We recently returned from a 2 week vacation to Belize and we stayed the first week in SP at Banyan Bay (our first time). We wanted to let folks know that we thought BB was an excellent choice, especially for couples like us who have a toddler. The entire property is spacious, well-tended, very pretty, manicured, quiet and safe. We stayed in a beach front upper unit which had great views of the water, beach, and dive shop. The BB pool area has got to be the best in SP for young kids - it's extremely large by SP standards, pretty, clean, and over half of the pool is shallow/wading depth for little ones. The beach is kept very clean, raked every morning, and has no sea wall so little ones can wade in easily. The staff were all friendly and very helpful. The on-site dive shop operation - Bottom Time - while managed separately from the resort, was wonderful and came to our rescue one day when a fishing trip we had booked thru someone else unexpectedly fell thru at 8am. By 930am they had found another captain (who was FANTASTIC - Ramon Guerrero) for us and allowed us to keep our plans on track! Some things I would keep in mind - we agree with other reviewers who found the on site restaurant Rico's to be only average and expensive, we rented a golf cart for the entire time we stayed and were very glad we did - if you want to go into town (and you will) for shopping, dining, etc., then you will find the golf cart a necessity, and finally - every unit seems to be decorated slightly differently. Some are privately owned condos that are rented out and some are owned by the resort. While I think all the units are extremely clean and comfortable, some may be "fancier" in decorations than others (i.e., stainless appliances, higher grade furniture, etc.). Overall, we were very happy with BB and will definitely return while our son is young. As he gets older, we may consider trying Victoria House as a different experience.

We loved it. CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN!!!!! The rooms are very large appartments with everything you need. The staff is very friendly. They were very helpful when It came to tracking down our lost luggage. The pool is large and multilevel. We sat in the shallow end every day and drank "panty rippers". They have someone on staff who can plan all of your excursions. She knows everyone it town and gets you to the best places. All of the people in town are very kind and gracious. The entire country is beautiful. It has the best diving in the world.....Hole Chan, Blue Hole....unbelivable

Make sure when you go into a bar in San Pedro and order the "Panty Ripper" they knwo what it is. The explanatation for the name is hilarious.

Our family of 5 with 3 teenagers stayed for a week at Banyan Bay and really enjoyed it. We had a three bedroom condo on the second floor of building H (unit H-5). It faced the beach and ocean - the building is about 15 feet from the beach.

The unit had a front porch which was great to sit on and eat breakfast, a living / dining area with small open kitchen with 3 stool breakfast bar, a master bedroom with kingsize bed and attached bath with separate shower and tub and two sink vanity, a second small bedroom with double bed and attached full bath; upstairs was a large bedroom (without a view) with two double beds, a full bath and a large office area. The kitchen had a full refridgerator, regular size oven with stove, microwave, toaster and coffeemaker. It had a full set of dishes, glasses and utensils. The unit was all fresh and well maintained and comfortable - easily on par with condos I have rented in Hilton Head and Colorado. There is daily maid service with fresh towels. The unit is air conditioned - which is needed more for the humidity than the temperatures - the sea breeze made it very comfortable in the shade; the sun is hot.

The beach was very nice by San Pedro standards - about 20 - 25 feet wide sloping into a swimming area that was free of grass until about 30 feet out. Vendors (often children) stop by periodically when you are on the beach offering bracelets etc., but it is occasional and they are pleasant and readily accept "no thank you". The hotel raked the sea grass off the beach daily although on one windy day, the kids stayed out of the water because the wind and waves resulted in too much sea grass in the water. The pool was large by the island standards with a shelf area 6 inches deep, a shallow area (2 feet deep) and then a 4 - 6 foot area. The staff would come to the beach and pool area periodically to take drink orders. The resort supplied beach towels at the front desk which must be returned there or you are charged.

I do not know how full they were - but it never felt crowded - seldom were there more than a dozen people on the lounge chairs at the beach or at the pool. Very relaxing.

We ate at Ricos for two lunches and one dinner. The lunches were good and reasonably priced. The dinner was a disappointment. We also ate at, and enjoyed, Sunset Grill and Blue Water Grill. The front desk staff was very helpful.

We used the Bottom Time dive shop for a dive at Hol Chan, snorkeling at shark/ray alley and for a reef fishing trip. They were efficient, timely and well organized. We used Amigo del Mar for diving on two days and were disappointed with their service and organization.

We brought some food with us and purchased the remaining food at Marianna's and the other small grocery - both of these are within about 100 yards of the entrance to Banyan Bay and contain a decent variety of basics including many US breakfast cereals, peanut butter etc.

Banyan Bay will pick you up from the airport and take you back without charge. We rented a golf cart on an hourly basis from the front desk on 3 or 4 days to go into town for dinner or shopping. We also walked into town (about a mile) several evenings. I had originally considered renting a golf cart for the week - I'm glad I did not.

Walking the beach/seawall we visited most of the other resorts south of town - we did not think any of them came up to the standards of Banyan Bay other than Victoria House. Victoria House looked beautiful and for a couple I would recommend it (although there is no beach - only a seawall), but Victoria House did not look like a family resort - strictly for couples.

At the time of this review Banyan Bay is ranked #1 for families in San Pedro on tripadvisor and it deserves this ranking. We definitely recommend it and hope to return.

Banyan Bay Villas has among the best pools and beaches in the San Pedro area, so the kids can play on their own for hours. Most of the other hotels in this area have no beach (just sand but no access to the water), and smaller pools.

We traveled as two families, each with kids 5 and 9. The staff was very helpful in booking adjacent suites on the second floor overlooking the pool; we got exactly what they promised. The suites were very large and comfortable, air-conditioned, each with a fully equipped kitchen, large living rooms (can add a sofa bed), a balcony, two bedrooms, and two full baths. There are three small markets within a hundred yards of the hotel entrance, so you can easily stock up on bottled water and fill the fridge. It is hard to find fresh fruit and vegetables. The suites have cable TV, phones. There is good wireless and wired internet access, but only in the hotel lobby.

The hotel is about 1 ½ miles south of the main town of San Pedro. You can walk along the dusty (or muddy, depending on the weather) main street, which was being rebuilt during our stay, or get a taxi, or rent a golf cart from the front desk. I don’t recommend staying in the nice hotels or condos north of San Pedro, since there is no easy way to get to town on your own.

The dive shop people are happy to arrange your snorkel trip, river adventure, and tours, and they will assist with your travel arrangements too. I was told the hotel has a concierge, she was very nice but seemed more interested in selling time-shares and was never available to help with reservations. All of the staff were friendly and helpful.

The hotel restaurant, Rico’s, is right on the beach (nice to let the kids play while we enjoy the breeze) and we found the food good but expensive. Try the lobster ceviche and the fruit platter. There is a great selection of casual and fancy restaurants in San Pedro; all are fairly expensive so we were happy to have most breakfasts and lunches in our rooms.

Banyan Bay is a little bland - but they have everything you need to relax and enjoy Ambergris Caye with small kids. For a more exotic setting, try Xanadu next door.