Some excerpts from the website of Casa Tortuga that might be useful
Casa Tortuga is a luxurious two-story
five bedroom villa on the beach in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize. Casa Tortuga has 250 feet of beachfront and is surrounded by 73 coconut palms. Luxuriously furnished
five bedroom, five
bath villa. Longest private beach in San Pedro, 250' long. Largest private
pool in Belize. 8' High Bronze horse fountain from Versailles. 30' High turret with french doors and
balcony. Private dock where guides pick you up for activities. Canopy beds, furnished with accent on antiques. Excellent cook and staff who prepare delicious meals. Two sixty foot
verandas with hammocks and dining. Guest house available too. Snorkeling, Scuba, Fishing, Mayan ruins, Cave tubing. Our knowledgeable guide, Carlos, comes to the villa on the evening of your arrival to tell you about the water activities and excursions available. Beautiful
gardens and 73 coconut palms. The villa is located 1 3/4 miles south of San Pedro, which takes six minutes by
taxi van. Guides can pick you up at our dock for scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing and sightseeing. There are bicycles,
golf carts, and
taxis available for transportation. The
taxi fare from the villa to town is $10.00 US dollars per van, which seats up to ten people. The pale pink villa consists of 5,280 sq. ft. including 60 ft.
verandas on both levels, facing the sea Located on the upper level are two large
bedrooms, the
living room,
bar, 2
baths, large
kitchen, and a dining area, as well as a dining area on the
veranda. The beach level includes
three bedrooms, three
baths, and a 60 ft.
veranda on the waterfront. For smaller accommodations, for our Pelican's Nest Guest House. The
pool is the largest private
pool in Belize, measuring 38 feet long and 18 feet wide, plus an 8 1/2 foot wide circular alcove, which holds the 300 year old bronze horse fountain from Versailles, France. The
living room has a white sectional sofa and a
coffee table from India made from a wrought
iron window designed to keep the monkeys at bay. The
living room also has two sets of french doors opening onto the
veranda. The antique walnut
bar seats three at the front, and has a back
bar with curved glass and shelving. The ceiling of the
bar holds the stemware and lighting. The dining table is oval glass with a brass base and white Parsons chairs. A large leafy chandelier with white shades light the dining area. Monkey candelabras and bougainvillea serve as a centerpiece. The full
kitchen is on the second level and it is where Maria and her
assistant prepare your meal. All of the cabinets, doors and ceilings are mahogany. The
kitchen has a table and seating for four. An 8 ft. tall antique walnut china cabinet contains the glassware and china service. The upper level
veranda is 60 ft. long, with Pawley Island double hammocks at each end. There is a comfortable wicker
lounge, chair and ottoman with plush oversized white cushions at one end of the
veranda, and the other end has two tables with high back Queen Anne chairs that can be joined for outdoor dining. The master
bedroom, the Tortuga
Room, on the upper level has a king canopy bed. The
closet doors are
mirrored and the
room is furnished in antique dark green Captain's
furniture hand painted with clipper ships. This
bedroom has two sets of french doors which open onto the
veranda overlooking the Caribbean. The upstairs Tortuga
Room bath has a
shower,
bathtub, and an antique carved vanity from Germany, with a marble top. The gold sconces with silk shades provide excellent lighting, as well. The Jungle
Room is the second upper level
bedroom which has an eight foot high king canopy bed. At one end of the
room is a mantlepiece under a large carved
mirror. The Jungle
Room has a
bathroom in a turret, with an 18' high dome ceiling, and sixteen arched windows surrounding the top of the dome.This
bathroom also has antique stained glass french doors opening onto a french wrought
iron balcony, which overlooks the
gardens. The third
bedroom is the lovely Palm
Room. This is the largest
bedroom at Casa Tortuga, which is 432 square feet. The king canopy bed is hand carved, as is the canopy daybed in the entrance hall. The mahogany day bed has carved monkeys, and was made in Guatemala over a hundred years ago. The 10' long altar table in the entry is from China, and made from a single tree. The open fretwork partitions between the entry and the
bedroom are from Bali. The dressing
room includes a white damask sofa from England, under a large gold leaf
mirror, flanked by gold monkey sconces. The Palm
Room bath is in a turret, with three diamond paned windows looking out onto the
gardens. The hand carved vanity is mahogany, under a large
mirror and two Napoleon sconces. The ceiling is blue with gold stars around the large chandelier in the turret
bathroom. The second beach level
bedroom is the Seabreeze
Room, which opens onto the
pool and beach beyond. The view of the Caribbean is lovely from this
room. The headboard of the queen bed consists of a pair of antique carved wooden doors from the eleventh century. The two Louis XVI chairs are covered in a zebra print. The draperies for the eight foot high french doors are deep rose damask with tassel fringe. The Seabreeze
