-8 feet. Feel the smooth skin of their powerful bodies - an experience not soon forgotten. Horse-eyed jacks, blue tangs, gray snappers, and triggerfishes gather here as well.
Mexico Rocks, a beautiful area 15 minutes north of San Pedro, features excellent visibility and shallow water. Inhabitants include horse-eye jacks, Nassau groupers, lobsters, barracudas, sand sharks, and spider crabs. Watch tiny tropical fish with blue neon spots dart between the branches of coral colonies. At Tres Cocos, on the same tour, rich orange elkhorn corals vibrate with coral polyps building their colonies. Swallow Caye provides habitat for the West Indian manatee. Some tours combine manatee watching with snorkeling at Goff's Caye and Coral Gardens.
A half-day of snorkeling averages US$40 with equipment. Morning is best for viewing marine life.
A dozen boats, run by professional tour operators, lead giddy divers through wondrous mountains of coral. Walls, grottos, and canyons teem with alien life. From Ambergris Caye, reach stunning underwater landscapes in as little as seven minutes. Dive one great site in the morning; return for lunch; then take off again in the afternoon or evening. More than 35 spectacular sites offer proximity, including Cypress Tunnels at Hol Chan, Tacklebox, Tres Cocos, and Victoria Tunnels. Mooring buoys prevent anchor damage to the reef.
Excursions to the outer cayes include the celebrated Blue Hole, Lighthouse Reef Atoll, and Turneffe Islands Atoll. Check out the Aquarium dive site on Long Caye.
Hol Chan makes a great spot for dive instruction because of the shallow water. Licensed professionals include Ambergris Divers Belize, Amigos del Mar, Aqua Dives, Bottom Time Divers, and Grumpy & Happy. They help with trips, lessons, even underwater video. Many resorts offer their own operators and packages.
Rent a kayak, parasail, sailboat, sailboard, or jet ski. Enthusiasts who prefer to stay dry can witness the undersea panorama on a glass-bottom boat ride. Or take a sailing excursion to nearby Caye Caulker. Tour boats leave in the morning, stop for snorkeling along the way, and return in the afternoon. Water taxis also allow easy day trips.
By chartering a boat, adventurers can explore coasts and outer cayes on their own schedules. Optional captains, crews, and provisions can be arranged. TMM Bareboat Vacations equips well-maintained catamarans for a sail to paradise.
Few return empty-handed from a fishing trip around here. Small skiffs and well-appointed yachts proffer charters to the reefs, flats, and deep blue water. They charge from US$175 for a half day to $600 for a full day, depending on the type of fish sought. Deep-sea adventures include refreshments and equipment. The reef yields barracuda, snapper, jacks, and grouper. Bonefish, tarpon, and permit are found on the flats. Kingfish, wahoo, dolphin, tuna, and blue marlin get hooked farther offshore.
Back on land, scout for blue herons, roseate spoonbills, reddish egrets, even endangered black cat birds along the lagoon and mangrove islands of the north end. Raccoons, white-tailed deer, and crocodiles also lurk. Try the view from the bird sanctuary tower at Caribbean Villas, south of San Pedro.
Mainland tours are great for the family and easy to arrange. Cruise the New River to the Maya site at Lamanai. Trek the remains of Altun Ha. Fees range from US$75 to $135. Another popular tour combines leisurely cave tubing and the charming Belize Zoo for US$150. Return to the caye in time for dinner.
About 90 minutes north of San Pedro, Boca Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve protects manatees, turtles, crocodiles, birds, and snorkeling sites. Entrance is US$2.50. Tours start at $75. Bird Caye is another place for exotic birds.
Have fun scouting the caye by bicycle or golf cart. Moncho's, near the airstrip, rents reliable carts. Renters must be 18 and carry a valid driver's license. Remember that Front and Middle streets go one way. Front goes pedestrian - closed to cars, carts, and bicycles - from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and certain holidays. Lock carts when unattended.
While activities seem endless, so are ways to goof off. Lounge in a hammock stretched between some palm trees; sample a cool drink at a seaside bar; or read a book while lying on the beach.
Things to See and Do | Shopping | Dining | Accommodations
SHOPPING
Colorful T-shirts, swim suits, hats, sunglasses, carvings, baskets, and hammocks sell in several gift shops along Front and Middle streets. Many will ship goodies home. Disposable underwater cameras and laminated charts of the fishes make practical purchases for underwater trips. Unique Belizean-made products include Mayan Secrets' great-smelling soaps, lotions, and oils, derived from the rainforest.
Stores on Front Street include Emerald Mine, which markets Colombian emeralds set in 18k gold. Ambergris Jade & Maya History Museum displays Maya flint, jade, jewelry, and pottery. Stores inside Fido's Courtyard sell artwork, amber, and jewelry. Front Street closes to traffic on weekend nights, when vendors set up stands to pitch souvenirs, jewelry, and local edibles. Orange Gallery, on Coconut Drive south of town, has fascinating slate carvings and other Belizean crafts.
Things to See and Do | Shopping | Dining | Accommodations
DINING
Ambergris Caye lavishes visitors with the most varied, creative, and trendy dining in all of Belize. Gourmands enjoy fresh seafood - emphasis on fresh - with seasonal lobster. Ceviche, "cooked" only by citric juice, comes as diced lobster, shrimp, or conch, mixed in a salsa of onions, peppers, tomatoes, oil, and spices. A great local beer, Belikin, comes light, medium, and stout.
