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Dive Review of St. George's Lodge in
Belize/St. George's Caye

St. George's Lodge, Mar, 2003,

by Dave & Joanne Farrel, WI, USA . Report 422.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 1 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments We like small, relaxed off-the-beaten-path resorts, and were very happy with our 2 recent choices - St. George's Lodge for our dive resort and Ek Tun for our "jungle lodge" experience.
A driver and mini-van were waiting to take us from the airport to the boat dock. Carlos picked up the groceries and us for boat ride out to St. George's Caye. The resort is one of few properties on the island. It has frontage on both sides of the island with the cabanas on the calm leeward side, and the lodge and dive boat pier on the windward side. Lodging is mostly in over-water cabanas which were roomy and comfortable. Each one has a shady front porch where juice and tea/coffee are delivered every morning. The cabanas are on a circular boardwalk, which provides an interesting place to find and watch small critters. The main lodge has an open, very informal lounge/bar area for visiting and enjoying the great appetizers before dinner. Meals, served family-style at long tables, consist of several choices and more good food than you can eat. Fred and Fran are wonderful, accommodating hosts who do everything they can to make everyone feel welcome.
Dive sites were chosen to meet the divers' wishes. The dive boat was uncrowded and unhurried, with crew taking care of your dive gear and bringing your BC to you when you were ready to jump in. The divers were divided into smaller groups of 2-5 people with each group led by either Fred, Fran, or Jose. Although we had never had a guide before, it relieved us of having to find the boat on our own and also made it possible to see things we would have missed. This would be a great place for younger or beginning divers, as Fred is a very patient instructor and spends a lot of individual time with them. He also is interested in helping everyone become a better diver and is always available to answer and discuss dive questions.
The water was fairly rough while we were there, so visibility was somewhat affected. Sea fans were especially abundant and colorful, and dolphins often accompanied us on boat trips.
One day, when many of us chose not to dive because of the weather, Fran arranged and led a trip into Belize City for sight-seeing, shopping, and visiting the zoo.
After a too-short time on St. George's, we went to Ek Tun near the western border. Phyllis is the owner of this beautiful property. Remo picked us up at the boat dock and provided us with lots of information about what we were seeing on the Land Rover ride to San Ignacio and beyond. The last stage is a boat ride across the Macal River. Ek Tun has stunning grounds which are well-kept but in a natural way, not manicured-looking. There is a natural mineral pool where you can swim in surroundings that can rival any tropical movie scene. The whole place had a great feeling of privacy with only 2 thatched-roof cabanas and the sound of the river always in the background. Meals were wonderful, served in the open-air dining room at Phyllis's home overlooking the river. There are several choices of activities, including hiking up to and through a Mayan cave and kayaking/canoeing down the river. When we kayaked, we stopped at the home of Remo's in-laws, where his wife Louisa gave us a tour of their farm and served us lunch. It was a rare opportunity to visit with local people and learn more about the area. Phyllis arranged activities for us, and we really enjoyed our time with her, whether she was leading us through the jungle or shopping in Guatemala. We were happy that we brought everything on her suggested list. For hiking and for the caves, you really do need hiking boots with gripping soles, good flashlights with extra bulbs and batteries, water bottles, and long pants and sleeves. There were absolutely no mosquitoes when we were there. We had brought DEET but didn't think we needed it, until we got home and found out that we had gotten chigger bites, which made for several itchy days. Next time we'll use DEET, but will definitely go back to this beautiful place.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 51-100 dives
Where else diving Cayman Islands, Provo, Roatan, San Salvador, Bonaire, Key Largo
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy, dry Seas choppy, surge
Water Temp 75-80°F / 24-27°C Wetsuit Thickness 5
Water Visibility 50-80 Ft/ 15-24 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions Divers were divided into groups of 2-5 people, each with a guide.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins Schools Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 3 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's N/A Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments [None]
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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