We have nothing but good things to say about this place. We hesitated because of some recent bad reviews, but once arrived we realized what a great choice we made. We were welcomed by Yolanda and greeted by the manager with a delicious rum punch and a refreshing towel. The 15 minute boat ride from town was well worth the effort. We stayed in a Beach Cabana and o lord what a cozy little room was that! Simple, but sophisticated design with impeccable views on the pool and the Ocean. The Soaps were freshly cut upon arrival and we had a choice of our favorite variety! Never had someone cut a soap freshly for us before. We had multiple dinners in the restaurant, and although there are a few great restaurants nearby, we loved the food and the service. You must try the Conch Trio and the Grouper...the local fisherman brought it in freshly almost everyday at the end of their dock! What else you could wish for? All-in-all we had a blast and hope to return soon to this beautiful place!

We love fishing, and therefore we came to Belize. There are great fishing tours to be organised from the resort. Unfortunately it was quite windy during our stay so a few trips got cancelled...but hey, you can't help the weather! Instead we stayed at the resort and enjoyed the pool, the friendly attentive service and the conversations with Rafael. Alex took great care of us and we enjoyed the food, though service was sometimes a little slow (not to bad!), the quality of the food was great and the Chef even checked on us. We could not imagined a better vacation, if not next time we will pre-order some better weather:)!

We did not stay there but walked down from a rental we were staying just a bit north. WONDERFUL staff. I cannot enough good things about them. Conch was amazing. They even went so far as to prepare a special table with flowers for the night of our Wedding. I WE DID'NT EVEN STAY THERE! Company, atmosphere, food and drinks were great. Highly recommend.

Eight of us spent a week at this north Ambergris Caye resort. The place is a "has been". It needs a complete facelift to improve the tired decor and somewhat shabby rooms in the beach cabanas. I'm not sure which Is worse- the apparent unhappy, bored, aloof staff (except for Orville at the bar and Mo the boat driver or the very poor breakfasts (which were included in our package). The service was completely erratic, making it a challenge to get both utensils and food close enough together to eat. The menu boasts 4 types of juices, most days it's just orange from concentrate. The hollandaise sauce on the so called eggs Benedict was lumpy and flavorless. The granola was store bought and there was no yogurt for several days in a row. We resorted to eggs most days and the same old toast and jam. (One kind only for 7 days straight!) I had to ask for salt and pepper, milk and sugar as there was no anticipation that these items were needed with breakfast.
The first day there I noticed a number of chipped dishes and mugs. When I asked for a tea pot I was told there were none. Tea was a cup of lukewarm water and a tea bag on the side. Breakfast became a struggle and not a pleasant start to the day.
Lunch at the beach was better with OK quesadillas and fish sandwiches but don't dare ask for salad instead of fries. You will be told NO!
The place lacks good management. For a small place where our group occupied 4 out of 17 rooms we expected some interaction with the manager and his wife. Never once were we asked if we were having a good time or if there was anything they could do to make our stay more enjoyable. I tried to use the pay phone and when it didn't work I told the front desk. I was told, "oh , it hasn't worked in years." The manager seemed insulted when I suggested that he put a sign on it to advise other guests.
The New Years Eve menu was so bad that we opted to dine elsewhere. In fact, after our first dinner which was expensive and ordinary we found better places to have dinner on the other nights.
We are a well travelled family and know what service looks like in this price range.
I had expected much more from Portofino after reading mostly positive Trip Advisor reports and the "expensive category" listing in Fodors.
Needless to say, we won't be returning to Portofino, even though Belize is a great destination for a family holiday.