An oceanfront hotel located in San Pedro Ambergris Caye Belize, 1 and 2 bedroom suites are poolside or beachfront, Dive Snorkel and Fishing packages and discount airfare is available. http://www.caribbeanmag.com/search/hotels/Belize/tradewinds/hotel/337/3/ en-us Copyright 1998 e-TravelMedia.com/CaribbeanMag.com Mon, 9 Nov 2009 03:22:38 EST Belize Tradewinds Paradise Villas features twelve one and two bedroom, oceanfront and poolside suites. The property sits on the north edge of San Pedro Town, just a short walk to shopping, restaurants and nightlife. Each suite provides a homey place to read, relax or party with friends and family. The villas are centered on a beautiful fresh water pool with a swim up b.y.o. bar. White sand walkways meander through a courtyard filled with tropical plants and coconut palms. Located only a few short steps from the ocean, swimming and snorkeling are encouraged from our pier directly in front of the hotel. The clear blue waters off the pier are always calm thanks to the barrier reef located ¼ mile from shore. One-bedroom, one-bath suites are available on either the ground or upper floor. Each of the one-bedroom suites features a veranda for relaxing and taking in the fresh ocean breeze and tropical scenery. These units can accommodate up to 4 people. Two-bedroom, one-bath suites are all on the upper floor and do not have a veranda. They are available with either two queen size beds or one queen and two twin beds and can sleep up to 6 people. For those of you needing more space for your group, we have interior connecting doors between our upper and lower units that can be opened, creating a 2 bedroom-2 bath or 3 bedroom-2 bath suite. This will give plenty of room for the whole family. AMENITIES: - Fully equipped kitchens with toasters, blenders and coffee makers. - Mexican tile floors, mahogany woodwork and unique decorations - Central air-conditioning - Cable TV (includes all major U.S. stations) - Convertible sofa or Murphy bed in the living area - Daily maid service - Use of BBQs ACTIVITIES: Ambergris Caye, and Belize are packed with activities for people of all ages and interests. Belize Tradewinds Paradise Villas operates a full service tour desk from our on site office to help you plan and reserve all tours and activities. Our knowledgeable staff will work with only reputable tour operators, so that you can be assured a safe and competitively priced adventure every time. Although soaking up the sun while sipping a rum punch is a great way to spend a vacation, many people feel the need for exploration and excitement. Most of the tours only require a one day advance notice, while many island activities are 'show and go!' The following are just some of the activities available for adventure seekers: Choose from: Island Activities Parasailing - Get a birds eye view of Ambergris Caye and the barrier reef. One or two person rides are available. Your adventure can be documented on video and purchased for a great souvenir. Kayaking - The lagoon like conditions around the island can make kayaking an effortless and enjoyable experience. Kayaks are available by the hour, half day, or full day rental. Windsurfing - The consistent wind and calm waters make our island perfect for beginners and pros alike. State of the art sails and boards are available as well as lessons. Sea Doo - Rent a sea doo for a half hour or an hour and get your adrenaline flowing. Sailing - 13ft and 17ft Hobies are available as well as Laser Pico. Fully qualified instructors are on site if you need a quick refresher or complete sailing lessons. Golf Cart Rental - The most popular mode of transportation on the island is the golf cart. Rent a 4 or 6-seater golf cart for half day, full day or weekly. Dirt roads extend 5 miles north of town and 6 miles south of town, giving you plenty of space in-between to explore and search for your own private beach. Fishing - Some of the best flats fishing in the world can be found in Belize. Reef and deep-sea fishing are also available daily. Diving and Snorkeling ½ day snorkeling - View Belize's famous underwater world at world-class snorkel sites. Hol-Chan Marine Reserve is exploding with life; Shark-Ray Alley is a shallow sandy area that lets the snorkeler get up-close-and-personal with southern stingrays and nurse sharks. North of town, Mexico Rocks is 