My husband and I stayed at Coco Plum for 8 nights, 9 days. I had been planning this trip for 5 ½ months as a surprise getaway for us -- as we had not been away from our children in eleven years. After reading all of the reviews on trip advisor, I was looking forward to a romantic vacation with limited people on an island (as advertised on the website). While my husband and I enjoyed our time at Coco Plum (the island is absolutely beautiful and the staff was wonderful), we were very upset when, exactly halfway through our trip, 6 kids (including 2 teenage boys) and 5 adults arrived. I mention this point because most guests at Coco Plum are on their honeymoon or are vacationing with their spouse/significant other and are not expecting children on the island – especially that many at one time. Also – I specifically asked Michelle (co-owner who runs the Austin, TX office) two days before we left how many people would be on the island. She told me that there would be five other couples (no mention of kids). The two other honeymoon couples were very surprised and upset as well as they were never made aware of this.

While management had responded to an earlier posting regarding children…”We generally cater to honeymooners and couples who want to vacation on a romantic, private island. However… as we are not an “adults only” resort, we did not want to turn down these families who hoped to share the beauty of Belize with their children…because we are not an exclusionary resort, we will continue to open our doors to both families and couples. When you book your stay with us we will be happy to let you know who your island-mates will be! “ I point this out because I do not feel that management was honest with me when I asked about how many people were going to be on the island when they responded with “5 other couples” – far cry from 6 kids and 5 adults. I would strongly encourage anyone who is looking for a true “adults only”, romantic getaway to specifically ask if there will be children on the island during your stay. I asked about “people” and feel that I did not get a truthful response. Especially after talking to the family and finding out that they had booked their vacation in January, and mine followed a month or two afterwards. Had I known that when I reserved the dates, I would have simply changed my vacation dates. I felt like I left my children at home only to vacation with someone else’s….for four nights of my eight.

Overall, the younger children were okay – they mostly fished and played with the hermit crabs at the end of the island. However, we found that the overall mood had changed on the island. For example, the couples did not feel comfortable going to the private, secluded beach area ; we found ourselves drinking at the bar with the other honeymoon couples and then look up and have the two 17 year old boys sitting at the bar as well - (did not care for this). We tried to have romantic dinners in the dining area, however, on two separate evenings; the teenagers were belching through dinner (parents were never with them). On our last evening (which happened to be theirs as well), all of the couples warned them not to behave like that, the parents finally stepped in, but only to defend their son and yell at the couples and the staff about how their kids had to “suck up” to all of us so we could have our “romantic time” on the island. Not a pleasant way to end our “romantic” trip.

We did discuss this with the owner and truly hope that Coco Plum figures out if they are going to market to families or couples – or at a minimum, make sure that each of their guests are aware who is going to be on the island with them. After all, the Coco Plum website heavily markets to couples. There are no pictures of children and approximately 25 pictures of couples. Our experience was a result of both parties not knowing the dynamics of the guests prior to getting there and mixing families with couples on such a small, intimate island did not bode well.

With all of that said – I’ll provide you with feedback on the other aspects of the island.

ROOMS: They are all truly gorgeous and have great views and proximity to the ocean. The bed was very comfortable and the cabana was cleaned every day.

FOOD: The food was the best I’ve ever had – hats off to Celia and Jude! With a total of 24 meals, we never had anything repeated and never had a bad meal – unbelievably good!

STAFF: AMAZING!!!!! The cooks, waiter, bartender, boat captains were all wonderful! They remember your name and aim to please.

BUGS: We visited during the raining season, so there was a strong breeze every day which kept the bugs off of us. We used the Avon Bug Guard and never had a problem. As for rain, it rained 3 out of 8 nights (between midnight and 4:00 a.m.) and one or two showers during the day (lasted no longer than 5 minutes). We had great weather during the whole trip.

ACTIVITIES: We kayaked around the islands (highly recommend!), snorkeled, fished, saw lots of starfish, hermit crabs, sting rays in the shallow areas around the islands, two small nurse sharks and one small black tip shark (at night) that Steven, the boat captain, tried to catch! We snorkeled at Tobacco Cay, Water Cay and Long Reef (my favorite). My husband went on four dive trips with Clarence (Dive Master was great). Another point – if you plan on scuba diving, make sure you plan your dives out in advance of arriving on the island. I tried to schedule my husband’s dives and was told initially by Michelle that we didn’t need to do this until we were on the island. Two days before we left, I asked Michelle what equipment he could rent from them and she indicated that they had a dive shop on site and he could rent a BC, regulator and tank from them, however, they needed at least two people diving before they would call the Dive Master (he lives on the mainland). That was the first time she told me that as she knew I was not diving. It ended up taking the island manager five days to get the Dangriga office to schedule the dive master.

Overall, my husband and I enjoyed the island – it is truly beautiful and the staff was wonderful. I would encourage the US office to change the way they market this resort – be upfront and honest. People spend a lot of money for the “intimate and private” features of this island and we did not experience that the entire time. Had I known we would spend half of our vacation with children, we would have either spent less money at another resort that publicly advertised families and couples or looked for another intimate, adult-only resort.

To Mike and Melissa, Tony and Brena: Hope the rest of your vacation was wonderful! Send us an email!

Any questions, please feel free to contact me.

