The Best 10 Ambergris Caye Hotels & Resorts for Families
- Updated: 04/15/2024
- Janice
Ambergris Caye is a slim—one mile at its widest—northern barrier island off the coast of mainland Belize encircled by clear blue shallow Caribbean waters rich with marine life and world-class reefs ideal for snorkeling and diving, and it is the perfect add-on to your Belize trip itinerary.
To make it the perfect family getaway you will want to find a hotel or resort with generous space, a relaxed environment, ample amenities, and a staff welcoming to kids. Also, at an agreeable price that helps you enjoy your vacation more and stress less. This article can help. In it, discover the best places to stay, and get practical planning information and tips about visiting.
Table Of Contents
All opinions in this article are my own. None of the properties listed paid for placement in this post or my resort stay.
About Ambergris Caye
Ambergris Caye has a relaxed vibe where families can enjoy slow-speed open-air golf carts as the primary mode of transport to explore San Pedro, the colorful Ambergris Caye hub packed with restaurants, shops, and other convenient tourist services. As well as to spend time enjoying its beaches and beautiful views. See where to find Ambergris Caye in the quick Google Earth clip below.
At-a-Glance: Top 10 Ambergris Caye Family-Friendly Accommodations
Here are the top picks—in three areas of the island—ideal for family groups in the map and the list below. Find more detail on each property and why it makes a great fit for families in the sections that follow.
How to use this map: In the map header, click the square tab to the left of my logo or click the enlarge frame to the right to view detail. You can save the map to “Your Places” on Google Maps by clicking the star next to the map name. Or you can share it by clicking the share icon.
North of San Pedro
In San Pedro
South of San Pedro
North of San Pedro
At 25 miles long, Ambergris Caye consists of two parcels of land—south Ambergris Caye and larger and less populated, north Ambergris Caye. The two are separated by a small channel and connected by the Boca del Rio bridge.
The northern half of Ambergris Caye feels more laid-back and secluded, with less development, offering a range of superior accommodation options and dining, much of which are within an easy 15-minute golf cart drive of San Pedro.
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Another benefit of staying in the north—if you plan to visit Secret Beach, on the west coast of northern Ambergris Caye, the drive takes far less time if you are already north.
For our seven-day Belize trip, we chose to stay in this area of Ambergris Caye for a peaceful and relaxing vacation—and it delivered nicely. I share where we stayed and recommendations for three other ideal northern Ambergris Caye family-friendly properties in the area, all within a 15 to 20-minute golf cart ride from San Pedro below.
We chose to stay at Bella Vista Resort Belize, a full-service oceanfront property located north of the Boca del Rio bridge separating southern Ambergris Caye from its north and about a 15-minute golf cart ride from town.
We loved the intimate size of this seven-room resort with its highly-rated restaurant. Plus, we found the well-priced Crocodile Suite, a spacious two-bedroom and two-bath unit featuring a full kitchen, an oversize balcony with lounge seating, a large table, and a hammock overlooking the resort pool and oceanfront pier, with plenty of space to spread out, was ideal for families and offered terrific value. Further sweetening the appeal, Bella Vista includes complimentary and generous breakfasts with each booking—which helped us save on the cost and effort of one meal a day.
While at Bella Vista Resort, we ordered cocktails and ate dinners in their open-air Aji Tapa Bar & Restaurant, booked a Hol Chan Marine Reserve snorkel tour with their on-site tour company, and rented our golf cart.
The staff was welcoming, the service was terrific, and the convenience could not have been better. We loved our stay. Learn more at Bella Vista Resort and book a stay here.
Next door to Bella Vista Resort, find the larger Grand Caribe Resort and Condominiums, offering more upscale accommodation. Guests can choose from one of 80 one to five-bedroom beautifully decorated condos and villas ideal for families with full kitchens and private balconies with jaw-dropping ocean views.
