You can not go wrong with this hidden gem. It is the perfect place to snorkel off the beach and kayak. Your children will adore the location as will the parents. We are a couple with no kids and would not have traded this resort for any others. The restaurant is delicious and will accommodate you. If you are into luxury this is not for you. This is the kind of place that you can call a home away from home. Oh, if you want to spent time in San Pedro it will take a long and expensive boat ride unless you find a group you can tag along with.

From the moment we stepped on the boat in San Pedro our impression of Tranquility Bay Resort has been excellent. All the workers seem genuinely happy to be working at this place and it shows in everything they do; always with smiles on their faces and always trying to improve on themselves.

Winfield and Kevin, the boat captains, were awaiting our arrival at the dock in San Pedro, put all our luggage in the boat and we were set off for the last leg of our travel day. The 30 min ride to the resort was great, the 2 were making sure we were all ok, and letting us know all the places along the way.

When we arrived at Tranquility Bay Resort Isabelle was standing there waving and welcoming us with open arms. The staff whisked our luggage off to our rooms and we were escorted to the bar where Hill, our fabulous bartender, had made us welcome drinks. (Hill, Andreas and Alberto made some excellent drinks during our stay and after just a day they knew what we liked and would make us our own concoctions.) Isabelle gave us a run down of the resort and showed us personally around the resort to our rooms; the place is not very big so this didn’t take long.

Throughout the week we were shown how great this place is. We wanted to do a few tours, have a dinner on the beach and go into San Pedro to see the town one night, all of this was scheduled by the fantastic managers Isabelle and Carlos; we didn’t have to do anything but go and have a good time (they even picked better weather days for the different activities). They are a married couple that run the place and do such a great job at it. If anything came up they fixed it right away, something that I have never seen in all the places I have travelled to. Their professionalism and relaxed way is a combination of traits that many managers try to achieve but usually fall short, these two have mastered these traits to a T.

The Resort’s restaurant and bar, The Aquarium and Tackle Box, was the best food we had while on our vacation in Belize, and could have been possibly the best lobster I have ever had. If you get the fish or lobster here they are always fresh and swimming in the ocean earlier that day. The main chef was on vacation during our stay but from the quality of the food you would have never have known that (and we didn’t until the end when I was getting all the names written down for my review). Yolanda, Dinora, and Anita were the cooks behind all the tasty food we ate during our stay.

The servers and bartenders were Hill and Andreas for most of the time and when Andreas went for his vacation Alberto stepped in and all three did such a good job. They were always polite, nice, prompt and made you feel like it was your home too. I don’t drink too much so I left it up to them for the tasty drinks, all I had to do was tell them the flavors I liked and they brought me the yummiest drinks (one I just started calling Coconut Yumminess.) These guys would do anything for you, one day we wanted coconut water, so one of the guys climbed one of the many trees and cut down 2 fresh coconuts, shaved the top and stuck a straw in it (another thing I have never experienced in customer service, they would even climb a tree for you).

Now the rooms, they were always kept clean by Marseni. The best part about having our room cleaned by her, she knew when we were out of the cabana and would never wake us to clean the room. When you are on vacation why would any cleaning crew decide it is a good idea to clean at 8am, well they knew this was not good practice so they don’t do it. If we needed extra towels or another pillow she had them there within a few minutes, she was always prompt and nice.

The activities we had that were done through the resort were sailing on the Hobbie Cat, Ocean Kayaking, and snorkeling. Tranquility also offers SCUBA diving and has a dive shop on site, as well as a dive master (which we will get to later). The day we went on the Hobbie Cat, Jamaal took us out. He is a California native and is living the dream of doing what he loves everyday. Since he is happy in life he just spews happiness all around and you can’t help but have a good time and have a smile on your face when around him. He loved taking us out on the water, we even lost track of time and ended up spending about 4 hours on the water sailing around.

The dive master Orlando took us on the snorkeling adventure. He is a very knowledgeable guy that is one of the safest guides I have encountered. I have been diving for almost 14 years and unfortunately I couldn’t dive this trip due to my sinuses. At each spot he showed us all the marine life in each spot he could. If it was something really interesting he would bring us all in to show and then at the end he would explain if there were any questions. Before we would all get in he would tell us the route he would be taking us on and even then had other safety precautions set up.

