ok, thank u

i got this reply from peter who quoted a higher than marketed charge for his rooms in december:

you are coming in super high season
we are very popular-you are taking the last room
changes and latitudes is across th rod from us-look wha they charge-with no swimming pool,no bar,no real food,no space
check their site www.ambergiscaye.com/lattudes/
I believe my prices are super cheap for the value our guests receive
chek www.tripadr.com for reviews
peter.

im still considering

I'm trying to decide between Ramon's, Banana Beach or Xanadu for our trip in May. I'll have 12 people in the group. Anyone have any experiences with these places? Recommendations? We're looking to be closer to town, but have no problem walking/taxi/riding into town either. Which one has the most to offer for different activities?

Those are three reasonable choices. In May, it will be very quite and you should be able to command a good rate, especially for 12 of you. I had written a bunch of things and then thought I could answer you best if I knew…

How long are you there for?
How are the accommodations to be configured?…people/rooms
What are you going to do while you are there?

We will be there for 3 nights.

2 people/room (6 couples) -- we wouldn't mind a 2-bedroom unit as long as they bedrooms are two separate rooms, but prefer separate rooms/cabanas.

Everyone wants options--snorkle/dive almost all of us, some want to do a fishing charter and a couple want to do day trips to the ruins, etc.

Have you considered a condo? Paradise Villas is centrally located, on the beach, and they have 2 bdrm units for very reasonable prices (and very nice pool and public area). Tradewinds manages many of the units (and have an office in the US), and VRBO also has some units. "Nellie" also has a couple; her name is in the webaddress.

We've considered condos. We'd like to be close to town, but in a resort-type, and I know Ramon's would be the perfect location, but it was either hit or miss on the reviews on Trip Advisor and others. To be honest, the other guys with in the group are pretty flexible, and the one real concern from the women is they want functioning air conditioning.

Paradise Villas back gate opens to town, front gate opens to ocean. Two groceries a few steps away, restaurants, etc. begin a block or so away. They have AC, cable, internet, and pool.

Do they have a restaurant and/or bar? Do they have their guides for diving, snorkeling, etc?

About half of our group likes the beach and half like pools. I'm looking for a mix of both, that's why Ramon's has seemed a best fit for beach/pool. Banana Beach sent me a really great deal on rooms, but not sure if it's worth being that far south.

Never stayed at Ramone's myself, but I've only heard good things about it. I don't think you'll be unsatisfied there. They maintain one of the best beaches in San Pedro too. Also, if you don't feel like chartering a boat to go snorkeling, you can just go out by their pier. One of the best places off the beach to just wade in and start snorkeling. One of my best days in Belize was doing just that... layingout on the beach in front of Ramone's, Belikin beer in hand, good book by my side, mp3 player, and snorkeling for a half hour or so, coming back to the beach, and starting the cycle all over again.

Me? No question.... I'd be at Ramone's. I place too high of a value on being in the town of San Pedro. I don't want to have to walk a long ways, catch a taxi, or ride a bike to get to town. I want it all right there for the taking. Not even a questin in my mind. If you want the convenience of experiencing night life, do Ramone's.

Ramon's. Having clarified your needs, I would agree with PSUhorty. It has all the services you mentioned including about a 4 minute walk along the beach to town. On a realistic note, they are overpriced for what you get. But, they offer everything you need and I can't think of a better place that meets all of your needs. Their dive/water sport shop is probably the 2nd best in terms of professional staff and quality of boats/equipment out of, I'm guessing, 40-50 plus establishments on AC. They have a quant little pool and bar, and the restaurant area is laid out nicely looking to the beach, and a staff more than ready to plan your side trips. As a side note, they are about 300 yards from the airport (noise of planes not really an issue). Ramon's also backs onto the main street heading South - Coconut Drive. This can be noisy at times but, their property is deep enough that I would be inclined to request a grouping of units toward the front/beach.
By the way, the plane from BZE to San Pedro Airstrip, whether Tropic Air or Maya Island Air, will be a Cessna Caravan which holds 13 passengers including one in the right hand seat plus the captain(for a total of 14). So, you may be able to get a special charter price from them for the whole plane, even though you will probably have it all to yourselves anyway. I personally prefer Tropic Air. They are very good at returning emails and their terminal on AC has AC...for when you are waiting to leave...

Paradise villas does not have an on-site restaurant or tour operator, but they work closely with Reef Adventures and Wet Willy's, both on the dock in front of the complex.

Thanks for the info, everyone! I wanted to ensure Ramon's is a respectable "upper-scale" resort before committing this early.

PSUhorty, did you just get back from a trip there?

Who would you say has the #1 dive/water sport shop?

The group as a whole wouldn't mind taking the 1.5 hr boat ride, but I'll write Tropic Air and see what they can offer for a charter. Thanks for idea, Alien!

Has anyone taken the boat ride to San Pedro?

A good hotel bar is a MUST for this group. I'm positive it will get good use at all times.