Perfect Island Hangout

Guest: Ott (Somoma County, CA)
Date of Stay: 01/13/12 Review Submitted: 02/01/12

Just want to add a few comments to the good reviews posted by the other guests - The lounge chairs noted in another post were not a problem for us, seemed to be in good repair. We spent many enjoyable hours on them at the pool, beach and at the palapa at the end of the dock. Definitely some of our most favorite places on the island. Angela, the house cleaner, is a sweetheart. She kept the place clean and took care of our laundry for a very reasonable cost. Bring DVD’s or CD’s if you like. They do have a fabulous mix of music CD’s. Check out The Lone Star (aka Mr.Joe's) just across the street for great Tex-Mex, seafood and drinks. We brought our catch from a half day fishing trip over and they prepared a feast for us. For a fun place to mix with the locals and other guests walk 1 minute down the beach to the Lighthouse Bar. It’s definitely worth going snorkeling with Suya Tours at Hol Chan and Shark/ray alley. Some of our favorite places to eat in town were Elvi’s Kitchen, Waraguma, Blue Water Grill and Wild Mango’s. We had a good mix of weather – a little rain, some wind and plenty of sun. It was so comfortable we never used the AC. Loved running around the island on the golf cart. This is the perfect island hangout. We'll be back.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Villa Natalia San Pedro

Guest: L & R (Bozeman, Montana)
Date of Stay: 01/02/12 Review Submitted: 01/16/12

Our group stayed in the Villa Natalia for a week and loved every minute! This villa has exceptional furniture and decor and was extremely clean. There was ample room for three couples and the living/dining area had views to the beautiful blue Belize water. It's very quiet and located about 2.5 miles from the town center. One thing to consider is the rental of a golf cart to get into town, runs about $50/day which was an added expense but fun! The only draw back was the lack of a laundry facility, we had been traveling through Belize for 10 days and would have really appreciated being able to do some laundry. We did talk to the management but had to wait for the maid to do the laundry mid week which meant hand washing of underwear and essential items. The large soaking tub came in handy for that! Our best tour was with Sayu for the day long snorkel/lunch at three dive sites and lunch at Basil Joes beach. Favorite restaurants were Caroline's, Eli's, Cubana Cafe for breakfast, Victoria House for after dinner drinks. Don't bother shopping at the large market, the smaller close markets are cheaper and have all of the necessary items. The pool was nice but the lounge chairs need some updating, many were broken and too heavy to move. Snorkeling is best off of the pier, the best fish are around the pier area and we did see some rays and starfish in the sea grass.

Owner response:We always appreciate kind words and forward any comments that apply to our recommended vendors and tour operators like Carlos, the owner of Suya Tours. As with many small family businesses on the Caye, Suya relies heavily on word of mouth for their trade. We are very pleased to see such positive reviews accorded these folks. Not only does it rewards their efforts it also validates our recommendations. With respect to our guest's laundry needs we regret any inconvenience caused by our arrangements. Sadly, we were forced to limit laundry access when past privileges to the owner’s laundry room resulted in both chronic security issues and significant damage. However, as with any policy, periodic review is appropriate particularly when a guest's comment may indicate a need. As a result we will be adding some additional guidance and options in our guest information sheet. The observations about the communal lounge chairs around the pool were appreciated. We immediately forwarded the comment to our co-operative's managing director requesting both an assessment and repairs where necessary. We understand what few repairs were needed are being addressed. Again we are very pleased when our guests enjoy their stay and provide comments that help us maintain, and improve, the quality of Villa Natalia. George & Jody, Owners.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

WOW!!

Guest: snorkel fiend (West Linn, OR)
Date of Stay: 12/07/11 Review Submitted: 12/22/11

The furnishings here made us feel like royalty! The carved wood cabinets and objects from around the world were amazing!! The kitchen was generously stocked--we never ran out of dishes between dishwasher loads. Bicycles were included, and we used them several times to go into town. The kayak was fun, but most of the time we went snorkeling under the dock--beautiful fish and usually rays too! We caught a few fish off the dock too. All of this just out the door from our room!! One of the best features was having a view of the swimming pool from our deck, so that we could watch the kids from our unit! Also, having a loft bedroom gave the newlyweds in our party great privacy. We'll never forget these beautiful accommodations!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, girls getaway, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Rick and Ranae - Oklahoma - rick@h2ochurch.net

