Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
We are Gold Standard certified for Health and Safety. Characterized by its warm and friendly hospitality, Portofino is the epitome of barefoot luxury, unpretentious and relaxing… for most; it will be an experience of a lifetime. Our small, boutique resort offers just 17 beautifully appointed rooms, ranging from charming beach cabanas to spacious suites, dotted amidst swaying palm trees, in a private setting with unmatched personal attention and the modern comforts of home. It is a haven of tranquility, where guests will enjoy the subtle sounds of the nearby waves lapping over the reef, gentle breeze, breathtaking sunrise, star studded night sky and spectacular views of the crystal waters of the Caribbean Sea. The perfect setting for a romantic getaway, intimate wedding, honeymoon, family and friends.Portofino offers leisure options to suit every taste. Relax in our fresh water outdoor swimming pool; enjoy a great book from our book collection or simply indulge yourself in a massage on the beach under our hand thatched palapa hut. Explore the underwater world with snorkel equipment or skim along the surface in our complimentary sea kayaks. Delicious meals prepared by our resort chef can be served in the privacy or your beach cabana or suite, on our private dock with a romantic setting or at the Portofino Restaurant. Sip on amazing tropical cocktails at the Green Parrot Beach Bar or perhaps a late afternoon snack from the Green Parrot Bistro. Take advantage of our DVD library and unwind in front of the flat TV screen in your room. Or, simply take in the view. In short, relax and enjoy! Reception in the main building is manned by professional and knowledgeable staff. From, activities bookings and directions to itineraries and dining reservations, our friendly and professional staff is eager to assist you. Access to PORTOFINO is by boat only, and therefore we offer a complimentary meet and greet service at San Pedro Airstrip and boat transfer to the resort, an approximately 20 minutes ride.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Amazing stay. Everyone at the resort made our stay very special. Staff is very welcoming and attentive. I love the intimate setting and personal touches. It was my daughters birthday and they made a cake for her and decorated her room. Rooms are very spacious and clean. Beds are comfortable. Nice small beach and amazing restaurant on site. Food was delicious and well as daiquiris. We are already planning our next stay. Shout out to Jeyson at the restaurant. You made our dinner nights very entertaining.
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Date of stay: October 2023Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Â The best way to get around the island is to rent a golf cart since this resort is not on the main...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from PBR Management, General Manager at Portofino Beach Resort in Belize
Responded Nov 11, 2023
Thank you so much for sharing! It is always great to hear that the little things make for an amazing stay. We look forward to welcoming you on your return!
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My boyfriend and I spent five nights at Portofino for New Years. We stayed in one of the beachfront cabanas (truly beachfront!) and his sister and a friend joined us at the last minute in one of the larger units at the back of the property.
I absolutely loved the trip and would wholeheartedly recommend Portofino for three reasons.
First, the property and views from the pool, our room, and the restaurant are beautiful, and I never got tired of it. The only other time we visited Ambergris Caye we stayed closer to town, and while it was pretty the beach in front of our house was used as a road with golf carts going back and forth throughout the day. Although all beaches are public access, because Portofino is so far from town it feels more private and the staff works hard to clean up trash and debris.
Second, the food selection and prices were outstanding. In particular, I was traveling with two vegetarians and one vegan, and we were pleasantly surprised by the large vegan menu (I ordered one of the veggies dishes once or twice). The kitchen was also willing to make substitutions on items from the regular menu (my favorites were the conch ceviche for lunch and coconut curry and almond crusted snapper for dinner).
Prices were also reasonable for the quality and compared to what you'd expect at similar resorts. It is more expensive than many places in town (you can get a feast at a pupusa place for $5), but it ended up being around $500/each for three meals a day for five nights plus the bar tab (typically a few beers in the afternoon plus some wine and cocktails most nights) and tips on top of the service charge. I thought this was a good value, and we definitely didn't need to go the all-inclusive route.
