Portofino Beach Resort-An Authentic Island Escape!

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!

We very much enjoyed our stay at Portofino. It is a bit out of town but it was all part of the experience so would do it again. Pool felt a little too cool. Rooms on the beach were fantastic. Staff friendly and flexible. Restaurant lovely. Would recommend.

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.