From the molment we arrive to the hug goodbye Terry, Ruth and Carol were like new found friends wanting to make sure we had everything to make our stay more than anything we could imagine. We visited Ambergris caye last year at the same time but stayed closer to town that will never happen again. PRV has the quietest most relaxed location in our eyes. There is nothing that I would change keep it just the way it is. As for the staff we have NEVER stayed anywhere were we were so well treated. They are truely special in every way!!!!!

What can I say that hasn't already been said? From the spotless condo to the beautiful beach to the service-with-a-smile staff, Pelican Reef Villas was the absolute perfect place for us to enjoy our first trip to Ambergris Caye, Belize. We did a lot of research before deciding on PRV and we could not have been happier. Terry, Ruth and Carol worked to meet our every want and need, from booking excursions, golf carts and dinner reservations to blending up fabulous drinks at the end of the day. On days where we had early morning pickups for diving and snorkeling, arrangements were made for an early breakfast so we wouldn't leave hungry. The breakfast (included in the villa rate) and lunch offerings were varied and delicious. The owner, Greg, was onsite and greeted us several times, checking to see that we had what we needed. Our condo, #13, was in the back on the first floor, only steps away from the bar/main area, and was quiet, comfortable and well equipped. In short, we loved Pelican Reef and will stay here again on our next trip to Ambergris Caye.

STAFF and SERVICE

On our fourth day at Pelican Reef Villas we went to the pool at their sister property (Athen's Gate) and met the owner of both properties. He asked if the staff was taking care of us over at Pelican Reef and I said "Yes. That is exactly how we feel. Taken care of." They really took care of us. I felt like we had our own concierge/bartender/servers all to ourselves. Everyone was so helpful and trying to make every moment of our stay special or better. Terri and Ruth were great! They made everything easy and relaxing. We didn't have to think or plan a thing with Terri at the helm.

LOCATION
When we were searching for hotels in San Pedor/Ambergis Cay, my main question was one of location. This was a great location and I would not have wanted to stay anywhere else. This hotel is south of San Pedro. While there are great hotels north of San Pedro, the road to get to them is painful. While some may boast only being 3 miles outside of town, the ride takes much longer as there are constant dips/potholes in the dirt road. We went to a restaurant about 1.5 miles north of San Pedro and a 10/15 minute ride in a gold cart took close to an hour, as there are constant potholes. We were also in pain the next day after our extremely bumpy ride. It's high adventure for sure. Anyway, I am soooooo glad we did not stay north of the island. Pelican Reef, like I said is South of San Pedro and is only 2 miles away from San Pedro on a mostly smooth, mostly paved road. The ride only takes 10/15 minutes by golf cart and 20/25 by bike. The bike was our preferred method of transportation.

Also, the hotel is far enough away from the center of town, that you have the beach in front all to yourself. There are no people on the beach that are not staying at or working at the hotel.

THE ACCOMMODATIONS

The rooms/villas were beautiful. They were modern and clean and very up to date and comfortable. I would not mind permanently living in a place like this. A full service kitchen plus outside grills was wonderful. The bar is also steps from your apartment no matter where you are staying. My husband and I would make dinner and walk the 3 feet to the bar for a wonderful fruity mixed cocktail.

The pool is really cute with a swim up bar. The pool is surrounded by palm trees and therefore shady and a little cold. My very pale husband loved the mostly shaded pool, as the sun does not hit it at all and he was able to avoid sunburn. Pelican Reef has a sister property, Athens Gate, which is about a 5 minute walk down the beach. They have a pool that is entirely in the sun (complete with a swim up bar as well). We went there one day. The water in that pool is warmer. It was there that I finally got a tan and my husband got a sunburn.

THE VIEW

The view is gorgeous. You can not swim off the beach, but you can swim off of the dock. It does not get anymore relaxing than to sit on the dock. As one of our fellow hotel guests said, "When you sit out there, it feels like you are on a boat way out to sea." The hotel will also serve you drinks and lunch out there.

ACTIVITIES

There is plenty to do on the Caye. The hotel will arrange for any activity you like. Any activity you choose to do, usually involved a boat picking you up from the end of the dock to take you to the mainland or snorkeling.

CONCLUSION

I would come back here again in a heartbeat and recommend it to any friends or family.

I believe that reviews posted here should be completely honest, so I'll describe the bad as well as the good, but, overall, the staff (Terry, Karol and Ruth) were so outstanding that any negatives were easily overwhelmed. These 3 women made our vacation fantastic. They were so friendly, positive, informative and helpful that it felt as if we were staying with doting relatives.

The bad:
1. The beach, while lovely, features sea grass well out into the ocean, BUT, every beach on this island is like that, so you can't fault PRV. In fact, their beach was one of the prettiest on the island. Moreover, like most places here, they have a beautiful pier with a palapa hut at the end, and this is where we (myself, my wife and my 19 yr old son) spent all our leisure time. It was like sitting on a boat; the view was spectacular, the shade was perfect, and those 3 women brought food and drink out to us with endless smiles. For the life of me I can't think of why every guest doesn't want to be on that dock!

2. The noise. This one would have really bugged me if there wasn't a nice beach or even better pier to sit on. There is a refrigerator/generator in the pool bar area which groans constantly. The other people around the pool didn't seem to mind it, but it really bothered me. No big deal, though, since that's not where I hung out. The pool area is pretty, though.

That's it for the "bad"! The rest - food, rooms, etc., have been covered amply by the other "reviewers" - suffice it to say that all these elements were very good to excellent.

Again, what made this place fantastic are Terry, Karol and Ruth - we couldn't have felt more welcomed and taken care of. Go!