I will note that at lunch in particular the food could take a while, so if someone in your party gets very hungry after diving or another activity you may want to put an order in before showering or changing.
Third, the staff were all very friendly. Just a day or so into the trip they remembered our room and our names, started giving the vegetarians their menu automatically, and were happy to bring us fries by the beach or lunch down by the pool. We felt very comfortable and welcomed every day.
Finally, since we were traveling during COVID-19 I appreciated that the staff wore masks in the restaurant and at the bar. While we typically wore our masks in public areas some of the other guests were better about it than others, but thankfully those areas (pool, restaurant, etc) were never very crowded and everything is outside so it turned out fine. We purposely chose a property where we could stay in one place the whole time and avoid crowds, and it ended up being a great choice! I hope to be back!
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Date of stay: January 2021Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Portofino Resort, Sales at Portofino Beach Resort in Belize
Responded Mar 13, 2021
Great to hear that you all were able to enjoy your stay, even in the tough times that we're all facing. We hope to continue to be able to provide for a safe environment for people to get away from home, and we're glad you all seemed to have gotten that. Look forward to getting to see you all again! Warmest Regards, Bellini
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We chose this property based on a recommendation from a co-worker who had recently visited and raved about the resort. We were certainly not disappointed. From the pick up at the airport, to our initial arrival at the resort, the staff was absolutely incredible! It was more than just a resort, it felt like we had stepped into an extended family. Everyone from reception, to the property managers, the bartenders, and maintenance staff were so friendly, easy to talk to, accommodating and overall just incredible. Our room was beautiful, well appointed, there were handmade soaps in the bathroom and beautiful local flowers to greet us. Not sure how the cleaning staff was able to maintain the beautiful hardwood floors after we drug in all of the sand, but each day they were spotless. The pool is just lovely and at the right temp to swim or sit around and have a lovely cocktail in the evening watching the ocean. There is a dock with a dive shop attached (see reviews for Action Divers and Adventures) to book your snorkeling and diving, which the resort took care of for us in advance. We had selected the Tropical Package (two snorkel trips, island hopper flights to/from Belize City, and dinner one evening on the beach) and the resort took care of every single detail for us, so no effort was required on our part. I have to say, that was one weight off the mind when it came to arranging the trip. My birthday occurred while there and upon return from our snorkeling trip, the staff had left a towel birthday cake decorated with fresh flowers, a lovely hand-written note and balloons on the wall. It was such a nice surprise and made me feel very special. The food was always delicious and fresh and they were always accommodating to any changes or special needs that we had. Not to mention, they gladly brought the food out to the pool, the patio or the beach if that is where we preferred to dine. In addition, they made all of the arrangements for us for our Covid testing for our return trip and the medical professional came onsite to conduct the testing in the privacy of our room. Overall, I would highly recommend the resort to anyone traveling to Ambergris Caye who wants to be a little north of San Pedro. It's a short ride back into town or to Secret Beach as well. When we left, it felt like we were leaving treasured new friends.
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Date of stay: July 2021
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from PBR Management, General Manager at Portofino Beach Resort in Belize
Responded Oct 12, 2021
Good afternoon, Wow...thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time out to share your feedback on your recent stay at our beautiful property 💖 We are very delighted that you had a great time and that you enjoyed all the services that we offer. Looking forward to welcoming you again in the near future. Management & Team Portofino!
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Upon arrival we were greeted by Damaris and wonderfully scented cold towels, and as soon as we entered to check in by awesome rum punches ;).
The room was beautiful and had a beautiful view of the beach. We also had daily evening treats delivered to our room that were left in the fridge if we were out.
The service staff were all wonderful and made sure that our rooms were cleaned and our entrance basin to rinse our feet from sand was always clean and change multiple times a day by what I referred to him as Ronaldo lookalike.
Our continental breakfast was okay ( would rather have a buffet style) but the coffee was excellent. We did not have a chance to experience the dinner there since we explored the island and wanted to eat at other recommended locations.
