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We visited the Iguana Reef Hotel & what a disappointment it was! First of all, it's located on the wrong side of the island, almost next door to the gas station. There is no beach, no swimming area, no pool & worst of all, no breeze. In fact there is a dank & swampy "feel" to the place. On the brighter side, the rooms & bar are clean & modern but the prices are outrageous & make the San Pedro hotels look a positive bargain. This place is like "Fawlty Towers" but lacking the charm. The management is pretentious, pompous & prissy, making this place dreary, dismal & frankly, dull. My advice is to enjoy Caye Caulker, but avoid this place at all costs!

Pedro, why don't you post this on the Caye Caulker message board at www.cayecaulker.org/messages.

If you are going to dis a hotel, you ought at least to get the name right -- it's Iguana Reef Inn. My experience there is somewhat different than "Pedro's." It's a beautiful little place, with large airy suites and air-conditioning (one of the few places on the island with A/C.) Yes, it's on the back side of the island, next to the soccer field, which in some ways is a negative, though you can see the sunset over the water. No pool, but there are no pools on Caulker. I found the management helpful, with perhaps the best and most informative Web site on Caye Caulker. The rates are on the high side -- for Caulker -- but still a bargain by Ambergris Caye standards. Think an A/C double suite this time of year is around US$90. By the way, some of the other upmarket places on the island, such as Lazy Iguana B&B (US$85 for a room) are on the back side, too.

--Lan Sluder www.belizefirst.com

I have to totally agree with Lan. I stayed there with my daughter two weeks ago and can't say enough how much we enjoyed it. The room was very large with tiled floors. Two verandas have screened doors so the breeze comes through. We didn't even need the a/c. We found it a plus that is is on the "other" side of the island. It was quiet and the sunsets are to die for.
Jim, Mario and Carin are very pleasant people who work very hard at making Iguana Reef Inn a great place to stay. The new bar is relaxing with good music (jazz etc...) and the bartender Matt is entertaining to say the least! You have to ask for a performance of his juggling act.
No, there is no pool, but no place on Caye Caulker has one. The deck in the courtyard is set up high with a palapa roof, a hammock and comfortable chair so it was a perfect place to hang out and read in the afternoon and stay cool.
I didn't feel the prices were high at all for what you get. We paid $80 for a room with two queen beds, refrigerator and table with two chairs. The decor is bright and the bathroom shower tiled.
There are several other places I looked at but based on Carin's response to my e-mail I made the choice of Iguana Reef with not one regret.
At the risk of offending Pedro, it sounds like he might have a personal problem. If he thought the management was anything but professional and pleasant he had to have been difficult to get along with. Maybe he should stay in San Pedro next time.... and leave Caye Caulker to the people who appreciate it.

I am trying to figure out where Pedro stayed. It surely could not have been the Iguana Reef Inn. I am a repeat customer. I have never had anything but a great time there.

This trip marks the addition of a lovely bar where I can watch the sun set while sipping their signature drink, the Passionate Iguana. The bartender is quite talented, juggling bottles while making your chosen libation. The decorating is casual but sophisticated. I enjoyed many hours there.

There is a secluded sandy area at the back of the hotel between the bar and the water with hammock, chaises and umbrellas. It is nice and quiet, perfect for relaxing.

Our room is wonderful, we have one of the large suites. It is quite large, beautifully decorated, has a pair of very comfortable queen beds and a futon sofa that could be used for sleeping if needed. We really didn't need the airconditioning as the cross breeze was enough with the fans, so only used it once when it rained. Our refrigerator came stocked with beer, juices and water. The cabinet above with assorted snacks. In the morning there is coffee and tea provided in the morning room adjacent the office.

I took advantage of the holistic massage offered through the hotel by a lovely young lady, Christa. She gave me the best massage I have ever had. Worked all my kinks out, she has magic fingers. Tremendous.

This hotel may be a bit more than others on the island but it is a very good value, I will keep going back.

I think Pedro was a little drunk and out of line when he visited Iguana Reef Inn. He claims in previous posts to be honest and only to tell the facts about Belize... how can you belittle other people for telling lies and then tell one of the biggest because you acted like an ass......if you have an answer Pedro I would really like to hear it....

Pretentious, pompous, and prissy! Moi?

Hey! There was a post between jani & bill that is gone now, something about alligators...tell me more, i'd love to see them!!!!

I have read with interest every comment from the hotel. Am I incorrect in stating that the rooms are next or very close to a gas station?

I have read a lot of garbage about how Iguana Reef is good value compared to San Pedro hotels. What rubbish. You can stay on Ambergris Caye in LUXURY for about $75US and up during the low season. BREAKFAST INCLUDED in many cases. The difference is that these hotels are on the windward BEACH SIDE, facing the reef, not the sandfly mosquito infested lagoon side.

Lan Sluder, I am sure you did enjoy your free nights there. Try going now while there is no wind and the humidity is near 100% and tell me if it's good value compared to San Pedro BEACH SIDE or other hotels on the BEACH SIDE on Caye Caulker.

As for the other posts here....Iguana Reef guests posting their previous experience on this board or the owners of IR plugging their own hotel?

I know nothing about Iguana, but I do know that there are always a few people who will be satisfied no matter how mice your place is. I had a lady drag her family away right after checking into one of my condos (in Paradise Villas) a few weeks ago, claiming that it was "unsafe." She ended up at Victoria House and its clear now that "unsafe" to her meant that people other than gringo tourists were visible. This kind of thing has only happened a very few times over the past ten years, but it will happen once in a while.
As far not having a pool is concerned, that is a silly complaint unless the hotel advertised that it had a pool, and I am quite sure they don't. If you want a pool, you should find out if the place has one before you go there, right?
If the weather was muggy, its not the hotel's fault. They have air conditioning, don't they? (And if they didn't and you didn't ASK, its your fault, not theirs, isn't it?)
If you want to be on the ocean side and not the lagoon side, you should ASK where it is. If you want to be 10 feet from the beach, ASK how far the place is from the beach. If cable TV is important to you, ASK if they have it.
These things are so easy to do these days, when all kinds of info is available on the net and everybody has email. There's no excuse for not asking about the amenities that are important to you and then dissing the place after the fact because it didn't have the ones you wanted but didn't ask about.