DO NOT reserve this spot; Fully disappointed with property that we checked out three days earlier than planned. 1) Seagrass in front of property smells like a toilet; 2) Bar is small and non existent; 3) Restaurant only has a few choices.. but Ceviche was awesome and shrimp fajitas; 4) WIFI was sketchy; TV is a smart TV from 5-10 years ago; 5) very far away from main town, San Pedro (10 miles) 6) Golf cart rental-tires were bald 7) This is a scam; why would owner rent this house out when water in front of his property is a dump with seagrass and we couldn’t even enjoy it; my kids couldn’t even go out and hang out on pier due to smell; 8) replacement Bath Towels and beach towels smelled liked mildew; locked in a closet in humidity; 9) Owner tries to get you drunk at his own bar which is super weird. 10) He called me an old woman b/c I didn’t want to be out there drinking with him first night.. second night I did and it was weird; 11) Boat they use for snorkeling tours and fishing is very basic; no padded seats; 12) Water for showers and cleaning up is salt water. The positives is that the snorkeling tours to Hol Chan and Mexico Rocks with David and Edgar were amazing. Half day Reef fishing was okay; waters were very choppy and we caught very small fish; not sure that is what we expected. Rooms were big in size but upstairs so if you have any disabilities this is not for you. I booked this place b/c it was my husbands early Fathers Day present and this was his choice b/c of the lure of the snorkeling/fishing trips. Don’t fall for the trap. There are better options closer to San Pedro.

This was a senior trip for our son, who will be leaving for the Army July 7th. We intentionally wanted to be in a remote location to have as much family time as possible. This destination served that purpose with only the other occasional golf cart stopping to get a drink or snack. Town is a 45 minute drive by golf cart, secret beach about 35 minutes. We utilized the golf carts A LOT. Honestly, some of our biggest laughs came from our outings on our golf cart. Secret beach is a MUST. Because Playa Del Sol beach isn't really usable at this time, we spent many afternoons at secret beach. Smuggle in your own beverages as the food and beverage service is expensive. Other outings were carefully coordinated by our host, Iz. He was very flexible and customized our trips to our liking. Highlights included lobster hunting and having the fresh catch deliciously prepared by staff. Snorkeling was the best we've ever done. We saw sharks, turtles, stingrays and a huge variety of gorgeous fish. It was refreshing to see the conscientious behavior of the locals in preserving this beautiful natural wonder. The mainland tour is a must! Very reasonable when you include the Cessna airplane ride. Look, I'm not going to lie; the Sargassum seaweed is a HUGE downer. It smells, and it's sadly mixed with garbage that has washed in. Just stay busy, heed the recommendations made by Iz and staff, have a positive attitude and I am confidant you will have as memorable of a vacation as we did! Mother nature is certainly sending "lemons" to the Caribbean, make lemonade:).

DO NOT reserve this spot; Fully disappointed with property that we checked out three days earlier than planned. 1) Seagrass in front of property smells like a toilet; 2) Bar is small and non existent; 3) Restaurant only has a few choices.. but Ceviche was awesome and shrimp fajitas; 4) WIFI was sketchy; TV is a smart TV from 5-10 years ago; 5) very far away from main town, San Pedro (10 miles) 6) Golf cart rental-tires were bald 7) This is a scam; why would owner rent this house out when water in front of his property is a dump with seagrass and we couldn’t even enjoy it; my kids couldn’t even go out and hang out on pier due to smell; 8) replacement Bath Towels and beach towels smelled liked mildew; locked in a closet in humidity; 9) Owner tries to get you drunk at his own bar which is super weird. 10) He called me an old woman b/c I didn’t want to be out there drinking with him first night.. second night I did and it was weird; 11) Boat they use for snorkeling tours and fishing is very basic; no padded seats; 12) Water for showers and cleaning up is salt water. The positives is that the snorkeling tours to Hol Chan and Mexico Rocks with David and Edgar were amazing. Half day Reef fishing was okay; waters were very choppy and we caught very small fish; not sure that is what we expected. Rooms were big in size but upstairs so if you have any disabilities this is not for you. I booked this place b/c it was my husbands early Fathers Day present and this was his choice b/c of the lure of the snorkeling/fishing trips. Don’t fall for the trap. There are better options closer to San Pedro.

