My wife and I recently stayed at Cayo Espanto as part of a group retreat. We were in Casa Ventanas, one of only 7 dwellings on the ~4 acre island (ours was the one over the water). If you read the other reviews, you'll get an excellent sense of what it's like there, so I want to quickly focus on the Pro's and the Con's and then give you my overall assessment of Value.

Pro's:
- Excellent accomodations - well designed, thoroughly clean, comfortable, great views. We visited a number of friends and all the Casas were of similar high quality
- Staff/Service - friendly, service-minded, always available at an instant's notice. They really tried to learn our preferences so the longer we stayed, the less we had to ask them for. Again, friends were all bragging about their excellent bulter service
- Food - not 5-star, but good variety and excellent taste. Very flexible if you wanted to go "off menu". They also did a great job of accomodating our diet, which was dairy- and gluten-free
- Ambiance - Peaceful, beautiful, quiet, relaxing. Not a place to go for a party, but if you want to get away from it all - this is the place. (Note: since we were part of a retreat, we did not get to take advantage of any day-trips they had on offer... did enjoy sailing the hobie-cat, kayaking, and dips in the ocean - no sea lice as others had reported... also had a very good massage in my room)

Con's - OK, going to sound stupid, but really had no complaints... but looking back, I found myself asking myself if it was worth the high price tag? Which leads me to...

Value - With tips, we were at about $1750 per day, which would buy you a lot of vacation anywhere. I started to make a mental inventory - a private villa, 2 on-call butlers, great food and drinks, amazing setiing... then I compared it with the Ritz Carlton St. Thomas, where I've stayed often. There, an oceanview room with 3 meals, drinks and use of the beach/ocean gear (kayaks, hobie cats, etc) would run about around $1200. This for a regular hotel room, no personalized service, no ability to have complete privacy... for me the extra $550 was worth it. Mind you, I wouldn't call Cayo Espanto a bargain, but you do get what you pay for - a unique, luxury experience... one that I'll never forget.

I'm looking forward to going back - 'nuff said?

My (now) husband and I stayed at Cayo Espanto four years ago and it remains our best vacation to date. Everything was perfect. Before you leave you complete a survey regarding your food likes and dislikes and each night you are escorted to a different area of the beach (or inside your villa if you so choose) where a table with candles and a new menu of your favorites had been setup. Every meal is . In addition to the food, the service was really impressive. Upon arrival you are given a walkie-talkie so you can speak to your house butler at all times. They were always unbelievably accommodating; on one occasion they even brought us s'mores upon request.

During the day we spent our time laying out, sipping on their famous Hurricanes (very different than the new orleans version) and playing paddle ball in the shallow waters that surround the villas. We also went snorkeling in the crystal clear water and were able to see some nurse sharks. We only left the island once and that was for a day trip the hotel setup. We got to see some underwater caverns, went rappelling and did some minimal hiking. It was a great experience.

We decided what better time to write a review then while still enjoying everything that Cayo Espanto has to offer.  Short of what must be the norm for visiting Royalty, I cannot fathom anywhere that could offer this type of luxury and privacy. As I write on our last day here in paradise, our houseman Luis and Jose (our houseman in training), have just finished clearing breakfast, which was taken on the dock overlooking the water while listening to the soothing trickle of the infinity pool beside us. He is resetting the bungalow for "daytime", opening its three sides to the wonderful breeze, arranging our lounge chairs and opening our two 15 foot wide umbrellas to provide some shade from the morning sun. This has been our life for the last few days and I can honestly declare that Cayo Espanto has officially  ruined us for all future vacations.

Everything that you have read here of a positive nature is 100 percent accurate and then some. As for the negatives, I can only assume it is a case of "you can't please everyone all of the time." Although I really can't see how that might be possible here. I knew we were in store for something special when someone met us at Belize International Airport just to ensure we made our flight to San Pedro without difficulty. After a short seven minute boat trip we were greeted by all the staff waiting for us on the dock and we officially arrived in paradise.

From nightly romantic candle lit dinners on your dock, veranda or beach, to personalized drawings in the sand around your Casa, to the unbelievable service and the never ending gourmet meals, this resort has everything you can ask for and thinks of the things you would never imagine to.  The houseman are anything but obtrusive and quickly determine your particular needs, gauging their arrivals accordingly if not called on.

Not wanting to repeat everything already said in other reviews, a couple of items we can specifically comment on and highly recommend. The spa services here are the best we've ever experienced. Take advantage of a relaxing massage on your deck and a facial while you're here. Even the "Men's Facial" was a unexpected treat. We also took a snorkeling trip and, as avid divers, weren't expecting much. Were we in for a shock. German, the dive master here,  understands the reefs here better than most and we saw more in the way of marine life during our private tour than at any reef we've visited before. In between stops, he had us jump into the shallow waters at some old finishing grounds of his (now protected) where we spent half an hour swimming with eagle rays, nurse sharks, and loggerhead and green turtles. Expecting you were there to feed them or something, they continuously came close to say hi. It was one of the most enjoyable times I've ever had in the water and my only regret was that I left my dive camera at home.

Some might suggest I'm too easy to please but we had serious reservations about the costs associated with staying here. At Cayo Espanto, you get what you pay for, and then some, and we will most definitely be returning. Our short four night stay here  was to close out a two week long Honey/Baby Moon and Cayo Espanto turned our trip into an incredible memory that will not soon be forgotten.

I really have a hard time meditating, but this place was so much like heaven prayer and meditation came naturally.
We took a helicopter ride to the blue hole on our way to the resort. It was a bit pricy, but was worth it.
Service was great, and the location was awesome.