We just returned from Pelican Beach Island Resort. We were there at the same time as the group of students who submitted their comments in the next tripadvisor comment. We understand that with that group and the multiple travel agents involved that there was some miscommunication about what and wasn't included. So just make sure that when you are booking, contact the resort directly. The resort itself is incredibly helpful and responsive with all your preplanning needs.
So on that note, our experience in preplanning and being on the island was extraordinaire. We were five families and stayed in four of the cabins. Terry at the island helped us out immensely during preplanning and was even able to find child lifejackets for us. Everything was set up perfectly for our arrival.
The island is so beautiful and the Pelican Beach Resort has the nicest part of the island and they maintain it to perfection. The kids (7 of them ranging from 1 year to 14 years) had free run of the island and roamed on their own. And they were safe. We had the 1 year old and he was still at the crawling/walking stage and again, there was lots for him to do. If you have a toddler, I suggest the Heron's Hideaway cabin because the deck was like a big playpen (the cabin is really cute and is set amongst mangroove trees). Oh, there's hammocks all over. We really wanted to take one home.
We snorkeled from the beach and saw a lot. Even the 4 year old was comfortable snorkeling there. We took 4 snorkeling trips - with kids, we didn't go very far but still saw a lot. The night snorkeling off the beach was really amazing. And again, we didn't have to go very far from the shore. Three of the kids took the Discover Scuba class and took two dives (I think they were amazed with what they saw - turtles, stingrays). I've not gone diving in Belize so I don't know how it compares to other locations.
There's a volleyball net, volley balls and soccer balls, kayaks available and an assortment of games in the main building. Our kids used everything and we always felt welcome in the main building.
While one of the kids was playing in her cabin, she tripped over luggage and cut her head. (this was entirely our groups fault). The resort got us in a boat within the hour back to the mainland. The mainland resort whisked the child and father to the hospital and they were seen right away. (Three stitches and all free because Belize has universal medicare, who knew?). The resort even had a pack of sandwiches for them because it was so early in the morning. Then after the hospital, the two were given a room on the mainland resort, lunch, free T-shirt and other perks and then boated back to the island in the afternoon. The other kids wanted to get injured after that for similar treatment. Anyway, in emergency, Pelican Beach resort responds quickly and well.
The food was served in the main cottage and was also plentiful and delicious. We had some really picky eaters but Pelican Beach was able to figure out food options for them too. Typically they would ask us for our orders for the next meal at the end of each meal. I'd definitely suggest this if you have picky eaters. The snacks available were cookies - I'm sure our batch of kids ate cookies all day. We did bring our own snacks for the picky eaters.
On the internet connection, when the cloud cover was low, the internet was patchy. But listen, you're on an island off the coast of Belize, can you really expect 100% connection. I live in a major city and even here, my internet goes off at least once a week. They also have a bandwith daily limit so if you are planning to blog every day for a major newspaper then you need to limit the uploading and conserve. My brother was able to maintain his blog with pictures and take his school on-line quizzes while there with no problem
Just a note for the unaware, the boat ride across to the island may or may not be choppy and wet. Be prepared for about 1/2 hour of adventure at the start of your trip.
All in all, it was a fantastic trip, the resort was beautiful, service fantastic. Had a Gilligan's Island feel.

First, there is a HUGE difference between staying at the lodge on the mainland in Dangriga town vs out on South Water Caye. I strongly suspect most of those giving negative reviews stayed in Dangriga.

But out on the island? My lord, it's a veritable paradise. It was everything the lady and I had hoped for in an idyllic beach get away, replete with stunning turquoise waters with 5 ft manta rays that glide by the dock, outrageous burnt orange sunsets and sunrises, very nice snorkeling, hammocks and chaise lounges on the white sand beaches, simple but very very tasty meals served by fabulous staff of Leonard and Rita. We didn't want to leave! And the prices made it feel like good value for money.

