Our stay at Casa Rana could not have been better. Our family of 6 adults spent a wonderful week there. Diane and Richard are the best hosts ever. The staff of Bea and James are the nicest people you could ever imagine. Bea is a gourmet chef and James is a great guy to help you with anything you need .including his knowledge of the island and it's people. He helps with fishing off the dock which is right out the front door. The house is off the charts incredible. The architecture of the house and the beautiful furnishings make you feel like you are lucky just to visit the house much less stay there, The local breezes make things comfortable when outside and the the air-conditioned rooms make sleeping very easy. Richard arranged fishing for our entire group and we all caught fish including two grand slams on bonefish, permit and tarpon. What a treat. The best fishing ever. He set us up with the best fishing company we could have gone with. Richard takes care of helping with arrangements for whatever you need including having two golf carts delivered to the house and picked up there when we left. Richard and Diane go to the extreme to make sure you enjoy your stay at their beautiful house We intend to make this our vacation spot for the future . It would be hard to find a better place. Thank you Richard and Diane and thanks to Bea and James.

We have rented a lot of homes around the world and Casa Rana has been one of the best. First, the house is absolutely beautiful, well cared for and had every amenity we wanted. The house sits right on the water with a spectacular view, picture perfect palm trees and a great dock. We visited during Spring Break and the weather was perfect, breezy and we never had to turn on the AC. The house is owned by two really nice people (Richard and Diana) who have put a lot of love and care into this home and property. Richard went above and beyond before we arrived to make sure we knew what Ambergris Caye had to offer and he was happy to make suggestions and any reservations we needed before and throughout our stay. He hooked us up with a golf cart rental for the week and made suggestions on places to go when we asked for them. If we had questions, Richard and Diana were there to answer them and if we didn’t, they were out of sight. James and Ms. Bea also live on the property and take care of the house and property. They are wonderful people and if you need something, they are there to help and if you don’t, they too are out of sight. Ms. Bea is a wonderful cook and her key lime pie is to-die-for. James let us fish with him off the dock several times which for us was a great way to spend our lazy afternoons. The palapa on the dock was where we had our morning coffee, relaxing massages, caught all kinds of fish and had our evening cocktails. It is the most perfect and relaxing place whether you look out on the water or back at the beach and house, the view is fantastic. One thing I’d like to mention is that this is “Island Living” and conservation is very important. We asked Diana and Richard about water and power, both of which are expensive resources on the island. They never made it seem like we couldn’t do anything we wanted to do but I was glad they shared how things work, it made us appreciate the beautiful home and all of its amenities even more. I can imagine how wasteful some guests are and how much people take those things for granted. We love the minimal foot-print way of living and we have a lot of respect and appreciation for their conservation efforts and for living as much off the grid as possible. We drove all over the island in our golf cart every day. We bought groceries and shopped in town, tried all kinds of restaurants and bars and had a great time exploring San Pedro. The Belizian people are warm and friendly (the ex-pats that we met were too). We always felt safe even at night on the dark roads. The water was warm and wonderful and the sargassum did not bother us at all. We hired a private dive guide that took us snorkeling and diving to all the great places and gave us a very special look at the underwater life along the island that we wouldn’t have had on a tour with 30 other people. Our dive guide was “Chocolate” from Action Divers at the Portofino Resort. Absolutely the best!! The last little thing I would like to mention about Casa Rana which I thought was very convenient was that the house had a cell phone available for guest use. If you wanted to take it with you during the day you could (we never needed it but we took it a few times just in case). If you needed to make a reservation somewhere, you could call from the local cell phone. My Sprint service from the states didn’t work on the island at all. We only used it a couple of times but it was nice to have just in case. It was just one of many little things that the awesome owners of Casa Rana had thought of. The only thing we did not like about this trip was having to leave.

