We really loved Belize; we did a combination of a jungle lodge and beach time. There's lots of great adventure activities, ruins, wonderful snorkeling, and good food. We stayed at Chaa Creek and Victoria House.

If you let us know your main interests and general budget we can help you more.

If you're looking for good food and a night on the town, I'd take a look at Ambergris. Hol Chan offers some excellent snorkeling. In the San Ignacio area you can do caving activities and hiking and go over to Tikal to see ruins if that interests you.

Been to both prefer Belize better beaches ruins less rain
victoria-house.com cavesbranch.com nice combo there.
belizefirst.com many other options.

Panama wins for more exotic but rainier buggier and tougher
to get around. Yandup Island Lodge and Dolphin Lodge in Kuna Yala for a National Geographic primitive experience. lasolasresort.com browner beaches but nice for Coiba diving/surfing. Panama City great party place but too modern and touristy for me go thereon business the Radisson Dacapolis good location prices thereif you go. bocastesoroescondido.com is nice but Bocas Town druggy dodgy.
In the Islas Perlas a short flight from PC Contadora is great.

Tough call but all in all for beach/relaxation for me Belize.

Happy deciding!

www.mamellena.com Stuart the owner aka "Tasmanian Devil" on the boards for best current Panama info. Better party place than anywhere else in CA/SA. They even have party buses with built
in bars that club around. So PC if it is about the party.

www.mamallena.com
Panama City Hostel - The Hostel in Panama City, you won't need more from a Backpackers Hostel in Panama City.

Thanks for all the great feedback. We are looking to do outdoors things, hiking, biking, etc in the jungle and surfing, snorkling, sailing at the sea. We aren't trying to break the bank but don't want to miss out either. As far as accomodations go the reccomendations above seem good, the Chaa Creek is beautiful but probably a little more than we want to spend nightly. I'd like to keep the accomodations to $150 or 200 or less/night if possible.

Thanks!

Also, we are open to B&B's or vacation rental properties if available. I know when i went to Buenos Aires recently we were able to get an amazing rental apartment for a fraction of what we would have paid for hotel rooms.

Thanks!
Jennifer

Mystic River and Black Rock seem to get good reviews as well. You might check Mahogany Hall too. I forgot to mention that we got a deal on Chaa Creek on Luxury Link, so we didn't pay full price.

Ambergris doesn't have much in the way of surf because of the barrier reef. A lot of Belize also has sea grass in the water.

No surfing to speak of in Belize unless you make your way out to Glover's - I've heard there are a few breaks out there. For the most part, the barrier reef that makes the snorkeling and diving so terrific blocks the waves. In exchange, you get some truly amazing caves and Maya sites and a wonderful variety of cultures.

I'm heading to Belize for my 3rd visit this summer. I've pasted some of my favorite Belize links below. Happy trails!
________________________

Guidebooks I like: Moon Handbook, Fodor’s Guide, and Explorer’s Guide.

Budget to midrange lodging site: http://www.belizeexplorer.com
Great island and lodging downloads: http://www.belizefirst.com
Informative transportation blog: http://www.belizebus.wordpress.com

My photo collections with blog, travelogue, and review links: http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections/

Shuttle recommendation: http://www.parrot-nest.com/belize-shuttle.html
Zoo: http://www.belizezoo.org
Great jungle camp in Cayo: http://www.belizecamp.com
Great budget lodging in Cayo: http://www.thetrekstop.com
Great value hotel with pool in Cayo: http://www.aguadahotel.com
Don't miss cave trip: http://pacztours.net/actun-tunichil-muknal/
Lots of adventures: http://www.cavesbranch.com
Great inn in coastal Garifuna town: http://www.hopkinsinn.com
Garifuna drumming center: http://www.lebeha.com
Apartment on the beach on Caye Caulker: http://www.staycayecaulker.com/sailwinds.html
Great day snorkeling trip: http://raggamuffintours.com/hol-chan-snorkel/

