Cayo Espanto is an island off the coast of

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

in the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

. It is one of the approximately 450 islands of the

Belize Barrier Reef The Belize Barrier Reef is a series of coral reefs straddling the coast of Belize, roughly offshore in the north and in the south within the country limits. The Belize Barrier Reef is a long section of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, ...

. Administratively it is part of the

Belize District Belize is a district of the nation of Belize. Its capital is Belize City. Geography Most of the Belize District is in the east central mainland of Belize; the Belize District also includes various offshore islands, including Ambergris Caye ...

. It is private property. Until 1997 the island had no name and formed the archipelago of Pinkerton Islands together with two adjacent, tiny islands. In 1997 the island was bought by US-American estate agent Jeff Gram. In December 1998 Gram opened up a

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that aims to provide most of a vacationer's needs. This includes food, drink, swimming, accommodation, sports, entertainment and shopping, on the premises. A hotel ...

with seven villas for paying guests. The resort features a helipad, a spa, a gym, and a PADI diving base. Various celebrities have been visiting the island in the past, among them

Leonardo DiCaprio Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (; ; born November 11, 1974) is an American actor and film producer. Known for Leonardo DiCaprio filmography, his work in biographical and period films, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received ...

, who bought nearby Blackadore Caye together with Jeff Gram in order to put up another resort there. In 2022 it was listed among the "20 Best Adults-Only All-Inclusive Resorts in the World" by ''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...

'' magazine.

References

External links

Resort website
Private islands of Belize Uninhabited islands of Belize {{Belize-geo-stub