The two-bedroom condos at Grand Caribe even offer my favorite bedding combination for families of four, a king and two twins—no bed sharing required for siblings. Families who stay here get to take advantage of loads of amenities such as six pools, a swim-up bar, a full-service spa, three restaurants, a concierge service to book tours and activities, a man-made groomed beach, complimentary kayaks, and paddleboards—and a big perk for parents—access to on-demand babysitting.
While booking a stay here is pricier, families seeking luxury and comfort will find it is worth the splurge. Learn more about the Grand Caribe and book a stay here.
About 1.5 miles north of Bella Vista Resort and the Grand Caribe, find Coco Beach Resort, a mid-size luxury and family-friendly property with 58 units offering more high-service relaxation. Stay in two- and three-bedroom suites with full kitchens and private balconies or patios. Although you will not find a traditional walk-in beach at this resort, you can swim off the pier at next-door Belizean Shores or take advantage of two resort pools.
The resort also offers mobile spa services in your room or on the beach, a restaurant, and a pool bar. Plus, complimentary activities such as kayaking, biking, and paddleboarding, which guests appreciate. Book a variety of snorkeling, sailing, or tour-based activities with helpful staff. Learn more about Coco Beach Resort and book a stay here.
If you prefer skipping the luxe amenities and big price tags of larger resorts, check out the intimate eight-unit Cocotal Inn & Cabanas a short walk north of Bella Vista Resort and the Grand Caribe and a hidden gem north of San Pedro. Their two-bedroom and two-bath main house suite with a full kitchen and partial water view is ideal for families who want the comfort of space but need to stick to a budget.
Plus, it has the ideal layout for a family of four with a king bed and two twin beds to ensure each kid gets a bed. This low-key inn with outstanding service and stellar ratings offers a pool, bikes, kayaks, daily service, an honor bar, and proximity to great restaurants within easy golf-cart riding distance, all for a friendly price tag. Learn more about Cocotal Inn & Cabanas and book a stay here.
In San Pedro
Staying in the town of San Pedro gives families more options for dining, shopping, and a central location for activities. Here are the two properties I recommend for the best in-town family experience.
Families love the central location of Ramon’s Village Resort, a 71-unit property close to shops, restaurants, and activities. The resort offers an accessible range of pricing on hotel-style rooms in stand-alone cabanas at their across-the-street Steve and Becky’s property or standard rooms at their main resort.
Although these rooms are smaller than many of the suites available north or south of San Pedro, what you give up in space, you get back in proximity. Its central location—especially for families who want to be in the heart of the action—offers strong appeal. From Ramon’s, you can walk to the San Pedro airport in five minutes or to the water taxi in eight.
And for families with more flexible budgets and who prefer a central location, Ramon’s offers more space and luxury with their ocean view suites. Ramon’s has a dedicated beach and dock where you can leave for snorkeling, sailing, or island-hopping excursions. Additionally, enjoy the convenience of an on-site restaurant, a poolside coffee and smoothie bar, and a beachfront spa to maximize your relaxation. Learn more about Ramon’s Village Resort and book a stay here.
For families who love staying centrally and seek more space, The Palms Oceanfront Suites, a relaxed and intimate all-suite boutique hotel next door to Ramon’s offers a terrific value with 12 one- and two-bedroom individually decorated suites with full kitchens and ocean views.
Families will love the resort’s beachfront position, garden setting and pool area, and the attentive and friendly staff who can book activities. Learn more about The Palms Oceanfront Suites and book a stay here.
South of San Pedro
All properties I recommend below are within a 10 to 20-minute golf cart ride from San Pedro.
For families with elastic budgets who want to stay at one of Ambergris Caye’s most luxurious resorts, book a two-bedroom suite or villa at the 42-unit Victoria House Resort & Spa, approximately a 10-minute golf cart ride south of San Pedro. Family-friendly luxe lodging here includes full gourmet kitchens and multiple ocean views on private verandas, depending on the unit, and can accommodate from three to ten guests.