My favorite hotel at Tikal: http://www.tikalinnsunrise.com
Fabulous, fun tour guide: http://www.tikalroxy.blogspot.com
Favorite midrange places in Flores: http://www.corpetur.com
Good value budget option in Flores: La Mesa de los Mayas


Here are the places we’ve decided to stay this summer, all new to us but carefully researched:
Another Caye Caulker option: http://www.gocayecaulker.com/accommodations/maxhapan-cabanas
Another, less-visited cave option: http://www.actunchapatadventure.blogspot.com/
Highly reviewed jungly place near Punta Gorda: http://www.hickatee.com
Off the beaten track diving and snorkeling, Sapodilla Cayes: http://www.reefci.com
Rental apartments in the heart of Placencia: http://www.oneworldplacencia.com
Secluded resort on N. Ambergris Caye with snorkeling from shore: http://www.tranquilitybayresort.com

Laminated identification cards: http://rainforestpublications.com/belizeFieldGuides/index.html
A very cool checklist book for Belize: http://www.amazon.com/Play-Belize-Mesa-Somer/dp/0615198546/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1330549187&sr=8-2

Hopefulist and everyone - THANK YOU!

We are down to the wire hoping to get everything planned this weekend. Few more questions:

We have extended our trip to be from May 2-12. Given this we are starting to wonder how many places we shoudl stay. Initially we thought 2-3 days in the jungle and a week on the beach but given everything I am reading I am wondering if that's the best way to approach?

-Should we stay in more than two places (1 beach 1 jugle) to limit travel time?
-Do you think it would be better to split the time evenly between jungle and beach? From what we are seeing the beaches may end up having not much swimming and I am not scuba certified.
- I am hoping to find a place to try out paddleboarding
- we have been looking at Hopkins, Caye Caulker, Ambergris and placencia pennisula. We are looking to pimarily 'beach it' (swim/lay out) while at the ocean it looks like that may be difficult due to sea grass and other things?
-We also would like to be able to get to bars/restaurants in the evenings while at the beach (local hole in the walls are fine but want more than 1) I seen some reviews that make Hopkins sound amazing for ex and others say it's too remote. Any thoughts on which locations would be better for us?
-One final question, I see a lot of places with no AC and no mosquito nets...initially I am thinking that could make for terrible sleeping...am i thinking correctly?

THanks!

(and sorry for typos- was rushing)

We didn't have a.c. in the jungle, and every time we took a tour everyone loved to ride in the car to get that blast of a.c. It was pretty hot when we were there. Our room had a big fan, and we definitely used it. We had a.c. at the beach, and we used it every day and were happy to have it although at least there there were some breezes. We didn't have a big problem with mosquitoes except for the one day we went hiking pretty deep into the jungle. Ambergris is going to give you a lot of options in terms of going out, bars, dining, etc.

We were there in August, and we had major mosquitos in Ambergris. To the point that when we would be out to dinner, they waitresses would bring Off to the tables if you didn't have it already. It was also very, very hot. In the jungle, we were at Chaa Creek and like volcanogirl said, no a/c. I don't remember having a fan that worked well and it was hot at night sleeping. While I loved Chaa Creek and wouldn't hesitate to go back, I would prefer a/c where I stayed. We stayed at Portofino in Ambergris and did have a/c. It barely worked, but we were able to sleep much better with what we did have there.

But as far as the mosquitos - it wasn't the netting in the rooms, that seemed ok. It was outside at night at dinner or at bars. That was the worst part for us.

With 10 nights I'd spend the 1st 4 in the Cayo district, 2 in Petén (for Tikal and maybe Flores), then head to Caulker or Ambergris for the rest (I'd personally choose Caulker). If you're not interested in Petén, Hopkins would make an interesting stop. Have a great trip, whatever you decide!

Thanks Hopefulist and Shell.