The Dive Center Staff were amazing ( Roberto, Russell, and Chocolate)!! They took us on 2 trips and booked the last one for us effortlessly. The trips they took us on were super fun and informative they made sure we saw and knew all the fish species that were out there. We were able to swim with sharks and stingrays and we even spotted dolphins, tarpons, and turtles during our trips. Definitely book snorkeling trips with these guys!
Overall our stay was excellent, really took advantage of the hammocks we had on our porch.
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Date of stay: February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Portofino Resort, General Manager at Portofino Beach Resort in Belize
Responded Mar 2, 2020
Dear Marilyn, We thank you for taking the time out to post this review. We are delighted to know that you loved our property, staff and service. We look forward to welcoming you back in the near future.
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Ambergris Caye Belize is an amazing destination for adventure seekers and the layed back. As soon as we arrived at the Portofino resort we were greeted by staff with cool herbal towels and check in was a breeze. The staff was very knowlegeable and ready to help with all your booking requests. The Cabana was above expectations and everyone had its own private slice of beach. We were very impressed by the restaraunts menu and quickly got to know the entire staff on first name basis. We spent 6 days there and i still didnt get to try all i wanted off the menu. We had many excursions from the Myan temples at Xunantunich, cave tubing the Myan underworld Xibalba, Snorkeling with sharks and Barracuda, to exploring San Pedro and the staff of Portifino booked it all and made all that happen with no hesitation. Needless to say we want to make this a yearly destination for a much needed break from our snowy Feburary's in Washington state. I highly recommend Portifino Beach resorts and consider many of them family and friends away from home.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Rooms
Location
Service
Room Tip:Â When choosing a private cabana I recommend one on the outer edges of the resort because you...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Portofino Resort, General Manager at Portofino Beach Resort in Belize
Responded Mar 2, 2020
Dear Cale, We are very delighted to know that you had an amazing time here at Portofino. Thanks for taking the time out to share your feedback. Looking forward to hosting you again in the near future.
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We enjoyed our stay at Portofino! We went for the second part of our honeymoon, and they made us feel so special right away with honeymoon champagne and decorations. Our beachfront room was very comfortable and had great air conditioning. The property itself is beautiful, with a nice pool and beachfront. We would have liked umbrellas by the pool/beach for some shade. Our only (small) issue with the room was that there weren’t enough hooks/racks to hang wet clothes. The food was good (a bit overpriced), however the desserts were especially delicious. The restaurant staff (Ivan, James, Gianni, and Justin) were so friendly and welcoming. We loved our tours with the dive shop onsite - our snorkeling trip with Top and dive lesson/trip with Chocolate were amazing! Roberto was also very clear explaining the basics of diving to me as a first-time diver. We also loved our massages on the beach with Andrea and Cathy! Orlene at the front desk was also great and made everything easy. It’s worth pointing out that Portofino is a bit far from town (about 30-40 minutes by golf cart). It’s a great secluded location, but if you’re looking to go into town more often for a variety of food or shopping, I recommend staying somewhere closer. It is pretty close to Secret Beach though! Overall, we loved it and there is nothing like waking up to the ocean view.
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Date of stay: July 2021
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from PBR Management, General Manager at Portofino Beach Resort in Belize
Responded Jul 20, 2021
Dear Lauren, Thank you so much for your positive feedback. We are happy you enjoyed your experience with us at Portofino Beach Resort. I will share you comments with the staff. Yes, the prices from the restaurant may be just above average especially since the recent surge in food cost, especially seafood. We also source the many of the fresh produce from the mainland in order to provide our guest with only the best. I am glad you enjoy our location. That is why people choose Portofino Beach Resort. Thank you and we wish you safe travels further. Management & Team Portofino
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Portofino Beach Resort is the perfect location for a relaxing Belizean get away. Front desk/office staff Bellini and Daniela were friendly and helpful upon arrival and then helped me organize a wonderful birthday for my wife, really above and beyond. The restaurant and bar team, with a special shout out to Marcelo, James and Kyle were fantastic, always happy to help and will even setup a romantic dinner on the beach if you choose for no extra cost. In addition to the pool, we borrowed bikes daily and kayaks are available. In terms of water sports, Roberto and his team organize a range of activities from fishing to scuba diving, which I took advantage of their ease, professionalism and friendliness to get the PADI scuba qualification during our stay. Finally, Captain Mo was great, providing a stress free fun commute between Portofino and San Pedro making the journey an adventure and allowing you to appreciate the location’s beautiful seclusion. All of the team were friendly, welcoming, our bedrooms were always well looked after and spotless, highly recommend!
