mark K
★★★★★
a week ago
We have been home for over a week and like to everyone at Itza Resort for an amazing adventure. Elvis and his entire crew have crafted an amazing diving and restorative adventure. Hurricane Lisa hit the region during last November, and … More ever since, they have been diligently working to reboot the resort and its natural grandeur to an even-better experience. Their effort shows and the site continues to get better.
It had been about 7-years since our last dive and my wife and I felt very safe knowing we had such great supervision. We were assigned the same guide, Mario, over the entire course of our week-long stay. Our group was small, with never more than six divers, supervised by a lead and assistant guide, helping us with every detail. Mario is extremely experienced, safe, very knowledgeable about the local diving locations and was able to find us clear water on nearly every dive despite the reef system having somewhat blown-out weather conditions. Mario is an interesting, worldly, sage guy, and between dives we enjoyed extended conversations with him ranging from Caribbean culture and reef biology to world affairs, old movies, and the science behind ketogenesis! You'll really score if he guides you!
Despite Itza’s remoteness, the resort has all the basic amenities you need, and then some, for a comfortable and relaxing diving vacation. It is located between 5-30 minutes boat ride from world class diving spots (Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye, and countless local drops). The daily diving schedule is set up like that similar to a liveaboard with three daily-scheduled dives but they are completely flexible if you want to do more, night dive, or perhaps something more advanced. You can also kayak, fish, stargaze and chill in the many hammocks and chairs during down time.
Thanks to Chef Gilroy, and Deirdre who runs the dining room; the food was fresh, healthy, and delicious and I don’t think we had the same meal twice during out week-long stay. They also have a decent bar selection, which if you have particular desires, can also be stocked in advance of your arrival. My wife off-handedly remarked the hot sauce was quite good, and hearing that, Elvis returned from a weekly provision run with about six-bottles for my wife to take home! He also assisted us with all our transfers, including hooking us up with a taxi driver who acted as our personal guide to tour the Howler Monkey Sanctuary and a local festival which just happened to be going on the day of our departure.
If you’re looking for a resort experience with pools, spa treatments and perfectly manicured beaches, you’re probably better off going to Placencia or Ambergris Caye. However, if your focus is diving, fishing, kayaking in solitude; with comfortable accommodations, delicious food & libations, interesting and friendly people at a very fair price, you should seriously consider Itza Resort!
Manuela Moutafian
★★★★★
a month ago
This is a place I'll be going back to. We spend one week here and it went by too fast! Elvis, the manager of the diving and the resort, was great. Definitely one of a kind! He's knowledgeable and a really good diver/fisher - I … More felt very safe when diving with him in the Blue Hole at 40meters of depth.
Activities:
If you're a dive junky you can dive as many times as you want here, Elvis will make sure of that! Oh and definitely do a night dive, so much more comes out at night! And if you don't have your Advance PADI, this is the place to do it at a fair price! If you want to take a break from diving Itza is a great spot to relax, read, walk around the island, kayak, and snorkel (if you're not afraid of crocs). But if you're looking for other activities, ask Elvis to take you out on a spearfishing/fishing trip! Elvis is a pro and you'll definitely come home with a bunch of delicious fish! It was our first time spearfishing and we all caught a fish, cleaned it, (Elvis cooked it for us perfectly), and we ate it! Yum!
About the diving:
The coral reef was extraordinary. The island is max 5 minutes away from the most untouched protected reefs in the area (my personal favorites were The Aquarium and The Cathedral). And it's only 15minutes from the Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye. Beautiful Eagle Rays, Reef sharks, Nurse Sharks, Turtles, Eels, and more!
The resort and service:
The rooms were perfect. Clean bathrooms, comfy beds, fans, with each our own terrace with a view of the ocean. The cooks were so kind and accommodating. They made very good food, especially the coconut pudding. Yum! You'll never be hungry on this island, the food kept coming and they fed us well! Jeff and Cricket (part of the staff) were super kind and took us coconut hunting and showed us some cool spots around the island. And finally, Mario, our dive master, was super chill and took us to some great spots for diving.
Still on a high from this trip! Thank you to all the people that made this stay exceptional. Really looking forward to going back there.
Itza Resort
