Coco Beach Resort

Arriving by boat, bicycle or golf cart from San Pedro Town, guests reach Coco Beach Resort along the shore of Ambergris Caye, three and a half miles north of the centre. The resort fronts the Caribbean Sea directly, with two freeform pools set behind the sand, a swim-up bar, a jacuzzi and a waterslide built into a rock formation that draws children as much as the beach itself. It is a working stretch of shoreline, not a quiet cove. Rooms run from a 460 sq ft hotel room to a two-bedroom sea-front penthouse of 2,100 sq ft on the third floor, most with a private veranda facing the water. The Honeymoon Casita looks instead over the pool garden, and the two-bedroom pool-view villa adds a full kitchen and a dining table for four. Cocoblanca restaurant serves Belizean and international dishes indoors, while the pool bar keeps to lighter, casual food through the day. Kayaks, paddleboards and bicycles are free to guests, and a tour desk arranges reef snorkelling, diving and mainland trips to Maya sites. Check-in runs from 3pm. Transfers to and from the resort are included for arriving and departing guests, a practical detail on an island reached only by boat or small plane.