Portofino Beach Resort

Portofino Beach Resort is such a wonderful oasis! The grounds are immaculately kept, the staff is super attentive and nice! Food at the restaurant is also amazing! This resort is also super close to Secret Beach! Looking forward to coming back here in the future!

Beautiful hotel property in Ambergris Caye north of San Pedro town. My partner and I spent 4 nights at Portofino Hotel and opted for the all inclusive package since the hotel was so far from the town center. Drinks and food were delicious; the menu was heavy on the seafood...

Beautiful hotel property in Ambergris Caye north of San Pedro town. My partner and I spent 4 nights at Portofino Hotel and opted for the all inclusive package since the hotel was so far from the town center. Drinks and food were delicious; the menu was heavy on the seafood which makes sense given the location. Couldn't swim at the beach at the resort due to the seagrass, which is unfortunate. New on-site dive shop Carpe Diem was excellent and convenient. "Seahorse" suite was large and comfortable. Staff was attentive, helpful and non-obtrusive.

My husband and I spent 10 days here. Beautiful area, very intimate, quiet environment. Wonderful restaurant and great food. The bed was a little soft for our taste, but the separate Casita accommodations are island authentic and amazing. Very romantic. Can’t say enough about the staff. We rename them after...

My husband and I spent 10 days here. Beautiful area, very intimate, quiet environment. Wonderful restaurant and great food. The bed was a little soft for our taste, but the separate Casita accommodations are island authentic and amazing. Very romantic. Can’t say enough about the staff. We rename them after Cheers, Sam- Steven Woody- Carlos, and Carla - Ms P were amazing. 😉

We were so very happy with our vacation at Portofino Beach Resort. The resort itself is a gem with a beautiful pool, delicious restaurant & bar, comfortable accommodations, and stunning views! But, the best part is the staff. Every one of them made us feel welcome and treated us like...

We were so very happy with our vacation at Portofino Beach Resort. The resort itself is a gem with a beautiful pool, delicious restaurant & bar, comfortable accommodations, and stunning views! But, the best part is the staff. Every one of them made us feel welcome and treated us like family. I can honestly say that I miss the people as much as the location now that I’m back in the frigid north. We would return in a heartbeat!

I will start by saying that the property is beautiful and if you don't mind a very bumpy golf cart ride it's fairly easy to get to from the airport. The staff is friendly and by the end of our stay I was sad that I had to leave them....

I will start by saying that the property is beautiful and if you don't mind a very bumpy golf cart ride it's fairly easy to get to from the airport. The staff is friendly and by the end of our stay I was sad that I had to leave them. Marco and Evelyn are gems! The cabanas could use some updates. Not a deal breaker but the site is too nice to not look top notch. We stayed in Cabana 3 and I definitely would NOT recommend this unit. It was nice enough but so LOUD! It's impossible to go to bed before 10 0r 11 because the bar and restaurant (right next door) do not close until 9-ish and the talking is very loud and add to that the kitchen staff washing pots and pans and talking... UGH. Our friends stayed in Cabana 5 and it was much more quiet. Our lovely kitchen staff also is back to work bright and early- like 6ish. Same talking and dishes and moving furniture. It was impossible to sleep in. I'm from California so that was super early. I would love to go back but if I had to stay in Cabana 3 or even 4, I would not stay.

We arrived at Portofino just before a tropical storm. They picked us up in the pouring rain and made the ride to the resort fun. Furthermore my bag didn’t make it on tropic air so they had someone get it for me and deliver it to the room. The ride...

We arrived at Portofino just before a tropical storm. They picked us up in the pouring rain and made the ride to the resort fun. Furthermore my bag didn’t make it on tropic air so they had someone get it for me and deliver it to the room. The ride from town is about 30-40 minutes. The road is paved about 50% of the way and the rest is a dirt road. For us this added to the appeal as it felt remote but still accessible. While the property isn’t a brand new ultra modern hotel, that’s what we loved about it. The rooms have character and are exactly as I would want for a stay at the beach in Belize. The AC was great and kept us cool; bed was comfy. And best of all were the views! But the only thing better than the views was the people who worked there. Every one from the reservation agent to the security guards were awesome. The night before a tropical storm came I had to go to ER. Portofino got someone on site to get out of bed and drive me and my partner to ER. He waited for us there and got us home safely. Restaurant was delicious. Loved our private dinner by the sea. Thanks to everyone at Portofino. We hope to return.

