My response on the Fodor's Forum regarding Belizean Shores:
I stayed at Belizean Shores in March. Request a unit on the top (second) level, and you will have that open loft. It's really pretty with all the teak wood used on the staircase and the ceiling. Heather Naro is the manager, and she is very helpful with requests and questions.The pool is really pretty at BS. We stayed by the pool most days, as did most of the other guests, so I'm not sure about swimming in the ocean. If the sea grass was particularly offensive, I'm sure I would remember seeing it. The pier at BZ is fairly long (and set up for snorkeling and relaxing with loungers), so you might avoid the sea grass that way. They were just starting to build what I thought was going to be a bar on their pier close to shore when I was there. We did take an arranged snorkel trip to Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley that was quite good.Keep in mind that you are really pretty isolated on the north end of Ambergris. We loved it, but I can see how others might not, and a round-trip ride on the water taxi for two was $20. There were some great restaurants within walking distance (via the beach), so we were quite happy: Capricorn, Buena Vista (at Captain Morgan's), Pauly's Pizza (at Essene Way, where there was also a small mini-mart), Rendezvous, and Tamarind (at Journey's End). The hotel restaurant (Senor Crocs) was also surprisingly attractive with good food (don't let the name fool you).We were able to bike (free from the hotel) during the day to San Pedro using the hand ferry. We also visited the Palapa Bar and Sweet Basil. Biking to the north let us visit Portofino and Mata Chica, but these aren't places that you could walk (or bike) to at night. I think the water taxi was about $10 round trip to either of those places. (And if you aren't familiar with the Belizean water taxis, you are in for a surprise! I've used water taxi service several places in the northeastern US, but they are much smaller and wetter in Belize.)But back to your main question: I liked Belizean Shores and wouldn't hesitate to return.
Another response that I posted on Fodor's Forum regarding Belizean Shores:
We stayed at Belizean Shores a few years ago (I think the date was March of 2003). We really liked the whole condo-tel idea, since we were able to eat breakfast and lunch in our unit and then go out for dinner. We had a second-floor unit, which had a second bedroom in the loft, which your daughter mightlike, plus you have the extra room of the large patio, living room/dining room combo,kitchen, etc. The pool is great, and the onsite restaurant was fine (now called Blue Water Grill but called Crocs or something like that back then). We walked to Capricorn, Rendezvous, and Captain Morgan's for dinner (but it was DARK!). We biked to Sweet Basil, Mata Chica, and Portofino, during the day (as well as took our bikes across the hand ferry to San Pedro) but those would be a bit far to walk/bike/golf cart at night because the island is so dark. I would definitely stay at Belizean Shores again--it was quiet and secluded, which worked for us, but may not be suitable for those looking for evening entertainment, daily shopping, etc.
My response on the Fodor's Forum regarding staying on Ambergris Caye (north of the cut):
My husband and I returned from Belize three weeks ago. Portofino was one of my top choices for a hotel, along with Mata Chica. I decided against both of them, however, because neither one had a swimming pool. For us, it was the right decision because ocean swimming was less than perfect due to the sea grass. We visited both Portofino and Mata Chica, and while both are beautiful properties, they are really secluded on the north end of the island. BTW, we ended up staying at Belizean Shores (also on the north end but still on the golf cart path), where we could walk to several restaurants: Capricorn, Buena Vista (at Captain Morgan's), Senor Croc's Cantina (the hotel restaurant and much nicer than it sounds!), Rendezvous, and Tamarind (at Journey's End). We biked one day from Belizean Shores to Portofino, and it was a real stretch! No golf cart path at all, so you must use a water taxi at night if you want to dine elsewhere, which will add $20 to $40 to your dinner bill for transportation, depending on how far south you are going. We snorkeled with people who stayed at Portofino, and they seemed to really enjoy it, so maybe my opinion doesn't count!
My husband and I felt as you did, too. We knew we didn't need to be close to San Pedro town--we weren't interested in nightlife at the discos or doing any shopping on a daily basis. That's why we decided to stay north, in addition to three of the best restaurants on AC being up there (Mambo, Capricorn, and Rendezvous). We didn't mind a little seclusion, but almost complete isolation (like at Portofino or Mata Chica) is another story.
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