Casa Rana far exceeded our expectations as the home itself is absolutely beautiful! It is nestled in a perfect island setting of sand and sparkling clear blue Caribbean water...and only a very short distance from one of the worlds largest and most alive reef systems! We literally kayaked to the edges of the breaks and found some amazing snorkeling! We spend several days diving with White Sands Dive Shop and have to say the diving is second to none...we will definitely be back to further explore this amazing underwater world!!! We also spend a couple of days doing the ATM cave tour and Mayan ruins...do not miss the opportunity to fit those adventures in! We travel a great deal and tend to gravitate towards vacation rental homes as we have a large family of five. The extra attention to detail and the warm and friendly faces James and Bea brighten each day! Not only are they the day to day caretakers of the property but go above and beyond to make sure each guest has everything needed to ensure happiness and comfort! We truly enjoyed fishing with James off of the dock and learning about all of the varieties of marine life that frequent the area. We also took advantage of Bea's cooking a couple of times and were very happy to come home to a freshly made meal...which were absolutely amazing...some of the best food we had! Do not miss out on her Key Lime Pie!! We are already talking about our next trip to Belize/...Casa Rana will for sure be our home away from home!! Thank You Richard, Diana, James and Bea...See you soon :)

We spent a wonderful vacation on Ambergris Caye at Casa Rana with our family. The home offered many dining options - including outdoor grilling and a gourmet kitchen. We also requested on a couple of evenings the option for on-site staff preparation of tasty appetizers and excellent dinners. Kayaks available; golf cart rental for touring the area; walking distance to bars on the beach. The owners arranged a number of snorkeling and fishing trips for us. All-in-all a very amazing experience.

We enjoyed a week at Casa Rana last week and had one of the best vacations ever. We took 2 teenagers and two grandparents along with my wife and myself. The home is on a beautiful beach and has seaside pool and kayaks that we enjoyed immensely. The owners of the home Richard and Diana were great hosts and were wonderful setting up travel to the island and any other extras we chose to do while there. They were most helpful and always friendly. Their dog Hydro is also a great goodwill ambassador. The caretakers James and Bea were more than simply caretakers they became our friends over the week. Bea will make dinner for you if you wish and it was fabulous!!!! The snorkeling on the reef was the best I ever experience and I have snorkeled throughout the Caribbean. We also enjoyed eating in local restaurants, Wil Mango, Costa Blu, Coco Cabana, Rojo and Sundeck. This place was truly magical. Thank you Richard, Diana, James and Bea!!!

If you are looking for a place to stay in Belize, look no further! We just returned from a week stay at Casa Rana. We had never rented a home, but since we were traveling with our adult children and their spouses we decided a house was the way to go. I searched many properties before coming across Casa Rana. The photos were beautiful, however, the things you can't see in the photos are how comfortable the home is. Not only is it beautifully decorated and well stocked, everything is of great quality. The bedding was amazing! Our favorite part of Casa Rana was the homey atmosphere. Although we did enjoy the island and it's activities, the time we spent at the house were among our favorite. There really is no need to leave. We spent days by the pool, snorkeling off the pier, kayaking, and on rainy days playing games at the dining room table. At the pier we watched dolphins and stingrays in the crystal clear water. Richard was so helpful. He checked in on us each day. He arranged everything for us from Snorkel trips, fishing and diving, to water taxis and dinner reservations. Any questions or concerns we had, Richard was there to help. Richard arranged a fishing trip with Ricky. The fishing was great and they cleaned and filleted the fish for us to cook that night. It was delicious. We also took a snorkeling trip with Geraldo at El Gato tours. The snorkel trip was a highlight of the week. We saw shark, stingrays, numerous fish and even a sea turtle. If Richard recommends an activity or restaurant, you can expect it to be good. He really knows the area and has earned the respect of the local people. James and Beatrice are the care takers for Casa Rana. They were so kind and helpful. James was so informative about the island. He pointed out different fish and wildlife on the island and showed us how to eat sugar cane and coconuts. He even gave us a gallon of coconut water to enjoy. Beatrice made dinner for us the night of our arrival. She made traditional Belizian food consisting of chicken with rice and beans. It was an amazing meal. After a full day of traveling it was a treat to have a meal delivered to us. Bea also delivered afternoon snacks to us. Always an unexpected treat. We were a little nervous about renting a private home, however, all our concerns disappeared within minutes of our arrival. We loved the home, Richard, James and Bea so much, that it was sad to leave. Our family will always remember the week we spent in Belize at Casa Rana.

