We just arrived home yesterday from our 1 week in Ambergris Caye. The CV hotel was a great place to stay. We were in the Pelican Perch suite. There were 3 of us and it was large enough to sleep and accommodate 8. It was comfortable, clean and easy. The staff were lovely. Pleasant, helpful and always happy! Javier picked us up at the airport and gave us a tour of town. He told us all the hot spots and places not to miss. Later in the week, he cracked open a coconut for us after plucking it down from a tree on the property. The women at the front desk were always helpful when we needed assistance. The security guard brought us a lamp when the electricity went out one night. The location was fine. A little bit out of town but close enough for a 10 minute golf cart ride. Walking to town, on a regular basis would be hard, especially if you are carrying stuff. A golf cart is a good idea and the hotel has bikes as well. CV is a great place if you like more laid back, relaxed and quiet accommodations. The staff do not intrude and other quests keep to themselves pretty much. There is no TV. Wireless is available but it was nice to be disconnected for a week - we left the laptop and cell phones at home!

Ambergris Caye is fabulous! Do day trips to the ruins, Caye Caulker for lunch and a walk through town, snorkeling, cave tubing, zip lining, hiking through the jungle, river boat trips etc...We used "SeaDuced" - they were great! We also took a half day trip to the North End of the island on Segways! We had a great guide from the Segway place - Rafael...We rode to Captain Morgan's and had lunch. It's a great way to see the places on the beach.

The restaurants and food is fabulous. We did not cook at all although we had a full kitchen. You can get everything from 5 star to local. We did mostly local. Don't miss the Reef restaurant. Try the Sunset Grill on the bay side for international and casual great food. The best food we had were the Papusa's on Middle Street on the street. Look for the women and their grills standing in front of their small restaurants. We liked them so much we bought plastic containers to bring home 14 Papusa's and the toppings!

Some quick tips:
-Use sunscreen - the winds on the beach are deceiving
-Plan on spending a lot of money - food, trips and grocery store items are very, very expensive. More like urban US or Caribbean resort prices than Central American prices
-Don't bring too many clothes, make up or hair stuff - leave that behind you won't use it - tie your hair up put on a hat!
-The people in Belize are wonderful, happy and sincere people - get to know them - for the most part they really want to engage even with the tourists and they have a lot of interesting perspectives to share
-Enjoy!!

We had been to Caribbean Villas eleven years ago with our son who was in high school. We had such a wonderful time then, we decided to take our daughter and two grandchildren back to visit. It was just as delightful as we remembered....beautiful location not too far from town but just far enough away to keep beachfront traffic to a minimum. The unit stayed in had a living room/dining area, kitchen (fully equipped), a bedroom and full bath on the first level. Upstairs there was an area with twin beds which was perfect for the kids as well as a separate area with a queen size which was perfect for our daughter. The fact that the hotel is right on the beach made it an ideal spot to jump right in to the water and snorkel from the dock. The snorkeling is better at Hol Chan and Shark Alley, but the children had an opportunity to swim whenever they wanted. We biked, watched the birds as well as the crocodiles being fed, and relaxed on our balcony overlooking the beautiful sea. The staff couldn't have been more helpful and one of the highlights for the grandchildren was the trip on the golf cart that Xavier expertly guided so we could get an overall perspective of the town. Would highly recommend for anyone who enjoys being independent and having their own living space.

My Husband and I really enjoyed ourselves. We booked our stay at the last minute and were very happy to get the last single room available. The room was very clean, a little smaller than I had imagined, but was perfect for our 3 day stay. We found the staff to be very accommodating and the hotel grounds unbelievable. The hotel is about a mile from town and it is a great walk, not far at all. If anything, rent bikes, there are too many golf carts. Do bring bug spray if you plan to walk on the road. If walking up the beach no worries, the breeze keeps the bugs away.

This was my second visit to the island and can honestly say it is one of my favorite places to vacation and very different than other Caribbean islands. I think that is an important distinction. I have been to Barbados, St. Martin, Guadeloupe, etc and this is different. The "vibe" of the island is difficult to describe; I forgot to bring a comb so I just didn't comb my hair for four days...People are so relaxed and friendly. The perfect no-makeup, swimsuit and flip-flops vacation. Being my second visit we decided to be more experimental and take the water taxi from Belize City to San Pedro. It was an experience. Not bad at all, just an experience. Belize City is very impoverished and, even preparing myself in advance, it was still difficult to see. We did not feel unsafe in any way and do highly recommend this mode of transportation. The boat ride is long, well over an hour, but its fun. We did, however, decide to fly back on Tropic Air, simply for the sake of time..

Favorite restaurants include: Estelle’s for breakfast, Fido's for Conch Fritters, Caramba's for seafood, and Ruby's for tortilla sandwiches. There are a few more "western" restaurants and they were ok..We preferred the smaller quaint places. Avoid the large supermarkets...they are empty for a reason. Explore the town; there are several small corner stores for whatever you need.

Advice for first timers...don’t be afraid to explore, there is no danger, everyone is friendly. Be sure to ask lots of questions, ask locals where to eat or which guide to use for fishing, diving, etc. And, read the guest book in your rooms!!!

We stayed at the Caribbean Villas for 7 nights. We were very happy with this hotel. It is small and we were the only ones there for part of our stay. The beach is very pretty and we spent a lof of time in the hammocks. They have a night security guard so, we felt very safe.

The walk to town is about 15 minutes on the beach. Toward the end of the week we got tired of walking and took taxis. They were between 5-10 dollars Belize.

This isn't a 'luxury' place but it was clean and comfortable and very affordable! My only complaints were that the AC was pretty noisy and there were quite a few ants in our bathroom. But, this is the Caribbean so, I believe it was to be expected. The front desk staff and the maid were very nice and helpful.

For bars- Fido's was great! We also liked the Jaguar nightclub and snorkeling with Alfonse was the BEST!

Feel free to contact me at kjcohran@gmail.com if you have any questions about the hotel or the town or want to see pictures.