AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Ambergris Caye Just returned from Brianna's Beach House

C from UK is BUBBLING over with the excitment and not even trying to put together a report
Let it flow

It's all wonderful words of the thrill of the lifetime

Chloe's right, no one has had a report in a long time.
Thanks for sharing your joy

C fr the UK... WOW.. you really did have the trip of a lifetime and I believe that in spite of the 30 travel time you will be back soon...
Your short comment about falling in the lake with your passports reminded me of my sister Marlene jumping in to go snorkeling at Shark Ray alley, still wearing her fanny pack (waist wallet)!! She too was in the water holding up the pack.. she was some mad at us for rushing her.. and I have to say I never saw anyone unhook a fanny pack as quick as she did..
We will be back there in three weeks.. my 6th trip, her 3rd..
I too would like details about the seahorses..
maybe we will be fortunate enough to see them also. That would be so special.
Take care Gail

PS Have been to London twice, Bath and stopped by Stonehenge.. hope to one day return for a longer visit to the UK.

C FROM UK....YOU'VE SAID IT ALL IN ONE PARAGRAPH!
I LOVED EVERY WORD OF IT. WE'RE GOING TO BE BACK JAN 20 - 30 STAYING AT CORONA DEL MAR AND BRINGING OUR BEST FRIENDS...CAN'T WAIT!

C from UK, very inspiring report. Give us another when you get your thoughts together.

Klcman and Eg, I can tell you where to find seahorses. Quite a few of them. Hope I'm not giving away State secrets :-) Go to Caye Caulker at the cut where the bar is. Take the cut heading west (inshore side). Turn left when you come out the cut and follow the island shore maybe 100 or 200 yards, not far. There is a little cove and you will see some fish traps or cages made out of sticks in the water. look close in the weeds along the shore and you will see many. Seahorses are always in weeds.

C from UK, LOVED every word of your brief report... many times less is more! Beautifully told.

CrackerLarry, thanks for the seahorse location, will check out in a few weeks!

Trip reports are the best!

Had my sleep, unpacked, done one load of washing and the grocery shopping (what a bump back down to earth!) - but still buzzing from the holiday!

CrackerLarry - you are right with the location of seahorses, Carlos from Searious Adventures took us there at the end of the Manatee/Goffs Caye (another dream location in itself) trip - they are so graceful and such a simple, short, yet absolutely fabulous memory of my trip. I had always dreamed of seahorses being in deep water flowing amongst coral and yet here we were, not even getting wet in the water, just leaning over the edge of the boat in about 6 inches of water spotting them in amongst the sea grass - they are black, so graceful and really well camouflaged against the sea grass - Awesome!

About falling into the sea - well, it was so funny! - It was Christmas Eve and the little jetty outside Brianna's Beach House doesn't always reach the sand unless the tide is really out. My husband, Gary, had just returned with Capt. Bicho from a day's fishing and beckoned me from the boat to come and pay Capt. Bicho - I took my shoes off, leaving them on the beach and waded to the jetty with my purse and passports in, in my hand, paid Captain Bicho and walked back down the jetty. My husband asked me to hold some fishing tackle for him in the other hand. Well, I stepped down into the water which came up to my thighs and lost my balance! - the only thing I could think of was those passports as I went under and everybody who saw me said it was like watching Excalibur as all they could see were two arms in the air! - but that's not the end of the story as I dripped up the beach to get my shoes - they'd gone!

So many stories to write about and so many memories!

Some info about Brianna's Beach House for whoever is going:
It was a little dream house - it was so brightly painted and many people who walked past as we sat on the verandah stopped to talk and admire the little house. There are sun loungers out the back which you can drag around the front and even over the sand road to the beach and sit under the little palm parasol (we were naughty and took the cushions from the sitting room over there too so our heads were really comfy). It is so conveniently situated for the town and yet quiet enough if you've had a few too many belikins(!). (Occasionally, you may get woken about 3 in the morning by the dogs next door, who see a racoon or animal that trespasses on their property but if you've had the belikins you should sleep through it!)

Some tips: Take a mini washing line with you and a few pegs if you are staying a while as there isn't one and if you want to wash out some underwear it would be handy. We hung ours over a broom handle that we laid across the corners of the balcony which worked well. If a rain storm flares up, put a towel on the floor across the outside of the front door, this will stop any rain seeping under the door and we were advised not to leave anything out on the balcony as, being a residential neighbourhood with some poor houses...

