Itz'ana Resort
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Hotel Details
Location
Itz'ana Resort · Placencia, Belize
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Key Highlights
- ✓Service: The staff consistently receives high praise for being "amazing," "excellent," "friendly," "kind," "attentive," and "caring".
Expert Review: Itz'ana Resort
Itz'ana Resort, Placencia, Belize: A Michelin Key Selected Oasis of "Barefoot Chic"
Itz'ana Resort in Placencia, Belize, stands out as a highly acclaimed, Michelin Guide selected property, consistently praised for its stunning design, exceptional service, and prime beachfront location. Guests frequently describe their stays as "heaven" and highlight the resort's ability to offer both relaxing tranquility and easy access to adventurous excursions.
1. Overall Rating & Sentiment
The overall sentiment for Itz'ana Resort is overwhelmingly positive, with guests frequently using terms like "excellent," "stunning property," and "loved our stay". Verified guest reviews often rate the resort highly for comfort (9.3), cleanliness (9.1), and staff (8.7). While generally seen as a luxurious and relaxing escape, minor inconsistencies in restaurant service and concierge organization have been noted by some.
2. Key Highlights
Guests consistently rave about several aspects of Itz'ana Resort:
- Design & Ambiance: The property is celebrated for its "beautiful decor" and a "contemporary, but not modern" style that thoughtfully blends retro furnishings and jungle-themed prints, avoiding tropical-kitsch clichés. The colonial-style decor, lush greenery, and peaceful vibe contribute to a relaxing atmosphere.
- Location & Beachfront: Situated directly on a sugar-sand beach, the resort offers immediate access to the Caribbean Sea. Its positioning on the Placencia peninsula provides both a perfect white sand beach and a mangrove-dotted bay and lagoon, ideal for various activities.
- Amenities: The resort boasts beautiful pools, including a 360-degree pool, and provides unique touches like morning coffee served on the beach at sunrise. Complimentary resort bikes are available for exploring the area, and yoga classes are offered several mornings a week. It also serves as a gateway to diverse adventures such as diving, kayaking, hiking, sailing, and deep-sea fishing.
- Service: The staff consistently receives high praise for being "amazing," "excellent," "friendly," "kind," "attentive," and "caring".
3. Room Quality
Itz'ana Resort offers a variety of accommodations, from deluxe rooms to spacious one-bedroom beachfront lofts and multi-bedroom beach villas. Rooms are described as bright, clean, and spacious, featuring huge beds and large balconies, providing a welcome haven for guests. All accommodations prioritize privacy with wraparound terraces and airy indoor living spaces. They are well-equipped with luxurious creature comforts, including large smart TVs, French press coffee makers, electric tea kettles, minibars, and effective blackout curtains. Bathrooms are noted for dimmable lights, two sinks, and rain showers, with quality Gilchrist and Soames toiletries provided in refillable pump containers. Higher-category rooms and villas often include outdoor bathtubs, private plunge pools, full kitchens, and outdoor dining courtyards.
4. Dining Experience
Limilia Restaurant is the resort's main dining establishment, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner in both formal indoor settings and ultra-casual outdoor spaces with soothing views of the pool and beach. The menu emphasizes fresh seafood, often line-caught by the resort's own fishermen, and incorporates local ingredients, including vegetables and herbs from their organic gardens. Dishes are influenced by traditional Garifuna cuisine. Guests have enjoyed "delicious food" and specific dishes like short ribs and snapper cakes. A continental breakfast is included in the rates. For casual dining, a poolside wood-fired oven serves pizzas, calzones, and nachos. The Biblio Bar offers an extensive craft cocktail menu, wines, beers, and bar bites, along with a "secret rum room" hidden within the library. While food quality is generally very good, one guest mentioned it wasn't as creative as a sister resort, and occasional order mistakes have occurred.
5. Service & Staff
The service and staff at Itz'ana are a consistent highlight. Guests frequently commend the staff for being "absolutely amazing from beginning to end," "friendly and kind," and "extremely attentive, friendly and caring". Individuals like Mr. Bob have been specifically praised for being "fantastic, informative about Belize, super nice and helpful." Drivers are also noted for being friendly and polite. The concierge is generally helpful in arranging activities, though one review noted some disorganization.
