 | Belize Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 196 |  |
 The Row of Double Rooms from
our Doorway by Bwana_Brown, 2 more photos
The hotel also had a spacious dining room with attached bar (2nd photo) which also accepted credit card payments - lucky because I only brought a limited amount of Quetzales (7.6 Q = 1 US$) with us. Our room had two separate beds and a ceiling fan to help the louvered windows with the cooling. Because the hotel is located in the middle of the jungle, along with everything else at Tikal, power is supplied by a diesel generator from a nearby research lab and is switched off between 10 PM and 6 AM.
With our late morning arrival at the Jungle Lodge, two long afternoon walks to the temples, darkness by 6:30 PM, another morning walk and then check-out before 1 PM, we did not have a great deal of time available for a proper look around our choice of accommodations. It was therefore with some regret that we discovered the beautiful hotel swimming pool (3rd photo) as we waited for our return mini-bus ride back to Belize! Never even got to dip our feet in!
We did however enjoy sitting out on the chairs in front of our little room. It was nice to stare out into the jungle, watch the Oscellated Turkeys as they strolled past and we could also hear the echoing crys of the male Black Howler Monkeys in the tree-tops as they staked out their territorial claims.
Note: on the 'Other' contact email address below add a ".com" on the end - VT does not allow enough space for the full goods! Theme: HotelPrice: US$20-40 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: Tikal National Park, GuatemalaPhone: 502/476-8775Directions: One of three hotels located at the central area of Tikal National Park, only a 10 minute walk from the entrance to the Mayan templesOther Contact: reservaciones@junglelodge.guate.
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As we were leaving Caye Caulker for Ambergris Cay, our new-found hotel mates, Norm and Jan, mentioned to us that they would also soon be leaving and planned to spend some time at the Belize Zoo, located in the forest part-way between Belize City and Belmopan. I was not even aware that accommodations were available there until they mentioned that the nearby Belize Tropical Education Centre (TEC) has about 10 guest houses as well as a restaurant and organized tours of the Zoo. Since we were planning to be in the area about three days later, I made a note of the necessary phone number and mentioned to them that we might be seeing them soon!
Sure enough, after we had picked up our rental vehicle and then finished with the Community Baboon Sanctuary, we somehow found and arrived at the TEC as promised, buried as it is in the Belize forest! A staff member greeted us as we approached an official looking building and, after a short conversation, mentioned that we were confirmed for their last remaining hut! After a short tour of the facility and then checking-in, we then bumped into our Caye Caulker friends who were comfortably settled into their nearby stilt-built 'tree house'! We very quickly convened on their deck with a few cold Belikin beers as we caught up on our adventures since we had last seen each other. This view shows the screened verandah of our hut, fronting onto a tropical pond located on the TEC premises.
From the 'Moon Handbooks Belize' - "the TEC...was created to promote environmental education and scientific research. Meetings are held here for zoological news, reports, and educational seminars attended and given by people involved in zoology from around the world. The Center is equipped with a classroom, a library, kitchen and dining area and dormitories that can accommodate as many as 30 people. Great nature trails weave through the 84-acre site, and bird-watchers can avail themselves of a bird-viewing deck. Also available are canoe trips, nocturnal zoo tours and natural history lessons" All we had to do was to venture out to our deck to observe two crocodiles eyeing us from across the pond (2nd photo)!!
We were given an extra large bungalow because it was the last accoms available - at US$40 for the single night we spent there (credit cards accepted). The 3rd photo shows a jumbled mess as we prepared to leave, with our bed at the right side and the toilet/shower area in the middle. Beyond it, in the distant darkness, is another large room available for more guests and (out of sight) to the left is the fridge/kitchen area. After arriving back from the night tour of the Zoo, we four 'Caye Caulker friends' sat out on the deck sipping Belikins and listening to the night sounds of the forest until about 11 PM, as we discussed the amazing day we had enjoyed.