Guest: Rick (Oklahoma)
Date of Stay: 09/09/11 Review Submitted: 09/17/11

Villa Natalia was great! The beds were very comfortable as was the rest of the accommodations. The property is right on the beach and nicely decorated. The "Penthouse" view as amazing. We traveled at a good time, not a huge amount of tourists so the locals gave us special attention. Alot of the restaurants close for 30 days starting around Sept 15 so travel before or after Nov. 1st. Take mesquito spray!!!! We went diving, snorkeling, fishing, and spent alot of time just visiting with locals. This property has a good restaurant right across the street (Tex-Mex) Joe's. You will spend alot of time traveling by golf cart. It is not but about 5-10 minutes from downtown by golf cart. Lots of little markets or stores close to property as well if you want to fix you own. Check expiration dates on things. Good restuarants...Joe's, Caroline's, and Elvi's Kitchen were our favs! Overall, this property was just what we wanted and we will stay here again..guaranteed! The owner and property management were great at directing us to the right people to get things done. I am 57, my wife is 48, we traveled with two boys ages 10 and 16, and my father-in-law age 73! It was a wonderful experience.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

5/5 Perfect Vacation Villa

Guest: Dianne (Missouri) (-)
Date of Stay: 05/22/11 Review Submitted: 08/06/11

(VRBO Review Originally Submitted by Guest June 22, 2011) My husband and two teenage children stayed at Villa Natalia in May, 2011. It is a beautiful Villa and we would highly recommend these accommodations. The villa was beautiful and we felt was in a perfect location. We felt like we had our own private beach. However we were close enough to town and made daily trips there in our golf cart. I recommend getting a golf cart as the trip to town would be pretty long by bike or walking. We snorkeled off the pier and saw several fish and rays. We went out there one night and were amazed at the tarpon and barracuda feeding on the bait fish that were there feeding on the insects that had been attracted by the pier lights. Now that I am home, I can't wait to go back and sit on the palapa and feel that great ocean breeze! We hope visit Villa Natalia again in the future. Recommended for: Age 55+, Adventure seekers, Girls getaway, Tourists without a car, Families with teenagers, Families with young children, Romantic getaway

Recommended for:

5/5 Beautiful condo and fabulous island

Guest: Bob & Bonnie (Victor, Idaho USA) (-)
Date of Stay: 03/29/11 Review Submitted: 08/02/11

(VRBO Review Originally Submitted April 23, 2011) Definitely recommend this condo and island for a wonderful vacation. The owners were extremely helpful with questions about the island and travel to Belize. We rented an electric golf cart from Cholo's Golf Rentals (recommended by the owners) - they were the best! Carlos at Suya Tours was super. We did a snorkeling trip with Suya Tours and a trip to Lamanai with Suya Tours. Both were extremely well organized and the tour guides were top notch - highly recommend. Our favorite restaurant was Sunset Grill where you can feed the tarpon and enjoy a sunset dinner on the beach. Thank you for a great place to relax and enjoy this beautiful island - we love Belize! Recommended for: Adventure seekers, Sightseeing, Families with teenagers, Families with young children, Romantic getaway

Recommended for:

Fantastic!

Guest: Holly (Seattle)
Date of Stay: 11/20/10 Review Submitted: 07/30/11

Villa Natalia was perfect for us! My husband and I went with my sister and her husband. The pictures are great but it's bigger and better in person. I would give anything to be there again. It's light and airy and perfect for staring out at the ocean and relaxing or getting picked up at the end of the dock for an adventure. You can rent a golf cart (dropped off at your door) and get to town for groceries really easily. It's a little bit of a bumpy ride but that's part of the fun everyone is in golf carts. Everyone is really friendly and nice. The condo has everything you could possibly need including a sea kayak! We absolutely loved it. We swam right off the end of the dock and saw beautiful fish and rays while chilling under the Palapa. Trips were easy to plan right from the house. Carlos called us when we arrived to see if we wanted to go on a trip and we had a great time with them. They pick up right at your dock and all their guides are fun and informative. If you need basic groceries, there's a grocery/restaurant right across the street too. In town we loved Elvie's Kitchen for dinner and would highly recommend it when in town. Loved it!!! If you have any questions, the owners are super helpful as is Caye Management. We had a blast!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

5/5 Wonderful property!

Guest: Susiee (USA) (-)
Date of Stay: 11/29/09 Review Submitted: 07/29/11

(VRBO Review Originally Submitted: March 26, 2010) We had a fabulous time at Villa Natalia. The condo is gorgeous - lovely decor and space for all. The pool was well maintained and we enjoyed hanging out at the palapa. You could even snorkel at the end and see several fish! There is a small grocery store across the street, so we were able to fix our own meals as well as carry out. The only small downside is that the ocean has much sea grass - we took walks daily but went to the public beach to really swim. Many, many entries in the guest book showed that previous travelers enjoyed this accommodation. Recommended for: Age 55+, Girls getaway, Tourists without a car, Families with teenagers, Families with young children, Romantic getaway

Recommended for: