Fodor's Expert Review Turneffe Flats

The sound of the surf is the only night noise at this smart, red-roofed resort, where you'll commune with others who love fishing and other water activities as much as you do. Opened in 1981 by Karen and Craig Hayes, Turneffe Flats sits on the northeastern side of the atoll on a private point with a white-sand beach and a wadeable bonefish flat. It has earned accolades for its focus on sustainable tourism. The lodgings, fitted with elegant hardwoods, are a far cry from the bare-bones fishing camp that occupied this site in the early '80s. You probably won't spend much time in your room, in any case. The social heart of the resort is a lodge with bar, dining room (meals are served group style), and two levels of decks with sea views. You can dive at Turneffe Flats—dive boats are on standby and the reef is only 200 yards from shore—but the ubiquitous fishing-pole racks suggest that bonefish, permit, and tarpon are still the main draw. For these fish you usually go out on 16-foot flats skiffs, with two anglers and a guide per boat. You pay a pretty penny to indulge your passion, however. Fishing and dive packages are available, the latter costing somewhat less.