Ramon's Village Resort San Pedro

Despite some negative reviews (or mixed reviews), you might find Ramon's to be JUST what you hoped -- so don't let them scare you off, if you think this looks just right for you. We LOVED it. This is a beautiful casual resort with a PERFECT location in Ambergris, and great lush landscaping giving a tropical oasis kind of feeling. My husband and I both really loved it, stayed for 5 nights after 5 nights in the interior jungle. We toured MANY of the other resorts while there.. having drinks at a few even, just to check them out and were VERY happy with our decision. Yes, it's probably 'expensive for what you get' BUT, it was exactly the right mix of comfortable, yet not scruffy --- and laid back, but not 'hostel' like. AT ALL. This is for someone who likes services and amenties like a bar, pool, nice beach, nice landscaping--and not willing or wanting to 'rough it' like we did in our twenties, but on the other hand we find some very upscale places a bit too "stuffy". (we're in our mid thirties and early 40s -- experienced travelers) We toured Victoria House for example.. and while it's beautiful... it's just slightly TOO upscale for us. We arrived on our golf cart -- and just felt all eyes were on us all the time... (we were nicely dressed and spent some $$ on drinks) but it was still a very hoity toity kind of feel. But picture postcard beautiful!! Other places were very nice, but just too far from town.. it was a looong bumpy golf cart ride to some places. If you want a place you won't feel 'out of place' if you're not dressed up, go to Ramon's instead!!! We actually opted for the less expensive garden or partial ocean view rooms and loved it. The ocean front had LESS privacy, (beach walkers and people in front of you on chairs when you're on your porch!!) and LESS shade from the landscaping -- which after lots of time in the sun is a WELCOME relief. I loved sitting on our little porch in the evening and just relaxing. It was VERY private. The bar is just right, friendly and tropical --- open to a beautiful view, and the long pier is VERY nice.. great view and walk out there--- Be sure to take a walk out. Very comfy padded beach lounger chairs, plenty to go around, and great service from wait staff who'll bring drinks to you no matter where you sit. The beach is pretty, yet you won't really be swimming in the ocean just off the beach as it's seaweedy... you can use the pool or walk down the pier and swim off the pier, which was great fun as there was a lot of fish. Also a great spot to practice your snorkeling if you're new at it. There were people selling things on occasion.. but they are friendly Belizeans trying to make an extra dollar or two.. not PESTS.. and not obtrusive or obnoxious at all. We ended up looking very much forward to a daily visit from a nice woman selling little coconut pastries and desserts! ****There's a large screen tv in the bar too, so with no TV's in the room it was fun to catch a little bit of a "big" game on TV. one night we sat with the staff and watched an NBA game and had a lot of fun with them. Swimming pool is small, but lush and RIGHT off the bar. The jacuzzi 'end' of the pool was not working when we were there. Gracious staff. We only ate in the restaurant once or twice... food was okay -- the BBQ night was good -- basic grilled items, and they had a small trio playing music which was nice.... It's just that it's SO convenient to walk into town that we found it more fun to check out some other places. We ate some VERY VERY inexpensive meals in town --particularly for lunch... $2-3 for a huge, delicious burrito made by a local woman with just two picnic tables in front of her small kitchen. Delicious!!! And we had Johnnie Cakes (kind of dry biscuits with fillings) for about 75 cents.. for breakfast. Fun to get up early and walk into town to pick them up. There is a very NICE grocery store within CLOSE walking distance to Ramons (out back -- not towards town, the other way) and so we saved some $$ also by buying some beers, liquor, breakfast foods, snacks --- etc over there. We also had some beach kittens in the bushes under our room and I bought cat food the week we were there! The rooms were spacious and always clean. BTW, we used the Boat Taxi to get to the island and found it saved us some $$ but was also FUN!! Don't be afraid to try it, it was very easy -- just hop a cab to the water taxi dock -- they'll know right where to take you. Sure, it's an hour but, it's on a fun jet like boat passing many islands and in wonderful caribbean blue waters!! We were very glad we did that instead of flying over. Overall, Ramons is a great place!!! While reviewers who state the cost is overpriced 'for what you get' are probably right in relation to the ROOM per se.. It's average.. but clean and nice colorful decor with hardwoods. I think in relation to other things... like the nice landscaping, tropical palms, nice pool, and GREAT location--- made it WORTH it. The resort just down the beach towards town for example, was a little less $$ , but had a pool right in the center of a the courtyard (not very tropical feeling!), and NO landscaping and lush "feel" to it. I had almost booked there, and was very very very glad I chose Ramon's instead!! Other places, which for about the same price may have nicer rooms, are just far out along the roads.

