Most of the other reviews are all dead on if you read thru some of the emotion you will get the true picture. The short review is that if you are prepared and know what you are getting into this place can be amazing.

First the Guest house in Sitte River is not very nice. Dirty, buggy, uninviting. I recommend one of the other near by places. You basically have to stay somewhere the night before you head to Glovers because the boat leaves early.

We woke up and expected the boat to leave for the island at 7:00 am as advertised. Well we didn't leave until 10:45. Partly because everything was very disorganized. The owner keeps tracks of reservations on scraps of paper and loading of the boat is madness. Just jam stuff where ever it will fit and stuff that can get wet is loaded on an open two outboard skiff. The boat itself is a catamaran. In excellent shape but I did notice the Boat licensed was expired. I felt safe but it was not something that would have flew in the US.

The boat trip is 3 hours and there is NO BATHROOM on the boat. It can get very hot in the sun and the boat can be crowded.

In the distance it appears as if you are approaching paradise. The island is beautiful the water perfect... As you reach the pier the first thing that jumped out at me was garbage everywhere on the beach and a sail boat keeled over on its side sunk and three other boats in the woods. Upon docking guests are expected to help unload the boat via a chain gang. Then a staff member takes you on a tour of the island and explains how everything operates shows you were you are staying.

I Camped in the Islands own tents. If you camp I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU BRING YOUR OWN TENT. We honestly thought the tents had never been cleaned inside. There are about 7 of the islands tents set up in sites. The tents had some type of mattress and sheets. You are told to just go pick one out. Some of the sheets looked clean, some were just bunched up in a ball... One tent actually had a spring mattress which scared us away (who knows what was living in it). We found a tent that had an air mattress pulled all the sheets off and got new ones.

The best value period is camping in your own tent $100 pp for the week.

The cabins over the water and on the beach are RUSTIC. Open air, no electricity, no toilets no water..... There are two community showers and two community pit toilets. I don't think the toilets were cleaned once while we were there.

There is a bunk house. No one except staff stayed in it when I was there. The community kitchen was filthy.

On the island they do cook meals I had some and found them to be just ok.. There is one big building (open air) that has a kitchen and serves as restaurant, kitchen, owners children's hang out, library (lots of reference books on fish) The breakfasts in particular were not filling. I always left wanting more food. For what you get they are expensive. The kitchen was just run weird. Breakfast was at 8; sometimes I would go into the restaurant around 10 to look at some reference books talk to the owner... and the dirty dishes from breakfast would still be sitting out.

They rent Kayaks, do diving, rent fishing gear, masks , fins... The website is very accurate. The condition of most of the equipment is sub par (Can't comment of diving gear didn't dive).

The island is in a beautiful location, the fishing is amazing, the other guests told me the diving was great. All the other people that stayed the week I was there were AWESOME. We had campfires every night and people shared food....

There was at least 10 staff on the island and I never saw any of them do any cleaning, raking, collect fallen palm branches and leaves... The owner does hand out a sheet that does ask all guest to spend 1 hour a day picking up garbage or throwing palm leaves and branches on the barn fire pile.

You settle your tab for the week the day before you leave. Using a CC costs you 10% more, Travelers checks are 5% more cash is cash.

The boat ride back was a little more organized than the trip out.

With just a little better organization a staff with some pride and some effort to keep the island in better condition this place could be the Garden of Eden.

It is a little expensive for what you get but I believe that others are not being truthfull about how cheap Belize is. I was in Belize for a total of 18 days and did not find it "Cheap" It is deffinetly cheaper than the US but not a bargain vacation destination.

There are three large German Shepards. I love dogs and found them nice but I did have one run in with them. I ventured close to the owners cabin looking for a wheel barrel. The dogs were sleeping near by and when they saw me one went biserk and started barking and growling. I think it was a territorial thing. I backed away and everything was fine. The owner has three kids one only 6 and these kids are constantly playing with these dogs so I think they are fine.

Walking in the dark one night I did run across a scorpion; small and all black. I killed it. The owner did not mention them at all and I forgot to ask about the one I saw before I left. The owner did make it a point to tell us that there are no snakes. There was 30 other people on the island for a week and no one else saw a scorpion.

All in all the location and beauty of this island make up for the problems. But it is not for every one. You have to be able to rough it and roll with the punches. I had am amazing time and would recommend the place only if I really knew the people that were thinking of staying there well enough to know how they would handle the above outlined issues.

Final thoughts
Camp in your own tent
Bring all your own food (Shop in Dangriga town)
Bring your own fishing pole (Use hermit crabs soft tails as bait)
IT IS RUSTIC but absolutely BEAUTIFUL
Set your expectations

We chose Glovers Reef 'Resort' for our honeymoon as the website made the island look beautiful and secluded. We weren't looking for a particulary luxurious retreat - we just wanted a relaxing time away and to be looked after without having to worry about cooking/cleaning and planning. The composting toilets and shared shower facilities didn't really pose a problem - we were expecting a rustic and low key, but 3 star island resort.

