US$150–200

The SunBreeze Beach Hotel (tel. 501/226-2191, U.S. 800/688-0191, www.sunbreeze.net [1], US$170–225) is a full-service oceanfront hotel with 42 rooms built around an open sand area and pool. Rooms have two queen beds, air-conditioning, tile floors, local artwork, private baths, and direct-dial phones; Front Street starts next door, and the entrance is yards from the airstrip. There’s an on-site dive shop, a top-notch restaurant (Blue Water Grill), and many other services.

The SunBreeze has some of the few fully handicapped accessible rooms I’ve seen in the country. They also rent suites at the other end of Front Street; on the beach across from the Belize Bank, SunBreeze Suites (tel. 501/226-4675, www.sunbreezesuites.com [2], US$150–200) offers one-bedroom suites with full kitchens, guest queen sofa beds, and air-conditioning, and they can sleep up to four adults per room; families and children are welcome. They feel more like small condos than hotel rooms.

A full-service resort with 71 rooms, Ramon’s Village (tel. 501/226-2071, U.S. tel. 800/624-4215, www.ramons.com [3]) has standard rooms from US$155 and a presidential suite for US$400; the rooms are nice, though the “kitchenettes” are not much more than a sink and microwave. The property’s 500-foot beach is practically in San Pedro Town and has decent walk-in snorkeling; there is a restaurant and bar and a pool, as well as on-site dive shops, guides, and an inland tour operator. You can rent sailboards, aquacycles, speedboats, and golf carts.

Xanadu Island Resort (tel. 501/226-2814, www.xanaduresort [4] belize.com, from US$170) is a cluster of luxury monolithic domes with thatched overlay roofs nestled in lush landscaping. There is a beachfront pool, as well as a private nature walk and bird sanctuary. Nineteen suites are available with fully equipped kitchens, and there is a choice of studios and one-, two-, and three-bedrooms.

Mata Rocks Resort (tel. 501/226-2336, U.S. tel. 888/628-2757, www.matarocks.com [5], US$135–220) has six beautiful suites and 11 rooms with ocean views around a pool; the rooms, while not huge, have plenty of basic amenities, such as air-conditioning, cable, wireless Internet, bikes, transfers, and continental breakfast. The style is white, clean, and Mediterranean.