Cayo Espanto
Belize, Central America [view map]
- Style
- Private island beach houses
- Setting
- Caribbean coast of Ambergris Caye
Embraced by the topaz waters of the Caribbean, Cayo Espanto tops the A-list when it comes to bespoke boutique breaks, with butler-serviced wooden villas snuggled among the palms of a tiny island.
Need to know
- Rooms
- Six villas.
- Rates
- $995–$2,249, including all meals, snacks and drinks (except champagne, wine and spirit); excludes 9 per cent tax and a 15 per cent resort fee.
- Check-out
- 10am (but flexible by an hour or two); check-in, 4pm.
- Facilities
- Spa treatments, small gym, library, CD/DVD selection, free WiFi throughout the island. In villas: flatscreen TV, CD/DVD player, iPod dock, Yves Delorme linen, Lady Primrose toiletries.
- Poolside
- All villas have heated private plunge pools – perfect for cocktail hour(s) – except Casa Ventanas, which is encircled by the sea.
- Children
- Infants under one year old stay free and cots are available, although Cayo Espanto is much more suited to canoodling twosomes than frolicking families.
- Also
- There’s a five-night minimum stay – seven nights between 16 December and 17 January and 14 over Christmas and New Year – although exceptions can be made depending on availability.
In the know
- Our favourite rooms
- Two-floored, two-bedroomed Casa Estrella captures the feeling of staying in a glamour-drenched tree house, with open-plan living areas, cream-cushioned wicker furniture and a panoramic ocean view. Floor-length turquoise shutters line three of the house’s four walls, allowing you to configure the balance of inside/outside space as you see fit. Casa Aurora has the largest pool, and smaller, more private Casa Ventana is set out to sea on its own wooden pontoon.
- Packing tips
- None – even if you forget your Heidi Klein swimwear, the hotel’s staff will whip you out a designer bikini without problem or complaint.
- Also
- Almost activity featuring water can be enjoyed at Cayo Espanto. Kayaks, pedal boats, fishing rods and other non-motorised sports equipment can be freely plundered, and there’s a vast range of excursions, including diving, snorkelling and golf.
Food & drink
- Hotel restaurant
- The hotel sends you a questionnaire before your arrival to get a picture of your culinary tastes, then award-laden chef Patrick Houghton constructs a bespoke daily menu of dishes, which you can savour anywhere on the island you wish.
- Dress code
- As you like it – dress to the nines, or lounge in a Hefner-esque dressing gown all day.
- Top table
- Your personal butler (or houseman, in the hotel's parlance) will bring you food wherever you choose. Ask him to arrange a private picnic – you’ll be taken to a deserted beach to find your meal prepared, then be left alone until you wish to return.
- Last orders
- The hotel’s food and drink schedule is entirely in your hands, with a ‘what you want, whenever you want it’ policy.
- Room service
- Your houseman is on call 24 hours a day.
- Hotel bar
- From the blue-hued Espanto Wave cocktail you receive on arrival to the premium cognac nightcap, all drinks are brought to you where and when you want. Sip a sundowner in a hammock or perched on a pier, or even have your drinks brought out to sea.
Smith card offer A massage each
If you're a member of Mr & Mrs Smith, you can get special privileges at every Smith hotel you book through us. Just show your Smith card at check-in to claim the offer featured on every hotel page (like the one above).
Not a member? Join now
Book this hotel
To book this hotel please click here, or contact our travel team on 0845 034 0700.
Cayo Espanto
San Pedro, Ambergris Caye