Iz and his staff will make sure everyone has a great trip to Belize! We enjoyed all the trips they planned for us as well as the beautiful, relaxing, quiet setting of playa del sol!

Iz was a great host and we enjoyed our trip!

Wow! What a great private get away. Far enough from town to find peace, yet close enough to go should you need some noise. It has built the perfect getaway. He and his team make you feel like family! The food is incredible. We never needed, or wanted, to dine elsewhere. He schedules your boat trips and adventures to maximize your time and allow for rest. His knowledge of the area and it’s history gives you insight that you would otherwise have to read for hours to obtain. Iz is a gracious host that knows how to honor his guests! If you are looking to relax, play, get away from it all, eat good food and enjoy some good company, this is the place!! Thank you Iz - my grandchildren loved it...as did we!

What a week! The whole family including kids and grandparents (my inlaws) had an incredible time. We have come from years of all inclusive resorts and a Disney Cruise and we wanted something different. This was perfect for us! It is remote, so don't think you are going to travel to town for dinner each night. Remote is good though, we didn't even see a vehicle other than a golf cart unless we went to town. The darkness of the sky, the brightness of the stars, and the silence is relaxing in itself. 1st, don't book any other trips until you sit down with Iz and figure out your week. I had on a recommendation booked a fishing trip through a company in town previous to arriving. Although it worked out and we did it, we probably could have done better with Iz or not at all. 2nd, plan you grocery list ahead of time. We planned breakfast and some lunch and snack stuff. On the way to or back from Hol Chan (snorkeling) David will stop downtown and you can hit another convenience store and Belize Bank is right there for and ATM too. 3rd, just a guideline for bringing cash, the K mart grocery store takes all cards including AmEx. Secret Beach restaurants take everything, although it is very touristy and somewhat sketchy. Our family of four was about $250usd for food/bev and about $500usd for golf cart rentals and all other excursions that weren't covered initially. We did do the conch trip twice, it's like a private snorkeling trip and you'll probably get another dinner out of it. It's about $13usd/person regular menu, or $10usd/person if they cook you catch. Extremely reasonable There is not a beach and there is a lot of seagrass. It is something all Caribbean locations are struggling with. It wasn't a problem for us, it just would have been nice to hop in the water right there. If fishing off the pier bring small hooks! The last is Iz, the International Man of Mystery, as we refer to him. He is a very kind hearted, dedicated, and hard working man and my son absolutely loves him. Being Turkish he may struggle to find the right words but he will always have you and your happiness in mind. Just remember, you have all these reviews to kind of know him, and he knows nothing about you. He has had some real doozies to contend with as over the years you can see by some of the previous reviews. The dogs were a joy and never once in the pool. All in all, we loved it, we'd go back again in a heartbeat! Love you Iz!

This was just what we were looking for. It’s away from San Pedro. Beach was beautiful, snorkeling was amazing. David will not disappoint you on your fishing trip. The food was fantastic, drinks even better!! Great time visiting with Iz and staff at El Norte.

This was just what we were looking for. It’s away from San Pedro. Beach was beautiful, snorkeling was amazing. David will not disappoint you on your fishing trip. The food was fantastic, drinks even better!! Great time visiting with Iz and staff at El Norte.