12 feet deep with giant brain corals that house shrimp, crab, and colorful Caribbean fish. Atoll Snorkeling - Hop on a boat and see what all the fuss is about. The full day adventure takes you to some of the Caribbean's most pristine waters. Whether you choose Lighthouse Reef Atoll or Turneffe Atoll, you will surely not be disappointed. Local Reef Diving - The barrier reef runs for over 200 miles and provides world class diving only a short 5-minute boat ride away. Spur and groove topography creates awesome canyons and swim-throughs for endless exploration. The Great Blue Hole - The most famous dive site in Belize is located at Lighthouse Reef Atoll. A full day adventure includes a dive in the great blue hole, 2 amazing wall dives, and lunch on Half Moon Caye with a visit to the Boobie Bird Sanctuary. This trip is a must for the serious diver. Turneffe Atoll - This full day trip provides some of the best wall diving the ocean has to offer. Giant sponges, perfectly formed corals, an abundance of fish and a chance to see pelagics make Turneffe Atoll a favorite among divers. Overnight Atoll trips - If you can't decide which Atoll to visit…do both! The ultimate overnight dive adventure includes 5 amazing dives at Lighthouse Reef Atoll and Turneffe Atoll spread over two days. Enjoy a BBQ dinner prepared with fresh caught fish then camp out beneath the stars on a sugary white sand beach. Tours Lamanai - The ancient Mayan city of Lamanai 'Submerged Crocodile' lays mostly undiscovered on the banks of the New River in the center of Belize. Climb the steps of a 100-foot tall temple just as the Maya did in 100 B.C. More than 700 structures have been mapped at Lamanai, but most have yet to be uncovered. Full day tours leave from San Pedro by boat and give you a chance to see plenty of Belize's exotic wildlife. Mangroves, orchids, crocodiles, birds and monkeys are only some of the things you may see on the way to Lamanai. Half-day tours are also available by flying into Orange Walk. Altun Ha and Jungle Spa - Travel by boat to the mainland and a short shuttle to the Mayan Ruins of Altun Ha (Water of the Rock). Explore two ancient plazas and 13 temples in a park-like atmosphere. Shuttle to Maruba Resort and Jungle Spa for an exotic Belizean lunch then spend the afternoon indulging in a spa treatment, laying poolside, or horseback riding through 100s of acres of jungle paradise. Manatee and Snorkel - Board a boat for a cruise along the barrier reef, past neighboring islands and into the natural habitat of the endangered West Indian Manatee. Photograph these gentle aquatic giants as they gracefully maneuver through the water. Next stop will be at a sugary white beach on a palm tree fringed island for lunch. This is your opportunity to catch some rays, swim, or snorkel. On the trip back to San Pedro, stop off at our neighboring island Caye Caulker for another snorkel stop. Cave Tubing and Belize Zoo - Boat to the mainland then take a shuttle into the rainforest of Belize. Hike through the jungle carrying your inner tube and headlight for approximately half hour until you end up at the refreshing Sibun River. Jump into the cool clean water and sit back and relax as the current takes you through a single giant cave system complete with stalactites and stalagmites, limestone formations and evidence of ancient Mayan presence. Dry off and change clothes for lunch before heading to the Belize Zoo. The zoo allows for close up viewings of native animal species of Belize, such as the tapir, howler monkeys, and jaguars. Jet Boat Jungle Tours - A wild water adventure in your own 2 person speedboat. Wind through the mangrove trails of the backcountry and race through the open ocean. Choose an optional snorkel stop to cool off and let your adrenaline rush wind down. Catamaran Sail and Snorkel - Board a catamaran for a sail to the neighboring island of Caye Caulker with a stop at Hol Chan Marine Reserve for a snorkel break. Stroll Caye Caulker and get a glimpse of what San Pedro was like many years ago. Browse gift shops and break for lunch. Sail to Shark-Ray Alley to visit with nurse sharks and stingrays then sail home to San Pedro. Diving and Snorkeling Belize offers some of the best diving and snorkeling spots in the world. Whether you want to snorkel, learn to SCUBA, or have logged hundreds of dives, there is