My husband and I stayed at the Blue Crab Resort 4 nights in late February, 2010. Linn Wilson is a warm, attentive, kind hostess. Her introduction and orientation made us feel welcome, and she was genuinely interested in our comfort and satisfaction over the course of our stay.

The beach was at our door and the edge of the water was another 80 feet or so away. (Totally relaxing!) Hardly a soul walked the beach in front of the resort, so much of the time, we had a lot of privacy. I sat and watched the pelicans and the waves for hours. And although my puny camera could not capture the beauty of the full moon rising over the sea, but it’s a memory forever etched in my mind.

There is a tiny restaurant for guests at the resort. Breakfast selections were hot, generous, freshly made and reasonably priced. And Goss Organic cocoa (Linn’s husband runs a small organic chocolate factory across the street) is available to add to your coffee. One morning, we ordered chocolate truffles to go with coffee and breakfast - a practice I need to indulge in more frequently!

Guests have the exclusive privilege of eating dinner at the resort restaurant on most nights of the week. Everything is made from scratch, so the preparation takes time - but it’s well worth the wait. Linn and her staff offer a range of Asian dishes that are very nice - the portions, flavors and presentations rival any of the restaurants we visited throughout Belize. Be sure to schedule at least one dinner at the resort early in your stay since you may want to later try more dishes on the menu. And if you go fishing, the staff will cook your catch for you!

Some of the staff - kitchen, housekeeping and grounds - have been with Blue Crab for many years and there is an obvious mutual respect among the people who work there. Everyone is very attentive and friendly.

Since Linn and her husband have been in this area for many years, they know the tour operators who are licensed and reliable.  The cost of tours arranged by Linn can be added to your resort bill - or you can pay the tour operators directly.  For our Monkey River trip, she picked an excellent guide, Terry, who was born and raised in Monkey River Village and lives there with his family. We felt privileged to hear local information provided by a true insider!

As previous reviews have noted, the facilities are simple and are in need of an update. The two rooms near the road are the most private of the 6 offered but they are significantly affected by road noise. Only those two rooms have very nice large screened porches. The two beach-facing rooms in the 4-plex have a large shared porch. Our reservations were for one night in one of the rear rooms and three nights in one of the “front” rooms.

Rooms have oscillating floor fans as well as AC (we didn’t use the AC). There are a reasonable number of outlets. The bedroom has only an overhead light, so bring a book light if you’re a reader. Ground coffee (good stuff), sugar, creamer and small frigs are provided. Hot water and pressure are good - drinking water is provided, though we understood that nationally, Belizean tap water is potable. Closet and drawer space are adequate. These beach facilities are not easily accessible to anyone with significant physical limitations. The absence of WIFI and TV certainly help provide an escape from the rest of the world, if that is the type of vacation you are seeking.

Use of 1-speed bikes is available. There is a grocery store in Seine Bight - a Garifuna village about 5 minutes by bike, 15 minutes on foot - where you can pick up snacks, soda, alcohol, fresh fruit and a variety of other items at a “supermarket” which was open everytime we went by. It took us 30 minutes biking at a good clip to ride into Placencia proper, and we found that the vehicular traffic is courteous to bikers and pedestrians. However, the road into town is curvy with narrow shoulders, so it’s best to just avoid walking or biking after sunset (around 6 p.m.).

Some higher end restaurants in various places in Belize will provide transportation for dinner - be sure to ask when you make a reservation. Also, Keith, the local Seine Bight taxi guy, was just minutes away so he responded to our calls almost immediately. (BTW, we picked up a prepaid BTL SIM chip for our phone at a little office across from the airport terminal in Belize City right after we arrived in the country. It gave us a very convenient local Belizean telephone number and good International calling rates.)

A few warnings: Belize is very laid back. If you’re nice, everyone you meet will be happy to see you. However, you should never let down your guard completely, no matter where you are dining or lodging. Always be aware of your surroundings and take an extra minute to secure yourself and your belongings. (We’ve had a few crass reminders during this last trip that we should never become complacent about security). Always lock your doors and for an extra measure of protection, don’t hesitate to put a suitcase or chair against the door - something that will make a little noise if the door is opened. It’s a million times better to act a little paranoid than to spend a day dealing with police reports.

