My wife and I spent 1 week at Banyan Bay Villas, Belize first week of July 2012. While having dinner at the resort's restaurant, our room was burglarized of 2 I-Pads, 1 cell phone, and 1 digital camera. Total value was $2,400.00. The thefts took place through the front door while 2 security guards patrolled the area. The front door lock had evidence of recent trauma to the lock area. The 2 security guards denied there was scratches to the front door lock when I pointed out the lock damage.

Living in the foothills of Belize, in the Cayo District, means the tropical islands are less than 3 hours away any day of the week. By water taxi or small plane, getting to Banyan Bay on Ambergris Caye is easy and convenient. It's a great treat to go from regular life in Belize to an upscale lifestyle even for a weekend.

The Villas at Banyan Bay are well designed and built, laid out with a nice pool between the condos and the sea. The landscaping shows off the variety and quality of flowers and decorative plants native to Belize. The location of the community allows for quick walks to grocery stores, shops and bakeries. There's a good restaurant on site, on the water. Or rent a golf cart and head out to the myriad of choices for dining.

The condo I've stayed in is a two bedroom two bath open floor plan with a covered porch overlooking the pool and inner court. The owners have decorated the space to accommodate comforit and convenience. The kitchen has new granite countertops, tile flooring throughout the condo, thick mahogany doors and a powerful air conditioning system. The master bath has a shower and a jet tub (a true luxury in this country) with plenty of storage and closet space in both bedrooms.

The Villas at Banyan Bay are what North Americans would expect from a high end resort in Belize. For those of living in the western hills of the country is a luxurious getaway place for solitude or for meeting friends who want the tropical sea.

Don't go anywhee else. It is the second best beach. Second only to Victoria House maybe Captain Morgan. Victoria House is beautiful but expensive!! Captain Morgan is WAY to north. You can easily snorkel around Banyan Bay's beach. When you stay at Banyan Bay you are close enough to walk to town, eat at restaurants and there are convenient stores very close. The staff will go out of their way to accomodate you. I love this pace so much I got married there in October of 2011. Whatever you do, DO NOT stay at Bermuda Palms #8 just north of town. HORRIBLE and the same price as Banyan Bay.

We stayed here on an RCI timeshare exchange in July 2012 in a 2 bedroom unit. The master bedroom had enough space, but it wasn’t huge. The master bath had two sinks, a Jacuzzi tub, and a separate shower. We ran out of hot water sometimes, but it wasn’t much of an issue in the middle of summer. The water temperature would drop from warm to slightly cool.

The living room and dining area was spacious. I wish they had taken a couple feet off the living room and added it to the second bedroom. The living room furniture is showing some wear, but it was fine.

The second bedroom was very small. The dresser was at the foot of the bed, and you couldn’t open the drawers while standing directly in front of the dresser. The second bathroom can be accessed from the hallway or bedroom. It had one sink with a small amount of vanity space around it, and a bathtub/shower.

Everything worked fine in the kitchen. However, there wasn’t a full set of glasses in any size. I think there was one champagne flute, one large wine glass, one small wine glass, three assorted drinking glasses, and no plastic cups. We bought some plastic cups at the store. The unit didn’t have any measuring cups or measuring spoons.

Our maid, Iris, was wonderful. She did a great job, and was very accommodating of our schedule.

We were in unit E2. Building E is the furthest back in the complex, and closest to the resort lobby. I was a little concerned because the sliding glass door of the master bedroom (which we didn’t use) faces the golf cart parking lot. However, we never had any noise issues, and I thought it was quiet, especially considering how close we were to the parking area.

A tour company called Discovery Expeditions has an office on the dock at the resort. We went on their Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley tour twice. The first time we went there were maybe thirty people between two boats, and the second time there were only six of us. In both cases I felt that everything was handled safely. On the first trip out with the large group, we were set up in groups of six for the guided tour of Hol Chan. I hadn’t noticed that my husband had gotten away from the group while taking pictures, as I was busy keeping up with the guide. The guide noticed though that someone was missing, and yelled to get his attention and get him back with us.

We had some great meals in San Pedro. I’m not going to mention restaurants here, as everything was very good. Rico’s was good and I recommend it, but it wasn’t my favorite meal.

If you leave the resort on the beach and turn left, it’s a 25 minute walk to downtown. Most of Ambergris Caye does not have long beaches for walking. The walk is interrupted by assorted sea walls, so its more or less a couple minutes of walking, then a big step up on a sea wall, a couple more minutes of walking, then a sandy resort with chaise lounges, etc.

We rented our golf cart from Carts Belize. I don’t know how competitive they are on pricing, but I can say that they were very easy and flexible to work with on the pick up and drop off, and the cart functioned as it should.

We did some of our grocery shopping at Super Buy, which is about a five minute walk to the right after leaving the front of the resort. We also bought some things at Island Supermarket, which requires a cart ride into the area south of downtown. This is a nice store and worth the trip for the majority of your grocery shopping. Groceries are quite expensive, which is always expected on a small island.

Somewhere during our arrival we were given a guidebook called “Hot Guide Belize.” Make sure you check it for coupons. I was disappointed to be leaving the island and discover that there were two coupons for 5% off at Super Buy, along with coupons for a couple of restaurants that we visited.

Directly across from Super Buy is a little bakery called “The Baker.” The owner is from Missouri, and he makes all kinds of breads and pastries. We bought a loaf of cinnamon bread for $3.25 US, and worked on that for breakfast for most of the week. I think this was the best grocery bargain we found!

One night we took the free water taxi from the dock at Fido’s Restaurant (downtown) to Captain Morgan’s resort and casino. On the water taxi they gave us credit vouchers, and there are also vouchers in the “Hot Guide.” We stayed a couple hours, had free frozen pizza, free popcorn, and a free drink, and listened to music outside. We played slots and poker, and had a pleasant evening, and I didn’t spend any money (no poker for me). I’m not a gambler, and it was really just something to do. You can’t take the golf carts there in the evening because of the rough road, and there are no streetlights. We tried it in the golf cart during the day and almost made it. The casino is only open at night.

The wi-fi at the resort worked fine, except for the day after a storm. That day the resort gave free access to the computers in the lobby which normally require a fee.

We booked on Tropic Air for the trip between Belize City and Ambergris Caye. They are extremely efficient, and you don’t need to be at the airport too early. The terminal for Tropic Air looks a lot nicer than Maya Island Air, but other than that I believe that the airlines are virtually identical. If you get to the airport too early they’ll send you across the street to the Blue Water Grill for one last meal or drink in paradise.

We had a great vacation and genuinely enjoyed the resort. I would recommend Ambergris Caye and the resort to anyone who wants a very relaxed and casual vacation.