bathroom has a dressing
room with the vanity in a chest and marble top. It is tan with cream wainscoating. The
shower has tan and cream bas relief tiles from Portugal. The
pool veranda has highback wicker chairs surrounding a cream granite
coffee table. The beach level has three additional
bedrooms. The Maya
Room opens directly onto the
veranda and beach. The view of the turquoise Caribbean from the canopy bed is wonderful. This
room is accented with Mayan artifacts and paintings of jaguars. There are more jaguars in Belize than in any other country in the world. They inhabit the rainforest on the mainland of Belize. The Maya
Room bath has a
tub and a
shower. In the villa, there is a plentiful supply of
games in the
bar, and
volleyball is available as well. A set of horse shoes set up under the palms. The villa is also equipped with color
Cable TV, a VCR, tape player, a DVD player, and
CD player. To make long distance calls from the
telephone at Casa Tortuga Villa, you will need to purchase a calling card on the island. Activities in the area include snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing, sailing,
windsurfing, parasailing, sea kayaking,
jet skiing, and daily snorkel excursions to the nearby island of Caye Caulker on a skiff or catamaran. There are boat
trips to the ancient Mayan ruins of Altun Ha and Lamanai, as well as a daily flight to the largest Mayan ruin in Central America, Tikal, in Guatemala. San Pedro is a
quiet village with friendly English speaking inhabitants. Island law dictates that no buildings be taller than a palm tree, so fortunately, three stories is the maximum limit on the island. The
restaurants in San Pedro serve great food at average prices, although we believe that our staff at Casa Tortuga cook the most delicious food on the island! The lobster in Belize is also excellent. The Belizeans on the island are happy, content people, and the atmosphere is delightful. Our staff live on the property, and take excellent care of our guests. Daily maid service is included in the rent. Maria and her
assistant prepare three meals per day for a fee of $70 per day plus groceries. She will have regular or virgin pia coladas and appetizers for your arrival at the villa. For your Arrival
Dinner, she usually makes a typical gourmet Belizean meal from the island's fresh produce and the catch of the day. You may choose to bring gourmet
coffee with you. There is a $400 deposit for the initial groceries for the first few meals. After your arrival, you can plan the other meals with the cook, and give her grocery money as needed. She keeps grocery receipts and returns any unused money to you. All travelers must have a valid passport to enter Belize, including children. The passport must be valid for six months after your return date,...
The Pelican's Nest is a
one bedroom quest house located on the grounds of Casa Tortuga Villa. It occupies the second floor of a two story casita. The Pelican's Nest is 20' X 36', and is furnished in exotic antiques and stained and beveled glass. It has a semi-circle Italian
balcony overlooking the Caribbean Sea, and a Parisien wrought
iron balcony overlooking the
gardens. All of the French windows and doors are hand hewn. The private staircase leading to the beveled glass entrance door on the second floor, continues on to the third floor roof
patio, which has a gazebo in the
center surrounded by arches, and is ideal for viewing sunsets and relaxing. The
living room at the Pelican's Nest has a full
kitchen in one corner area, and the dining table has a round glass top supported by three elephants with their trunks raised. The four Parson dining chairs are covered in tan cleopatra suede. The sofa is also a Queen sleeper, and the two large chairs on the end of the sofa are covered in black and tan tiger design velvet. The
coffee table is made from a window with a monkey grate from India, designed to keep the monkeys at bay. The table behind the sofa is an antique over 300 years old, from China. It is 10' long, with beautifully carved legs, and made from a single tree. The eight foot wide
screen behind the sofa was painted by a renowned Aspen artist, Cami Thompson. It is an island rainforest scene of scarlet macaws, pink spoonbills, and a pair of pelicans, like the ones that greet you on our dock when you return from your fishing excursions! The
living room draperies are made of soft gold dupioni silk, with large tassel tiebacks. The chandelier in the
kitchen has three monkeys holding candelabras with black shades. A larqe ornate
mirror stands above the entry table. The unique sconces flanking the entrance door are Italian silk cones with tassels, from Venice. The
bedroom has a king bed with a stained glass half canopy and side curtains. The armoire has a color
TV with a
remote control. The
bath has a washer/dryer and a
jacuzzi tub. The Pelican's Nest has a beautiful view of the reef directly in front and for three hundred feet to the left, which is sand and palm trees. On the right side of the Pelican's Neat is Casa Tortuga Villa. Our dock is 100' to the right of the house. For those who need larger accomodations, for information on Casa Tortuga, our main villa.