Playa del Sol, is just what it says, play in the sun. We needed some R/R and fun, and Iz and team met our every expectation. Our unit, was clean, stocked as promised, and the most comfortable bed we have ever slept on in a rental property! Starting with a beautiful sunrise from our bedroom balcony, we spent each day unplugged, wound down, and rejuvenated. We enjoyed snorkeling (Mexico Rocks is our favorite), fishing, reading, and napping. Fishing with David was very successful, and we greatly appreciated the way Yuri prepared the fish on two different occasions for dinner. The local bar, El Norte, provided opportunities for story telling, laughter, new acquaintances, several good drinks (rum punch is a must), and really good local pub food. Pub games will break out at the drop of a hat. There was a fierce game of dice 😉. We brought our fly rods; Iz and David suggested we head up the coast about 2-3 miles, so off we went in the golf cart, and spent a beautiful morning fly fishing. Iz is a great host, he has an innate sense of when to be present. Everyone was gracious, warm and friendly. For us, Playa del Sol, was a big gulp for our parched souls! Rick and Jen C

Playa del Sol, is just what it says, play in the sun. We needed some R/R and fun, and Iz and team met our every expectation. Our unit, was clean, stocked as promised, and the most comfortable bed we have ever slept on in a rental property! Starting with a beautiful sunrise from our bedroom balcony, we spent each day unplugged, wound down, and rejuvenated. We enjoyed snorkeling (Mexico Rocks is our favorite), fishing, reading, and napping. Fishing with David was very successful, and we greatly appreciated the way Yuri prepared the fish on two different occasions for dinner. The local bar, El Norte, provided opportunities for story telling, laughter, new acquaintances, several good drinks (rum punch is a must), and really good local pub food. Pub games will break out at the drop of a hat. There was a fierce game of dice 😉�. We brought our fly rods; Iz and David suggested we head up the coast about 2-3 miles, so off we went in the golf cart, and spent a beautiful morning fly fishing. Iz is a great host, he has an innate sense of when to be present. Everyone was gracious, warm and friendly. For us, Playa del Sol, was a big gulp for our parched souls! Rick and Jen C

We just returned from our stay at Iz & Shae's beautiful ocean front home. I read thru all the reviews prior to booking & found them all to be very accurate except there were some changes from the older reviews. I found that improvements have been made since the 2016 reviews. The water pressure is perfect, and wifi signal isn't too bad. Also, the airport pick up service isn't a boat anymore as they have road access via a path along the beach. This home is located about 40 minutes drive from town. It is VERY remote & private which is exactly what I was looking for. There are two homes in PDS. The owners and staff live on site, so there is always help if you need anything. We found that the free water excursions were highlights of our trip. We caught a ton of fish and Yuri, their cook, made the most amazing dinner for us. We also rented a golf cart one day and went into town. The access road is bumpy and def not for everyone. is appreciated and obviously should be done (Min of $20-30 per captain and helper for each boat trip) If you book this home, you will have fishing/snorkeling & boating trips, & transfers from the airport in town included in the package. It makes it totally worth the price in nightly stay. The house is VERY clean, well stocked and the cooling system works perfectly. There are sand fleas and mosquitos all over the beaches and island in Belize so make sure to bring bug spray. The owner does supply baby oil too which helps a bit. Overall a wonderfully amazing trip of a lifetime! Thank you Iz, Shae, David, Yuri, Fernando and everyone else for being such gracious hosts!

We took our family of 5 (3 kids - 9, 11, &13) and my mom to Playa del Sol for an adventure vacation and we got memories that will last a lifetime. This is not a place for everyone because it is off the beaten path, but it was perfect for us as we wanted to spend our time on the water boating, fishing, snorkeling, and diving. The reef was amazing, but snorkeling and spearfishing from the shore at the house was also great! Sunrises on the dock with a cup of coffee were the perfect way to start the day and we enjoyed every moment of our day trips to the ruins and Secret Beach. The staff could not have treated us any better and every since meal we ate at the el norte bar was fantastic. Our kids are already asking if we can go back!

Exceeded all our expectations!! The rooms were well appointed, clean and cool. Beautifully built and maintained property. So relaxing and peaceful. Loved the extras with the boat excursions. Food was amazing and the staff was so personable. We felt like we made friends for life. Would recommend to anyone who likes getting away from it all! Our family is definitely going to return and can't wait to do so!