My wife and I spend our honeymoon in Belize for two weeks. The first week was on Ambergris Caye at Victoria House (see separate review), and the second week at Coco Plum Island Resort. We have nothing but great things to say about Coco Plum. The resort is alone on a small caye with only seven cabanas. You can hang out by yourself, or spend time with the other guests and staff at the bar, which is the the central gathering area during the afternoons and evenings. The local trips are good and well managed. We particularly enjoyed the individual, friendly attention from the staff. We wish to give special thanks to Jose (the bartender), Calbert (the waiter), and Steve and Robert (the boat captains) who made our week a lot of fun. The rest of the staff was also fantastic. We also wish to say hello to the other honeymoon couples that were with us -- we had a lot of fun and look foward to sharing photos and memories. You can't help but relax at Coco Plum, and you can fish all you want right off the shore with plent to catch. Although we did not go fishing, another guest and consummate fisherman, was truly impressed with the abundance of sizeable sport fishing by simply wading around in the clear water. The island has coconut palm trees, and it was fun to watch Jose scurry up the tree and knock down some coconuts to make some of his famous coconut rum drinks (ask for Jose special number 793, or a "panty ripper" -- apparently quite popular in Belize, or perhaps just with Jose :) ). The marine life swimming along the shallow beach was incredible - eagle rays, barracuda, small sharks, dolphins, Winston (you know who you are), huge starfish, and all sorts of other sea life. We were not fortunate to see any manatee, and are not sure they visit as frequently as the Coco Plum website suggests, but it didn't make any difference to us. The island is also full of life, with lots of fiddler and hermit crabs to play with. Unfortunately, our designated hermit crab came in last place in the impromptu hermit crab race among the guests one entertaining evening. The neigbhoring off-shore bird sanctuary is also interesting, with thousands of resident nesting Boobies and Frigate Birds (bring an umbrella if you get close). We can't say enough about Coco Plum and the staff, and encourage you to visit. You won't regret it.

Its hard to find words to describe the fantastic anniversary getaway my husband of 25 years and I enjoyed at Coco Plum in June'07. It was everything we thought it would be...beautiful views, clean and comfortable accomodations, fabulous staff, plenty of food, drink, and fun guests. Without duplicating what others have said in previous
reviews, all I can add is that this was the most laid back, relaxing experience of my life and I have traveled quite alot. To arrive at this peaceful remote location, and have all the food, drink, activities ready and available without any effort on my part (other to get out of bed and put on a swimsuit) was the best vacation I could have asked for. There were things to do (snorkeling, kayaking,
walking, napping in the sun, and tours if you desired) but a very flexible schedule. The food was very good...not fancy, but we enjoyed
the Belizean cuisine. The staff will do everything to accomodate your preferences, but we were happy to try anything they put in front
of us...three times a day! The tortillas frequently served at breakfast or lunch are the best ever! The thatched roof bar is the center of the universe there (regardless of whether you choose soda or brew). The staff became like family and having read that about the place, I took some souvenier OKLA STATE t-shirts with me to give as gifts because they treated us so well. Do ask them to sing and play the drums after dinner at the bar because it added to our appreciation of the local culture. I would HIGHLY recommend this resort for any couple who wants to get away from worries and just kick back and soak up the scenery and sun. We chose not to taken an inland tour, but many guests did and had a great time. We had very minor problems with bugs (none in the room) and it got too windy too snorkel one day, so we did little but appreciate the scenery. Typically, there were 3-5 other couples there during our stay so we enjoyed getting acquainted, yet had a great deal of quiet and privacy as well. I am a changed woman after 6 days at CocoPlum!

My husband and I stayed at Coco Plum May 19 through May 24, 2007. We found it to be just as the website and Michelle described.

Our cabana was comfortable, clean, and cool. It was my understanding it was one of the newer ones, and it was far enough away from the bar so we could not hear the music at night. It was very tastefully decorated yet simple enough not to be fussy. The island was immaculate. It was raked each day so there was no debris from trees, etc. The food was great. I had requested two food substitutions and the staff made those substitutions available to me. I forgot to request decaf coffee and all that was available was regular coffee. The fruit was wonderful and on more than one occasion, I asked for more. No problem. We did not have a bad meal while we were there. The potato salad is the best you will ever eat! What can I say about the staff? Everyone was so very warm and accomodating. They did everything they could to make our stay relaxing and peaceful. So to Olivia, Linda, Jose, Robert, Steven, Darinton, Delsia, and all the others we did not meet "Thank You." Now the beach......OH MY GOODNESS! The water is so warm and wonderful. We went to the end of the island to the cove, and the water is knee deep. Stayed there all day one day! We took our floats so we lay on the floats and drifted for hours. We found a wonderful place to snorkel at the far end of the next cay. The water is a little deeper and the fish were around the pilings which have been placed upright in the water. The best place to snorkel is where a tree is leaning almost on the water in the same area. There is a small beach/cove and there are lots of small fish around and under the tree. If you decide to walk and not kayak, we suggest wearing sturdy shoes with no drain holes in the bottom. The grass or whatever is very dry and can get up in your shoe as you walk. Those little sticky ends hurt if they stick in your foot!!!!! Tipping....they have prepared a list and it is in the room. We found it to be reasonable, and we tipped accordingly. There are no televisions, telephones, or newspapers, so if you need current events (as we do), it would be a good idea to take your cell phone if you plan to stay on the island during the whole trip. We went into town one day and managed to find out what was happening in the world on that day. Gotta have that news!!! We met some really nice people from California, Louisiana, and Missouri (you know who you are) and some others from I don't know where. The island accomodates fourteen people, so if you want to retain your anonymity, go somewhere else. Be sure to take BUG SPRAY. Those little black bugs can be pesky. To sum up....we really enjoyed our vacation. We would go there again.

Gordon and Dot Morgan
Pamplico, SC