However, there were a number of problems with our stay. Trying to remain as emotionless (calm) as possible I will list these below.
1) They lost our reservation - in fact never really had it. Despite having booked 3 months in advance. No system seemed to exist to make sure we had a room booked - they just said' we gave it away'.
2) They then sent us to a place which cost over double the amount we had already been charged for for a night, and then charged us $20 for the priviledge of taking us there.
3) They charged my credit card the incorrect amount - never explained why - never provided a reciept and never asked/informed me they were going to charge me 2 months before we arrived.
4) The boat to the island was delayed due to bad weather - not their fault, but they didn't seem particularly bothered that this would mean a lost day.
5) The cabin on the island (which cost over US$600 for 5 days - the same price as many 4 star hotels in Belize) was not weatherproof. It rained a lot, and we had to use waterproof tarps to make sure we didn't get wet in bed and to protect our clothes, bags, cameras, valuables etc.
6) The doors fell off in a strong wind. Violently.
7)Full kitchen facilities were filthy and consisted of a handful of rusty pots and pans and greasy plates with a 2 ring gas burner.
8) We had to cook our own food as we were told the island was unable to cater for anyone with allergies (a minor wheat allergy), and we were sent very rude emails that indicated that is was really our problem to sort out feeding ourselves. They didn't care at all. In fact, the quote from the manager was 'allergies mean death' and that 'you'll have to sort it out yourselves'
9) The whole building was on a slant - a hurricane perhaps? In fact, all the buildings were run down and delapidated. I fell through a floorboard.
10)The island ( a world heritage site remember) was filthy. It should have been cared for and pristine. Environmental issues seemed to be of little importance here. Rubbish everywhere and not just on the beaches. There was no system to clean up the island. Rubbish wasn't recycled and the burns pit hadn't been burnt for months. Loads of empty plastic bottles and glass beer bottles which were neevr taken back to the mainland. Actually, that's not true - there was a system to clean up - GUESTS were expected to clean the island and manage litter sweeps. Remember we were paying for our stay! Staff didn't seem to do any cleaning.
11) We were threatened with a $25 fine if we didn't clean and sweep out our room before we left. No maid service here!
12) Expensive - hiring a sea kayak for 5 days (which were broken) cost another $150. A lot of money in any country.
13) On top of the fact we provided our food, had to patch up our cabin with tarps, washed dishes in the sea, and got charged stacks of money, we were also charged another $30 as a conservation fee before we left!

In summary - if you are a backpacker and have a load of money, but don't mind living in a 'resort' where you do more work than the staff and pay twice the amount then go here. If you are looking for comfort, politeness, and rustic island pleasures, or a roof over your head don't even think about it. Go to stay at Hamanasi or Chaa Creek (best hotels in Belize) instead - they are not much more money...or have a look at Iguana Junction near San Ignacio - half the price.

We spent 6 nights at Glovers Atoll at the beginning of November '07., and we loved it., and would go back without hesitation.

We had thoroughly reseached our trip and went prepared to self-cater for the entire time, taking all our food, beer and a cooler filled with ice. Our over the water cabin was great, and it was incredibly relaxing to have nothing to do but snorkel & read.

The family have 4 dogs, all of them bark like crazy when they see you, but then ignore you for the rest of the day. The family were away when we were there, but there were a few staff and the owners son, Warren, but we were pleased to be left to our own devices.

Glovers Atoll isn't a resort, but it is a very special place & the perfect antidote to work related stress! If you are prepared to be completely self sufficient & have realistic expectations you should have a great time.

My wife and I spent 5 days at Glover's Atoll Resort. While it is certainly not a "resort" in the traditional sense, we had a wonderful time there. This is a bare-bones, budget friendly campground on a fantastic little island in the middle of nowhere. Admittedly, if you decided to cut your trip short for any reason, arranging transport could be challenging. I say be prepared as if you were going on a camping trip, which is basically what you are doing. We cooked most of our meals ourselves, but the meal we ate in the restaurant was good. I enjoyed the diving very much, and I did not think the equipment was sub-standard (I've been diving for 20 years). Granted, the place is family run, and this means dealing with people who own and run a tiny outfit 30 miles offshore from the mainland. I read other reviews prior to our trip that warned about the owners and their dogs, so all I can say is that the time we spent there was pleasant, and we did not have any run-ins with the family. The dogs are imposing (someone wrote they act like they own the place--guess what, they do) but if you are a dog person, you shouldn't have any problems. Go prepared to camp and explore a remote corner of the world, and be thankful that this family has decided to share this place with the rest of us. There are other places nearby that are probably more accomodating, but they are going to cost you.