Exceeded all our expectations!! The rooms were well appointed, clean and cool. Beautifully built and maintained property. So relaxing and peaceful. Loved the extras with the boat excursions. Food was amazing and the staff was so personable. We felt like we made friends for life. Would recommend to anyone who likes getting away from it all! Our family is definitely going to return and can't wait to do so!

Beautiful property with comfortable, clean accommodations and wonderful amenities! It was great to have the pool, Tiki bar, pier, and dive shop right on site and Iz and all the staff were super fun and helpful. The snorkeling excursions were fantastic and it was so convenient to take off right form the pier. We loved the morning we spent fishing with David and James in the boat, and then enjoyed the feast prepared for us that evening by David's wife - Delicious! The sea grass accumulation along most of the beaches in the area was unfortunate, but motivated us to explore the island more. We highly recommend reserving golf carts and exploring places like Secret Beach (go to the one on the right), San Pedro - The lion fish at Pirate's Treasure was amazing, and Paradise Bay for snorkeling right off the pier. Iz, the owner, took great care of all our needs and arrangements. When we arrived we booked a PADI scuba dive with CJ's Reef Shack. Our training/refreshing was right there in the resort pool and then we loaded the boat right from the pier. James was super helpful and knowledgeable, and he made the dive so convenient and fabulous! We traveled with our 3 adult daughters and a friend and the house served us well with comfortable beds, air conditioning, full kitchen, lovely eating area, and spacious bathroom. We had plenty of bottled water and coffee! Fernando at the Tiki bar also took good care of us! The drinks and food at were delicious, reasonably priced, and the bar provided a great place to socialize and have some fun! All of us agree that our stay at Playa Del Sol was fantastic! Thanks, Iz!

Our stay at Play del Sol was great! We arrived and Iz greeted us with a complimentary drink. His bar has a nice selection of liquor and the food was awesome! Iz and James sat down with our family and planned our excursions for the week. I was very thankful that we chose this location and had a boat captain to take us out daily. There is a golf cart on site that you can rent so that you can explore the area. Our first day we took the golf cart to Secret Beach for the day. I highly recommend Playa del Sol.

From beginning to end, our trip to San Pedro / Playa del Sol was fantastic! Iz was great and without being intrusive, was always concerned about our enjoyment. He, along with all the other folks, made our stay very memorable. Not having been to Belize before, we were concerned about whether our stay would meet expectations. One of the best vacations we’ve had. Iz and the people who work with him were always helpful and enjoyable. Don’t miss out on using the boat, makes things much easier than having to rent a boat. Also, don’t miss out on the fun times at El Norte the Tiki bar on premises (Chris the bartender / owner won’t fall for your Texas Holdem tricks). We also enjoyed meeting all the other vacationers from rentals away from Play Del Sol who came to the tiki hut. Having a golf cart on premises was also great. We used it the days we needed, but weren’t locked into paying for days we didn’t. With David as our guide, it was great catching our own fish, lobster and conch and having it prepared that day. I think, like most other, we read all the reviews before booking our stay at Playa Del Sol. We have to say we can’t disagree with those reviews. Each person will have their own experience, but the adventures we chose, were lifetime memories thanks to all the folk at PDS and El Norte!

Words don’t properly describe what a wonderful vacation we had at Playa Del Sol but I’ll try. Iz and the staff made everyone feel like family, they go above and beyond to make the guests have a fantastic vacation. The snorkeling, fishing and lobster hunting included with the stay make it a very good value also! The beach bar run by Chris from Canada is a classic! The quintessential beach bar. This place is remote in a good way! WiFi and all the modern amenities without the large resort crowds. We highly highly recommended Playa Del Sol !