We stayed at Ramon's from September 18th, 2004 through the 23rd after much research on various places to stay on the island. We picked Ramon's due to the location... close to San Pedro and due to the fact it had the primitive thatched huts right on the sea. After our initial disapointment that we didn't have an individual hut, we quickly felt very comfortable in our room, we spent very little time there anyway. The air conditioning was great, almost too cold and after talking to others staying in the upper units with the thatched ceilings we were glad our ceiling was a regular ceiling because apparantly you lose alot of coolness through the thatching. The shower was odd as you could see the ground through the drain and I was shocked to realize the shower water drains right out onto the sand! But it is Belize, remember! Everyone with the exception of the girls in the front office were very friendly and helpful. My husband did several dives which were excellent and the people at the dive shop were excellent in vacillitating and making his dives a success as he hadn't been diving in a number of years. We also did the Lamania ruins and much more. We thought the food was excellent and I don't know what the talk is about the prices, they seemed comparable to in town. Caliente's was very good in San Pedro. We met Ramon himself on our last day. He was very friendly as were all the locals in town. You have to try a Purple Parrot at the bar! We loved Belize and hope to return and when we do we'll probably stay at Ramon's again.

Ramon's was the perfect mix of hominess and vacation amenities. It's not fancy or luxurious, but it was convenient, friendly, and comfortable. (They spray for mosquitoes, which contributes vastly to comfort). We thought Ramon's had the most character compared to some of the other resorts. Also, Ramon's has the most interesting landscaping of all the resorts we saw. If you can, stay in either the beachfront or honeymoon cabanas, they're feet from the water.

We never planned anything ahead of time. Every morning, we'd stroll over to the dive shop and decide what we wanted to do. They'd tell us to come back in an hour. We'd go have breakfast at the Purple Parrot. By the time we came back, they'd be ready to take us wherever we wanted to go. Very leisurely. We were always back in time for lunch, which we took in San Pedro. Being so close to town is key, when the heat of midday is on full force. The ATM at Belize Bank (in town) is the only one that does foreign currency on the island. And meals in town are a lot less expensive than at the resorts in general (and tasty too).

Cave tubing and the inland tour is totally fun. It's highly recommended in addition to diving and snorkeling.

We will never go back there. This hotel is old, everything is overpriced, the food is the worst ever, and while our stay, they were remodeling the hotel.... So imagine the noise everyday.....

We paid $165/night for a room which should have cost maximum $70.....

Plus we found out that the the used water of the showers drains in the sea, few feet from the beach!!!!

I've been to Ramon's twice and can understand the disparate comments. It is by no means a 5 star, and maybe not a 4-star hotel which you might expect for the price (one of the highest in Belize). But it's a great place in the way that Belize (and Ambergis Caye) is a great place. Not formal, a little funky, great bar, terrific location. Yes, the A/C and housekeeping and beach are not perfect by international standards but remember: THIS IS BELIZE. The dive shop and instruction are very professional, even by international standards, but I agree they could be just a tad more friendly. It's fine-maybe the best- for the non-budget traveller who wants a nice but not fancy Belizean vacation.

We just flew into san pedro belize yesterday and wanted to check out a few different hotels before commiting to anything. We looked at a few of the rooms at Ramon's village and thought it was a joke. It was way overpriced for the motel 6 style rooms they offered. The only thing I will say was nice was the atmosphere of the place, but for the most part save your money and go somewhere else. We are staying at the Belize Yacht club which is pretty cool. Much more reasonable prices and way better rooms.

My family stayed here for several nights in July in the International Suite. We were really disappointed - particularly with the cost vs. experience. It's not that the place is bad - but it's not that special and it's tremendously expensive.

The room was pretty good. There's a king bed, a fold-out sofa and we got a roll-away for one of of our kids. If you have a family of five (even with two kids sharing a bed), the space fills up fast. The bathroom was nice, but it had no ceiling so it's not real private.