Hopefulist, one last question When you stayed at Caves Branch did you do the package? The rooms are affordable (and the adventures aren't bad either)butthe package almost doubles the prices. It includes food and drink but I'd prefer to stay a little more budgeted than 1600 for two for 4 nights. (For room and adventures only it's about half that) My question is if we dont get the package are there other places to eat or are you literally in the middle of the jungle with no other options and ordering a la carte from them would be crazy expensive. Thanks for all your input, we have used your links extensively in planning our trip!

We couldn't haven't afforded Caves Branch unless we were camping ($5/pp/night) so we reserved that way, but when we got there, the camp ground was flooded so they let us have a cabin for the same price. We had packed in fruit, bread, cheese, and snacks to minimize the number of meals we had to buy. The meals are served family style - you don't order from a menu - and they're really expensive; last I looked something like $18 for breakfast and $30 for dinner, though I'm not sure exactly. Lunch comes with the tours. I find the whole thing incredibly expensive and wouldn't consider staying there at those prices. There really isn't anything else very close, though if you had a car you could drive to Belmopan which is probably 20 minutes away.

As you can tell, I'm more of a budget traveler so probably the wrong person to ask! If you can swing it I think you'd have a good time. There are much cheaper jungly options but only one Caves Branch. Happy planning!

May is very hot. I would go with AC on the coast or cayes. We found sleeping to be very difficult without and had to change hotels. We found Cayo OK with just a fan at that time of year as it's at a bit of elevation.

Depending where your place is on the islands, the breezes can help a lot. We've actually felt hotter inland and a bit cooler on the water.

We'll be in Belize at the same time Jen!

We won't be going to the beach, but will be at three different places in the jungle. Luxury Link has a deal for Chaa Creek for 4 nights...
http://www.luxurylink.com/fivestar/hotels/san-ignacio-belize/lodge-at-chaa-creek?pkid=263378&ppid=19981&len=4

We also considered Mystic River in Cayo but ended up with Table Rock.

Hi All,

Sorry to ask even more questions but everything we are reading says that Caye Caulker and Hopkins are unbearable with sand fleas and biting flies and that you cannot even stand them enough to be outside - is this true? From what we have reaad Ambergris has the lowest biting bug problems on the beach, but wanted to check since we were really looking for a more off the beaten path kind of experience and we have read that Ambergris is not quite that. What do you guys think? If both Caye Caulker and Hopkins (we really were planning Caulker) are too buggy to enjoy the beaches then where else is there? Is the only other option Ambergris? I also liked Caulkers location as far as hopping around...

Thanks Deb15, I think we have opted to stay at a different lodge based on feedback, though i have heard amazing things about Chaa Creek. If you see a brunette celebrating her 40th it may just be me so say hello

Thanks All!

We did not experience any bug/biting problems on Ambergris, but I can't speak to the other places. I think some places in Ambergris could give you that off the beaten path feeling. We had it at the place where we stayed, but if you go into town, it's definitely busy there. Lots of golf carts, etc.

You're right hopefulist, we probably would've been OK if it was breezy. That said, I'm never going to risk it again We were staying on the beach in Placencia that trip and it was nice and breezy during the day but every evening was dead calm. I got horribly bitten up when the breeze died down too. I don't know if that's typical of the weather pattern in that area at that time of year.

Jennifer,
We didn't have a problem on Caye Caulker but it was very breezy the whole time we were there. The only place we got bitten was at dinner at Wish Willi as it's in a sort of sheltered location toward the back side of the island. I haven't noticed much of a difference between Ambergris and Caulker and think it depends more on weather than anything else.

We haven't had problems with sand flies in Hopkins, Glovers, or Caulker on our trips except for about 30 seconds in 2009 on Glovers when I was stepping off a dive boat. Pray for steady breezes!

For those who have been to caves branch did you do the all inclusive? we are going a la carte as the all inclusive for 2 for 4 nights is 1600 and a la carte is about half that. THat said we need to figure out our own food situation, I am contemplating renting a car to get to and from the town for dinner. Trying to factor in costs and see which is a better deal price-wise. Wondering what I can figure the cost woudl be to get transport from BZE to Caves Branch each way per person, to factor in which is the more affordable route. Thanks!