We are a week back from our amazing vacation at Playa Del Sol in Belize. We (me, my husband, 16 year old son and 13 year old daughter) spent 8 marvelous days there over Thanksgiving. Ambergris Caye in Belize feels a little "undiscovered" which i LOVE. The north side of the island where PDS is located is definitely away from the hustle and bustle you find in San Pedro. It is about a 45 minute car/golf cart ride to the resort. Iz and his wife Shae who own the property live on site. There are three other units. It is picture perfect. The resort is lovely. We stayed in one of the the two bedroom units. Our son slept on the futon in the living room. The beds were comfortable--slept like a baby. There was plenty of room. The hot water was HOT and the A/C was COLD. The furniture is lovely. You have everything you need. Upon arrival we were sent a taxi to pick us up from the airport, take us for groceries and drive us to the resort. Iz, the property owner, was waiting with a smile and a welcome drink at El Norte, the outdoor palapa covered bar located steps from the units. Honestly, it could not have been more perfect. Iz met with us the next morning and organized our trips: hunting for conch and rock lobsters with David--WOW! (which the amazing Yuri--David's wife--cooked for us that evening), fishing with David and Hill (the greatest tour guide!), snorkeling two separate times and places (this was AMAZING--like swimming in a fish tank) , swam with sharks!!, and fed tarpon. We organized a trip to the Lamania ruins (highly recommend. the boat ride alone was worth it. We took the plane to the mainland--worth the $80 each it cost to save the time!) we rented jet skis from Iz which were a hit with the teenagers! We became more endeared to Iz and all of the others at PDS each day. We spent our days on adventures, either planned or last minute (with the help of Iz) and our afternoons at the El Norte Bar with Chris (the awesome Canadian owner) and Fernando. These guys are sweet, smart, & interesting. We looked forward to this time of day! (and I mean ALL of us--kids included). My advice: take water shoes, flip flops and tennies for the ruins. NOTHING fancy! Skin So Soft for the noseeums (if it is still), bug spray w/DEET (we were NOT bothered by mosquitos), & sunscreen. If you are high maintenance this is probably not the trip for you BUT if you want a true Belizian experience with amazing people GOOOO! We will be back!

We flew into the international airport in Belize City. We got delayed on our flight in (bad weather in the US), but Tropic Air just adjusted our times and got us on the next plane out. Really accommodating. They have flights every 30 minutes or so. We tried the water taxi on our last trip, but the taxi ride from the airport to the boat was 30 minutes and it takes about 1 1/2 hours to travel on the water taxi to Ambergris Caye. I think the views are worth the $80 each way. Iz, the owner of Playa Del Sol, is a world traveler. We were so impressed by the house that he intelligently designed. Iz had us picked up directly from the local airport and taken shopping at a local grocery store. They had our groceries brought to the boat for us and then it was and easy 20-minute boat ride up the shore. The reef is 25 miles long and only a half mile off shore. The captains (two for each trip) that Iz hires are licensed guides for all the reserves. They filleted all our fish and prepared our lobster and conch each day. We encountered Dolphins, Tarpon, and Turtles because they knew where to look. Don't miss Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley reserves, some of the best in the Western Hemisphere. The guides fed the animals of the Shark Ray Alley so nurse sharks came right up to the boat as we jumped into the water. There is another reserve just off Playa Del Sol called Mexican Rocks (where you don't have to pay an entrance fee) We loved the Coral Garden area south of San Pedro. With 25 miles of reef, you never see the same thing twice. We paid only for the gas for the boat (about $250 for the whole week) and tips for the guides (~$20 each per day) the rest was included in the price of the house rental. The price for 6 of us was a bargain. The house is perfect, classy, stylish, and cozy. The furniture is from hand crafted local hardwoods that Iz personally designed. The kitchen had everything we needed to cook our freshly caught fish each night. There is a big screen TV, DVD player, and good Wi-Fi too. There's a sizable beach front, coconut trees, and a volleyball court. The El Norte Bar is just steps from the front door. Chris will serve you drinks anytime, the food is good too. Coming to Playa Del Sol was worth every penny spent, we got lost in amazing island life. This was our second trip, but will not be our last.