The Cayo Espanto experience begins even before you arrive at this private island resort off the coast of Belize. All guests receive a five-page questionnaire before their trip, asking them to describe their ideal breakfast, lunch and dinner; what time they prefer to have cocktails served; and if they prefer to be spoiled with attention, or to have service on request.
This kind of personal service is the hallmark of Cayo Espanto, the creation of Jeff and Susan Gram. The Atlanta-based couple started a series of successful businesses, ranging from selling car accessories to mail-order catalogs and real estate, before opening their resort. When Gram bought the four-acre island off Ambergris Cay in 1997, it was just a lagoon. It took four years to fill the island with sand, plant palm trees and build five A-frame bungalows, each with its own dock and plunge pool