12 Best Hotels in Belize City, Belize

In a safe, middle-class suburb between the international airport and downtown, D'Nest Inn is run by a couple who impart their charm on their hotel. The four guest rooms, all with air-conditioning, cable TV, and free Wi-Fi, are furnished with antiques such as a four-poster bed. With a private entrance and your own key, you can come and go as you like. The two-story house is on a canal near the Belize River. Gardens around the house are filled with hibiscus, frangipani, roses, and other blossoming plants. All rooms are no-smoking. Because of the owners, this is one of our favorite places to stay in Belize City.

After an extensive remodeling, the former Radisson has gone from worn chain to independent hotel and once again claims its spot as the city's top accommodation, complete with panoramic views of the sea from its more expensive rooms. Dominating the historic Fort George district, the large international-style hotel's best rooms are in the modern glass-fronted six-story tower with sea views. Dining options include the Tree House, which bustles in the morning and becomes more subdued as the day progresses. Opt for drinks and appetizers at the SeaViche Bar, or pastries at Le Petit Café. Unwind with a full range of spa treatments. Remodeling continues at this writing but is not inconvenient or obtrusive if you stay here. The Fort George is a popular first-night, last-night choice before heading out to the hinterlands. Reservations are always advised. 

An oasis in the middle of an often-sweltering city, Harbour View positions rooms and cottages around a lush, shaded garden, just up the street from the BELIZE sign and the Baron Bliss Lighthouse. (If you need more cooling-off than relaxing in one of the seats the garden provides, there's always a dip in one of the two pools here.) Rooms, with wood floors, are decorated in a riot of tropical colors. We recommend opting for the similarly furnished and more spacious cottages; they run only BZ$50 more than the rooms. Many of your fellow guests are here to partake of the daily yoga and meditation classes and spa treatments, but that is not a prerequisite for staying here. Under the same ownership, the vegan/vegetarian Martha’s Café sits right across the street. The entire property is no-smoking.

If you'd rather not contend with downtown Belize City, this appealing B&B in the Northern Suburbs might be your cup of herbal tea. You'll stay in the quiet Buttonwood Bay residential area only a block from the sea. Its rooms are bright, sunny, and stylish, with hints of both Europe and Belize in their decor. An excellent full breakfast is included.

This suburban hotel, which mostly gets guests who don't want to stay in the downtown area, has pleasant pool, grounds, and rooms, though it's still a little shy of luxurious. Deluxe rooms, with upgraded carpets and mattresses and ice-cold air-conditioning, are worth the extra cost—they can run over BZ$400 at busy periods in season. The Victorian Room restaurant serves uninspired seafood and grilled steak. There is a guarded and fenced parking lot.   You'll find better rates if you book via the hotel's local website than via the international Best Western site.

This Belizean-owned resort in a pleasant rural setting northwest of Belize City perches at the edge of the Belize River, where you can launch a canoe or kayak from the hotel's dock, or just laze about the riverside swimming pool and thatch-roof palapa bar. The air-conditioned rooms are large, with custom-made mahogany furnishings (all-inclusive rates are also available). The on-site restaurant serves good Belizean food (dinner around BZ$40). Black Orchid offers occasional web-only discounts.

This Chinese-owned motel has zero atmosphere and zero frills, but it's clean, with modern furniture and fixtures, and a good value. On the Goldson Highway near the turnoff to the international airport, the hotel has free transportation to and from the airport, and usually also to nearby restaurants, and a fenced parking lot with 24-hour security. A breakfast of a fried egg with toast and coffee or juice is included.

The rooms sparkle at this hotel, independently owned and operated but with all the amenities of a modern foreign chain lodging. Standard rooms offer great value and are simply but comfortably furnished in subdued colors with beds, table, desk, and chairs. Suites are priced much more dearly but come with a Jacuzzi and rather ornate furnishings. The rooftop Vino Tinto restaurant and bar has indoor and outdoor seating. (Logging in at five stories, this is a veritable skyscraper on the Marine Parade waterfront.) The hotel makes a good first night/last night option in the city.

Among Fort George's most appealing sights is the colonial facade of this large wooden 1927 house, converted into a fine inn. Every room is different. The large rooms have polished antique-pine floors, with modern conveniences such as Wi-Fi. However, you'll have to climb some stairs to get to your room, as there is no elevator. Tiers of wraparound verandas allow you to relax while taking in the sea breeze. A light continental breakfast is included in the room rate. All rooms are nonsmoking.

With the caveat that we recommend taking a taxi at night—you should do that in Belize City anyway—we also recommend this new entry into the city’s lodging scene, a 1902 house that’s been converted into a charming downtown inn. The house contains bright rooms with tiled floors, hardwoods, and tropical colors. Fuel up for a day of sightseeing with breakfast here—it’s extra—and some snacks to go at the small on-site Meg’s Café. While you might shy away from staying in the center city, with standard precautions, this neighborhood is fine.

Right in the middle of things, the Belcove is a popular budget hotel just south of Swing Bridge, literally at the edge of Haulover Creek. You can sit on one of the balconies of this three-story wood hotel, painted sunflower yellow, and watch the boats on the river. Some of the rooms are barely larger than the beds in them, but they're clean, and the staff is helpful and friendly. "Deluxe" doubles with a/c are around BZ$105 including tax, with cheaper budget rooms available.

The breezy Fort George seaside location of this hotel is its strongest point, and some would say its only one. Behind the charming colonial-style exterior—it was formerly a hospital—some of the rooms and public areas badly need upgrading and refurbishing. With a complete makeover, this well-located hotel could be a prime property in Belize City. For the time being, however, there's a lot that needs improving. Some scenes in the 1980 movie The Dogs of War were filmed here, and not too much has changed in the intervening years. Don't expect everything to work perfectly—your room's louvered windows might not close, defeating the air-conditioning, and you may share your room with a few six-legged friends.