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Portofino Resort, General Manager at Portofino Beach Resort in Belize
Responded Mar 2, 2020
Dear Matt, We appreciate you taking the time out to share such an awesome review. Our entire team is very delighted to know that you had a great stay and that your wife enjoyed her birthday. We look forward to welcoming you back again hopefully very soon.
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I stayed here a couple weeks ago with my girlfriend. Since I was planning on proposing to her in Belize, the trip was a complete surprise to her. I chose Portofino for this important occasion because many people were impressed with their service and level of care - their reviews could not have been more accurate. Bellini (from Portofino) helped me plan every single detail of the proposal prior to our stay and it went off without a hitch. The staff at Portofino did not miss a single detail.
We were impressed with their service from the moment we arrived. Our flight from Belize City to San Pedro was delayed ~1 hour, but regardless they were waiting for us at the airport and took us directly to the hotel. After checking in, we were escorted to our Treetop Suite, which was decorated with flowers and rose petals and was quite romantic.
The rest of our stay at portofino was fantastic as well. Especially the night of the proposal. They set us up with a private dinner on the beach. The menu was full of delicious options and our waiter, Ivan, was simply excellent. He catered to our every need and even brought us a bluetooth speaker to listen to music and dance after dinner!
You should know that Portofino is ~5 miles north of San Pedro. However, it's quite easy to rent a golf cart and head into town whenever you want (my fiancee and I did this several times).The resort also provides boat rides into town at various times throughout the day. I really liked the location because it is close enough to go to town when you want but far enough to feel isolated, perfect for a romantic getaway.
Overall, I could not recommend Portofino more. It's simple: if excellent service is something you value highly, go to Portofino. We will definitely be staying here again next time we make it to San Pedro.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Rooms
Location
Service
Room Tip:Â Treetop suites are romantic and cosy
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from PortofinoBZ, Manager at Portofino Beach Resort in Belize
Responded Feb 3, 2020
Hi Shawn, It was our utmost pleasure having you both here with us. We are very happy you choose our beautiful property for this important and memorable occasion. Our entire team is delighted to know that you had a great time while here and that the setup for the proposal was exactly what you were expecting. Hoping to see you both again! Management
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This was our 4th trip to AC and first time staying at this resort. We had been there for a dinner on a previous trip and looked like a great place to stay.
All of the staff was amazing ! Flowers picked us up at the airport by golf cart & brought us to the resort. 😊 We were greeted by Mark who does a fantastic job we were picked up by Flowers by golf cart & greeted by Mark Plus a complimentary drink to enjoy 😊
We stayed in the treetop room called Sunflower. Great view and large room ! The AC worked Very well and enjoyed coming back to a cool room after an outing in the sun.
The resort is well kept up, the grounds are beautiful, they work very hard to keep the Sargassum cleaned up but is a continual problem on the entire island.
The dive shop has what you need and will set up any tours that you want to go on. Dilson was fun to talk to and Roberto was doing several dive certifications with several couple while we were there and everyone said they were great ! We rented fins & took the kayak out to the reef a couple times & snorkeled around & were able to see a barracuda & lots of fish.
The food was amazing. I do not eat seafood so unfortunately was limited on the menu but my husband enjoyed so much snapper & other great seafood pretty much every day. The continental breakfast was nice & you can upgrade to other breakfast meals for $8. It was NOT mostly Italian food on the menu like was stayed in another review.