When we checked into the TEC, we had booked our single night accommodation, an evening meal, a guided night tour of the Zoo, breakfast and a day tour of the Zoo (this is free if you take the night tour) for a total of US$90 (for two people) - an excellent bargain! By the way, the staff are extremely friendly, knowledgeable and helpful ! Theme: OtherPrice: US$20-40 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: On the Western Highway, very close to the Coastal Road junction, half-way between Belize City and BelmopanPhone: 501-220-8003Directions: From Belize City, just before the Zoo, turn left onto a dirt road by the big blue TEC sign. Turn left again at a T-junction & after about 0.5-mile you will find an entrance on the left with a sign: "Beware armed guards and attack dogs" - this is the TEC!Website: www.belizezoo.org Other Contact: tec@belizezoo.org
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 Early Morning view from Sand
Box Restaurant by Bwana_Brown, 2 more photos
The Trends is owned and run by one of the local islanders, Trenton, who greeted us on our arrival from the airport. He showed us our room and gave us the key but said never mind the paperwork until tomorrow. I was surprised to learn that the Trends Hotel adjoins the Sand Box restaurant, which is also run by Trenton. That made meals very convenient as well! It was already looking relaxing, especially at only US$40 per night!
I had phoned ahead about 2 months earlier and used my credit card to confirm a room. This is not totally necessary, because there are quite a few places to stay in Caye Caulker if push comes to shove.
The hotel room itself (3rd photo) was basic with two double beds, a mini refrigerator, ceiling fan and a shower/bathroom area in a small room at the rear (which also had a window to allow a through breeze from the front louvered windows). Actually, with only a single sheet cover on the bed, our first night was a bit chilly (I guess I should not have left the ceiling fan on #2). However, that did not happen again in our final two nights as the temperatures had returned to normal. We really did enjoy our time spent at the Trends Beachfront Hotel during the daytime, check it out on my 'Things to Do' tip! Theme: HotelPrice: US$20-40 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: At the end of the Water Taxi dock, on Front StreetPhone: 501-226-0094 or 0307Directions: On the beachfront and located in the downtown 'action' zone for restaurants, shopping and activities.Website: www.trendsbze.com Other Contact: trendsbze@btl.net
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 Seaside Guest House from the
waterfront by Bwana_Brown, 3 more photos
The Guest House is more like a hostel in many respects, a two story affair with various ramshackle rooms, some of which contain multiple bunk beds and others which are more like 'normal' rooms. The downstairs kitchen has a large table where guests can have meals that are made in the same room, or they can play on the dial-up internet connection while sitting at one of the table chairs. We paid US$44 for our double room with private toilet/shower.
The window in our bedroom opened up onto the second floor balcony that ran across the whole front of the building, a spot that provided a great view of the harbourfront (2nd photo). The 3rd photo shows Sue sitting out there in the afternoon, along with Lauren (an Australian lass) and Steve (British) who had both been at the Seaside for a couple of days. We all had a really great time chatting away as we sipped on cold beers in the ocean breezes during the heat of the afternoon. By the way, Lauren's head is next to our bedroom window with the smaller window next to it belonging to our toilet/shower. We retired to our bedroom early on Sunday night, managing to get undressed in our room as other guests sat on the balcony chatting outside our open window! Their conversation and the rattling of the blind in the wind soon saw me drifting off to sleep.
The (4th) photo of our room makes it look about three times as good as it did in real life, thanks to the camera flash illuminating the place instead of the single bare lightbulb! The window at the end of the bed was nailed partially open so it could not be closed, and when I tried to adjust the rusted metal venetian blind, the whole contraption fell down! Off to the left was our small room with a toilet and shower - only one fawcett handle worked in the shower but at least the water was lukewarm. Theme: Pension/GuesthousePrice: US$20-40 » Currency ConverterComparison: less expensive than averageAddress: 3 Prince Street, Belize CityPhone: 501-227-1689Directions: South side of the Swing Bridge and follow along the harbour front for about 5 blocks until reaching Prince Street.Other Contact: seasidebelize@btl.net
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 Me on the balcony of our No. 7
Large Cabin by Bwana_Brown, 3 more photos
As described in the books, this really is a back-packers paradise with a choice of tenting (US$5), five small cabins (US$12-20 see 2nd photo) and three large cabins (US$24-34) with all these using shared shower facilities. In addition, there are two large cabins with private showers/toilets (US$35-60) with the price range in all of the above depending on how many people are staying in each cabin. People in the 'shared facility' cabins use any of the four composting toilets, shower water is provided from rain catchment barrels and these facilites were all very clean and worked extremely well. The Trek Stop has a restaurant serving meals all day long from about 7AM-7 PM, as well as a separate kitchen area where you can prepare your own meals if you feel like it, a 'common area' where guests can sit and mingle, read from the extensive library or use the free internet facilities on three computers! Also on the grounds is a Frisbee 'golf' couse cleared in the jungle and an educational centre describing the history, geology and plant/animal life of Belize. We paid US$25 per night during our one week stay at the Trek Stop. This is how good they were - when we did our overnight trip to Tikal National Park in Guatemala, they let us leave our gear in our cabin for no charge! It does not get much better than that for customer satisfaction.
