Ambergris is the largest of 200 plus islands located just off the coast of Belize nestled in the clear shallow waters of the Caribbean Sea and south of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Her coastline is protected by the 190 mile long Barrier Reef, the second largest living coral reef in the world. The island itself is only 25 miles long and 4 miles wide at its widest point.

The reef, which is a mere quarter mile from the beach of Ambergris, is the island's biggest tourist attraction. It has helped put Belize among the top ten dive destinations in the world. One of the most popular dive sites is Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley, a three square mile sanctuary accessible to  both divers and snorkelers. There are many other dive sites in the area including the Great Blue Hole.

The only metropolitan area on the island is the Town of San Pedro. Of course, it's not really metropolitan by our standards, it is really more of a small fishing village clustered with small wooden houses, gift shops, boutiques, bars, cafes and restaurants. There are other small settlements located north and south of San Pedro.

The people of the island are called "Sanpedranos" and speak English, Spanish, Creole and Maya all at the same time, making it their own island dialect. Most, however, understand and speak English very well. The typical island dress code consists of bare feet, tee-shirts and shorts.

Why is this article appearing on OmahaRiverFront.com? Maybe because my husband Regis and I just recently returned from our second but definitely not our last trip to the island. This enchanting Caribbean destination has impressed us so much that we want to share our experience with you.

We first visited Ambergris Caye two years ago after hearing about it from our friends - Denny and Deb Olofson. Denny and Deb fell in love with both the island and the people who live there many years ago. So much so that they bought a piece of land, brought a trailer all the way from Iowa to Belize City then transported it by barge to the island.

On this years visit, we were accompanied by our friend, Dennis Deja. It was only a matter of days before he felt the same way we do about this Belizean hide-a-way. All of us are anxiously looking forward to returning again soon.

There are over 800 rooms available on the island, in absolutely any price range. We decided to stay this time in the moderately priced Coral Bay Villas. Coral Bay is located just south of San Pedro and within walking distance of just about anywhere you want to go. It was here that I met some special people that I have to personally thank here - Gail and Ed Heimburger from Ohio. Ed works for the U.S, Postal Service and all I can say is that they do deliver mail in all circumstances, even from foreign countries!

We met many new people who live and work on the island but two very special ones I want to mention here are Aida and Sami. Aida and Sami moved to the island from the states two years ago and established their own business called 'Isla Bonita Designs'. They design and make women's beach clothing. They also became personal friends of ours whom we spent quite a bit of time with and also introduced us to 'Adventures with Geraldo'. Geraldo owns a catamaran sailboat and for a very reasonable price, will take you out to the open waters for an adventure you will always want to remember. We went out twice with him and his assistant Gusto. Our first trip took us Southward to the island of Caye Caulker where we spent the afternoon exploring a slightly different atmosphere than what you find on Ambergris. This island is not quite as
populated but still offers its own unique experience. We made a second trip with them north of San Pedro to a place called Mexican Rocks where we spent the day fishing and having a picnic on-board.

Of course, one of the main reasons people visit this part of the world is to visit the many awesome scuba locations. If you're a diver, you couldn't find a better dive master than Rolando "Rayo" Caserez. You can  book your scuba, snorkeling or fishing trip with Rayo through Ramon's Village, located in the heart of San Pedro.

No matter if you are looking for an awesome place to dive or scuba, or just a place where you can truly shed that harsh edge of concern we all carry, Ambergris Caye, Belize has it all.

To get there, you first have to fly into Belize City. From there, you have two choices on how you would like to arrive at the island. You can either book a small commuter flight or travel by water taxi. If you opt for the short flight from the mainland, most of the resorts or hotels will book this for you when you make a reservation. Visit the website of Ambergris for more information on planning your experience of life time at: www.ambergriscaye.com