When it comes to our family’s vacations, we have two simple, yet firm, requirements: a great place to stay and great activities to experience, and our recent stay at Casa Rana over-delivered on both. A great place to stay....... Casa Rana is a unique beachfront home on the north end of Ambergris Caye owned Richard and Diana. The grounds are immaculately maintained by Omar, and “friendly canine” services are provided by Hydro (Richard and Diana’s dog). The house is beautifully decorated and we made full use of the kitchen to work around some food allergy issues we have. There was more than enough room for the four of us and the media room was great for watching World Cup updates after a long day of diving or climbing ancient Mayan ruins. The bedrooms were awesome and the bath towels felt luxurious after long days on the water. Richard and Diana offered great help planning our stay and great support during our stay. Just like waiters in a fine restaurant, they were there when you needed them and invisible when you did not. But, it was the little things that stand out like Richard getting us fresh lobster from one of his local contacts (lobster season had just opened), or Diana showing my daughter the best places to hunt for shells (later giving my daughter several beautiful conch shells). And great adventures to experience...... Richard’s knowledge and network of contacts on Ambergris Caye made planning much easier than if I had to do it from scratch. With Richards help, I was able to put together a plan that included a fishing trip, a tour of the Lamanai ruins on the mainland, scuba diving, snorkeling, and sailing trips. I followed Richards’s recommendations on whom to engage with on all these activities, and each one was a pleasure: Fishing with Ricky. Our kids (10 and 15) reeled in barracuda and snapper as my wife and I watched. A great time was had by all. Tour of Lamanai. We had previously toured Chichen Itza and our kids wanted to see more with the opportunity to climb a pyramid. The trip was arranged by Suya and was fantastic. My son called this a land, sea, and air expedition because it included a water taxi from Casa Rana to the airport on Ambergris Caye, a short flight to Belize municipal airport, a van ride to Orange Walk, and a great boat ride to the ruins. Scuba diving and snorkeling. We worked with Elbert at White Sands on arranging 3 days of diving and snorkeling. The water was warm, visibility great, and our dive master, Raul, attentive and helpful. Day sail on El Gato. Geraldo and Eric made this a great final day for us as we sailed north stopping for snorkeling at two spots along the way. Lunch was prepared by Geraldo and cooked on his grill on the stern of the catamaran. I must say that I did not know what to expect, but the food was excellent - prepared with the freshest local ingredients (think freshly caught snapper and lobster), cooked simply, and served with tortillas, salsa, chips and steamed plantains! Conclusion I highly recommend Casa Rana as a family destination on Ambergris Caye, Belize. The house is perfect for families and you can easily use it as a base for all the activities you plan. Richard and Diana provide great, unobtrusive, on-site support, and the vendors they have built relationships with deliver quality tours and adventures. A final thought for parents Wake up an hour before your kids, have a cup of coffee on the front patio, and relax. The view is amazing.

If I could only tell you only one thing about this place, it would be this: you will have the most relaxing, rejuvenating, and memorable time at Casa Rana. My wife and our friends will most certainly return. At the risk of turning this into a review of a different service, the first thing I would tell anyone is to take the Tropic Ferry from Belize City to Casa Rana. We couldn't have started the week in a better way. Forget the puddle jumper airplane - take the ferry. Speeding across the Caribbean with rum punch in your hand is something you want. Trust me. The beauty of Casa Rana is that you can make it into whatever kind of vacation you want it to be. Want more of an adventure vacation experience? Rich and Diane will make it happen. Want to spend most of the time around the house? No problem. Want weird, random crap? They can probably make that happen too. The spirit of our trip landed somewhere in the middle - a bit of adventure, yet a lot of relaxing. Rich and Diane set us up with a fishing guide, a catamaran, and worked with the ferry service to take extra good care of us. And I haven't even mentioned the house itself. You've seen the pictures by now. Believe it or not, the pictures don't do it justice. It's truly breathtaking. And then put a house that beautiful next to the ocean, with your own dock and palapa? It's the most beautiful place I've ever been. My expectations were sky high. My expectations were exceeded. You won't regret booking Casa Rana.