We just got back from a great week at Portofino. The sunny days were great, as sunny days in Belize always are, and the rainy days were amazing. We are an older couple who enjoyed all night dance parties at Burning Man for some years - so we come to...

We just got back from a great week at Portofino. The sunny days were great, as sunny days in Belize always are, and the rainy days were amazing. We are an older couple who enjoyed all night dance parties at Burning Man for some years - so we come to Belize to just chill. Portofino is a wonderful spot for chilling. The grounds are beautifully maintained, and the view of the reef from the bed is practically as good as the view from the deck. The food at the restaurant is consistently good. There are some alternatives within walking distance if you'd like a change of scene, but there's no need to rent a golf cart or arrange a trip to town unless you've never been to San Pedro before. We brought snacks from home and got a few bottles of wine at BZE before getting on the plane to San Pedro, so we had cozy evenings to ourselves in the Royal Orchid Suite. I was disappointed that the beach in front of the hotel is not suitable for swimming. The water is super shallow and the sand is more like mud, so it's hard to maintain your footing. Fortunately, the pool is wonderful. Sit on the steps between the shallow and the deep end for a perfect view of the water. Even better, the dive shop on the dock can get you into Mexico Rock in just a few minutes. With good guides and a reasonable price, we did four Mexico Rocks trips in our six days. Every one was different, but the one after a stormy day was the best. The rain passed earlier that morning which stirred things up a bit. We saw more activity under the water than we'd seen on sunny days earlier in the week - even a 6 foot moray eel swimming from one rock to another, and four dolphins fishing for their lunch. When it was raining, I sat on our large deck watching the birds while the rivulets dripped from the thatched roof. The neighbors have an osprey nest, and the osprey spent a lot of time in the shallows while long legged birds wading near the dock. The humming bird who visits the orange blossoms in the tree by the deck was there too. The view of the reef from the bed was practically as good as the view from the deck. Bring your bug spray - and consider the kind you spray on your clothes. I got a couple of bites on around my ankles, but I was surprised that these super mosquitos can bite your booty through your PJs. Those itchy spots were almost like a souvenir when we got home, though. The staff here were exemplary. The front desk crew was attentive and remembered our day to day needs. We thought we might need to get to a cash machine (for more tip money), and one of the reps called us on WhatsApp the next day to ask if we still wanted a ride. We had found more cash in our suitcase and didn't need to go, but I was very impressed she remembered and went out of her way to make sure we had what we needed. Same with the waiters in the restaurant. By the second morning, they remembered I like a lot of milk with my coffee - and even though the waiters changed throughout the week, every single one remembered to bring the larger little pitcher. With such outstanding service, and people from other resorts or rentals coming to Portofino for dinner, there seemed to be little reason to eat anywhere else. The housekeeping staff knew when we were out, so we'd come back to a beautifully cleaned room, and when the toilet clogged, they fixed it in an instant. Mr. Moe, who took us back and forth to the airport, was also remarkable. Although some of the potholes in the road were unavoidable, he's an expert golf cart driver. The friendly honks and waves to other drivers and folks along the road let you know you are staying at a place that is a longstanding part of the San Pedro community.

This resort was such a nice getaway and escape. My partner and I stayed for a week to celebrate my birthday and our anniversary. The staff went out of their way to make me feel special and celebrated! Some tips to keep in mind - highly recommend renting a golf...

This resort was such a nice getaway and escape. My partner and I stayed for a week to celebrate my birthday and our anniversary. The staff went out of their way to make me feel special and celebrated! Some tips to keep in mind - highly recommend renting a golf cart during your stay so you have the freedom to drive around the island; they're pretty affordable and easy to rent, there's plenty of golf cart companies on the island. The beach by the resort has a lot of seaweed so you wont be able to swim in it, but it wasn't an issue for us since Secret Beach is a pretty quick drive from the resort. The pool on the resort is also beautiful, especially at night if you like night swimming. Bugs don't seem to be an issue overall for the resort, but we saw one or two in our room, but as soon as we told the staff, they took care of it and we didn't see anymore for the rest of our stay! When it comes to the food on the resort, absolutely delicious! Every single meal was a 10/10! This place became like a second home, especially with how kind and communicative the staff were. :)

Wonderful small and intimate resort. We felt as if we were staying with friends. The introductory welcome with Sessie is informative and helpful and you immediately recognize you’re going to receive individual attention. Our server, Jason, confirmed this belief. He shared his knowledge of the local cuisine and thoughtfully explained...

