The distance between the world's second largest barrier reef and the beach at Ramon's is about a quarter-mile. What's that — about 20 seconds at cruise speed in the resort’s new Pro 42 dive boat? You hardly have time to warm up your seat before the boat is mooring at one of Ambergris Caye's look-at-me-I'm-flying wall-dive sites, like Paradise Canyons, Cypress Tunnels or Tres Cocos Cut. The wall is a three-dimensional adventure here, a vertical face cut with fissures and canyons ripe for exploration.

The Hol Chan Marine Reserve five miles to the southeast is an added bonus, packed with fish for diver enjoyment. Shark Ray Alley, famous for its nurse shark and southern stingray encounters, is now included in the reserve, ensuring that the star attractions will still be there when you arrive. The nurse shark-friendly wreck, Amigos del Mar, is also within the expanded reserve. At Ramon's, you'll really get the sense of a village it's private, warm and friendly. The winding walkways among the clusters of rooms and the lush tropical foliage all enhance the feeling. Open the door to your cabana, complete with air conditioning and authentic thatched roof, and you';ll feel like you've found a special new home.

The long pier at Ramon's Village is water-sports headquarters for Ambergris Caye, offering such activities as kayaking, windsurfing, sport fishing and snorkeling. Dive gear rinse tanks and lockers are out here, too, right next to the boats for utmost convenience. Ramon’s runs five boats for divers to prevent crowding, both on the boats and in the water. In addition to Miss Gina, the Pro 42, there are four 34-foot fast boats that carry a maximum of eight divers each. Two smaller 26-footers are dedicated to snorkelers, but you can also just grab a mask and fins and jump off the end of the dock.

The heart of Ramon's Restaurant is an elegant indoor setting with carved wood bas-reliefs and Maya dioramas. The inside seating spills over to bathing-suit casual multi-level terraces on the beach and even onto the sand for weekly barbecues. The Purple Parrot is Ramon’s watering hole, another popular poolside gathering place. San Pedro, a fishing town accessible by foot, bike or golf cart, awaits just outside the gate of Ramon's. You can also take the quaint hand ferry across the river just north of town and experience the whole caye.