We also enjoyed using the bicycle that they provide and rode into town one day & stopped at the truck stop for some really good ice cream ! We also rode the other direction one day & explored different resorts & bars
If you are looking for a quiet, peaceful, chill stay with a great restaurant and out of town a good ways….. this is for you ! We really had NO regrets or complains. We had a massage on the beach one day that was amazing ! We met some great people & enjoyed having others around but yet still very quiet & not crowded.
We enjoyed walking 2 min to the Moon bar twice for pizza and beer. 😊. Great pizza a cute place.
My husband went spear fishing with a great tour guy & brought back some fish & the chef cooked them for us for dinner. Was awesome.
The only thing I was kinda creeped out about is the Sunflower room has a large thatched room and a large awesome balcony to sit with a perfect view over the pool & water BUT there is also a family of fruit bats that live in the top of that area (outside over the porch, not inside the room) & I really do not like bats & after a few days we discovered them & sitting out there had a different feeling or walking in & out as they were flying around 😳😳. Also would find small fruit & droppings in the floor right in front of the door in the mornings. So maybe try to get the other treehouse room Jasmine because I could not see any on that roof.
Overall a GREAT experience and would definitely stay there again!
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Date of stay: August 2022Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Portofino Management, General Manager at Portofino Beach Resort in Belize
Responded Sep 21, 2022
Hi Jodi, Thank you so much for your review. We are happy you had a great experience with us at Portofino Beach Resort. It is reviews like this that keep us motivated and determined in delivering exceptional service for all of our guests. Thanks and we wish you safe travels further. Management
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We stayed at Portofino resort February 2020 specifically because it was only a mile from the reef and had a dive shop. Bellini helped with the booking and logistics and took care of every detail with good humour and professionalism. We were greeted at their pier by Daniella and the dive shop owner Roberto and personal attention for all our needs was again evident. The beach cabana was comfortable and had a stunning view. The food was great and Mario made our special beachside dinner a really nice evening. Luis at the bar always met us with a smile and went above and beyond to get us what we wanted. Kyle served our breakfasts on the deck each morning with a positive approach, and like all the staff, made us feel welcome and pampered. Daniella and orlene, at the front desk, organized a golf cart, reservations at a neighbouring resort, our planned room move and more. The staff made an effort to call us by name by the second day which was awesome. At the dive shop, action divers, we were treated with a personal touch to customize our snorkel trips to Mexico rocks and the reef right by the resort. As I have some difficulties with mobility I wasn’t sure i’d Ever be able to snorkel again but the snorkel master Chocolate literally took my hand and assisted me through the water and to the reef break and corals. It was the very best snorkelling i’ve Ever done, better than Thailand, Hawaii, Cozumel. I will definitely return and would recommend this resort to anyone wanting a quiet get away with great snorkelling trips really close by. The only draw back was the mucky ocean bottom in front of the resort, like the whole eastern side of Ambergris Caye. There were kayaks for that though and a great pool to make up for it!
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Date of stay: February 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Portofino Resort, General Manager at Portofino Beach Resort in Belize
Responded Feb 27, 2020
Good afternoon, It was indeed a pleasure having you here with us. Thanks again for choosing Portofino as your vacation destination. Our entire team appreciates your feedback and are all happy to know that you enjoyed your stay and adventures. Looking forward to having you again in the near future.
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Santa Barbara, California6 contributions1 helpful vote
It can be. We paid for an all-inclusive package, so we got three meals a day plus a few specific activities (that we booked in advance). Our package did not include alcohol, but I think you can add that on.
There are more places to choose from in the San Pedro area.
PRICE RANGE
₱11,262 - ₱17,896 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
portofino hotel san pedro, portofino san pedro
LOCATION
BelizeBelize CayesAmbergris CayeSan Pedro
NUMBER OF ROOMS
17
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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