Belize Beach question

[silverod]

We will be on the in Belize end of July. I am guessing a t least a dozen of us will be looking to go for a beach break in Belize. Not everyone snorels, Can anyone recommend a beah excursion where snokeling is available but not the main part of the tour ? Also, is it necessary to book ahead, or can they accomodate a few extra people by having more than one boat? Maybe just a water taxi service to a Caye?

[thoneycu]

We will be on the in Belize end of July. I am guessing a t least a dozen of us will be looking to go for a beach break in Belize. Not everyone snorels, Can anyone recommend a beah excursion where snokeling is available but not the main part of the tour ? Also, is it necessary to book ahead, or can they accomodate a few extra people by having more than one boat? Maybe just a water taxi service to a Caye?

 

silverod- there are some pics posted here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=584802

We took the Snorkeling/CayeCaulker Beach Excursion through Coral Breeze tours and we LOVED it. They take you from Belize City to Caye Caulker and you have the option to stay on Caye Caulker and explore the island or go to the reef and snorkel. We chose to stay on Caye Caulker and we had a blast. You can snorkel right off the shore. We rented a golf cart and just drove around exploring this beautiful place. :) The boat comes back from snorkeling a couple of hours later and picks you up.

Have fun!

[sunshine175]

We just got back from Carnival Glory Western yesterday, 7/21/07. We booked with Coral Breeze Island Beach Break to Caye Caulker. We rented a golf cart and drove around the island. I found this to be not at all what I expected. The beach is full of vegetation and trash. There is only one spot at the end (the split) which is for swimming, not a very large area either. The people were very unfriendly on the island also. The pictures Coral Breeze has on their website don't show what it really is and the boat picture they show that gets you there is not the boat you ride in. I got hurt going back from the island, while getting on their boat, nobody was there to help you and I slipped when my foot hit the seat and fell all the way to the boat floor. I had to see the dr on the ship. It's been almost a week now and I am in quite a deal of pain and can hardly get around. Nothing broken just badly bruised ribs and back. I am going to my own dr tomorrow.

Everyone has their own opinion, I just did not care for it and feel the photos don't show the trash and what it is really like there. Go to Bannister, wish I had.

[9illi9an]

I went to Bannister Island back in February, and it was a beautiful beach -- like something out of a Corona commercial. But I don't believe there is anywhere to snorkel off the island. For the best snorkeling on Belize, you have to go to the outer barrier reefs, which are only accessible through a tour/charter boat. We went to one of the reefs, but there were SO many people there, and the waves were so rough, that it wasn't a very enjoyable experience.

[travgurl]

I just got off the Glory and went on the same excursion. We did not get off at the island, we did the snorkeling part. The boat they took us on was just fine. We had a great boat ride the 21 miles out and back to Belize. Caye Caulker is a quiet, relaxing tropical island. We went out about 4 miles from the island to the top of the barrier reef. There were only 12 us that snorkeled. You can observe from the boat if you want to. It was a wonderful experience. Our guides, Heni, Evar and Mark were very personable and helpful. We were in the water for about 45 minutes. We traveled in pairs a good amount of distance from the boat. We could see clear to the bottom in very deep water. We went to another spot and snorkeled with sting rays swimming all around us. Then we went back to the island. We went to a place called Tropical Paradise Hotel and restaurant. We were served a good native lunch there that we ordered before we left. This island was not a tourist attraction, it is a commumity. We had the opportunity to walk around the area where we found it to be a limited financial community. My family had a great day! Injuries can happen on any excursion. The person that fell went out on the dock, proceeded to get on the boat before the guides were there to assist them. So, always wait for the guides. I would definitely recommend this company and excursion to anyone. I would go again if I could.

[sunshine175]

I would like to mention that along the ride to caye caulker they had to stop the boat and adjust everyone so that the boat could ride smoothly. As I said, it is not the one pictured on their site. The guides said you may get back on the boat and everyone started down the pier, infact a woman with a small child was on the boat before I was. It did not seem like the guides meant for you to wait for them, they were not even behind me, other tourists were.. getting on the boat.

Unfortunately you only had the opportunity to visit one street of the island and not see the entire thing, so to say it is a beautiful place you might want to save until your next visit and you take the tour.

Everyone has their own opinions so don't jump on mine.

[travgurl]

I am sorry that you got injured, hope your dr. appt goes well today and your recover quickly. I would recommend that people should book the snorkel excursion. I really cannot speak for the beach break. It does not seem there was alot to do on the island. We were not on the island very long. We enjoyed our native lunch. We saw a little of the island. It seemed to be a very laid back, tropical island out in the middle of the ocean. Check out the island on the Caye Caulker website for yourself.

[silverod]

Leaving in 5 days, can't wait. I was hoping for something like Costa Maya beach. I think Bannister, geoffs and caulker all seem small and not developed. Caulker doesn't seem to have much of a beach according to what I've heard on these threads, saw pix of people laying out on the dock near the water. We're going to need some sand, food and drinks for this group. Oh well, I have a couple of days left to choose. Thanks again everyone, I'll post when I return.

[clackey]

Leaving in 5 days, can't wait. I was hoping for something like Costa Maya beach. I think Bannister, geoffs and caulker all seem small and not developed. Caulker doesn't seem to have much of a beach according to what I've heard on these threads, saw pix of people laying out on the dock near the water. We're going to need some sand, food and drinks for this group. Oh well, I have a couple of days left to choose. Thanks again everyone, I'll post when I return.

 

We enjoyed Bannister. Weather was good and not alot of people when we were there. Nice beach with chairs and a few palalpas, a snack bar and cold drinks, restrooms, and a boat snorkel tour. I thought that we got our money's worth and would do it again.

[pakmount]

We went to Bannister Island and found it to be very peaceful and relaxing. The water is beutiful and so is the island. We did not have many on the island when we were there. There were a few locals that asked if we wanted to go out to the reef to snorkle - only $20, but we declined. There is a snack bar, a small gift shop, a play area for kids, and a bar. Plenty of chairs and floats. They also had paddle boats and cayaks for rent, but it was too windy the day we were there.

 

Beware however, they don't like to give you your change back. They keep it for their "tip". My daughter got her hair braided for what should have been $15, but when she gave the lady a $20 the lady told my daughter the change was her tip...That bothered me. Also, the woman giving massages tried to steal my friends sunglasses, so keep an eye on your stuff. Had she not seen the womans daughter put them into her bag, she may have forgotten them and walked away. But she asked where they were, and the woman pulled them from her bag. There were a few local kids running around (probably the workers children), and they were looking around our bags. Just keep an eye on your stuff.

 

You cannot really snorkle from the shore here.

Hope that helps.