Recently, we stayed with a large group at Pelican Reef Villas. This was our first stay at the resort, but our 5th time in Belize. We booked the property based on the reviews on TripAdvisor, and the photos on the website. Upon arrival, check-in was easy and the rooms were nice. Previously, everywhere we stayed - even similar concepts with condos being rented as an entire resort - had excellent service. I was disappointed with the Pelican Reef. Twice we had to ask for maid service. We had to request that our towels be washed - even then, we were responsible for putting them in the dryer, folding, and replacing them. There were no "essentials" in the condo (paper towels, dish soap, shampoo/conditioner, salt/pepper) - of which we were unaware. The staff was not overly friendly, yet did assist with reservations for excursions and dinner. The overall property was nice, but if hotel service is what you expect on a vacation, this is probably not the place for you....

All the rave reviews are right. This is an extraordinarily nice property with service to match. We were made to feel right at home and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The units are built and maintained to a very high standard and it's obvious that the developers/operators know what they are doing. What a pleasant surprise to enjoy wonderful southern hospitality and graciousness in remote Ambergris.

Well for once I get to write a short and sweet review.

This newly developed property was done right from the ground up. It's an excellent place to stay, at a good location on this small island.

The condo units are furnished with high quality furniture, and items like granite countertops and other touches throughout show that care was made on the part of the builders to do things the right way instead of trying to cut corners.

On site staff are more than excellent, and very helpful.

Having your own kitchen is a big plus in terms of saving money, it allows you to get up and make a breakfast as an option rather than trying to go into town and find someplace to serve you one that may be overpriced.

This was my first return to San Pedro in 10 years, and much has changed. It was a bit more difficult to find great locally flavored food but the number of options available were much higher. Unfortunately rather than concentrating again on local cuisine, there are grills and sushi and things like this. This makes some happy, some less so (like me). The town is bustling now, with golf-cart traffic jams and you have to wait to cross the street... these were shocks to me. But new visitors won't notice probably.

Overall the water remains as beautiful and the wildlife as noticeable. The locals are still very friendly even though every other person seemed to be on the payroll of Captain Morgans and trying to get you over there for a time share pitch.

This remains my favorite country to visit so I am particularly sensitive about change. I am very happy to have found Pelican Reef because it is my new first choice of places to stay on the island. Quiet, very comfortable, excellent staff, well run with high standards through and through. Many top hotel chains could do to learn some basic lessons from the operators of this outfit.

The *one* nitpick that I would make, and it won't apply to many people, is that it needs a better wireless internet solution. A good wireless-n router would likely broadcast over the entire property, and if not, it is not so difficult to run some cable. But I am a computer programmer and I need my connections wherever I go, most people won't care.

Anyway, Bravo Pelican Reef. 5* for you.

Our family (with 3 college age kids) stayed at Pelican reef for 4 nights last month. It was terrific. Lori arranged our air travel, snorkel excursions, suggested restaurants & even helped us with finding a lodge for the first half of our trip. Elizar was always around to offer a hot cup of coffee in the morning, a cold drink in the afternoon or even hydrogen peroxide for our scraped knees after snorkeling. It felt like a family environment where you were welcome to make yourself at home, do anything you wanted & they were there to help you.
The villa was beautiful. We had an upstairs 3 bedroom unit that was complete with a washer, dryer a full kitchen & jacuzzi tubs in the bathroom. We were in the lap of luxury with granite counters & kohler bathrooms. We loaded up on groceries at the local market (VERY expensive) & ate our breakfast & lunch in our villa. It was a lot easier than going to restaurants for all of our meals.
San Pedro was nice, but very busy. We were glad to be staying outside of town. It was less crowded, no street vendors & more peaceful at Pelican Reef. The golf cart was fun & the kids loved driving it to dinner every night. We heard that if you stay north of town that you need a taxi to get into town due to poor roads.
The beaches in San Pedro are small (or washed away). The sea grass is encouraged to promote wildlife so it is hard to snorkel off the beach. At Pelican Reef, there is a nice beach to play in the sun & you can snorkel off the end of the pier, but it is limited. your best snorkeling is out at the reef on an excursion.
We flew to and from San Pedro on Maya Air. We did not care for this airline.We felt like we had no control over our situation & they really didn't care. We were bumped to the next flight both ways. We were still able to make our connection home, but it made us nervous. I am not sure that Tropic Air is any better, but i would at least try them before flying with Maya air again. By the way, you need $35.00 US (NOT Belizean) or a credit card to leave the country.
We would recommend Pelican Reef without hesitation. There is nothing they wouldn't do for you. They are beautiful, fully equipped villas on a nice, peaceful beach. There is nothing we would have changed to make our experience better. It was perfect!