This resort also offers all the top-notch amenities upscale travelers expect—a pristine private beach, an infinity pool, lovely garden grounds, a dedicated tour desk to book activities, and a world-class restaurant with unobstructed ocean views. Learn more about Victoria House Resort & Spa and book a stay here.
I have had two family-traveler friends stay at the eco-friendly Xanadu Island Resort and confirm it is set up well for families.Located a few minutes north of Victoria House and closer to town, this resort offers the convenience of a supermarket, bakery, pharmacy, and restaurants within walking distance.
Families appreciate the resort’s two and three-bedroom suites, some of which are oceanfront or have ocean views. Units feature full kitchens and private terraces with outdoor living space. Resort amenities include an attractive heated swimming pool, free bikes, kayak rentals, and a helpful tour desk where guests can book trips to the reef to snorkel, dive, fish, or arrange tours on the mainland. Learn more about Xanadu Island Resort and book a stay here.
South of Victoria House and about a 15-minute golf cart ride from town, find top-rated Pelican Reef Villas Resort, a medium-sized luxury property with 23 units with all the amenities of a larger luxury property and a relaxed feel in a quieter part of the island.
Guests love sunbathing and snorkeling off the resort’s pier, the complimentary breakfasts, and the two and three-bedroom suites with full kitchens ideal for family groups. Plus, the attentive staff who can book excursions and arrange pre- or post-stay travel are regularly cited by adoring guests as outstanding. Learn more about Pelican Reef Villas Resort and book a stay here.
Nearly next door and just north of Pelican Reef, the more intimate Lighthouse Beach Villas, formerly known as Athens Gate, has 11 units and shares the same beach and quiet stretch of Ambergris Caye as its neighbor and offers another outstanding family-friendly option for lodging.
Guests can choose from two- and three-bedroom luxe villas kitted out with Belizean hardwood and local art and the top amenities experienced resort travelers expect, such as an infinity pool, kayaks, bikes, paddleboards, snorkel gear, and expert concierge services. Learn more about Lighthouse Beach Villas and book a stay here.
Getting to Ambergris Caye
To get to Ambergris Caye from Belize City, you can fly on a turboprop plane that can seat up to 14 passengers from one of two airports or take a water taxi.
Fly to Ambergris Caye
You can fly into San Pedro in Ambergris Caye either from the Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport (BZE) on Tropic Air or Maya Island Air, where the flight time is 14 minutes.
Or from the Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport (TZA) in Belize City for a 20-minute flight time. Buy tickets through the airline websites or from your lodging. Expect one-way tickets to cost $85-100+ per person.
Take a Water Taxi
You can book a ride with a water taxi operator, such as San Pedro Belize Express Water Taxi, to depart from the international airport or from its pier in Belize City.
Expect the total travel time for this route to take approximately 2.25 hours. Catching the water taxi direct from Belize City to San Pedro costs less—will take approximately 1.5 hours. Once you arrive in San Pedro, you will need ground transportation to get to your resort or hotel. Many resorts offer complimentary pickups that you can coordinate in advance from the airport or the water taxi dock.
5 Things to Know Before You Go
Here are five practical things to know before you visit Ambergris Caye.
1. Limited beaches
Ambergris Caye is a pretty barrier island surrounded by azure Caribbean waters and vibrant reefs. However, know that the beaches on the eastern and developed side of the island—likely where your hotel or resort will be—are narrow and limited in number. Larger resorts offer man-made beaches. If your hotel or resort does not have one—ours did not—you can visit other beaches on the island, such as Secret Beach, Central Park in San Pedro, or Ramon’s Village.
If you want more beach for your Belize vacation, consider staying in Placencia. It is a town further south along the Belize coast known for its wide white sand beach.