- All these things though add to the uniqueness of the holiday - all experiences in themselves and never once blackened our holiday.

Maria, the maid, is lovely - she comes every other day to change sheets and towels. (She also did our washing and charged between $10-$15BZ depending on the load). We had taken some clothes that my ten year old son had grown out of from advice from previous messages on the board and gave them to her for her lovely kids. It bought tears to my eyes when I saw them in the town - so happy with their new Christmas outfits.

Papi's diner, around the corner, will deliver breakfasts - I left a leaflet with a menu in the lounge, hopefully it will still be there for you. Golf carts will pick you up, (we used Polo's - about $10BZ an hour) and take you back to the office for payment, and also so where you know where the office is. Any problems or questions (like changing the water bottles, which is done free of charge, or booking a taxi to get to the airport, Searious Adventures will pay for it as it is all included in the price - we didn't know when we arrived), just ring the Searious Adventures office (the number is in the book that is left in the lounge). All local calls are free from the house and all numbers are in the telephone book under the San Pedro section which is under the phone).

Any more tips I can remember I shall give you as I recall them but if you have any questions please just ask - I want to keep this dream living for as long as I can!

Shall stop writing now today as I have to go and do some cooking for tea (what's that word 'cooking'? - I hope I can remember how and what I used to cook before I went) - or maybe I shall try and do a Mayan curry - what do you think?

Caroline

CrackerLarry, thanks for the seahorse info. I spent some time floating over the turtle grass looking for 'em but had no luck.

C from UK, sounds like you just might be hooked on the island! I am so glad you had a wonderful time. Questions on the house: does it have a direct view of the sea? Is it on the north side of town? Can't wait to hear the rest of the story while having a cuppa!

egcntrk - The house is directly on the beach. Just North of Town. Next door but one is the Tides Resort which has a pool. Patajo, the owner is really nice and would let you swim in it. He runs a diving school and his dock is longer than Brianna's and he will let you sunbathe at the end of it. Because it is longer, any trips you go on would pick you up from the end of his dock.

When you walk along all the docks the amount of sealife you can see is great - sting rays, puffer fish etc. and the conch shells are in abundance. Also, around the few docks around Brianna's is a resident barracuda called Oscar. He is probably about 4 ft long! you may be lucky enough to spot him - we saw him twice.

Listen out for the lady who comes by on the bike everyday - she will sound her horn and sells cinnamon buns and small chicken pies and hot dogs - the street sellers are really good and we had some cinnamon rolls one day from one guy which I'm told were scrumptious by my family (I don't like cinnamon - another story in itself why I don't like it!) but we could never find him again.

There is a bakery along the street from Papi's diner called Le Popular Bakery - they have fresh cakes, buns and bread every morning and that was my father in law's job to go and stock up on the days before him and my husband went fishing for them to take on the boat.

There are 2 supermarkets as you walk back into town (along the streets, not beach) virtually opposite each other. The pink one has a larger stock than the other (Richie's supermarket) but the pink supermarket is more expensive.

Must tell you another funny story about Christmas Eve - we went to midnight mass which was a truly touching experience. The church was totally packed and people were standing in the doorways and the singing was very moving. (I saw one tourist go out as he had tears in his eyes). My husband and I were sitting next to a Belizean lady who was holding a beautiful sleeping 6 month old baby who slept for more than half the service. The little baby woke up near the end and was wide eyed at all the people in the church and was so good - that is, until he turned his eyes to me! I smiled at him and those eyes just got bigger and bigger and then he just let out a scream and buried his head into his mummy's chest! - everytime he looked around at me he would scream and bury his head again! - in the end my husband and I had to leave - I think it was my blonde hair and my pale skin (well, I hope so!).

Dear Caroline,
That was a beautiful story. If you think of more details, please let us know. I will have to look for Brianna's Beach House when we are in San Pedro. It sounds lovely. We will be staying at Xanadu and leaving in just a couple months!

Hope to not scare the liitle guy off by telling but we saw a seahorse everyday we went out for our dive trip, attaching itself to the mooring line of our dive boat at Ramon's