OUR BELIZE
AMBERGRIS CAYE
1997 - THE JOURNEYS END RESORT
We first visited Belize in February of 1997. In previous years we had taken some pretty hectic vacations and decided to go somewhere that we could just unpack and stay put for a week. We happened to see the "Discovery Channel" special on Diving in Belize which was centered around Ambergris Caye and the Journeys End Resort. Liking what we saw, we called for a brochure and then made reservations for our stay and transportation.
On arriving at the S. I. Goldson International Airport in Belize City, we transferred to Island Airways (Now Mayan Island Airways) and flew to San Pedro Town on Ambergris Caye. It took about 17 minutes to fly the 25+ miles out to Ambergris Caye.
On the way out we flew over the bay giving us marvelous views of the channels and small reefs through the crystal clear water below. As we neared Ambergris Caye we could look down an see the beautiful Barrier Reef which is only about 1/4 mile off of Ambergris Caye. (This reef runs from the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico down the entire length of Belize and then bends east and follows the Honduran coast to Rotan and its sister Islands. It is the 2nd longest live coral reef in the world, with only the Great Barrier reef off of Australia being longer).
We had advised the Journeys End of our flight arrival time and they had a taxi/van waiting at the San Pedro Airport to take us to the north end of San Pedro Town, where, we met the Journeys End shuttle boat, which transported us to The Resort. Note: As our only visit to The Journeys End was in 1997 and the hotel has undergone a complete management change and remodeling and reconstruction since Hurricanes Mitch in 1998 and Keith in 2000 it is felt that Oldgator can no longer personally recommend this property due to lack of first hand knowledge and I have removed the link from this page. "oldgator" 7-14-2001 This is no reflection on the Journeys End or it's management. It is just my policy that I only recommend and link to places and services on my web site that I can personally and unequivocally recommend with personal and current knowledge.
We traveled north about 6-7 miles to The Journeys End, a boat ride of about 10-15 minutes. Resort staff was waiting on the pier for us and took our baggage to our Pool Side Cabana while we checked in.
After settling in we set out to explore the grounds. The Journeys End advertises a 50 acre resort. We found the bayside rooms along with a small dock with paddle boats and canoes for the guests to use in the bay. Also on the back side is the Tennis Court.
We went back to the Office and looked at the Platt Plan of the facility and then decided that all of the activity had given us a strong desire for a Beliken. (Good Belizean Beer - light, dark or premium). The Bar is located outdoors with a thatched roof and is in-between the Office and the Restaurant with a good view of the beach side of the Resort.
Our first Dinner at the outdoor restaurant was delightful and delicious. We also had our first experience with the Feline Nightshift. On the property there are several cats. These cats have perfected the art of Shift Working. There are cats that roam around the restaurant deck in the evening, not begging but not turning down anything that falls or is offered to them. There is another separate and smaller group that works the floor for breakfast. Also, there is one cat that works the area around the pool where lunch is served from the grill and swim-up bar. Each evening, we would gather a few scraps and take them to the Pool Cat for dinner.
During the days we found plenty to do. I had brought my 4' Cast Net along and it was no problem to catch Live Sardines to use as bait. We caught lots of 1-2 lb Snapper of several varieties, Bonefish, Barracuda, small Shark, and Jacks right off of the dock. We gave these fish to members of the staff and they were very appreciative
One day, we had The Resort arrange an all day trip to the Mayan Ruins at Altun Ha. We were picked up, by boat, at the dock at 8:00 am. We headed south along the Caye and then turned west across the bay to the mainland where we proceeded another several miles up a very narrow winding river (our guide called it the Bomba River). When we reached the Village of Bomba, we boarded a School Bus for a half hour ride to the Ruins.
Our boat driver (Daniel Nunez) was also our guide and did a great job of showing us the ruins. Our stay at the ruins, lasted for about 2 hours. We were then taken to a Jungle Resort/Restaurant where we could buy lunch and take a swim in the pool.
My greatest memory of the place was the specialty of the Bar. They offered quart bottles of "Viper Rum". These were actually, bottles of rum in which they had placed a live snake and resealed the bottle. Naturally, the snake died but he was stretched out in the bottle. Price $50.00 per bottle in 1997. Several of our group bought them and even opened one and dared each other to try it.
After lunch we reversed ourselves and headed back to the Village of Bomba where we reboarded the Boat and headed back to the Journeys End. We arrived about 5:30 pm tired and happy.
On another day, we caught the Resort's Boat Shuttle into San Pedro where we rented a golf cart and explored the town. Before going back we had lunch at Elvis Restaurant.
On another day we went snorkeling with Gaz Cooper's Dive Belize to the Hol Chan Preserve and Shark Ray Alley. It was exciting seeing all of the varieties of fish and the Beautiful Coral on the bottom. Petting the Sharks and large Rays was also exciting and really a lot of fun once we understood that they liked it.
We had met very nice couple at the bar and decided that the four of us would split a 1/2 day charter with Captain Tom on the Sea Boots. We had a marvelous time and all caught some fish. Phil caught a huge (34+lb) Grouper which the mate cleaned and we took enough with us for the chef to cook for us for dinner that night with all the fixins. In fact this couple were crew members on cruise line. Her home is in England and last year she took shore leave in Florida and her parents met her in Orlando and they spend one day with us at our home.
We had done an awful lot of things in one short week, and, were really sorry to have to head back home and leave the Journeys End. We do plan to return to the Journeys End in the future.
LINK TO - > ARRIVING PICTURES
LINK TO - JOURNEYS END RESORT PICTURES 1997
LINK - > OUR TRIP TO ALTUN HA MAYAN RUINS 1997
LINK - > OUR ALTUN HA TRIP - PICTURES 1997
LINK - > DEEP SEA FISHING WITH CAPT. TOM ON THE SEA BOOTS 1997
LINK - > DEEP SEA FISHING - PICTURES 1997
LINK TO - THE SUNBREEZE HOTEL 1998 AND 1999
LINK TO - SUNBREEZE HOTEL PICTURES 1998 and 1999
LINK TO - HURRICANE "MITCH" - PICTURES
LINK TO - OUR BELIZE PLACENCIA
LINK TO - HOMEPAGE
LINK TO - CONTENTS INDEX
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