2. Sargassum seaweed
Like much of the Caribbean, Ambergris Caye can be affected by masses of floating sargassum seaweed that can accumulate on its eastern shore. And depending on the time of year and when the sargassum shows up, it is constantly being cleared. Although the seaweed tends to affect Ambergris Caye worse in summer and fall, it can arrive anytime due to ocean temperatures, wind patterns, and nutrient levels.
Knowing the presence of it could be a factor, and the seaweed makes beach entries slippery and just plain gross, be sure to bring along water shoes like these just in case. And contact your lodging ahead of time to learn about conditions.
3. Getting Around
Golf carts, rentable through your lodging or on sites like Viator, and bikes are the best ways to get around Ambergris Caye. Many hotels and resorts provide bikes free of charge to their guests. For golf cart rentals, expect to pay a minimum of $30 per day for a rental and easily $50+.
4. Reef-Safe Sun Protection
With so many appealing water-based activities in Ambergris Caye, the chance of sunburn is at an all-time high. As a pale-skinned family, we prioritize avoiding sunburns. And as ocean enthusiasts, we ensure our sunscreen is reef safe. Reef-safe Blue Lizard sunscreen has been our preferred brand for years for its excellent protection. We bring a ton on each trip—nearly one bottle per day.
For extra precaution, before our Belize trip, I also ordered this flattering long-sleeve lightweight rash guard shown above for myself and my daughter for snorkeling. It was comfortable and I loved wearing it for the bonus protection, and now, I will never travel anywhere I plan to swim without it.
5. Bring Small Bills
Not every vendor in Ambergris Caye accepts credit cards. You can get Belizean dollars from ATMs in San Pedro. Though given that the US dollar trades one to two with the Belizean dollar and is accepted everywhere, it is helpful to have lots of small bills on hand. For our Belize trip, we brought a collection of $1s, $5s, and $10s for souvenirs, convenience items, snacks, and tips.
Related Reading
If you are traveling to Belize, check out my related articles below to help you get the information you need to plan your best visit.
Or view my “Belize: The Best Books to Read Before a Trip” below to get a Belize reading list.
Additional Trip Planning Resources
To further help you with travel planning, I share my go-to resources for every trip below.
Google Flights. My first research stop for affordable flights for every trip. Learn why here.
Google Hotels. Use its “Where to stay” button to discover the best neighborhoods to base your visit.
Booking.com. For hotel and rental bookings, I appreciate its flexible cancellation, candid user reviews, discounts, loyalty program, and easy-to-use interface.
Viator, Get Your Guide, & Airbnb Experiences. Quickly find and book highly-rated tours and activities on these sites.
Google Travel Things to Do & Google Maps. Find more things to do in your destination on Google Travel, then record where you want to visit on a custom Google Maps list.
AllTrails. Love to hike? Me too. I religiously use AllTrails to discover hiking and biking trails and download its offline maps to manage my hikes.
Guide Along. 5-star self-guided audio tours that are GPS-compatible for US road trips and national parks. We loved the Glacier National Park tour.
Insure My Trip. I never travel internationally without trip insurance. Learn why here. My preferred place to shop and compare policies is InsureMyTrip.com.
Plus, check out the 15 travel apps I use on trips, my preferred guidebooks, and my free customizable travel itinerary template, downloadable in four file formats.
About the author: Janice Moskoff is a travel writer and blogger who loves hiking, exploring the world, and reading. She writes to inspire travel-loving families, adult friends, and couples on her blog, Gather and Go Travel. Check out her bio, learn how she became a blogger, and discover how to work with her. Sign up for her monthly Discovery Newsletter to get her latest travel recommendations and how-to’s.
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Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I only recommend products and companies I use. And the income goes to keeping the site community-supported and ads minimal.
Welcome to Gather and Go Travel, a blog inspiring families, adult friends, and couples to explore US and international destinations and to get outdoors. I am Janice, an experienced traveler to over 50 countries and a travel writer, book lover, and blogger. Learn more about me, read our story, and how to work with me.
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