A special place to stay
We knew as soon as we arrived at Chaa Creek that this would be a rather special place to stay, and so it proved to be. Accommodation here is in cottages scattered across a grassy slope. We had one of the standard cottages, the least expensive of the options but still very large and luxurious. We had a sitting area with tea and coffee making facilities and a safe in the cupboard there. A few steps led up to the sleeping area, with its huge king-size bed. Beyond the seating area was the bathroom, again on a large scale, with two wash basins and a huge walk-in shower with two shower heads for “his and hers” showers! As if this wasn’t enough, the small paved courtyard which linked this and the sleeping area had its own shower and was secluded enough for private morning ablutions! Despite the poor weather I was determined to try this out so showered there one morning ;-) Outside we had a deck area with hooks for the two colourful hammocks that were provided in the room, and views across the valley – I managed to get a great shot of a keel-billed toucan from here. My only tiny quibble with the property however was the fact that this veranda wasn’t covered by the thatch roof, so it was impossible to sit out here when it was raining as I would have liked.
The other more expensive options include Treetop Suites, which we visited briefly one day at the invitation of some other guests. These have wonderful views of, as the name suggests, the trees lining the Macal River, where parrots and iguanas can often be seen. They also have an open-air Jacuzzi on the veranda!
The communal areas are equally lovely. A small bar has seating both under its thatch roof and outside, and is lit with flaming torches at night. The nearby restaurant is open at the sides, as is the bar, and has just the right amount of seating for the lodge’s guests. Further up the slope is a beautiful infinity pool with a waterfall and views across the grounds – luckily the weather improved enough on our last day for me to take advantage of this. There is also a small but well-stocked shop selling high-quality local crafts as well as practical items such as batteries and razors.
A large conference centre above the pool has comfortable seating, games for a rainy day, and a couple of computers with free internet access. There is also free wifi in this vicinity although it can’t be accessed from other parts of the property – rather nice if you want to avoid being bombarded with emails at all hours but would like to check in occasionally.
Unique Quality: As it stands this place is pretty unique throughout, but a bonus is the inclusion of a number of activities in the cost of your stay. These include an early morning birding walk, a visit to the on-site nature centre and butterfly farm, use of canoes on the river and a guided tour of the Medicine Trail. We only got around to doing the birding walk and the visit to the butterfly farm and nature centre, partly because of the weather and partly because we found just chilling for a few days to be such a pleasant activity in itself! There are many other tours available at prices that range from a few dollars (e.g. for a night walk) to considerably more (tours of other parts of Belize and to Tikal, for instance). Check the website below for more information, or see my Things to Do tips
The lodge is run by a friendly English couple, Mike and Lucy. It’s interesting to spend some time reading about its history in the brochure in your room, as it truly has been a labour of love for them – or check out the history page of the website. And do look out for Foxy, their cute little dog! [see photo 4]
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At dinner, Chaa Creek
Chris in the restaurant, Chaa Creek
Travellers' Palm, Chaa Creek grounds
Keel-billed toucan, Chaa Creek grounds
