About this hotel
General information
Cayo Espanto is a private island of about four acres in the Caribbean Sea, a few minutes by boat from San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. It sits barely above the waterline: a sandy path runs through a grove of palms down the middle, and seven villas branch off it towards the shore, each screened from the next by silver-trunked black mangroves. Six stand at the water’s edge; the seventh is a bungalow over the sea at the end of a long dock. No more than 18 guests are on the island at any one time.
Every villa has its own pool, dock and veranda facing the sea, with interiors finished in local hardwoods. Stays are all-inclusive: a personal butler, three meals a day planned around each guest, snacks, bar drinks, beer and juices, plus sea kayaks and a sailing boat. Meals are usually taken in the villa itself, from breakfast in bed to dinner on the veranda, and the massage therapist comes to the villa too.
Location
The island lies off the southern shore of Ambergris Caye, about 5 km and seven minutes by boat from San Pedro, close to the Belize Barrier Reef. At Belize’s international airport (near Belize City) a resort representative meets guests once they have cleared customs; from there it is a flight of about 17 minutes to the San Pedro airstrip, where island staff take over for the boat ride. A scheduled daytime boat runs between the island and San Pedro every day. Alternatively, a Bell 407 helicopter for two to five passengers flies straight from the international airport, either directly over the sea, along the reef past Caye Caulker and the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, or out over Turneffe Atoll and the Great Blue Hole.
Spa
There is no spa building: treatments take place in the villa. A massage therapist is based on the island, and the menu also covers manicures, pedicures, facials, body scrubs and aromatherapy, arranged before arrival.
Sports & leisure
Sea kayaks and a sailing boat are included; the island team arranges everything else privately:
- windsurfing and catamaran sailing straight off the island
- guided snorkelling in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve and on the Belize Barrier Reef
- private dive charters with a divemaster along the reef and out to the Great Blue Hole
- a day at sea with reef snorkelling and a beach barbecue
- birdwatching among the mangroves of Cayo Rosario and Bird Caye – spoonbills, pelicans and frigatebirds
- private cruises, picnics on nearby cayes and jungle trips on the mainland
- day trips to the Maya archaeological sites of Altun Ha, Lamanai, Xunantunich and Caracol, with river outings along the way
Restaurants & bars
There is no restaurant in the usual sense: the island’s chefs build menus around each guest’s tastes and serve them in the villa, on the veranda or by the pool. The cooking pairs Belizean flavours with international dishes, from home-baked pastries and seasonal lobster to hand-rolled sushi, and a separate wine list accompanies dinner.
Swimming
Swimming centres on each seafront villa’s own infinity-edge plunge pool, which looks straight out to sea, and on the private dock with a pair of loungers at its far end. The island rises only a foot or two above the water and the sea floor around it is firm and shallow, so guests can wade in right from the villa.
Rooms
Seven villas: four one-bedroom villas at the water’s edge, two two-bedroom villas and one overwater bungalow. One-bedroom villas sleep two, two-bedroom villas four.
Each villa has a veranda facing the sea, air conditioning and ceiling fans, Egyptian cotton linen, Turkish bathrobes, Lady Primrose toiletries, a butler’s pantry stocked with snacks and drinks, satellite TV, a DVD player with the island’s film library, Wi-Fi and nightly turndown.
Casa Olita
A one-bedroom beachfront villa with a mosquito-netted king-size bed, zericote and jobillo wood panelling, a walled garden, open-air showers, a veranda with wrap-around sea views, its own infinity-edge plunge pool and a private dock. Sleeps two.
Casa Manana
A one-bedroom oceanfront villa with a 180° view of the sea, a king-size bed under mosquito netting at the centre of the room, granite counters and hardwood cabinetry, its own plunge pool and a private dock. Sleeps two.
Casa Brisa
A one-bedroom villa looking over the turquoise lagoon to the open sea, with a king-size bed or twin beds under mosquito netting, a cabbage-bark ceiling, a broad veranda holding its own plunge pool, and a dock. Sleeps two.
Casa Solana
A one-bedroom oceanfront bungalow on the island’s western tip, facing the sunset, with a generous veranda, a separate dining area and its own infinity-edge plunge pool. Sleeps two.
Casa Estrella
A two-storey, two-bedroom beachfront villa with king-size or twin beds in each room: upstairs an open-air bedroom with hardwood floors and a raised view of the sea, downstairs a room with a 180° outlook and doors on three sides opening straight onto the water. Own plunge pool and an open-air shower. Sleeps four.
Casa Aurora
A two-bedroom villa with king-size beds in both sea-facing bedrooms. A two-level deck links the living room, a large covered infinity plunge pool, the private dock and the beach, and by day the living room can move out beside the pool. Sleeps four.
Casa Ventanas
A one-bedroom bungalow over the water at the end of a dock reaching more than 45 m out from the island, with the sea on every side and a private veranda. Sleeps two.
Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Actual room layout, furnishings, décor, views and amenities may differ from those shown and may vary between rooms of the same category. Hotel and room descriptions are based on information provided by the property and are believed to be accurate at the time of publication, but are not guaranteed. The hotel may renovate or change its rooms, facilities, restaurants and services at any time without notice. The final details of your stay are confirmed at the time of booking. See our Terms of Use.