Great diving on a remote island - Isla Marisol Resort on South West Caye of Glover's Reef Atoll is for travelers with a sense of adventure who seek great diving and food at an intimate resort far... read more from the madding crowd that operates on solar power and tries to minimize its environmental impact. It is not the place to go if you want to sit by the pool (there is none), or you can't handle occasional brief power outages or taking 5-minute showers to conserve hot water, which comes from a desalination plant. You won't find flower petals strewn on your bed, or designer toiletries, or towels shaped into hearts.
What you will find are comfortable, air-conditioned accommodations that are a 5-15 minute boat ride from over a dozen dive sites on a very healthy reef with an abundance of soft coral, fish, excellent visibility, and little chance of any divers except from Isla Marisol Resort. Why? Because Glover's Reef is 30 miles from mainland Belize, and a 3-hour boat ride from the crowds on Ambergris Caye.
Eddie Usher is the enterprising, entertaining host who has run Isla Marisol Resort for over 20 years, and he is involved in every aspect of its operation. Eddie picks up guests in Dangriga, and drives them the 75 minutes to Isla Marisol (Mar y Sol) Resort in one of the 38-foot open-air pangas (skiffs) that he bought from the Belizean police at auction and converted for diving and fishing. According to Eddie, the pangas were built and used by the Colombian cartels to deliver drug shipments, then abandoned. The pangas are extremely sturdy and sea worthy, but just have a bimini, no cabin, so keep your rain gear handy for the ride to and from Isla Marisol Resort, you could get soaked if there's a shower. It's an adventure, right?
Eddie oversees all dives and fishing excursions. The dive shop is decent, but basic. They rent good-condition BCDs, regulators, tanks, as well as wetsuits, masks, and fins if needed, but they do not rent dive computers, and only offer Nitrox on request. Eddie leads the dives with additional divemasters as needed depending on the size of the dive groups. Isla Marisol Resort has a maximum capacity of 28 guests, but there were only 9 guests diving when we were there, so we comfortably fit in one panga.
Eddie and one of his longtime divemasters, Mora, led all our dives. Eddie and Mora know Glover's Atoll Reef intimately, and are adept at finding the spots with the best visibility depending on the current conditions. If you want, you can do 3 dives a day, including a night dive. If the weather cooperates, you might be able to go to the Blue Hole, but it's 2+ hours away. If that dive is your top priority, I suggest staying on Turneffe or Lighthouse Reef to be closer to the Blue Hole than Glover's Reef.
You can also snorkel around the reef, or go swim with a pod of dolphins that like to hang out in the deepest portion of the atoll. There are plenty of SUPs and kayaks that are available, and whose use is included in the room and board charge.
Most mornings, Eddie goes fishing at daybreak around the island trolling for grouper, king, wahoo, or whatever is biting (barracuda, the morning I went), which is then served for meals. There is no extra charge for guests to ride along and reel in whatever hits the line. You can hear some of Eddie's many stories, such as why the building that houses the bar as well as the bar itself have 9 sides. If you are an angler and have come for bonefish, those fishing trips are not free.
The food is very good, with lots of fresh fruit and fish. Some of the highlights were delicious conch ceviche as well as grilled grouper. The breakfasts are hearty English cooked eggs, bacon, and sausage, but they also can provide vegan offerings or other dietary needs. All meals are served in a screened dining room that is cooled by fans, not air conditioning. The bar is on pilings over the water. You can stand on the walkway that encircles the bar, and watch sharks and other fish swim under the bar while magnificent frigate birds soar over head, and pelicans skim by and scoop up fish in their bills.
Our family stayed in one of the two reef houses that are a 3-minute walk across the island from the boat dock, dining hall, and bar. Solar-powered lamps mark the paths that are lined with conch shells, but it is a good idea to bring a flashlight to dinner so that on your way back to your room, you don't step on a coconut or hermit crab in the dark. Eddie sprays daily for bugs, and we had no bites from sand flies. Our house had metal louvers in the windows, and no screens, so we kept the AC on at night after the first night, when a few mosquitoes bit us.
We really liked the scruffy charm and laid-back vibe of Isla Marisol Resort, but it's not for everyone. Visitors whose top priority is luxury or proximity to a variety of restaurants should look elsewhere. But if you like a little spice in your vacation spots, and want to get away to a remote tropic isle with great diving, this could be the place for you.