6. Location & Accessibility
Itz'ana Resort is located at Mile 20 Placencia Road, on the Caribbean coast of Belize. This position on the peninsula makes it ideal for enjoying both the beach and the nearby lagoon. It's approximately a 10-minute drive from Placencia village, which guests can access via a complimentary shuttle or resort bikes. The location provides excellent access to a wide range of land and sea excursions, including exploring national parks, barrier reefs, diving, kayaking, and fishing.
7. Value & Pricing
Itz'ana Resort is considered a luxury boutique hotel. While specific price ranges vary, the resort is generally viewed as offering good value for money, with a guest rating of 8.3 in this category.
8. Common Complaints
While guest experiences are largely positive, a few recurring criticisms or issues have been mentioned:
- Dining Service Inconsistencies: Some guests experienced mistakes with restaurant orders and felt pressured to order expensive drinks.
- Concierge Disorganization: One review highlighted that the concierge service was "a little disorganised."
- Beach Conditions: Strong waves and seaweed on the beach have been reported by some guests, though this is acknowledged as a natural occurrence beyond the hotel's control.
- Past Construction Noise: A review from February 2022 mentioned ongoing construction in the garden area and room remodeling, which caused noise during the day. Guests planning a stay might want to inquire about current construction status and request rooms away from any potential noise sources.
- Breakfast Billing: One guest reported being charged for breakfast despite their booking indicating it was included, suggesting a need for clarity on included services.
Sources
Points to Consider
- •While guest experiences are largely positive, a few recurring criticisms or issues have been mentioned:
Google Reviews
254 reviews
Recent Guest Reviews
Erick Tseng
This hotel has so much potential. Their main building, called the Great House is beautiful - styled in Caribbean colonial vibes. My room was much more basic and showed some signs of aging. Their beachfront suites seemed much nicer from the outside though I never got a chance to take a look inside. The property is really nice, complete with a huge infinity pool, well maintained sandy beach, and pl...
Response from the owner
Dear Mr. Tseng,<br><br>Thank you very much for taking the time to write such a detailed review. We are pleased that you noticed details such as bonfires, corn hole, stand-up paddle boards, and kayaks....
Valerie Takyi
This hotel is shabby chic, with emphasis on the shabby. The location is amazing. The grounds and pool and restaurants are gorgeous and the staff is very friendly. The rooms are very much in need of updating. My room had rugs with water stains from what looks like flooding into the room, the curtains were dirty, the walls were dirty in places, the water pressure in the shower was non-existent, the ...
Response from the owner
Dear Valerie, thank you for your recognition of our staff and our location. We greatly appreciate you taking the time to give us such a detailed review. We have taken note of all the points you raise ...
Ali Meehan
We didn’t stay here but were drop ins and we kept dropping in because this hotel is exceptionally- the staff were so welcoming, the food was amazing - well done Keli - and they invited us to all their events and to use the pool. Next time we will stay here. You should too!
Response from the owner
Thank you Ali for your kind review and for your recognition to our Food and Beverage Manager, Kiel. We have shared this with him. We look forward to hosting you in the near future. Happy new year!
Angie Lam
Never book the tours from the hotel. They charged us double the price (they will include tax and services fee.) They will not mention about taxes and services fee until the day you check out. They have scorpion in the towel. Their food is expensive. Local restaurants are delicious and reasonable.
Response from the owner
Dear Tien Lam,<br><br>Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations.<br><br>We would like to clarify that you were informed of all applic...
Benjamin Saylor
I walked into the gates of Belizean heaven and was greeted by the warmest and friendliest staff I have ever met. Dreams come true here and divine wishes are granted. Janelle and Thaddeus were so wonderful, they are my favorite humans on this Earth and every day I am not spending time with them at Itz'ana is a gloomier day in my life and a waste of my existence. Also the infinity pools are v cute.
Response from the owner
Dear Benjamin,<br><br>What a joy it is to read your review! We’re truly touched by your kind words and delighted to know your stay felt like “Belizean heaven.” It’s wonderful to hear that Janelle and ...
Stacy Leonard
My sister and I loved staying at the resort. The staff took great care of us. We did not have a car and were able to get anywhere we needed for a small fee. The pool and rooms were clean. We had a breath taking view of the Caribbean Sea each morning at breakfast. The restaurant and bar were good. We were sad to leave and would definitely stay again.
