Belizean Shores is a great resort for those of you looking for a quiet/relaxing vacation. Ambergris Caye is a small island cut in half by a very small river (cut) ; most of the better resorts are located north of the cut - Belizean Shores is one of these. There are pros and cons as to where to stay on AC; south of the cut, center of town or north of the cut - it all depends on what you are interested in. Center of town would be a better choice if your are looking for night life.

Belizean Shores has all the amenities one would expect from a first class resort. From the rooms to the grounds/pool (best on island) everything is kept imaculate. I cannot recommend the restaurant (Laguna Grill) at Belizean Shores however; my wife and I tried it 3 times (breakfast, lunch and dinner); food unsatisfactory. Managers attitude stinks.

The resort can and will arrange any trips you might be interested in. Do be cautious when renting the Golf Carts at Belizean Shores. Ours failed to start 4 different times and we would up pushing it; finally found the problem and fixed it ourselves.

Most all transportation to/from the resort is done by water taxi since Belizean Shores is 3-4 miles from San Pedro proper; cost is $10.00 US round trip per person.

San Pedro offers very little for you shoppers; a lot of restaurants/clubs.
The Lamanai boat trip was interesting and the Beach BBQ should not be missed; try the Cave tubing also.

To sum things up, Belizean Shores and the people in Belize were great but our next vacation will probably be to Mexico again.

Hopefully this info will help in making your decisions. Dinner at Capricorn should not be missed despite the high prices.

Belizean Shores Resort was a great place to spend a week while enjoying
5 days of diving. The accomadations were great, lots of room, privacy, views, and air conditioning...much needed. The resort has a beautiful volleyball court, hammocks, and the best pool on the island...a swim up bar offers great local beers and Margaritas. The staff were great, helpful, and kept the resort in tip top shape. The only issue we had with the resort was the fact that you can't swim right off the beach. As like the rest of the island the beach is covered in sea grass. You have to take a kayak out, or jump of the pier if you want to swim in the ocean....it is still definately worth going to. Overall we had a great time at the Belizean Shores and we look forward to going back!

After checking the reviews, my family and I decided on the Belizean Shores in Ambergris Caye for our trip June 24 - July 3rd. Having 3 children aged 15, 13 and 6 it seemed like a good idea to have a room with a kitchen for snacks etc. We arrived pretty tired after leaving our home at 4:00am, and were happy to be greeted at San Pedro Airstrip. The Tropic Air flight over from Belize City was very exciting! We took a short boat trip to the resort and were not disappointed. We had a oceanfront Condo on the second floor, simple but clean. We all loved the pool, and spent many afternoons around the pool bar chatting with Leo the bartender and meeting lots of great people. Our golf cart trip into town was great fun! My 6 year old called it the wacky ride. The town is small but cute, we ate at Caramba which was great and also Fido's. We took the kids to Coconet Cafe so that they could talk to their friends online, while we had a few beers with the owner Steve, a great guy. We all loved snorkeling at HolChan and Shark Ray Alley, the guys from Tuff enuf were always very friendly and informative especially Andre who was our guide for The Belize Zoo and Cave Tubing tour, he was great with the kids and very knowledgeable. We all have fond memories of this trip and our time at Belizean Shores, can't wait to visit again.....

I took my daughter along for my 3rd visit and she absolutely loved it!!! As a returnee, I experienced some quirks with new management but expect resolutions quickly! We thank all of the wonderful staff, Leo(best pool barman around),Kendra, Roy, Rhoda, Lillian and everyone who excelled in making our visit most pleasant!! Once again, the boys from TuffNuff tours provided us with exceptional tours... Thanks once again, Dre, Gas and Top for an awesome time! The best the island has!! If at all possible, use these guys for the best fun you can find on the caye! They're on the dock at Belizean Shores.
FYI... I booked my trip through the best agent and highly recommend you plan your next trip to the caye with Cori at SunnyReefRentals. Believe me, she's the best!!! Thanks again Cori!!

The staff were execellent, especially Roy, who is the first person you get to meet. The facilities were first rate, great room, ask for the second floor. The pool is fabulous and so is Leo the bartender. For site seeing and day trips try the boys from Tuff N Enuff.

We just returned from Belizean Shores on Thursday. We were very pleased with the resort, grounds, rooms and service, especially for the price we paid (appx $90/nt). The staff are very helpful.

