It is with great pleasure that I write this review. Over the last 6 months I’ve read both positive and negative reviews of the Portofino Beach Resort. My husband and I had a clear idea and purpose of what we wanted for our vacation and the setting we were looking for. The good thing about reading reviews is that it leads to clarification of questions and or concerns you may have about your goals for a vacation. The Portofino Beach Resort is pristine in beauty, and impeccably maintained. The resort has a little more that a 30 person capacity for guest, leaving the overall setting uniquely personal. Each accommodation is individualized, making your living environment comfortable, conductive to resting and privacy with daily meticulous housekeepers. The restaurant at the resort was exceptional as well as accommodating. We greatly enjoyed all our meals and the staff that provided the service. All along the windward side of Ambergris Caye is a beautiful narrow walkable beach, but the water is very shallow due the Belize Barrier Reef that runs parallel to the coast line so that at different points it my not be swimmable. Walking the beach, wading in the water along the way, stopping at a beach side bar and or restaurant and meeting people along the was is fabulous. Portofino uses a salt / fresh water processing system for showering and hand washing with each room supplied with a fresh water tank for drinking. Though the shower water may have been a little salty, and being boaters, we didn’t have any trouble with our shampoos, shaving products and or just general hygiene use. The resort management coordinated our trips and we had the most exciting successful two days of deep sea and reef fishing with a private boat from Freedom Tours with “Hilly Boo” as our captain. He also personalized our trip to Shark and Ray Alley and the Hol Chan Canyons Marine Reserve to snorkel as well as visiting the island of Caye Caulker. But most importantly, above and beyond the beauty and uniqueness of the setting, the staff at the resort from the person who rakes the grounds every day to the top management could not have been more personable, accommodating and enjoyable to be with as we shared our time together at the resort. Our deepest appreciation to Helda, Rosalie, Maria, Chris, Moe, Julie, Rafael, Orvil, Beverly, and to our host Mr. and Mrs. Van Noord for their vision in creating such a personal setting. This was an experience of a life time.

I would recommend Portofino to anyone. The rooms were adorable (we stayed in the cabanas and I bet the suites were twice as nice). It certainly exceeded our expectations. The rooms were cleaned every day (which was nice considering how much sand we tracked in) and the staff members are so nice and trustworthy.

I highly recommend going during the low season. We were there with just two other couples and the staff was more than accommodating to our every need. They have an amazing restaurant and serve lobster year round. We ate there nearly every night. People from other resorts rode in to eat at Le Bistro. For the guests staying at Portofino, they don’t make you pay each and every time you order. Instead, they write you up a ticket and you sign for it. Then you pay at the very end. It was really convenient and the prices were reasonable.

The packages they arranged for us were so much fun and the tour guides knew what they were talking about. Portofino booked the trips though SEAduction, a Belize outdoor expedition company. We walked up and down Ambergris Caye, loved the locals, the drinks, etc. It was perfect for our honeymoon. Even though the beach isn’t really set up to go swimming, they have this awesome pool they just installed with chairs in the water so you can relax, read a book and the bartenders will even bring you drinks.

There were two drawbacks, but it wasn’t Porofino, it’s Belize in general:
1. The water is pretty salty, even though they filter it. They do give you plenty of bottled water and filtered water in your room though.
2. The water taxis were rough. Everyone there takes water taxis and when they water is rough, it can be a tough day.

We decided to splurge for our honeymoon. We had never been to Belize, so we went to the Ambergris Caye website and started researching places to stay. Fortunately we picked this place. Immediately upon arrival to the airport, our bags were carried for us, and then taken to our rooms after a quick boat ride. Upon arrival there were welcome drinks, and the staff introduced themselves to us, and started treating us like royalty.

We stayed here for 7 days. Tirelessly each staff member worked to insure trips were planned, and that we had a great time. The manager of the resort even took us to town on her night off and helped us find good local places to dine, drink, and go out on the town.

We were there during 2 tropical storms. Unfortunately we spent 3 days inside. Instead of watching us go stir-crazy, the staff showed us dice games, helped us work on puzzles, and kept us occupied in order to help the dismal time pass.

I have never stayed at a place that works tirelessly to treat you like a member of their family. The pool was always clean, the beeches were always raked, even in the two tropical storms. We were pleasantly shocked to see staff members in rain coats raking the beeches in 80 mph winds.

Unfortunately we left Portofino and traveled to another resort. We were used to being spoiled, we left the other resort within 2 hours due to the lack of customer service as well as cleanliness. Portofino welcomed us back with open arms. The staff members clapped and hugged us in the lobby when we returned. They even upgraded our room and gave us a night free for our loyalty.

This was a truly wonderful find for our honeymoon.

We found this place while strolling down the beach. The staff was very helpful and showed us a few different rooms to choose from. We had a wonderful trip and they took great care of us. They've done a good job with the rooms - all seemed very nice - especially the suites. The breakfast was nice and the lunch menu was good for a bar type menu, my only suggestion is for dinner they focus more on local dishes and prepare them very well. The meals we had were like most of the resorts - really expensive but not that great. My recommendation would be to take the boat into town at night and enjoy the local cuisine. Also, Rojo down the beach had amazing food. We had a fantastic time relaxing and enjoying the amenities of Portofino. They made our trip very memorable. We look forward to returning and seeing everyone again.