something here to please everyone. The water is normally 79 - 85 degrees and visibility can be over 100 feet. Currents are usually quite mellow making getting around in the water a breeze. Ambergris Caye is also home to Subaquatics of Belize, a state of the art recompression chamber facility aiding divers with decompression sickness since 1989. Local Reef Diving The barrier reef is located just off shore and runs parallel to Belize for 200 miles. The reef offers dozens of spectacular dive sites just a quick boat ride from the island. Most dive sites range between 30 feet and 90 feet. The spur and groove topography creates plenty of nooks, crannies and living space for all marine life. More advanced divers can explore the many swim-throughs and tunnels located throughout the reef. An average day on the reef might bring you parrot fish, queen angel fish, creole wrasse, spinney lobsters, clinging crabs, banded shrimp, brittle sea stars, spotted eagle rays, hawksbill turtles and eels to name a few. The Great Blue Hole Discovered by Jacques Cousteau, the Blue Hole has become Belize's most famous and impressive attraction. Once a cave, the top collapsed to create the almost perfect 1000ft diameter circular hole reaching a depth of over 400ft. At a depth of 100 feet the walls of the hole bubble inwards to create a ceiling where the worlds largest underwater stalactites hang. Some stalactites extend 50 feet down and 30 feet around. The blue hole is also home to a large population of sharks who live near the bottom. Divers who brave the hole, swim through the massive stalactites and are escorted to the surface by dozens of sharks, vow to make a return trip to the hole. Most divers refer to swimming through the clear, seemingly black, water at 130 feet to what floating through space must feel like. Snorkelers do not have to be left out. Around the mouth of the hole you'll find plenty of pristine reef and patch coral teeming with life just waiting to be explored. Atoll diving Belize has 3 of the 4 atolls located in the Western Hemisphere. Turneffe Atoll is located approximately 25 miles from the mainland, Lighthouse Reef Atoll, home of the Blue Hole, is located approximately 40 miles from the mainland. Glovers Reef Atoll is situated just south of these atolls. Due to their remote locations, the diving and snorkeling in these areas are spectacular. Giant sponges, huge corals and sea fans remain undisturbed and are flourishing. Most of the diving done on the atolls is wall diving. These walls can start at 20 feet and drop down into the thousands of feet. Always be alert and on the lookout for the wanderers of the ocean. Pelagics often migrate through the atolls on their journey around the oceans. Sightings of manta rays, hammerhead sharks, whales, and whale sharks are not unusual. Hol-Chan Marine Reserve This is a truly awe inspiring area for both divers and snorkelers alike. Voted by "Rodale's Scuba Diving magazine" as one of the top 3 snorkel destinations in the world, Hol Chan offers an amazing diversity of marine life. With a maximum depth of 30 feet, this is the perfect place to practice your scuba or snorkeling skills. This is a must see site for visitors to San Pedro. Shark-Ray Alley Also within the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Shark-Ray Alley is the perfect place to interact with some of the reefs larger residents. As the name suggests, large nurse sharks and southern stingrays are the main attraction but only a couple of the marine creatures you will find here. Shark-Ray Alley is a snorkel site only, no scuba tanks, with depths of only 10-15 feet. Mexico Rocks Located inside the reef north of town, Mexico Rocks consists of mostly rocky outcroppings and brain corals. The area is only 12 feet deep on average and its inhabitants include dozens of varieties of fish, many are juveniles. Bacalar Chico Sitting a stones throw from Mexico on the northern tip of Ambergris Caye, Bacalar Chico is a 110 sq. km National Park and Marine Reserve. Snorkel spots are plentiful as are the ancient Mayan ruins littering the forest beyond the mangroves and beach. This area is also a great birding spot. DINING/RESTARUANTS: Type: Hotel Beach Location: Beach Front (Directly on Beach/Water Front) http://www.caribbeanmag.com/search/hotels/Belize/tradewinds/hotel/337/3/ Mon, 9 Nov 2009 03:22:38 EST