Styled on a traditional Tahitian village, Ramon’s Village Resort is situated in San Pedro at the southern end of Ambergris Caye. This upmarket Belize dive resort is clustered with cottages built from native materials and surrounded by a tropical garden dotted with Mayan sculptures.  

It’s an idyllic base for exploring the world’s second-largest barrier reef, the Belize Barrier Reef, which stretches for 190 miles within the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. Highlights include Jacques Cousteau’s Blue Hole, the Lighthouse Reef Atoll and the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, as well as big encounters at Shark Ray Alley. 

The resort’s beachfront location, coupled with its PADI 5-Star dive shop and enticing dining options have seen it regularly voted as a top destination for scuba divers visiting Belize.  

Rooms

Beachfront Located directly on the beach, this diverse selection of rooms and suites occupy individual and two-story palm-thatched cabanas. Splurge in the Presidential and Grand Suites or enjoy the elevated views from the Mini-Suite and Guest Suite, which can be rented together by families or friends to create a two-bedroom suite. Also on the beachfront are the Polynesian-styled Honeymoon Cabanas and Beachfront King rooms, both of which feature king-size beds for couples.  

Seaside A few steps away from the beach but still offering superb views are the resort’s Seaside collection. You can select from the Seaside Standard Double or the Seaside Deluxe, with the latter offering either one King bed or two Queen beds for dive buddies travelling together.  

Jungle Nestled in the lush tropical gardens of Ramon’s Village Resort, the Jungle rooms and suites also come in your choice of Standard or Deluxe. Divers travelling with kids can opt for the Jungle Standard Family or Jungle Deluxe Family while the Jungle Mini is slightly smaller and equipped with a queen-size bed.  

Amenities

Ramon’s Village Resort centers around a lagoon-style swimming pool with numerous sun loungers while the Tiki Turtle Trading Company gift store is just a few steps away. Complimentary Wi-Fi is available throughout the resort and there’s a business center with a desktop computer and printer if needed. The Beach Spa is located directly overlooking the sands and offers a range of therapeutic massages and beauty treatments. 

Food

Pineapples On The Beach is the main restaurant at Ramon’s Village Resort, with an open-air setting overlooking the Caribbean Sea. It offers a la carte dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with both international favourites and Belizean specialties on the menu. Aside from dining indoors surrounded by tropical plants, you can also opt to eat alfresco in one of the thatched-roof palapas.  

Poolside at this Belize dive resort is Tropic Al’s, which specializes in fresh fruit smoothies and gourmet coffee sourced from the Caye Coffee Roasting Company in San Pedro.  

Diving

Ramon’s Village Divers is one of the oldest and most respected dive shops in Belize, with daily dive excursions accessing the myriad sites of the Belize Barrier Reef. It’s been a PADI 5-Star IDC Resort since 2008, with no less than five PADI Scuba Instructors among its current staff.  

Ramon’s Village Divers maintains a fleet of four skiffs that range in size from 28 to 34 feet and can carry up to eight divers plus crew. There are around 40 dive sites within 5 to 15 minutes’ boat ride from the dock, with trips departing at 9 am, 11:30 am and 2 pm daily. Due to the close proximity of dive sites, the boats return to the dock to exchange scuba tanks while meeting surface interval requirements. 

Alternatively, you can opt for double or triple tank dives further afield on request. In addition to its main fleet, Ramon’s Village Divers also operates “Miss Gina” who can carry up to 16 divers plus crew for excursions to the Turneffe Atoll. The “Lady Grace” can accommodate up to 24 divers plus crew and is regularly used for daily excursions to dive Jacques Cousteau’s world-famous Blue Hole.  

This Belize dive resort also offers a full range of PADI certification courses and is equipped with high-quality dive gear for sale and rent. Personal lockers are provided for all your equipment on the dive dock and Nitrox is available for certified divers. San Pedro also has two hyperbaric chambers for the safety of all divers in the region.  

Water temperatures in Belize remain fairly constant throughout the year, ranging from 79 to 84°F (26 to 29°C) and most divers are comfortable in a 3mm shorty or full wet-suit. March to December is considered the best time to dive in terms of conditions and marine life, with April and June the peak tourism months in Belize.  

Other Activities

Non-diving family members can take advantage of some of the world’s best snorkelling sites, which are located a short boat ride off the coast of Ambergris Caye. Ramon’s Village Resort can also organize sailing cruises and glass-bottom boat tours, as well as beach picnics on remote stretches of sand. If you’ve ever dreamed of getting up close to manatees, you can embark on a boat ride to neighbouring Caye Caulker to see these unique marine species.  

Aside from the vast range of activities on Ambergris Caye, there’s also plenty to do on mainland Belize, including visits to ancient Maya sites and jungle nature reserves teeming with wildlife.