Fodor's Expert Review Pelican Beach Resort South Water Caye

Steps from one of the country's best beaches sits this former convent turned serene island retreat, a pioneer in Belizean eco-tourism since 1971. Run by the old-line Bowman family, Pelican Beach's colonial-era main lodge has a dining room serving fresh seafood and Belizean-style dishes on the ground floor. You can stay in the lodge's rooms, or in a no-frills but pleasant cottage, where the trade winds will lull you to sleep (no a/c at Pelican Beach). Here you can swim, snorkel, and fish to your heart's content right off the shore. The Marine Reserve fee and transport to the island from Dangriga are extra. No dive shop here, but staff will arrange trips for you. Power here is solar, showers are rainwater, and toilets are the composting kind.