Before you leave your hotel for a tour, mentally list all valuables that you take with you (camera, glasses, binoculars, passports, wallet/purse, etc.) then take a quick inventory (actually touch or see each item) every few hour or so during the tour. The sooner you realize you’re missing something, the better chance you have of retrieving it.

Relax, have a really great time, just don’t forget that you’re in a foreign country.

I stayed at the Blue Crab for 2 nights and 3 days. There are two types of accomodations...A)one-room cabanas with modern bathroom and grass thatched roof (like a tiki-hut) that are 20 feet from the water crashing into the sand, and B)Cabins with front porch that looks out onto Caribbean ocean (about 40 feet from the water), modern bathroom and A/C. When you arrive, you get a bar of home-made chocolate bars. Kerry, the husband of the owner (Lynn) buys cocoa beans from local growers, and makes organic dark, milk and white chocolate bars)...soooo delicious. The restaurant on the property serves asian inspired cuisine (Lynn is originally from Tiawan) made with fresh lobster, shrimp, red snapper or whatever seafood is in season. Lynn and Kerry are just lovely...they are very commited to the community around them, as evidenced by all the little children running up to them to show them what they made, or local bakers selling them home-made carrot bread or local artists asking if they want to display their artwork at the inn. The grounds and rooms are kept clean; the groundskeeper was a refugee from one of the neighboring countries and lost his family there..Kerry and Linn hired him and he has been working there ever since.
They also have bikes that you can use for free. I biked into the main commercial strip of Placencia (about a 30 minute bike ride or a 10 minute bus ride if you don't like to bike). This inn is a bit remote...you won't hear anything but the ocean waves, the birds, and some neighborhood children. If you are more of a night-club / action oriented person, I would recommend you stay in Placencia instead. If you want a great relaxing get away...this is the place!

The owners have all but given up doing upkeep on this property and while it has a good beach location, the accomodations are very poor and not kept up. Further to the last review, the beds and linens have improved, but not the bathrooms or the standards of cleanliness. The beach loungers and chairs are all falling apart (wooden) and the restaurant was only serving breakfast due to lack of staff.
Good personal attention from Linn re:excursion planning and arrangements.

Travellers have different experiences-even at the same locations. All you have to do is read a few reviews! Here is our experience last week at the Blue Crab in Seine Bight.

What was good-beautiful section of beach, white sand, palm trees clear up to the edge of the water, no neighbors on either side, very private. Dinner menu-expertly prepared asian food, sizable portions, varied menu. Price of entrees around $20 US. Office has safe for valuables, manager on site almost all the time. Personal attention to making arrangements for guests. Tours will pick up at the beach on site.

What was bad-cabanas are plywood with thatch, constructed with the original property 15 years ago. Little maintenance between then and now. Complete redo in order. Wood virtually devoid of finish, paint peeling, gaps in thatch. Bathroom a disaster, concrete shower with peeling and missing paint, hole in floor covered with shower mat, black mold and mildew 12" up the shower curtain liner, as well as on the outside decorative curtain. Single light bulb in bathroom, sink hanging off the wall, toilet rocks and rolls! Door consists of curtain hung from rod, filthy from dragging on floor.

Mismatched, old furniture. One double bed, one single, mismatched coverlets. Linens consist of flat sheet wrapped around very old mattress that was stained and torn. When we awoke in the morning, sheet was off, we were on the mattress, very unpleasant. Pillows hard and dusty. The only light was one lightbulb hung from center of cabana with cheap glass shade. One fan on a stand. We had to run the fan at full speed all night to keep the bugs off of us. We were at the end of a two week trip through the jungles of Mexico and Guatemala-no bug bites. After 3 nights here, we were nearly eaten alive.

We paid $90 a night in advance for this, no refund available. We stuck it out, as it was the end of the trip. Also note that Frommers recommends this property. They must be short of staff to do updates. We talked to numerous people that stayed in Placencia proper. It appears that much better digs, at better rates are available there. I would recommend it.

Final Comment-and I will post this under Seine Bight also. Seine Bight Village is not quaint. We travel all over the world, I know quaint when I see it. Raw garbage piles in front of, or beside buildings, both business and residential is not quaint. Animals rooting through garbage, buildings collapsed and filled with garbage--Seine Bight, with few exceptions has this dubious experience. We walked through and around the village 2 days in a row. The much vaunted "Lola's" (Artist, and sometime restauranteur) is accessed after a very large garbage pile, the size of an average driveway. I think I would pass on the restaurant part.