Wonderful small and intimate resort. We felt as if we were staying with friends. The introductory welcome with Sessie is informative and helpful and you immediately recognize you’re going to receive individual attention. Our server, Jason, confirmed this belief. He shared his knowledge of the local cuisine and thoughtfully explained what we were imbibing in each evening. We were so smitten with his service, we requested his table each evening. Mark, the bartender, is as friendly and attentive as one could hope for. This staff will truly go the extra mile to make your stay amazing. The food is absolutely staggering and will give you no reason to leave for a meal. Only blemish on our stay was the other bartender who openly complained about other staff, clearly has an undeserved air of superiority, and lingered around for tips which was a huge turnoff. Still, a great experience overall.

We celebrated our 29th anniversary there and had an amazing time. The staff there were extremely accommodating and nice. Our friend Pulu Lightburn, a well-known Belizean citizen and star, introduced us to the resort and also introduced us to the owner Ian. We will return in the future and are...

We celebrated our 29th anniversary there and had an amazing time. The staff there were extremely accommodating and nice. Our friend Pulu Lightburn, a well-known Belizean citizen and star, introduced us to the resort and also introduced us to the owner Ian. We will return in the future and are inviting our friends. Well done 💥🇧🇿

Wow. From the warm check-in with Sessi and Taney to our final check out, everything was better than imagined. Orlando, the bar mixologist, created top notch drinks, all the servers were attentive, and the rest of the staff were so kind. Everything was clean, details thought about, pool wonderful, and...

Wow. From the warm check-in with Sessi and Taney to our final check out, everything was better than imagined. Orlando, the bar mixologist, created top notch drinks, all the servers were attentive, and the rest of the staff were so kind. Everything was clean, details thought about, pool wonderful, and the masseuses skilled. There wasn’t one thing that wasn’t thought about. We loved our lengthy stay and absolutely recommend Portofino. We drove around on golf carts to scope out other options to stay in the future - we came up short. We are already thinking about our next stay.

This is a lovely little beachside resort on Ambergris Caye. It tends to be quiet rather than active and noisy, so if you're looking for a lot of "action, you might be happier closer to San Pedro. We stayed in both a poolside cabana and a treehouse, and both were...

This is a lovely little beachside resort on Ambergris Caye. It tends to be quiet rather than active and noisy, so if you're looking for a lot of "action, you might be happier closer to San Pedro. We stayed in both a poolside cabana and a treehouse, and both were very nice: well-appointed and well kept. The treehouse is much more spacious, with a big private deck with chaise and a hammock. There's a nice pool that tends to be quiet too: on only one of our six days were all of the lounge chairs occupied. On one day a small group of children played in the pool all day. The restaurant occupies a second-story terrace overlooking the beach, and the food there was really good. I think that it's the kind of place that locals might come for a special dinner out. It's open nearly all day, and there are also snacks at the bar, so it's easy to fit meals into your schedule. Many reviews mention the friendly and helpful staff, and there's good reason for that. Everyone was relaxed and helpful. A big plus for the resort is the dive/snorkel company located at the end of their dock. Two young guys, Chris and Emel, have very recently taken over the location, now called Carpe Diem. I think that the resort's website may still list a different company. I can't recommend Carpe Diem highly enough. We went on two snorkeling trips with them, one to Mexico Rocks, and one to Hol Chan, and both trips were amazing. Boat captain Chris and guide Emel work hard to make sure that you see everything there is to see, and that you're comfortable in every way. And now the beach. A drawback for this location--not just this resort--is the sargassum seaweed that floats in to shore and up onto the beach. The resort has people raking it up and carting it away every day, but it's still floating in the water, for about ten feet out. On one day, the wind changed, and al of the sargassum disappeared. But the next day it was back. For this reason, not many people venture into the ocean. You can walk up and down the shoreline, but you won't be walking on a beach with lapping ocean water. Most properties are fronted by a low seawall or else the mats of sargassum, so you'll walk on ground just above the seawalls or the sargassum. In spite of the sargassum, I'd still highly recommend Portofino. It's a lovely, well-kept spot with a nice pool, attractive accommodations, good dining, and super staff. If you really want to go out into the ocean, you can wade past the seaweed. Fun fact: there's a grackle that hangs out in a big tree by the bar who sings and whistles and mimics a car alarm!