159 Best Hotels in Belize

Drive deep into the Mountain Pine Ridge and you’ll find, perched on a steep hill above the Five Sisters waterfalls, this elegant lodge and staging ground for exploration. All is decorated to appear distinctly Belizean—canopied thatch cabanas hold local hardwoods, handmade furniture, and art in tropical tones. A small, open-air tram will carry you to the Privassion River if you'd rather avoid the 286 steps, and there you can swim in the natural spring or recline riverside on lounge chairs. Note that with no children under 12 allowed, no pool, no television, and Internet only in the restaurant, this is ideal for a couple’s retreat rather than a family vacation. The lack of pool helps earn Gaia’s eco-friendly status, as does its hydropower system and garden, which grows 60% of the restaurant’s produce. Packages with its sister resort Matachica on North Ambergris Caye give you entry to reef and rainforest excursions.

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.

This resort has Mennonite-built cottages along a nice stretch of beach, each with a kitchenette and dining area. The sleeping quarters are upstairs in a loftlike space with a pitched wooden roof. One nifty feature is an octagonal wall panel, operated by pulleys that you can open for a bedside view of the ocean. Smaller thatch cabanas are a bit more rustic and have outdoor showers. There's a beachside restaurant and bar. Minimum multiday stays are imposed during certain seasons of the year.

Well priced, with a lovely hilltop setting, and amenities such as a pool, this small lodge is an attractive option just 2 miles (3 km) from the George Price Highway at Georgeville. Flat-roof cottages, each with floor-length windows and a patio offering views of the jungle canopy, flank the open-air restaurant--bar palapa and swimming pool.

Yucatec Mayan for \"coming of the rising sun,\" Hok'ol K'in, founded by an American Peace Corps veteran and now operated by Belizeans, is a friendly small budget hotel on the Corozal bayfront. It has 11 basic but comfortable and very clean rooms with cable TV. All rooms have air-conditioning, but they still enjoy a nice breeze from the bay most of the time. Rare for Belize, some of the rooms are wheelchair accessible. There's also a two-bedroom apartment for longer-term rental. Free Wi-Fi is available in different sections of the property.

Thoughtfully designed apartments are ideal for family retreats at this well-run \"condotel\" in quiet southern Ambergris Caye. The spacious two- and three-bedroom units are quite luxurious and have full kitchens and comfortable furnishings. The balconies, rooftop, and glassy pools are undoubtedly the highlights of the hotel. As there's no dining on-site---not even a shop for snacks---this is a truly self-catering location. Conveniently, a \"pool bar\" is about a mile away---you can place your order with the bartender and it will be delivered directly to your condo. The nearest grocery store is even farther, so renting a golf cart is a must. The friendly concierge and staff can help you with such details of your vacation. One thing that makes Hol Chan Reef a rarity? There's an elevator. 

Teardrop spindles and icing-like trim give this heart-of-town hotel a modest colonial style; indeed, it’s San Pedro’s first inn and a dependable place to sleep between the water and the bustle. Opened in 1965, its simple, clean rooms have sweet paintings of parrots and toucans, as well as balconies where you might spot live birds. You can lounge in a beach garden enclosed by a white picket fence. The lobby leads to breezy La Sanpedrana Bar & Grill, which offers nice seafood dishes, though many more options are within a short stroll. Holiday Hotel is nothing glamorous, but it has a historic charm and remains an excellent value on an expensive island. 

This adventure lodge has gone upscale, adding hillside \"treehouse suites\" with jaw-dropping views, a multilevel swimming pool with whirlpool, and a botanical garden featuring orchids and bromeliads. Less-expensive cabanas with outdoor showers are offered, too, along with suites and bungalows. Manager Ian Anderson and his highly trained jungle and cave guides offer more than 20 wilderness adventures in a 58,000-acre private reserve. On the River of Caves trip, you spend hours floating around underground lakes and crawling past stalagmites into dry chambers.

This unpretentious, pleasant bed-and-breakast in Belmopan offers affordable, comfortable rooms with televisions, fans, and refrigerators, plus the bonus of two swimming pools. It's convenient to the University of Belize Belmopan campus and most government offices in the capital, so it's often filled with government workers or U.S. officials.

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.

