May 3, 2004 -- Belize has been a hot, hot destination for several years now, but familiarity hasn't bred contempt on the part of resort owners, who still understand that good value deals will bring in the travelers. While scuba diving and snorkeling are still the biggest draw, Belize is also just a great place to kick back and relax. You can also explore the jungle, perhaps reminding yourself that you are in one of the first nations to encourage eco-friendly tourism.
Capricorn Leisure (800-426-6544; www.capricorn.net) has two excellent deals to Belize available through June 30, then again from September 1 through mid November. The first is for a seven-day/six-night promotion at the Mayan Princess Suites on the Beach, in San Pedro on Ambergris Caye including roundtrip airfare from Miami from just $648 for departures on Tuesdays through Thursdays. The package also includes local air from Belize International to San Pedro, six nights at the Mayan Princess, and roundtrip ground transfers from the shuttle airstrip to the hotel. Each suite is beachfront, with kitchenettes and a private verandah overlooking what is thought to be the longest coral reef in the Northern Hemisphere (the largest coral reef in the world is Australia's Great Barrier Reef). Departures are available out of other gateways at varying base-prices including Dallas from $708, New York from $756, Chicago from $855, and either Los Angeles or San Francisco from $918. The price is per person, based on double occupancy.
A second deal from Capricorn is for six days and five nights in an oceanview room at the Tropica Beach Resort, also on Ambergris Caye, from Miami for $624. Included also are local air from Belize International to San Pedro, roundtrip tax transfer to the resort, and daily breakfast. The Tropica Beach is about one mile south of San Pedro, on the Mar de Tumbo, a natural swimming beach, the only one of its kind in San Pedro. All rooms are air-conditioned, with two ceiling fans, private bath and front verandah. Out of Dallas it's $684, from New York $732, from Chicago $831, from Los Angeles or San Francisco $894, from Seattle or Portland OR $927.
From now through November 15, Caradonna Caribbean Tours (800/330-3322; www.caradonna.com) has a splendid dive package at Paradise Villas, which has 12 suites (either with one or two bedrooms) on the oceanfront and poolside. Located on the north edge of San Pedro, it's just a short walk to town for shopping, restaurants and nightlife. The pool on the property has a swim up bar (you'll have to bring your own liquor, however). You can swim or snorkel right from the hotel pier, with a barrier reef just a quarter mile from the shore. The land-only cost, from $999, is for quadruple occupancy and includes seven nights of lodging, six atoll dives (including the famous Blue Hole), six local reef dives, one night at Long Caye Island resort, and roundtrip transfers between the airport and the resort.
Tara Tours (800-327-0080; www.taratours.com) is offering "The Belizean Express" from now through December 31, starting from $1,294 out of Miami, with add-ons from more than 100 other US cities. It's an eight-day/seven-night itinerary departing every Thursday. For four nights, you're based in Belize City, with side trips to the Mayan ruins at Altun Ha and at Xunantunich. Then you fly to San Pedro, where you spend three nights, giving you plenty of time to enjoy swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling or otherwise hanging around 176 miles of living coral reef. The cost includes air transport via American Airlines from Miami, all ground transport per itinerary, roundtrip transfers, domestic air tickets, English speaking tour guides, and seven nights of lodging with room taxes and service charges of 20% included. You have to add an extra $100 for the period from July 1 through August 15, 2004. From December 12 to 31, 2004, add $250. Add-on airfares range from $70 out of Houston, Dallas, for example, through $320 for faraway spots.
A "Hosted Vacation" is what General Tours promises you, on an eight-day/seven-night program costing from $1,599, airfare included from Miami. On this itinerary, you go cave tubing, visit the ancient Mayan city of Xunantunich, have a free day in San Ignacio, then fly to Ambergris Caye for three nights. Included in the deal, besides the airfare and hotels, are daily breakfast and two lunches, as well as local hosting. Contact General Tours at www.generaltours.com, or phone 800/221-2216, fax 603/357-4548, or e-mail info@generaltours.com.
Note that for all the tours mentioned above, airport taxes and security fees are not included in the price.
Sunny Land Tours (800/783-7839; www.belizehotdeals.com) has a delectable-sounding deal, for ten days (nine nights) in Belize, from just $763.50. That rate applies to departures from New York or Newark on May 4, 11, 18 and 25, 2004. Departures from other gateways and for other days available at additional charge. They say "online bookings will be given higher priority" for this first-come, first-served offer. There are also options, including a scuba diving one from $44.16 per person. You stay at the Tropica Resort on Ambergris Cay in oceanview rooms. (The island was the setting for the first season of "Temptation Island.") Also included in the package is your roundtrip airfare on US Airways, domestic flights in Belize, roundtrip airport transfers in Ambergris Caye, and all Belize government taxes. Airport taxes and fees of about $110 are extra.
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