Besides Belizean, plenty of international cuisines - Brazilian, Chinese, French, Italian, Lebanese, Mexican, Thai, Spanish, Jamaican, even sushi - add up to diverse dining. Restaurants, cafés, and watering holes line the shore from end to end, and dot the interior as well.
Beachfront Blue Water Grill, at SunBreeze Hotel, buzzes every night, serving island cuisine with an imaginative twist. The menu includes Caribbean snook with a spicy black-bean sauce, wood-fired pizzas, and sushi. A dining deck overlooks the sea. Down the beach at Ramon's Village, chef Rommy Kie offers oriental, Cajun, and local favorites. Dine inside or out on the veranda, overlooking the sea.
Seaside Celi's Restaurant, in San Pedro Holiday Hotel, offers Belizean cuisine, lobster, stone crabs, and a special baked fish. Rice and beans with pork chops make a hearty lunch. Celi's Deli serves johnny cakes with cheese, chicken enchiladas, garnaches, and tempting desserts.
Popular Elvi's Kitchen, on Middle Street, complements good food with real tropical ambience: A large flamboyant tree sprouts from the sandy floor in the center of the dining room. Don't leave without trying the key lime pie. Caramba, another popular spot nearby, offers great local dishes. Diners start each meal with tangy ceviche and tortilla chips. On the beach, Fido's Restaurant & Bar slings fresh seafood in a lively atmosphere under a huge thatched palapa. Fido's Steak & Lobster is a good new eatery upstairs.
At Banyan Bay, a mile south of town, dine seaside at the alfresco Rico's Bar & Grill, which tantalizes taste buds with Belizean, Mexican, and international cuisines, plus lobster and steaks. The snook with mustard sauce is distinctive. Try the tortilla soup and lobster burritos.
Creative dishes by the award-winning chef at Palmilla Restaurant, in the sublime Victoria House south of town, include cashew-crusted grouper with sautéed shrimp, roasted corn, mashed potatoes, and green-chili butter. Start with crispy snapper cakes and finish with molten chocolate, with vanilla ice cream and sliced bananas. Dine leisurely under the stars, or in air-conditioned comfort amid tasteful decor.
Near the lagoon south of town, Casa Picasso uses lots of imagination in its pasta, tapas, and starters, including crabmeat marinated with cilantro, chili peppers, and vinaigrette, served over papaya. Sip martinis at the lively bar.
Venture north across the cut to find some of the best restaurants. The water-taxi ride from San Pedro adds considerable romance to the evening. Call the restaurant to arrange such transportation.
The intimate Capricorn specializes in seafood, crepes, filet mignon, and pasta. At Captain Morgan's Buena Vista Restaurant, diners enjoy Belizean entertainment some nights while dining by the beach.
Join the chic crowd at trendy Rojo Lounge at Azul Resort, which accents the tropical in food and drink. After a frozen mojito, sample the plantain-crusted shrimp with papaya-chili sauce. Luna, at Journey's End Resort, serves "palm tree cuisine," a Central-American-Caribbean fusion. Fine Cuban cigars smolder in the martini bar La Habana, at Journey's End.
Portofino's Restaurant Le Bistro, a real island dining experience, offers nightly pier dining with a Euro-Caribbean fusion. At Blue Reef Island Resort, Chef Anel prepares a seasonal international menu. Other good north-end eateries include Rendezvous, offering Thai and French cuisine and fine wines, and Mambo Café at Mata Chica Resort, with homemade pastas and breads.
Fine wine, cheese, and other goodies can be found at specialty shops like Wine de Vine. To stock an entire kitchen without schlepping to the supermarket, find Lagniappe Provisioning at www.lagniappe-belize.com, which will even dispatch a private chef to prepare fresh lobster, fish, chicken, and other local specialties expertly on site.
After dinner, walk on the beach, swing in a hammock, or go out dancing. Fido's Courtyard, where everybody who is anybody hangs out, pumps out live music. At the Jaguar's Temple, free shots for karaoke singers on Thursday help numb the embarrassment. On the south side, listen for the Barefoot Iguana. Several internet cafés (US$7.50/hour) have sprouted around the island.
Things to See and Do | Shopping | Dining | Accommodations
ACCOMMODATIONS
Everyone comes for the sun, sand, and sea. Couples come for romantic-but-affordable seaside weddings, honeymoons, and anniversaries. But eventually all have to sleep.
Friendly personal service explains why so many return here each year. People feel welcome in the island's 1,200 rooms, which come in all shapes, sizes, and budgets. They stay inexpensively in guest houses, or snuggle in the lap of luxury on private islands like Cayo Espanto. Choose from thatched cabanas cooled by paddle-wheel fans, luxury villas well air-conditioned, small hotels brightly painted, or seaside condos with yacht-club amenities.
Blossoming construction creates more upscale condo options. Witness the beautiful Grand Colony beachfront developments at the south end, and seaside Las Terrazas up on the north end. Other indulgent new digs include Azul, offering villas with world-class amenities, and Sueño del Mar, a dive resort on 10 acres of beachfront. The new seaside Phoenix now rises in San Pedro Town.
Budget rooms start at US$50. Lavish villas go to US$1,600. Of all the tempting islands in the world, Ambergris Caye can make anyone's island dreams come true.
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