I have to admit that before getting there, I was a little confused about the plane, boat, dirt roads, etc..... However, once we arrived, I found an adventure awaiting!! Belizean Shores will charge your tours, restaurant charges, golf rental, etc....to your room so that you can pay at the end of your stay. That was very nice.

We've never relaxed so much on vacation. You are on Belizean time, so don't get in a hurry. Some restaurants, gift shops, open/close on time, and sometimes they don't.

This was a major eye-opening experience for my husband and I, we learned so much from this trip. It's definitely a place we would visit again so that we can remain true to reality for all the great things we have and simply take for granted. We in the US are always so competitive to have the best. It's the opposite in Belize. The people have little, and appreciate much.

I wish everyone could visit such a place, and then maybe they would realize all the advantages that we do have. I often don't realize all the conveniences that we have. We press a button to open our garage door to start our cars to travel to our jobs. We press a button for air conditioning, they use windows and ceiling fans to cool off. We wash and dry our clothes, they hang everything out to dry. It's a very simple life, and they love it.

This isn't a place for everyone. If you don't want to see destruction, hurricane damage, items dumped along the dirt roadways, etc.....don't go. Visit Hawaii or Cancun. If you love Cancun with the high energy, high-rises, and lots of people, Belize is not for you. If you want a truly relaxing, enjoyable vacation, come here.

We had fun riding in the golf cart to get around, and walking nearly everywhere. We enjoyed talking to the people and learning about their culture. There is no welfare system in Belize. Everyone works and they are given free land. If they are poor and cannot afford dinner, they catch it.

Now I'll give you some basic general information you might need:

Tropic Air:
We arranged the Tropic Air flight directly through Belizean Shores before we left, which I would highly recommend. That way, there is no need to worry. They know what time your flight will arrive and the van will pick you up and take you to San Pedro airport and then you will be driven via boat to the resort itself.

The day you leave, contact the front desk to find out what time the boat will be leaving to depart for the airport.

Groceries/food items:
There is a "Caye Mart" located within walking distance of Belizean Shores. This is NOT a typical grocery. They have your primary staples, and that's about it. Captain Morgan's also has a grocery with a little better selection. In San Pedro, there are a few grocery stores if you are one that enjoys cooking in your room.

We took snacks and breakfast bars with us and just ordered water/coke and had it delivered to our room. We picked up some coffee, sugar and creamer nearby.

Attire:
You might bring one nice outfit. It is very hot/humid, so it's best to take sleeveless shirts, light tops, shorts and bathing suits. Ladies, bring hats, and hair accessories!! You will need to put your hair up because the boat rides give your hair its own style.

Beach:
We didn't swim at the beach, however, the grounds were very nice, and you can access it by the pier located in front of the resort. I will say that I was a bit surprised to see a topless woman on the beach one day. (the only time).

We walked along the beach almost every night to go eat. We were not hounded at all.

Pool/hot tub:
AWESOME!! The built-in pool chairs are wonderful, the swim-up bar is nice, and it's a generally nice atmosphere. The entire time we were there, I do not believe there were ever more than 10 people at the pool at one time. We met many very nice people at the swim-up bar. The bar closes around 6:00 p.m., so there isn't much going on at the pool after that time. The last day, my husband and I were the only ones out in the morning. Loved it.

Money:
Bring lots of it!! It was hard to plan how much cash we would need since the food prices are a bit on the high side. Everyone we spoke with complained of the prices, but we all continued to pay them. The hardest thing was getting used to the fact that most places accept only cash or traveler's cheques. If you use the cheques DO NOT FILL IN THE NAME OF THE BUSINESS, unless you ask first. Some places wanted you to, and others wouldn't accept them after you filled it out. Therefore, we had cheques that we couldn't spend. We ALWAYS use our debit card, but many places do not accept them. We had read that you have a difficult time getting money from your bank card, however, we went to the Belize Bank in San Pedro and used our PIN number with no problem.

Food/Drink:
We had a mix of food. Captain Morgan's was by far the best place to eat (within walking distance). Pauly's New York Style pizza was excellent also, and they are only about 200 yards from the resort. I was looking forward to Capricorn after all the great comments, but I was disappointed in the food. I had the filet mignon and my husband had crab cakes (they were good). Could have just been a bad night, but for the price, we could have eaten at Captain Morgan's a couple times. We ate at Belizean Shores one day, and the food was alright. They are in the process of obtaining new mgmnt, so I think that could have been the problem. Went to Caramba's in downtown San Pedro, and it was very good, and the price wasn't bad. We walked to Captain Morgan's about 3 nights for drinks because the ambience is so nice there.