The other reviews of Casa Rana are all spot on. For us, several things stood out with this vacation: 1) The ability to kayak out for 15 min, tie up to a buoy and snorkel in a gorgeous and huge location was amazing! 2) We were not in town so our time was peaceful 3) We visited 2 restaurants within walking distance - one north and one south - awesome 4) Having Omar, Diana or Richard around was great for advice, planning, etc. They live in the back of the house but they were very courteous to not intrude on our time - but they were there if we needed them 5) We used the food delivery service so we ate breakfast and lunch at the house and then went out for dinners. Things would have been a lot harder without the delivery service 6) Lots to do on the island - snorkeling trips, caves, ruins, shopping, etc. But, it was just so great to come home to a gorgeous house! Thanks Richard and Diana!

My husband and I, along with (2) other couples, recently traveled to Belize for the first time and stayed at the beautiful Casa Rana. We could not have asked for a better overall experience. If you are looking for a place to travel with family and friends then look no further! Here is a breakdown of our experience. Pre-planning: We worked with Richard to plan book the home and answer any questions (which we had A LOT of- sorry Richard!). Richard was very helpful answering all of our questions, via phone and email, regarding the home, the country and the excursions. He was very prompt in his reply's and made us feel confident about our decision to book Casa Rana. Arriving to Belize: We flew into Belize City and then took Tropic Air to San Pedro (a roughly 15 minute flight). You can also take the ferry. Both are around the same price. We choose to fly to see the views, which were amazing!! When we arrived in San Pedro, Diane (Richard's wife) arranged a captain to meet us at the airport and take us to Casa Rana. It all went quite smoothly. Casa Rana: The home is beautiful and very spacious. There were three bedrooms with full baths, so all three couples had plenty to privacy. The bedrooms are air conditioned so you sleep wonderfully. There is a large deck for lounging and a plunge pool too cool you off. The home also comes with (2) kayaks. There is light housekeeping everyday and they will even do a few loads of laundry!! It was so nice to come home with clean clothes :) There is also a media room, but I doubt you will be watching TV with the beautiful views. There is also a local cell phone provided so that you can make calls if you like. That was so nice to have, and gave us a piece of mind. Diane also lives in the back of the property and is easily accessible if you have any questions or concerns. She gives amazing suggestions so I highly recommend taking them. Food/ Drink: There are about (4) resorts/restaurants to eat at that are within long walking distance. However, most resorts will pick you up by boat if you call ahead (Diane can arrange reservations too if you give her advance notice). We at the Portifino (a 15 minute walk), Matachia (a 30 minute walk), Xtan (spelling?)( a 10 minute walk), Rojo (a 30 minute walk), El Secreto- a MUST try (a 15 minute boat ride) and a few other local eateries. There are also some guys that come by in the morning selling home made burritos that are amazing and about $2 a piece. I do suggest having some groceries delivered to the house prior to arrival. It makes life easier and the prices are about the same as if you purchased them on San Pedro. The food in Belize is really great! Pretty much everywhere we ate at was at the suggestion of Diane and we really didn't have a bad meal our entire trip! Excursions: Take Diane's suggestion on these. Everything we did we had Diane handle and I feel like we got the best price and the best experience. Here is a list of what we did. 1. Snorkeling catamaran trip on the El Gato- $80 a person for an ALL day trip. It was amazing and the reef is a can't miss. The captain and guide on El Gate were fantastic as well. This trip is private and was just with our group of (6). 2. Belize Zoo and Cave Tubing- Diane arranged this through Seaduced by Belize, which looked to be the best tour guides on the island. Your groups will be very small and the guides are well informed and trust worthy. 3. Chartered Fishing/ Spa Day: The boys took a charter fishing trip that Diane arranged and had an amazing time. Diane also arranged massages on the dock for the girls. The massages were amazing and it made us feel like movie stars having the masseuse come right to us. Again, another right on suggestion by Diane. 4. Mayan Ruins: Diane arranged this through Seaduced by Belize as well, and we had a great trip. Getting Around in Ambergris Caye: You will get around by boat and it's so much fun. There are water taxis that can take you anywhere on the island for a reasonable price. Also, if you give Diane 24 hours notice she will take you in to town is needed. We could not have asked for a better experience. The group we went with are very well traveled and Belize has been one of our favorite trips yet.