The only word of caution we'd give is do NOT go diving with Blue Marlin Lodge (at the other end of the island, which Pelican directs some people to). We found their dive master unsafe -- broken one hard and fast rule of diving (always do a decompression stop so you don't get the bends) and broke another that is pretty common sense (don't take my lady on an open ocean dive with 4 foot waves and 60 ft depths on her very first dive of her life). I have advanced certification and have dived in multiple countries, so I think I have a little perspective. My summary: the staff at Blue Marlin are nice, but their devil may care attitude simply make them unsafe to dive with. Ask to go with a different dive operator.

But DO go to S. Water Caye and stay at Pelican Beach!!!

The Pelican was amazing. I really had a great time. The whole thing was really charming from the geckos on the walls to the open, breezy walk ways. I felt very well taken care of and well stocked with towels, soap and travel suggestions. The restaurant was great, well priced and quite a selection. I traveled with my mom, who doesn't eat carbs and I am a vegetarian, so between the two of us it is usually hard to find a meal that fits our requirements, however we had very little trouble here. The drinks were a little different story, we didn't want to drink the water so no ice kinda sucked but again we were well accommodated. But the mixed drinks were a bit of a laugh. I asked for a gin a tonic and got gin and some sort of pink soda. The next night I got rum and cranberry, ha ha ha. The rooms were clean, well lit and comfy. The only down side were the sand fleas. The first few days we were there it was quite windy so it wasn't bad but after a rain and some warmth it was almost unbearable. Really though the thing I have to mention was a staff member who really went way above and beyond, a woman by the name of Lucinda Edwards. Not only did she provide amazing service, but she indulged all (and believe me there were many!) questions, big or small. Lucinda also arranged not just local travel via taxi but also Tropic Air, the small airport next door, for us at no extra charge. She took care of the phone calls to make this travel happen. She was a delightful, pleasant young woman and the Pelican should consider itself lucky to have such a well spoken, intelligent, savvy and capable employee on their staff. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best I give this place a 8. The sand fleas impacted my experience negatively, however Lucinda's warm, patient service really made the difference between a stay at a hotel and a comfortable, extended sojourn in a foreign place.

We traveled to Belize with our 3 teenage daughters whose criteria for our vacation was to travel to a place with no museums and no tours and with a great beach. When I started to look at Belize I started looking at hotels up North near San Pedro, I read that 60% of the hotels were in that area. One of my teens suggested that we look for something more primitive, so I began to look South and found Pelican Beach Resort in Dangriga. We felt we found a hidden treasure. In Dangriga we visited the Mayan Temples which were amazing and yet not "really" a museum! And did the cave tubing and saw the most amazing stalagtites and stalagmites. Terri at the Pelican took care of every detail. My favorite phrase that was heard over and over was, "It's no problem." Dangriga was definately not a tourist town, but we had no reason to leave the resort. The food and service was amazing at the Pelican. But then the real treat was when we traveled to Pelican Pouch on the South Water Caye. It was about a 20 minute boat ride to the island. It was so beautiful and had one of the best beaches I've ever been to. We then met Terri's other half...Leonard. Who is equally as wonderful as she is. Now "he" took care of every detail while we were on the island. The food was amazing, the water was amazing and the rooms were amazing. We stayed in the Heron's Nest and our kids stayed in the Sandpiper, both rooms were great. Heron's nest sits on the water and has a beautiful view. We loved the hammocks on our porches. The snorkeling was like being inside an aquarium each day. However, nothing compared to the nighttime snorkeling. We saw eels, octopus, squid, blowfish, lion fish, lobster....even seahorses. It was amazing. The water was warm and so comfortable. We were worried about traveling during their wet season, but had no issues with rain. It rained a few days, but passed very quickly, it never got in the way of our activities....which were mostly laying on the beach and waiting for 10:00 when the homemade cookies were ready. Leonard is a wonderful host, he quickly knew our food preferences, drink preferences and let us have 2nds for dessert! He was so kind and accomodating, we loved our daily "Happy Hour" with him. Richie was our snorkeling guide and introduced us to raw conch....can't really recommend it, but it was fun trying it. If you are looking for a relaxing vacation, this is the place to go. Both Terri and Leonard take care of every detail!