Our cabin was nothing fancy, but it did the job. It contained (3rd photo) one double bed (with a two-inch thick piece of foam on wooden slats for a mattress) and a bunk-bed arrangement that was not made up for sleeping, so we used it to throw our clothes and other things onto. Screened windows with wooden louvers on each side-wall provided a breeze and the building was also partially shaded by the abundant trees on the property. The front door was lockable and the custom was to simply leave your key hanging on the pegs in the 'Common area' office when you left the site.
What was really unique about this place was that it is very eco-friendly. All the toilets were deep pits (4th photo) with a bowl of wood chips sitting inside each one. Once you were finished with your business, a handful of chips was to be thrown down the hatch to help with the decomposition. The toilets worked very well - they were very clean, usually nobody else there at the same time and there was not much in the way of smells either. Theme: OtherPrice: less than US$20 » Currency ConverterComparison: least expensivePhone: 501-823-2265Directions: On the eastern outskirts of the hamlet of San Jose Soccotz, about half-way between San Ignacio and the Guatemala border.Website: www.thetrekstop.com Other Contact: susa@btl.net
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For the rental vehicle part of our Belize trip, we had not pre-booked any accommodations. Even though I had decided in my mind that I wanted to stay in Hopkins, I was not sure what the highway situation was like or what attractions might slow-down our progress. In the end, we joined up with two Canadians we had met on Caye Caulker a few days before and headed southeast anyway. We had tried to call ahead from Belmopan while we were having lunch there, and found that all the low to mid-bracket lodging in Hopkins were full - except we had not been able to get through to the 'Whisling' Seas. When we finally turned up in the village, one look at their sign indicated that this was going to be rustic accommodations! However, we were not complaining when the owners said they happened to have two cabanas left at US$41 each per night. The second photo shows our two cabanas lined up and, the strange thing is, I had brought this exact view with me from a Hopkins page print-out of an accommodation tip by VT-member "paradisedreamer"!
The concrete cabanas were basic, but functional. Each came with two double beds, a small refrigerator, standing oscillating fan, TV (we never even turned it on) and a shower & toilet. The louvered windows did not close tightly, so it was a bit chilly the first night but things warmed up the next night and we needed the fan running all night. The curtain rod on the window at the head of the bed was a flimsy plastic pipe, letting the curtain sag down onto the pillow and causing the contraption to fall on me the first night (I threw it aside and went back to sleep). A defect in our shower drain allowed the water to drop through the floor straight onto the sand below - strange to stand there looking down through the shower floor! We only had one plastic lawn chair to sit on outside, and one arm was broken on it making it difficult to use. It looks like there was once a thatched beach bar/restaurant but it was boarded up and no adequate seating was available for maximum beachside enjoyment. However, the sun was shining and the water was fresh, so we enjoyed our two nights here - even if it wasn't fancy! Theme: InnPrice: US$20-40 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: Southside, Hopkins Village, Stann Creek DistrictPhone: 501-503-7203/0464Directions: Turn right when entering Hopkins and you will find it on the left a few hundred feet down the road - next door to the Supermarket
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After finishing up in Hopkins and returning our rental vehicle, we headed north and inland to the village of Crooked Tree. The 18-room Bird's Eye View Lodge is generally regarded as the best of the three high quality establishments located in the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary. After crossing the freshwater causeway from the mainland, the Lodge is off to the left about a mile or two as you pass through the village, with a beautiful location on the shore of Crooked Tree (or North) Lagoon. It was about 1:30 PM by the time we arrived via their shuttle van from the International Airport (US$25), following our morning drive back from Hopkins on the southeast coast to return our rental vehicle. We already knew this was going to be good as the shuttle driver pointed out many different species of birds as we drove along! Two months earlier, I decided that we should spend a couple of nights here to see how good the birding really was, and had put down a US$120 deposit on the room (the US$66/night for a double was the highest rate we paid during our 3-week trip, but we decided to 'splurge' on this one!).
