One-Week Scuba Diving Belize Vacation

This was a great trip and we really appreciated the support we got from Zicasso’s travel agents in designing the vacation and then remaining in touch to help us and address questions during our time in Belize. We engaged several candidates to design the trip and this travel company did the best job listening to what was important and figuring out how to tailor the trip to meet our needs. We had several unforeseen things pop up (including one son rupturing an eardrum during a dive) and I knew the travel company would respond within minutes and be able to help with support.

Zicasso’s travel agency was amazing. The hotel in San Pedro was terrible! We would not recommend anyone go there. The staff was rude, mold in the room, exposed nails in the floor, and terrible service at the restaurant. The dive staff was amazing, the only positive. The lodge in Cristo Rey was amazing, with great staff, location, clean, and friendly. I can't say enough good things about that place!

However, this new site and portal Zicasso is using for communication is not user friendly, and also has the wrong information. My trip to Belize was March 18–26, and your site says my trip was March 8–16. It is a bit confusing when I receive emails with the wrong dates. I have booked four big trips through Zicasso, and every experience with a new trip seems to be getting worse and worse.

Kari Y.

Zicasso’s travel agents were incredibly attentive to details, understood what we were looking for in a vacation, and created a perfect eight-day vacation in Belize, balancing our interests! They were available for questions on WhatsApp and responded immediately to any questions we had before and during the trip. Top-notch all the way through.

Zicasso’s tour company was excellent. The trip was perfectly organized, the hotels were fabulous, and the excursions were just what we wanted. Our travel specialists kept in touch and made sure things were going well, offering any help we needed. I would highly recommend this travel company to anyone planning a trip to explore Belize.

Huge kudos for finding lodging and booking activities. Lacking a high-touch feel and poor communication.

My family's late planning left Zicasso’s travel agent with limited lodging inventory; however, they were able to find a property in an ideal, remote location that matched our ideal travel style for the second part of our trip. The first property in San Pedro felt more like a high-end hotel that we would ordinarily stay in for work, versus our ideal vacation lodging.

Our itinerary achieved all of our family's stated interests, including fishing, snorkeling, caving, and hiking; however, some communication issues between the agent and the resort and tour guides led to confusion and resulted in me handling more of the logistics than I would expect.

For example, transportation from our flight to the resort was directed to the wrong airport, one tour that was supposed to be private was a group tour, a long hike followed by a swim and lunch was inverted (lunch first, then swim, then hike), such that our family was not hungry for lunch and too tired to hike after lounging near the pools, there were no New Year's celebrations while we were told by the agent there would be, and a few other minor missteps.

We weren't as prepped to take advantage of the resort's amenities and special events, and we asked for a couple of small concessions that the agent was not able to source. All of these issues were very minor, but the experience was not as smooth as I have experienced with luxury travel planners. All in all, we had a wonderful time in Belize and the major feedback is that the agent relationship was more like sourcing lodging and activities and booking versus ensuring a seamless experience.

Lodging: 4 out of 5

Itinerary: 5 out of 5

Coordination between agent and resorts/tour operators: 2 out of 5

High-touch/luxury feel (communication between us and agent): 2 out of 5

From the minute I spoke with Zicasso’s travel agent, I knew she would be the right agent for my family! She was completely understanding of our needs, which wasn't easy, given there were three generations on the trip and five children!

We needed to go between Christmas and New Year’s, of course, the busiest time, but she understood the assignment and worked over the weekend to make sure we got into the best possible places, both in the jungle and in San Pedro.

She handled my and my sister's multitude of questions with grace, professionalism, and understanding. She was thorough and organized. The excursions were all top-notch and exactly as described. She and her husband were at our beck and call the whole trip. I wouldn't choose anyone else for going to Belize!