Tours:
We arranged through Belizean Shores for the convenience. We did the cave tubing/zoo expedition ($150/person US). We had the best guide, Andreos. If you want to learn about the island, trees, jungle, etc.....I would highly recommend asking for him. He's a young man, but very bright and extremely informative. There were people walking in the zoo that were following our small group just because their guides weren't giving them any information. Bring surf shoes, towels and a bathing suit. Since they're in a drought, the water was a little low and we had to walk through part of our tubing expedition in the rocky river.

Golf cart:
We rented a golf cart to go into San Pedro one day ($45 US). Everyone should do this. In the front of the Belizean Shores, you will see the access road to get into town. It is a mix sand/dirt and is VERY rough. We were bouncing all around. Also, I wasn't aware of this, but a ferry will get you across the small river. The ferry is operated by 1-2 Belizeans. They use a rope and pull you from one side to the other, and I believe it cost $10 US, for round-trip. You can pay on the way out.

Shopping:
There are tons of shops in San Pedro. They primarily sell jewelry, souvenirs, shirts, etc.....

Boat:
The following day we went back to San Pedro via boat. We lucked out because we didn't realize the time difference, so we went down too early to catch the ferry. Fortunately, Marc was getting ready to go into town and offered us a ride. He and his wife, Cory, are absolutely awesome people. They are from the US and moved to Belize. They are so happy because they said that they no longer have the stress that everyone in the US is accustomed to. We liked taking the boat the best only because we didn't have to park the golf cart and could walk around the entire time.

I disagree with review of May12 ...

There was a General Communications Strke in April in Belize City leading to all Communications Systems going down, including internet. aslo power outages...I was staying for 10 days over this period and it was a trying time for the Resort, but as usual they came through ...

From what i found out from the GM the resort had a wireless sytem that people had used right up until the strike took place - It would not be fair to label them as dishonet for an act beyond their control.

This guest must have not known about the stikes - this is probably a testament to the staff who all had family on the mainland...

I have stayed there 3 times and each time it just gets better , The pool is great and the Staff the best on the island.

For the money, Belizean Shores was okay. The rooms were clean and nice, and everything worked well (except during power outages- the hotel does not have a generator... but very few hotels actually do).

My issues were more service related. Their website, a representative I emailed, and another rep I spoke with on the phone, all told me that the hotel had internet access. When we arrived, the girl at the desk said that they don't have it and that I had to go into town. I'm not an email freak or anything, but internet access is a factor in my hotel decision. I just like to know that it's going to be convenient for me to send an email to my family letting them know my husband and I arrived and that everything's fine. My biggest issue, in this case, was that I was told three times that there was internet access and there wasn't. It seemed a little dishonest to me that it would be on their website and that their reps would say they have it when they don't.

My other issue was that the pool, which certainly was very beautiful, was also extremely dirty. My husband and I got in the pool our first morning there to test out some mask clearing drops we bought (for diving), and found a dead crab, among other completely disgusting objects I don't think I should mention in this email... I bet you can guess, at the bottom of the deep end. Yes, what you're thinking is exactly what we found- two of them, and they, along with the dead crab, were there all week- probably still are there.

Some other little issues: the pool bar closed early- at about 4:00pm, and the restaurant, which was supposed to be open until 9:00, closed early on two occasions, without notice. The food they served, when open, wasn't bad, but it wasn't the greatest, either.

The activities desk was good. They arranged diving for us through Ambergris Divers, who we really liked. We've been on several dive boats in our time and they were definitely above average. I'd recommend them.

Overall, the place was okay. I think it's best if you use it as a condo and not as a resort. I was expecting more of a resort atmosphere so I think that contributed to my disappointment. There's not a lot of the customer service you usually get in a resort atmosphere. With that said, if you're the type to go on vacation and fill the kitchen with groceries, then this place is for you. Personally, I don't like to cook on vacation, much less wash dishes. I get enough of that at home. I prefer the resort atmosphere.

We stayed at Captian Morgans last year. It's much more of a resort, with a higher caliber of service, and they have internet access (and a power generator, as it turns out). They also have a great little grocery store- you don't have to be a guest of their hotel to use it. I recommend it if you're staying at either place.