It did not take us long to meet the Belizian lady, Miss Verna, who manages the Lodge and is also a one-person army when it comes to running the establishment! We were alloted a lakeside ground floor room in the separate block of rooms to the left in the 2nd photo. Most of the activities take place in the white building to the right, which contains more rooms, the restaurant, office, a small lounge for guests and an upstairs outdoor patio-bar. Among other things, the Lodge can arrange walking tours of the island or boating tours on the surrounding lake and creeks - with both featuring plenty of bird sightings as well as a few other creatures like lizards and crocodiles.
It was a nice quiet spot too, especially with the lodge located some distance from any nearby inhabited buildings, including the main block of the hotel where all the action was taking place. I had a nice afternoon snooze here after our 5:30 AM wake-up to get ready for the early morning birdwatching tour on the lake!
Our double room (3rd photo) was very nice, with comfortable beds and a ground level view out onto the lagoon. It was equipped with a ceiling fan and also an air conditioner, which did not work when we tried it (likely because it was not yet the 'hot' season so not really required!). The bathroom was large and very solidly built with tiles and quality fixtures to go along with a very large and well-working shower. Theme: InnPrice: US$20-40 » Currency ConverterComparison: more expensive than averageAddress: Crooked Tree Village, on a small island formed by surrounding creeks.Phone: 501-203-2040Directions: About 55-km (30-miles) northwest of Belize City, just off the Northern Highway between Belize City and Orange Walk.Website: www.birdseyeviewbelize.com Other Contact: birdseye@btl.net
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 Our small balcony door peeps
thru the Palms by Bwana_Brown, 3 more photos
The Hotel del Rio is located almost at the very north end of San Pedro, only one block from the San Pedro River which actually cuts the town off from the remainder of Ambergris Cay. This is at the 'rougher' end of San Pedro, where most of the locals live, but we never had any problems coming or going on our 25-minute backpack walks from and to the Water Taxi terminal located in downtown. The hotel required a one-night nonrefundable credit card deposit when I booked it, and I paid the remainder of our planned 2-night stay on our second day there.
The hotel is very nicely landscaped with palm trees (3rd photo) and it fronts onto a section of beach, with a private Hotel del Rio dock. A beach 'street' of sorts runs all along here (Boca del Rio), so the lounging area at the hotel is divided from the actual water's edge by this thoroughfare. We really enjoyed the Belizians who ran the place, and had a great afternoon chatting away one afternoon beneath the shade of their thatched roof common area (see 'Things to Do').
The room itself (4th photo) was very basic, with a double bed, one dresser, a ceiling fan and three louvered windows that did not have an air-tight closure. This, combined with a single thin blanket, led to a chilly first night's sleep as a cool and breezy spell of weather had swept in on the day we left Caye Caulker. We periodically awoke to the intermittant sound of distant dogs barking and the rattle of the nearby palm leaves in the wind. The shower was not too bad, but there seemed to be only one water temperature which was, fortunately, lukewarm! Theme: HotelPrice: US$20-40 » Currency ConverterComparison: less expensive than averageAddress: Boca del Rio, San PedroPhone: 501-226-2286Directions: On Boca del Rio Drive, one block south of the San Pedro RiverWebsite: www.ambergriscaye.com/hoteldelrio/ Other Contact: hotelrio@btl.net
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 Tropical Paradise Hotel -
Views by africaking
The Hotel complex is constantly kept clean, and is quiet as it is away from the town centre.
They have cabanas to rent, all are pretty close together and a restaurant and bar are on hand within the complex, also they have beach chairs and sun loungers on their own part of the beach.
The town is only a minutes walk away and they have plenty of cafe's and bars and tourist excursion places all wanting your business.
The people are friendly and helpful and the views are typical of any paradise Island.
A room at the hotel for three people sharing a room with shower and fans was 38 US Dollars per night.
Fantastic views, very clean, great people Theme: HotelPrice: US$20-40 » Currency ConverterComparison: less expensive than averageDirections: Opposite end to the "split", walk down the main street and it will appear in front of you as the street stops at the hotel entrance.
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 Hi-Et Hotel by africaking
Whilst there, cleaners were constantly cleaning and for me, this was a good sign.
For three people sharing a room the price was 50 BZ Dollars (25 US Dollars)
Nice large balcony out the front of the hotel, with views of San Ignacio town and the hillsides. Theme: HotelPrice: US$20-40 » Currency ConverterComparison: less expensive than averageAddress: 12 West Street, San Ignacio, Cayo District, BelizeDirections: Depending on where you arrive in San Ignacio, it's best to ask a local, they are sure to guide you, it's only a few steps from the centre and about 2 mins from the market area.
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