Belize Private Island Resorts: Cayo Espanto, Thatch Caye, Caye Chapel and Tobacco Caye

A wooden dock runs out over the Caribbean, and at the end of it a bungalow sits with water on every side. On a few islands off the coast of Belize, the day is shaped by the tide, the dive boat and a dinner table set under thatch. These are the private island resorts of Belize, from a villa-only retreat near San Pedro to a three-acre caye with five small lodges.

What private island resorts are there in Belize?

Belize has several, and they are quite different from one another: Cayo Espanto, Thatch Caye Resort, Caye Chapel and the small lodges of Tobacco Caye. Some give you a whole island to yourself, others share a speck of sand with a handful of other travelers. What they have in common is that you sleep on a caye, with the reef close by and the mainland out of sight.

Cayo Espanto

Cayo Espanto is an ultra-luxury private island resort, and it is private property. It opened in December 1998 with seven villas for paying guests, and those seven villas are still the heart of it. They are placed so that guests may not see another guest during a stay, which is the whole idea of the place.

The villas are all seafront and on the beach, each with a private pool. Casa Ventanas is the odd one out, an over-the-water bungalow at the end of a private dock, surrounded on all sides by the sea.

Casa Estrella is the largest, a two-story villa with a plunge pool and an outdoor shower, while Casa Brisa is the most compact, with a veranda and its own dock. Casa Olita adds a walled garden, Casa Solana a dining area and an infinity plunge pool, Casa Aurora personal decks, and Casa Manana an ocean-front setting with a private dock.

Dining is all-inclusive and tailored to each guest’s tastes, and spa treatments such as massages and facials are given in your own private oasis. The island also has a helipad, a gym and a PADI diving base.

It suits couples, and Reader’s Digest listed it among the best adults-only all-inclusive resorts in the world in 2022. A group can also take the full island, all seven villas for up to 18 guests.

Thatch Caye Resort

Thatch Caye Resort takes no more than 30 guests at a time, so the feel is closer to a house party than a hotel. The accommodations include overwater bungalows with Caribbean views. In the Coco Lounge you find a TV, gourmet coffee and high-speed WiFi, a useful corner when you want a screen after a few days of sea and sky.

Meals are farm-to-table and shared, which means evenings are spent around the table with the other guests. The resort runs its own 5-Star PADI Dive Operation on site, so the reef is part of the program rather than an excursion you arrange elsewhere. TripAdvisor gave the resort its Travelers’ Choice Best of Best Award in 2025.

Caye Chapel

Caye Chapel is a small private island with a different character: golf. The White Shark Golf Course was co-designed by former PGA Tour player Greg Norman and former LPGA Tour player Lorena Ochoa, and a 25,000-square-foot clubhouse stands on the island. There is also an airstrip.

Around the island you can snorkel and fish. A Four Seasons development is expected to bring roughly 50 private estate lots, 35 private residences and 100 guest rooms and suites, so this is an island in transition rather than a finished resort.

Tobacco Caye

Tobacco Caye is the simple end of the range. The island covers about three acres, has a permanent population of about 20 and holds five small lodges. It is believed to have been named for the tobacco once grown there, and the earliest known European chart showing it was drawn by the British geographer J. Speer in 1771.

It lies within the South Water Caye Marine Reserve, part of Belize’s national system of protected waters, with a range of restrictions on fishing. Hurricane Mitch ravaged the caye in 1998, and it has since been rebuilt. Come here for a small, quiet island rather than for resort services.

Where are they?

The private island resorts sit in three different stretches of Belize’s coast: off San Pedro, off Belize City and off Dangriga. Each one belongs to its own corner of the reef, so the surroundings change from island to island.

Off San Pedro and Belize City

Cayo Espanto lies just three miles off the coast of San Pedro. It is part of the Pinkerton Islands archipelago and belongs administratively to the Belize District. That puts you within sight of San Pedro’s coast while staying on an island that is private property.

Caye Chapel is 16 miles north-northeast of Belize City and 3 miles south of Caye Caulker. It is adjacent to the Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that forms part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, the world’s second longest barrier reef. Snorkeling and fishing are possible around the island.

Off Dangriga

Tobacco Caye is about 10 miles east of Dangriga, a tiny island ringed by the waters of the South Water Caye Marine Reserve. With only five lodges and about 20 permanent residents, the whole island is essentially a small village on a reef.

Thatch Caye Resort is reached from Dangriga as well, by a boat ride of 9 miles. Its guests share an island that holds no more than 30 people, with overwater bungalows facing the Caribbean and dive boats leaving from the resort’s own operation.

How do you get there?

You reach the private islands by boat, usually after a flight or a drive to the nearest town on the coast. The best documented route is the one to Thatch Caye Resort, which runs through Dangriga.

Reaching Thatch Caye through Dangriga

At Belize International Airport, a passport and proof of return or onward ticket are required at the point of entry. A personal Muy’Ono airport concierge can provide a VIP arrival service, meeting you after Customs and helping with connections to separately booked commuter flights or land transfers.

From Belize City you can fly to the Dangriga airstrip, a commuter flight of 15 minutes. Travelers should arrive at Belize City no later than 3:00pm for these flights. The alternative is the Muy’Ono Explorer transfer to Dangriga, a 2 hour tour with a welcome drink, an air conditioned van, a tour guide and refreshment and bathroom stops. For this one, plan to be in Belize City by 11:30am.

Boats leave the dock at Pelican Beach Resort in Dangriga for Thatch Caye daily at 2:30pm and 4:30pm, subject to change. The crossing is 25 minutes over 9 miles, and the boat ride to and from the caye is included with all-inclusive accommodations.

Other islands

Caye Chapel has its own airstrip, which sets it apart from the others, and it lies 16 miles from Belize City. Cayo Espanto sits three miles off San Pedro, and it also has a helipad on the island. Tobacco Caye is about 10 miles from Dangriga, so the same mainland town serves it and Thatch Caye.

Good to know before you go

The U.S. State Department rates Belize Level 2, “Exercise increased caution”, because of crime, and says the south side of Belize City has historically had the highest concentration of violent crime.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and a trip to the cayes in those months falls within it. Each resort sets its own terms for meals and transfers: Cayo Espanto includes dining, and Thatch Caye includes its boat ride with all-inclusive accommodations. Keep your passport and return or onward ticket ready for entry at Belize International Airport.

Sources

Thatch Caye Resort, about (https://www.thatchcaye.com/about-thatch-caye), checked October 11, 2026
Thatch Caye Resort, getting there (https://www.thatchcaye.com/getting-to-thatch-caye), checked October 11, 2026
Cayo Espanto Private Island, home (https://aprivateisland.com/), checked October 11, 2026
Cayo Espanto Private Island, villas (https://aprivateisland.com/villas/), checked October 11, 2026
Wikipedia, Cayo Espanto (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cayo_Espanto), checked October 11, 2026
Wikipedia, Caye Chapel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caye_Chapel), checked October 11, 2026
Wikipedia, Tobacco Caye (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_Caye), checked October 11, 2026
U.S. Department of State, Belize Travel Advisory, Level 2, March 11, 2026 (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 11, 2026
NOAA National Hurricane Center, Climatology (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/), checked October 11, 2026