Cloudbusterb... I continue to recommend The Palms. Granted it does not have the thatched roof "look" some places have, but it is a lovely building with fabulous veranda's that are a perfect place to start and end the day. The pool/garden area is also very beautiful and peaceful. The apartments are very spacious and nicely decorated and you feel at home right off the bat. It is very close to town and the only reason to rent a scooter (which is be expensive for a week!) is for exploring the outer ends of the island. You can eat out several times at expensive restaurants for what a scooter costs for a week. All dive shops will pick you up at The Palms dock and they have a rinse station for any dive gear you want to keep with you. It is right next door to Ramon's so the beach area is very nice and you can visit the bar at Ramon's any time. We are also diver's and recommend the day trips... While the Blue Hole is a "must" (sort of) the best dives on that trip are the Lighthouse Reef dives and the Booby bird sanctuary is alot of fun. The Elbow day trip (south Turneffe) and the north Turneffe trips are also very good. The "local" diving is good but after a days can feel somewhat repetitive. If the water is rough outside the reef, then vis and boat conditions can be affected, but if you love to dive then those things won't bother you. It is best to try to alternate some day trips with local dives to keep things fresh. We have always used Amigos del Mar and enjoyed them every time. We have always been on AC in the summer and in July/Aug of this year we dove a week and most of the time the three of us we were the only divers on the boat (for the local dives). I imagine the high season would be more crowded, however. Also, we enjoy diving Hol Chan the first day as a "warm-up" dive. It's a very nice, long, shallow dive that allows us to get comfortable in the water before hitting the regular dives. I would also recommend doing the Lamanai Mayan ruins day trip...a real adventure! Consider The Palms when making your plans and maybe we'll see you there next August!
Scott