We'll definitely go back to San Pedro- it has a special place in our hearts. I'm sure you'll find the same charm if you decide to go. When we go back, though, we'll be at Captain Morgans.

Feel free to contact me if you have questions!

We stayed at Belizean shores for 8 nights from 4/22/05-4/30/05. The second we arrived from Tropic Air, the van from Belizean Shores was there to pick us up and deliver us to the boat dock where like clock work, they loaded us aboard as we glided through the sea to the resort. We were very lucky to be lead to 1B, oceanfront upstairs unit which is a 1 bedroom villa plus an upstairs loft where our children slept. Our highlight was opening the 2 french doors of our balcony and feeling the breeze from the sea throughout the villa. The place was immaculate, hands down has the nicest pool on the caye (which is a must because nowhere on Ambergris Caye is a swimming beach no matter what they tell you) and all the staff were always smiling, pleased to help you and personable. Anytime we needed things they were there immediately. One night we called the desk to cancel our dinner reservation at another resort because our kids were tired and the girl offered to come over to babysit so that we could have a night out! The family that developed the resort is regarded highly by everyone we met which is a reflection on the resort. The nicest (but most expensive) restuarants on the caye are within walking distance from the resort. The most economical way to get around is to rent bicycles for $5.00/ day. I felt this resort was priced great for what was offered. I found a place that had great rates. Where ever you decide to stay, do not go to Ambergris Caye and stay somewhere without a pool unless you are diving every second. Even if you do dive, it's still nice to come back to a pool to relax in. If you want to email me directly I would be happy to answer any questions.

We just got back from our week long stay at Belizean Shores. It really was fantastic. They picked us up at the airstrip very promptly...it was great to arrive and have people already there waiting to take care of you. The staff are so friendly by the end of the week you feel like they're family.

Every room (they're actually all condos) is 800 sq. feet or larger. Ours had a king size bed in the bedroom, with a separate living room, dining room, and kitchen. It also had 4 ceiling fans (which my husband loved). The best part was that the front double doors open out on to the patio, so you can open up the room and just enjoy that caribbean breeze! Housekeeping staff was great too...they even washed our dishes.

The pool was fantastic! And the pool bar was a great place to meet the other people staying in the resort. Everyone was very friendly and it was a great mixture of younger people, older people, families with kids, and couples.

The on site restaurant was fine for basic things. We ate breakfast there daily and it was good. If you're looking for fine dining, there are plenty of places nearby. We are foodies and really like fine dining. Rendezvous, Captain Morgan's and Capricorn are all in walking distance. There's also a new place called Rojo that's north of the resort (you can get there by water taxi), that was FANTASTIC...hands down the best food we had and the most incredible, romantic atmosphere (almost Tahitian decor, tables on the beach looking out onto the water, etc.) Most of the restaurants were equivalent to what you'd pay in a nice place in any city in the states ...on average we spent about US$75pp at the nicer restaurants, but that included cocktails/wine, appetizer, entree, dessert, and on occassion, coffee (and tax/tip).

I can't speak much on the tours, we only did one snorkeling trip to Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley (which was great...even for a novice like me!), but the onsite dive shop was very accomodating. The guys who run it are very helpful and friendly! One suggestion, decide which activities you want to do as soon as you get there and then give the entire list to the dive shop at one time. There were tours we wanted to do, but some of them were not available on the days we wanted to go.

Another thing to consider is that Belizean Shores is north of "the cut"...about 3 miles from town. This was not a problem for us because the water taxi comes pass the resort every even hour and we didn't mind paying the $5 US (each way) to take it. Another option is to get a free ride with the staff if they're going to town (which happens pretty often). Although we never felt the need to do it, there are also golf cart (US$45/8 hours) and bike rentals (US$5/day) available at the resort.

Honestly, there is really not alot to do in town, so staying north of the cut was fine for us. We walked through the entire town of San Pedro in under two hours. There are souvenir shops, bars, and the one casino in town. I found the restaurants in town to be OK (we had lunch at several of them...Jambel Jerk Pit and Carramba's were our favorite), but if you're looking for finer dining the ones at the resorts on the south end and north end are better. I think we only went to town 3 times in the week we were there and once was just to bbuy a few groceries.

Overall, we loved the island and Belizean Shores. My husband likes it so much he wants to a buy a place there. We were actually sad to return home, where usually we're ready to get back home. We have already started to plan for another time this year when we can go back!!