For the ultimate luxury experience, I spent the last two nights of my trip at Cayo Espanto, a 5-star, world-class resort nestled on its own small private island off Ambergris Caye. I was picked up by boat from San Pedro Town on Ambergris Caye, and pulled right up to the dock of my own 2 bedroom villa, Casa Estrella. Upon arrival, I was greeted by the full staff and their signature cocktail, “The Espanto Wave.” From that moment on, I experienced hospitality at its finest and was blown away by the exceptional service and hospitality. There were two house butlers on call, day and night. The two bedroom duplex villa was absolute heaven– each bedroom had an ocean view, there was an open living area with panoramic ocean views, two spacious bathrooms, two private decks, and a heated private plunge pool on top of the water. During the day, our villa was open so I could take in the beautiful views and fresh ocean breeze, and the house butlers closed the walls and doors each night before dinner. The extremely talented and rotating resort chefs, (Wilson Vasquez, Ezequiel Witz, Richard Gillett, and Jose Torres) presented a menu before every meal and went above and beyond to accommodate anything we asked for. The dishes were so detail oriented and beautifully crafted- the presentations were unique and undeniably creative. I enjoyed every meal in the comfort of the villa. For my last meal, I had surf and turf of filet mignon and caribbean lobster during a candlelit dinner on the villa’s private beach while listening to a musician play the Spanish guitar under the stars.

The resort also chartered a boat for a private snorkeling excursion at Hol Chan Reserve, a marine reserve located off the coast of Ambergris Caye. I snorkeled and swam with turtles, nurse sharks, stingrays, dolphins, barracudas and beautiful tropical fish. If you don’t want to take an excursion off the island but you want to venture out of your villa during the day, the resort also has a small beach with non-motorized water sports equipment (like kayaks and paddle boards) out into the ocean. To top everything off, I enjoyed a relaxing massage in the villa on my last day, which was one of the best massages I’ve ever had. Cayo Espanto really epitomized 5-star excellence and offers an experience of a lifetime.

To see my full guide on Belize, stay tuned for my next post coming soon! Also be sure to check out my Instagram for more travel pictures @NicoleIsaacs.