Beware Elite Belize-Ripped off by them!

[CheriKM]

Our group recently arrived in Belize off the Enchantment. Several of us had booked cave tubing through Wet 'n Wild which was great. Unfortunately, I had booked 3 seventeen year old boys on a "canoe adventure" through Winston at Elite Belize. He seemed very professional and accommodating on the phone. We were told to meet George at the dock and that the boys would be driven to the canoe site, they would canoe for two and a half to three hours, would be given lunch and returned to the cruise dock. The cost was $75 each. I met George at the dock and confirmed this with him. I also paid him the $225. When I met up with the boys after each of our tours they were very upset. This is what happened. He drove the boys to the canoe site. He did not stop so that they could purchase bottled water, although I had asked him when I paid him if I should go into the restaurant and buy some for the boys but he was in a hurry to get going and told me he would stop along the way for them to buy bottled water. The guide who took them canoeing only had one canoe for the four of them. Two of the boys are over six feet tall and over 200 pounds. The boys were really concerned since with four of them, the canoe was riding so low, it was clearly unsafe. They canoed for just over an hour. Then things got really scary. They were taken by the canoe guide to a local deserted school and told to wait there for their ride back to Belize City. They were left for two hours, alone, no water (let alone food) with no access to phones or any other means of communication. After two hours they were picked up and driven back to the tender dock. They were freaked and dehydrated. On top of this, I had given each of them ten dollars to tip their guide, and not knowing better they had each tipped their guide. Since returning from the cruise I have tried repeatedly to contact Elite Belize to discuss this misadventure, but they do not answer their phones or return my messages. Fortunately everyone is safe, just out $255. I have recently contacted the Belize Tourism Board to alert them to the way Elite Belize has ripped us off. I wanted to post this to alert anyone traveling to Belize. DO NOT BOOK WITH ELITE BELIZE!