Name: Ambergris Lake Villas
Address: Mar De Tumbo Drive San Pedro,Mar De Tumbo Drive, San Pedro, San Pedro, San Pedro, Belize
Rating: 8

Air conditioning

Smoke-free property

Garden

Terrace

All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private)

General

Non-smoking rooms

Rooms

Free Wi-Fi

Internet access

Internet

Barbecue grill(s)

Recreation

Parking

Parking nearby

Outdoor pool

Pool and beach

Location

At the hotel

Caye Caulker Airport

Sarteneja Airport

Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport

Ambergris Lake Villas

San Pedro

For a place that charged us over 1600 U.S. dollars per night, we expected a lot more.  We had 15 guests, ages 3 to 64.  The bed configuration was different than advertised, and there were insufficient supplies of beach towels and kitchen supplies (like pourable juice pitchers and simple containers for leftovers).  We saw a rat in the drawer of the small kitchen in the 3-bedroom house that didn't get addressed all day.  There were feces on top of a picture on the wall of the master bedroom of that house as well.  There was a serious ant issue in all areas, despite not eating or drinking in the room there would be swarms of tiny ants on clothes, bathing suits, etc.  Both sinks and the dishwasher in the main kitchen were seriously backed up the entire week - which was a known issue prior to our arrival.  The gross water backed up into the dishwasher and leaked out all over the floor.  We had to leave rugs and rags piled up to catch the spillover.  On the last day of our week (when they were preparing for the owners to visit),  they finally brought in heavy-duty drain opener.  We had several meals prepared by a personal chef.  The food was great, but difficult not to think about how gross the kitchen was.  Also be prepared to pay cash for groceries, gas for the chef and other incidentals.  The per meal charge doesn't go to the chef and must also be paid in cash - not Venmo, PayPal,  Zelle, etc.   Makes me wonder why it must be cash if it goes to the house.  The property manager was difficult to communicate with.  She made errors on the airline reservations and only answered a small percentage of the questions we posed.

We chose to pay significantly more for this place over other comparable properties based on the room configurations and amenities.  Unfortunately, the place doesn't deliver as advertised.

Disappointing

Eric Lausen Property Manager was dishonest with me about the price.. switched from Belize Dollars to USD after we agreed to price.  For me as a Canadian, I found this confusing.  Place was old dirty and mouldy.. many things didn't work, ac, TV, fridge and sinks leaked.. all bedding and towels had to be washed due to musty smell.  When I complained he withheld repairs until I paid his over escalated price.  He called the police to bully me, but they told him it was a civil matter, and to behave.. due to his abusive dishonest treatment I decided not to enter into a long term lease with him..  Be careful, it is not just the locals who try to swindle you.  Not recommended nor any property managed by his wife's company, including Casa Tranquilidad.  You have been warned.

Watch out for Eric.. he's a swindler

We recently stayed in unit A1 with another couple while four other friends stayed in another unit across the courtyard.  The location was perfect.  Nearby to several restaurants, fruit & veggie stands & Ambergris Sausage Factory which provided all the necessities to keep us well fed.  The beach is about a 10 min walk as well as the Bakery where we bought delicious fresh bread and baked goodies.

Sylvie, the property manager was available and helpful when we needed anything.  Carter, the pool man and gardener works very hard at keeping the pool and grounds immaculate.  He became a good friend during our stay.

Air conditioning worked well although we preferred to enjoy the breezes by opening the windows.  Bottled water is provided on arrival and then it is your responsibility to exchanged for refills during your stay.  This was not difficult or expensive and could be done at the corner store 1 block away for about $5 BZ.  Our unit had a propane BBQ and adequate kitchen supplies to allow us to enjoy several meals at the villa after long days in the sun.  The unit is well furnished and beds were reasonably comfortable.  Showers were large with good water pressure.

 It's unfortunate that Marriott is building a large 3 building complex between Ambergris Lake Villas and the beach.  It is expected to be open by the end of the year and I'm sure will bring much more traffic and noise into the neighbourhood.  

We loved our stay at Ambergris Lake Villas A1 and would recommend this complex if you are considering a vacation on Ambergris Caye.

Perfect Location

First the good!  The complex is lovely and the location is great for quiet evenings just far enough away from the downtown noise. The pool is crystal clear thanks to Carter, the pool guy. The set up is perfect for two couples. The deck is lovely with easy access to the pool. Ground floor is best for this if you plan to spend time at the pool. Sylvia is a jewel and very helpful. The beds were comfortable and the A/C worked well. Washer and dryer were great to have. Kitchen has the basics. Nothing great but you can manage for sure. Lots of towels.

