44 Best Hotels in Belize

With only three cabanas, every guest gets personal attention at this small ecolodge where you can lounge in a four-poster king bed and then jump in the pool for a refreshing swim. There's hiking in the bush right outside your door. Electric power here is solar, and the water is rainwater. The lodge has a small and very good restaurant and bar.

About 3 miles (5 km) from La Milpa Maya site, this field station is a combination lodge and summer camp; stay in rustic thatched cabanas with a private bath or in a dorm that sleeps up to 30. Since you're in a remote area, you'll likely want to eat all your meals, generally simple Belizean-style dishes such as rice and beans with stew chicken or pork, at the field station; you can book a room without meals. Hiking trails are maintained around the lodge, and guides are available to take you to La Milpa and other Maya sites. In spring and summer, you can visit archaeological teams working at La Milpa. You'll likely see lots of wildlife, including spider and howler monkeys, ocelots, peccaries, deer, and possibly even a jaguar.

One of the nicer budget options in the village has rooms set back from the road and provides plenty of peace and quiet at value prices. Rooms are simply furnished and decorated in vibrant Caribbean pastels, and each has a private patio. Though not on the beach side of the road, it’s a quick walk to the seafront. Latitude 17 is popular with student and NGO groups.

Located on 50 acres adjoining the Macal River, this small, laid-back eco-lodge is for travelers seeking a no-frills spot where you can hear the jungle hum outside your doorstep and where the air bristles with the promise of bird and animal sightings. Six simple and comfortable cottages, lighted with kerosene lamps, are spread around the grounds for privacy. You can hike the five miles of trails to the unexcavated Maya site of Tipu, or schlep yourself down to the river for swimming or canoeing. Farm-to-table, mostly organic meals are served in a thatched, open-air palapa.

Four elegant cabanas ring a glittering plunge pool at this stylish B&B just north of the bridge. In a cool palette of blue and gray, the small hardwood cabanas are beautifully textured with plush towels, polished wood, and shark-fin-smooth ceiling fans. Everything down to the shower tiles has been carefully considered. Take a decadent breakfast in your room or on the shady deck. The size of the rooms and distance from the beach might suggest a cheaper price, but it is, after all, Ambergris---plus, Daydreamin' is a welcome counterpoint to the gargantuan developments elsewhere on the island. 

With clean rooms, a good restaurant, and convenient tours, the four-story Martha's Guesthouse provides just about everything you need right in the heart of downtown San Ignacio. The regular rooms are a bit smaller, but for a little more money, you can get a larger room with cable TV, a refrigerator, and a balcony. An annex called the Inn at Martha's about a block away adds six rooms. Martha's Restaurant, with local art on the walls and a sweet garden patio, is open every day, serving pizza and local dishes.

This is the kind of small, unpretentious beachfront hotel that many come to Belize to enjoy, but few actually find. Rooms are simple and small but pleasant, with polished wood floors, and the rates are highly affordable. Most are only steps from the water, and many have views of False Caye and the sea. There's a swimming pool, on the beach. In addition, the hotel rents several apartments and houses nearby. Some have minimum-stay requirements. A big plus here is the on-site restaurant, one of the country's best.

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.

If you don't demand luxury, you couldn't find a nicer budget spot in Punta Gorda than this guesthouse on a quiet residential street. With a/c, Wi-Fi, and cable TV, the rooms are immaculate, and the atmosphere's friendly and cheerful. One room has a kitchenette, and there's also a small common kitchen with refrigerator and microwave.

This small beachfront guesthouse in the heart of Hopkins Village provides a comfortable, no-frills alternative to the coast's upmarket resorts. The inn has rooms that are simple but immaculately clean and, for a lot more comfort, three small beachfront apartments and a separate private cabin. Kayaks and bikes are available for rent.

Whether it's paradise or not depends on your expectations, but if you seek a cute, gently priced cabin built partly over the water, backed by coco palms, with snorkeling and adventure right out your door, this lodge could be for you. It's a pack-your-own-beach-towel type of joint, where the light eco-footprint and solar power mean no hot showers. Tobacco Caye Paradise is run by the Belize Adventure Group; eco-conscious excursions are the hotel's specialty. A full meal plan is an additional BZ$90 per adult per day. Rates don't include transportation or Marine Reserve fees.

Austrian-born owner Doris Creasey brings an eccentric flair and Teutonic cleanliness to this three-story colonial-style guesthouse, set back a ways from the sea. The decor mingles decades—silk flowers, a mysterious empty urn, stained glass—and the furniture can be a little firm. But if you seek a quiet retreat, this is a well-managed, affordable option. The small courtyard garden is a pleasant place to read or lounge in a hammock. Treetops is about 150 feet from the sea (though neighbors' plots are sometimes awash with smelly seagrass), within walking distance of most restaurants. A few guests rankle at the house rules and regulations enforced by the owner, who runs a tight ship: checkout is at 9 am; no outside guests; water bottle refills are BZ$1. But most find this to be a charming guesthouse.

Gregorio Chun and his Mopan Maya family who've lived in this area for many generations provide affordable lodging in simple thatched cabanas. You stay here not for the accommodations, which are basic at best, but for its location near the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and to meet the Chun family. The Chuns provide a range of tours to Cockscomb and Maya sites, and simple but tasty homemade meals are available at a small restaurant.

Inland from the sea, this mellow B&B is draped with golden trumpet vines and oleander, and offers personal service to a T. The hosts want to make sure you enjoy your trip to Belize, so they’ll even lend a hand with logistics and planning your vacation. Homemade breakfasts on the rooftop—with winning views of the sea and village—are a lovely way to crack open the day. Being a block or two away from the water, Yocamatsu won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but for those seeking a quiet, pleasant retreat it’s just the thing. The property abuts the football field, so you can watch soccer games from your cabana porch.