With just six rooms, and an average year round price of USD275 which makes it a very affordable vacation, the Xaman Ek Resort and Spa should be high on your list when checking out suitable beachfront hotels or Ambergris Caye Resorts in Belize this year. It is also a very good Belize dive resort if that is a necessary thing for your vacation, and the dive master is exceptionally good. If a Spa is a necessary part of your holiday, then you won’t be disappointed.

The Xaman Ek Resort and Spa because it is so small is very personal, very hands on by the management and staff, so the service is excellent . The accommodation is divided into two cabanas, and four beachfront suites, so it is a real beachfront hotel

The two Cabanas are perfect if you don’t need acres of space, and are very adequate for a couple who just want to escape 21^st century life. Each Cabana has a thatched roof which also shades the verandah. They are close to the beach, the pool, and the sea, having views over all of them. The bathrooms are tiled, they are air conditioned, , have a microwave, a toaster, coffee maker, purified water dispenser, and very comfortable beds. A blessing is the lack of Televisions in the rooms, so some good reading material is an important thing to bring with you. Quite honestly if TV is a necessary part of your holiday enjoyment, then go somewhere else. If not quite cured of a TV addiction, then there is a recreation room, which has TV and a pool table.

The 4 Beachfront Suites  have 1400 square feet of accommodation, and are totally beachfront, just open the door, you are not only on the beach, but the view of the turquoise sea is something you will remember in the depths of next winter. It would be fair to say that this is where you get easily the best view of the reef. The suites are colourfully furnished and have full kitchens with purified water.

The kitchen could be important if you are here en famille, because the Xaman Ek Resort and Spa doesn’t have a restaurant as such.

There is a snack bar area where you can have light breakfasts and lunch, and whilst this could seem like a drawback, in fact it is part of the joy of the place.

The predictability of large hotel meals, with restaurants stuffed to overflowing with executives and their wives isn’t something you will find here.

In fact some of the snacks are quite outstanding, and there are plenty of local restaurants to choose from, although they are not cheap.

The general opinion seems to be that the Portofino Restaurant next door may be overpriced for what you get, but Capricorns is worth going to. It’s quite fun to be able to visit and sample the local hotels and restaurants if only to realise how lucky you are at Xaman Ek Resort and Spa.

The grounds are kept immaculately, with lovely flowers and plants, and the beach outside is raked every morning, and this makes it look fabulous. In fact any photographs you may have seen of Xaman Ek Resort and Spa are accurate, because it really looks like that

There is little doubt that Xaman Ek Resort and Spa will give you a very affordable vacation, and it takes a lot to beat its situation as a beachfront hotel and resort on Ambergris Caye. It is a pretty good dive resort, but not for people who want all the mod cons of a five star hotel. It is a great place to relax and unwind.