The negatives start out small but there are some maintenance things to be done. First the shower heads spray everywhere so the floor ends up soaking wet. They need to be replaced. There are four plastic chairs on the deck but one is broken and needs to be replaced. Taps are always an ongoing problem due to the salt in the air but certainly should be changed out. The living furniture is very old and tired looking and needs to be replaced immediately. After a few days we kept seeing what looked like sand particles on the floor. Not sand! There are termites in the furniture! Now before everyone panics this is common in the tropics and they don’t hurt humans, but the issue is that this was a known problem that is not solved. Each unit is privately owned and Sylvia is managing the properties for them. They did spray apparently but problem not solved. The furniture should be replaced and this is the owner’s responsibility.

In closing though the complex is great and our friends in A1 did not have any problems. If you are coming to C2 I recommend making sure the furniture has been replaced. Otherwise pick another unit.

Some good, some bad

Lovely fully stocked, apartment. Cozy and perfect for the family. A great value, location and service. Willing to shift check in and checkout times and offer golf cart rentals. Very pleased with pool area as well.

Lovely family stay

We had a wonderful 10 day stay! Great location. Easy access. Plenty of golf cart parking. The pool and the grounds were cleaned daily. Kitchen is well stocked. Washer and dryer was a luxury! The beds are comfortable. Everything is clean. Love the big bathrooms and huge walk-in showers. We had a problem with both toilets overflowing at the same time on their own when we arrived but it was taken care of within minutes of us reporting it to the office. Anything we needed or had a problem with was tended to. Thank you for a wonderful first impression of San Pedro! I’ll be back!

Great location!

Ask questions about the policies the owner of your particular condo may enforce. The Villas are a collection of condos owned by many different people but managed locally.

In our case the owner had locked down the A/C so that we couldn't set it low enough to sleep comfortably at night. It added a negative twist to what could/would/should have been an otherwise lovely vacation.

The location is spectacular, south of downtown which generally has less traffic than north. Several different eateries, including The Bakery and Antojito's, a small outlet of a grocery store, a gas station for quick refills of your golf cart, and only about fifteen minutes south of Tropic Air and the airport.

The condo itself was nice, the beds comfy, a nice kitchen (perfect for the Cooking Class option that is part of the Belize Food Tour) and it was lovely. A washer-dryer did make our lives easier. The TV's are relatively new and the pool clean. 

It's a nice place.

But when we try to get the sleep we need to recover from the dives and the tours and the fishing... it wasn't good sleep. Because we couldn't turn down the A/C to a comfortable temp for sleeping.

Nice room, beware of owner policies

We stayed on the third floor, and the villa was very nice. There was a stackable washer and dryer in one of the bedrooms. There were two bedrooms on the main floor, and one bedroom up a flight of stairs. Each bedroom had its own bathroom which was really nice. The kitchen was stocked with lots of utensils, so you could easily go to a nearby store for groceries and cook any basic meals. There was an outdoor pool. It was nothing fancy, but the kids enjoyed it. Each villa had its own balcony, and the room upstairs had one as well. We did notice that the top stair before getting to our villa was quite a bit higher than the others, and we had someone trip up. Also the stairs to the third bedroom were very steep. The location is close to town, so it's very good location for getting around. There were some tiny ants in the kitchen, but we found them in most places we stayed in Belize. Just be careful leaving food out.

Pretty nice place to stay

We rented the Whale Retreat - apartment C2 as two couples - which is a ground level unit with a nice little terrace.  

There is a convenience store at the end of the street, literally 2 minute walk from the unit.  Robin's (legendary food) is about a 3 minute cart ride - 5-10 minute walk from the unit.  

The building itself is great - the pool refreshing, the grounds well manicured, the staff friendly.  We had a golf cart for our stay and it was the perfect distance from town, so not to have all the noise.  If we didn't have the cart though, would ballpark a 25-30 minute walk to town.

The apartment itself could use some updating.  The furniture has seen better days, some of the fixtures/tile work etc could use some tlc.  But, the beds comfortable and AC worked like a charm.  You have the very basic needs in the kitchen, which was fine for us.  Another great bonus is the washer and dryer.  We were able to pack a little less, as we could do a couple of loads before heading on to Caye Caulker.

If you're expecting 4/5* - you might want to look elsewhere.  
We had a great time and would return ourselves.

Not the most updated, but great price and location

We stayed at ALV for the week before Christmas as a family with 2 20-somethings.  We found the beds to be comfortable, the kitchen stocked, lots of towels.  The pool guy was out side every day and the pool was sparkling.  We sat out on our patio and under the trees by the lake.  We did shower one by one, but we always do, and the water pressure was fine. They arranged for our golf cart and gave us excellent restaurant recommendations.  We would cook breakfast in the condo or go over to Banyan Bay restaurant just across the street.  Since we needed 2 rooms we saved a lot of money by staying at ALV and used that for snuba, fishing and snorkeling.  Loved Belize and Loved ALV and would return to both in a heartbeat!

Ambergris Lake Villas

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