The grounds of the resort were immaculate. The staff was always out there cleaning up if needed. Also from our many boat trips to and from San Pedro we got to see many of the other beachfront properties, and we were glad we picked our place. Not too many of the other places along the way had much of a swimming area, and when you got even closer to the city none of them did. At Tranquility they have a huge area where you can get in the clear water and take use of the beach area. The reef is very close by that you could either take a short kayaking trip or even swim and walk out there since most of the water was fairly shallow. Since the property is in the Marine Reserve the coral is spectacular and they had a multitude of fish swimming around, if you just wanted to snorkel there you would see more than enough fish to satisfy you. Another thing that none of the other places along the way could provide.

All in all, we loved Tranquility Bay Resort. Now it is pretty remote; it takes 30 mins by boat with no roads to get to there. We like this, when we think of vacation on a beach we like the idea of turning everything off, having a place to ourselves, and that’s exactly what we get here. Many of the days we felt like there was no one else there, at times we would have the restaurant, the beach, and swimming area all to ourselves. Now, it’s not for everyone, if you need the computer, Facebook, Twitter, emails, TV, and parties, this is likely not a place you want to go (though the bartenders / servers are a lot of fun to hang out with and sometimes it does feel like a chill party). I have been thinking this whole time on what I should write for some cons, but I can’t really think of any I had. There would be for some people that need the party scene or the ones who just can’t disconnect, but for us this is the place we want to be.

If you want to see all our experience during our stay check out our blog at
BoutiqueExplorers dot com

We ventured to TBR after a week hiking through the jungle. I'd scheduled it this way with intention so we could conclude our Belize / Guatemala adventures with some relaxation and a no hurry attitude. TBR fit the bill.

Our main concern in booking the resort was its isolation - we prefer to be able to walk around town and discover little restaurants and talk with people, but that just isn't possible here. This is good if quiet is what you want, but if you want to see an infamous "chicken drop" at a bar while in Belize you should book elsewhere. We ended up choosing TBR for the reviews and the lack of sea grass to mar the swimming.

Making the reservation was not as easy as it should have been, and it felt like I was dealing with someone running the business out of their living room in Texas. It took way too many emails to answer FAQs like: "Should I book snorkeling tours in advance or on site? And if in advance, how do I do that?" Perhaps most frustrating was her reluctance to give me a straightforward answer about the feasibility of spending time in San Pedro on our arrival. She said to check later, but not how to check or whom to ask, so I gave up trying. I can't imagine this isn't a common question though and TBR would get huge props if they could figure out how to address it for customers who are unwilling to "wing it" or pay $$$ to hire a boat later in their stay! My advice is to handle this with good cheer though, make sure YOU are the organized one, and be diligent to make sure they get everything right. Also: The reservations people are NOT the staff at the resort so don't let this part dissuade you!

We flew to AC from Belize City, and had been told to expect a taxi to be waiting for us. There wasn't one, but the airport guy whipped out his phone and made a call and the taxi was there within a few minutes. I couldn't help but wonder "How did he know who to call?" but this is pretty "small town" so it makes sense! The taxi loaded up our bags and drove us the vast distance of 2 blocks to the dock where our boat was. Soon enough three young men came bustling up, offered swift hellos and we were off. It was rather disconcerting and about 10 minutes into the boat ride I found myself fretting that we'd been shanghaied because it was all so very fast!

Our cabana was "No. 3" and was exactly as pictured on the website and in photos here on Tripadvisor. It was fine, and could comfortably have fit a whole family. If we go back I will request one further up the beach as some of our view was the restaurant and I'd have preferred a full ocean view. The downstairs bedroom had AC so we slept there and if (when!) we go back I'd like to go when it is cooler to make use of the "loft" bedroom as it was much more appealing. The kitchen had everything we needed. We were offered purchase of a container of water on our arrival for use in the cabana, which I would recommend for families or if you are spending a lot of time at the resort itself. In retrospect for two of us it was unnecessary - we'd used less than half of it by the time we checked out four days later, in part because our excursions kept us away from the resort much of the time.

The restaurant was fine. The waitstaff were awesome and treated each other like family, and eating all of our meals there was not objectionable as the menu afforded some variety. The only dish I had that was disappointing was the black bean soup, which was more like a dip than a soup and came complete with chips for dipping! I would also have liked to see more authentic Belezian dishes on the menu - there were only a few things that I couldn't have ordered at Applebees in the US (naming something Howler Monkey Fiesta does not make it a traditional dish). The upside of this is that chicken strips & burgers might be good news for families with children who want familiar food. As for vegetarian options, one woman I met bought her own veggies and offered to show the chef how to whip things up, which was good-naturedly agreed to. Everybody wins!

The tour guides were amazing, gracious, and kind. They fielded everyone's questions with grace even when it was clear they'd heard them a thousand times, and were genuinely enthusiastic about sharing the wildlife and water with us. The dive shop is staffed by very knowledgeable and experienced divers, and offer services for all levels of experience. Renting a snorkel and fins was also very inexpensive, so save yourself the room in your luggage!

A few points:
- This is great for families and couples alike. Very small children may get bored though if the water isn't enough to keep them entertained.
- Do not expect to have time to shop in San Pedro if you tell TBR your exact arrival time. If you only have, say, small rollerbags with you as luggage I think it would be very easy to tell TBR an arrival of 1/2 hour later than is accurate and take a quick walk to the store for Belekin / Snacks / whatever you'll need.
- The swimming is awesome and warm and although the reef isn't perfectly healthy, it is absolutely worth it.
- Take a (long) walk north and you will come across a nature reserve with turtle nesting grounds, etc. Keep an eye out if you take kids though as there is a lot of garbage there that has washed up, and you wouldnt want them destroying any nests!
- You really don't need to pack a lot to enjoy this resort. Don't be surprised if you are tempted to go barefoot the whole time!
- The wifi was out for part of our stay, and was pretty slow (I downloaded a book for my Nook) but hey, you are at an amazing beach resort, why are you surfing the internet for anything more than checking into your flights? ;)

This is a resort I could see ourselves returning to, one of the few places I've been in the world that I can say that about. It is highly recommended!

This blows any other place we have been to in the Caribbean out-of-the-water. I was a little concerned about how secluded this place is as we are used to going and doing during our vacations. However, the snorkeling available at TBR was plenty to keep us busy when we wanted to be, and the hammocks and beach chairs were there when we didn't want to be. The beach is gorgeous, kept very clean by the staff, and it is easy to swim to the coral reef, or kayaks are readily available and fun to use. We had a two bedroom cabana and were grateful to have the two full bathrooms available to our family of three. Bedroom upstairs and one downstairs, both with AC. Rest of the cabana was not AC'd, but the breeze was sufficient. The kitchenette is very utility, so don't expect to do any real cooking. Just a microwave, coffee maker and small frig. We bought some drinks after flying in on Tropic Air before boarding the boat, and got gallons of water from the onsite restaurant. There is housekeeping everyday. Beach towels are provided. We got by on bringing very little as lived in bathing suits and coverups. What a joy! Don't expect five star decor, but this is right on the beach, so consider to have beach cottage furnishings and sand. It did rain occasionally during the five days we were there, but it blew over quickly. The staff is great. You have great privacy in your cabana and on the beach, and then everyone congregates at dinnertime and you wonder where the (friendly) guests came from. I had to check in on emails after a few days; wireless is available in the restaurant. It was very slow on my ipad but faster on my iphone. Sure someone understands why. I would recommend if you wish a mainland excursion to do it while staying on the mainland. The TBR staff was very kind to schedule a ziplining/cave tubing excursion but it was an overdeal to take a boat and then a van to get there. I could have done without spending so much time in a boat, but the cavetubing is definitely worth doing. Also went to Hol Chan/Shark Ray Alley and those are excursions very doable from TBR and a must-do for a trip to Belize. I wasn't impressed by Caye Caulker and couldn't wait to return to TBR. Excursions were reasonably priced.