Housekeeping was good when they were there but didn't come one of the days. I wouldn't normally bring this up but when you're paying over $300 US/night for a room and it's supposed to be the nicest room, you feel like they should come each day.

The air conditioning barely kept the room cool. The room never got below 80 degrees.

The restaurant was average but expensive.

The dive center was reasonably priced but I didn't find the staff particularly friendly or helpful. Other dive/snorkel tours can be booked nearby and they'll pick you up or drop you off at the pier in front of Ramon's.

If you hang out on the beach (or even near the pool), prepare for people to try to sell you stuff throughout the day including every drug I've ever heard of.

The location is very good if you want to walk to town for meals and such. For a faster and more pleasant walk, walk on the beach instead of the busy, narrow streets.

We talked to other guests who were staying at the back of the resort, along the road. They complained about the noise and vibration from traffic.

If you want to stay in a small but average resort setting, this is fine. But, for the money, I'd stay elsewhere on the caye - or on a quieter, more peaceful caye in Belize.

We stayed at Ramon's in April 2004. It is a wonderful place, with clean "cabana" style rooms, friendly staff, central location, and the best beach of any of the hotels in San Pedro.

We explored all over San Pedro, and most of the hotels have no beach, or just a small walking stip of beach. Ramon's beach is about 3x larger than any other hotel beach on San Pedro. Still not as large as most tropical beaches, at least at Ramon's you can lay out on exposed beach or pick a place on the beach under a palm tree.

Ramon's water sports facility is great, and they have a long, lovely pier that is great for romantic walks at night.

Simply put, our week in San Pedro convinced us that Ramon's is by far the BEST hotel there.

My husband and I stayed at Ramons August, 2002 and we had a great time. When we landed in Ambergris Caye we were extremely happy to discover that this island was nothing like mainland Belize. We were greeted by a staff member who picked us up in a golf cart (main mode of transportation throughout island) and were taken to the hotel.

We stayed in an oceanfront hut which was clean and brightly decorated. No TV which was surprising to me but we quickly discovered there was tonnes to do...who had time for tv?

The staff were friendly, especially our scuba instructor Gill. Diving was amazing and we would highly recommend it. The people in Belize are very down to earth and laid back. We mostly experimented different restaurants throughout the island and discovered the food was amazing. If you like spicey caribbean/mexican foods then you'll love Belizian food.

We were there during the end of high season so there wasn't much to do at night but we were so tired from our daytime activities and it got dark so early that we often had an early night and got up really early the next morning.

We'd highly recommend it here by far, its a lot better than the other resorts.

stayed here in may 2003 for about a week. this hotel and island were like a trip back in time. we flew into belize city and got off the plane and then onto a puddle jumper (seats 8 people and has only 1 propeller). we got picked up by ramons shuttle service which turned out to be a golf cart. we were brought right into the reception area, we were given a room with a ocean view room. the rooms have a king bed, table with 2 chairs, dresser, air conditioner, celiling fan, stand up shower, toilet and sink with a mirror. the room also had a phone and radio but no television. the rooms were very tropical with bright colors. hotel has a small pool and overpriced bar on the premesis.

beachfront is nothing spectacular because of the reef not many waves but alot of seaweed building up. the island of ambergris caye is very laid back, you will rarely walk around with anything more than your bathing suit. i dont remember even wearing sandals for long periods of time. excellent snorkeling and diving only a few minutes away by boat.

we visited tikal mayan ruins in guatelemala it was well worth the $250 a person(we flew to belize city by puddlejumper, then flew to guatemala by puddlejumper, had a guide for the day with lunch and then transporation back), we went cave tubing for a day, manatee watching (not that great because they are very hard to see from a boat), trip to laminai mayan ruins (good but not as large as tikal), rented a golf cart, snorkeling and diving. i would recommend this hotel in a second to anyone visiting the island, it is extremely close to san pedro (5-10 minute walk). many good restaurants on the island, tons of seafood.

great restaurants are farther north on the island so you will need to take a water taxi up there. i will be back to this island because the island is relaxing even with all the adventure opportunities. other good hotels are mata chica and other hotels north of san pedro but you need to take a water taxi to get into town.