Spend your days here snorkeling in the shallows, doing acrobatics on a water trampoline, and, most dramatically, diving at \"The Pinnacles,\" where coral heads rise 40 feet from the ocean floor. After a lobster or fish dinner and a few Belikins on a pier 100 feet into the Caribbean, wander back to your rustic cabin, a breezy retreat built of tropical hardwoods. The cabins are more or less utilitarian, but you're unlikely to spend much time in them. Given its air-conditioning and 24/7 electricity, Isla Marisol has more amenities than many resorts nearby. With 40 miles between you and the Belizean coast, this is an exhilarating place for fishers and divers, midrange for remote islands in Belize.

With light seafoam or teal accents, these rooms are dependable; but the more seductive places to spend time are the swinging deck chairs, your private balcony, or the coral-pink loungers beside one of the island's nicest pools. The Magic Grill, where you can eat on swinging wooden loveseats, makes a choice spot for lunch. The liberal use of concrete gives Island Magic an unfortunately imposing presence. For Caye Caulker hotels, it's higher end; however, it's still not the fancy brand of resort one finds in San Pedro.

Sister property to Island Magic Resort in the heart of Caye Caulker, Island Magic Villas offers a more upscale and luxurious stay away from the hustle and bustle of town. Situated less than half a mile from the Split, the teal-and-white-hued lodgings sit on the northern side of the island. That doesn't mean it's a trek to the resort, however. A lightning-fast ferry across the Split followed by a three-minute golf cart ride north will have you sipping by the idyllic property's pool in no time. Island Magic Resort is ideal for families, even boasting a master villa that sleeps up to eight. This oceanfront gem is ideal if you want to party in town, then retire in tranquility. 

If you're longing to hearken back to a simpler time and immerse yourself in nature, you can experience the jungle with a luxurious cabana and some of the comfiest beds in Belize at this eco-resort. They are situated on 300 acres of primary forest, with three swimming holes, hanging bridges, and farms, not to mention a Maya site to explore. Dinner is communal and lit with oil lamps. Although there isn't Wi-Fi in the rooms, there's plenty to keep you busy, including birding, hiking, Maya cooking classes, and yoga classes, all included with your stay.

Ka'ana brings a level of luxury to San Ignacio with tranquil gardens, a wine cellar, and spacious rooms outfitted with 500-count cotton sheets, high-end toiletries, and attentive staff. One suite has a private pool, and there's also an infinity swimming pool with waterfall and a saltwater filtration system. The poolside spa offers massage and skin and body treatments. La Ceiba restaurant is beautifully done, serving vegetables from the resort's own organic garden.

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.

Expansive villas command the beachfront, all named after precious jewels like Opal and Emerald---and they really do dazzle. The design is inspired by Mexican, Moroccan, and Maya traditions, evident in the arches, alcoves, rugs, and sensuous tones of rose and mango. Hand-hewn furniture and deluxe kitchens enhance the spaces. The villas range from two to five bedrooms; with a group, they can be more affordable than a hotel. Plus, you’ll still enjoy concierge service and a shared pool. A few restaurants are within walking distance or, more comfortably, golf-cart distance.

With balconies perched above the New River, this Belizean-owned resort gives guests the feeling of being in the jungle—keep an eye out for the river crocs that often spend the night under the hotel—while conveniently located just south of Orange Walk Town. The private balconies and riverfront views create a secluded ambience and Sal y Spice, the hotel's newly revamped restaurant and renamed restaurant, is housed in a thatched pavilion. Signature dishes include smoked wings and an assortment of tapas. The restaurant's skilled bartenders are often adding creative cocktails to the menu. Board a boat here and in 1½ hours you're at the Lamanai Maya site.

A condo colony whose name means \"on the beach\" in the Garifuna language, Laru Beya sits on seven beachfront acres, with well-priced rooms and suites that are bright and sunny. The contemporary tropical design includes tile floors and rattan and bamboo furniture. The larger villa units, with up to three bedrooms, have full kitchens, and some have rooftop Jacuzzis and verandas with sea views. Dive, fishing, and adventure packages are available. There's a pleasant on-site restaurant, open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, and a bar. The Moorings and Sunsail yacht charter operations are based at the Laru Beya marina on the lagoon side. You may choose from rates that include all meals or none.

The all-white dazzle of Las Terrazas will make you want to don your chicest beachwear---but even if you can’t rival the style, this is a welcoming luxury resort. You can enjoy complimentary extras like Hobie Cat sailing, kayaks, paddleboards, and bikes. The spacious condo suites boast travertine tile floors, granite countertops, and handcrafted Belizean furnishings. A glassy infinity pool makes a gorgeous property centerpiece. If there's room in your vacation budget, Serenity Spa offers special treatments like Belizean chocolate facials. At the water, an unusual, two-level curved pier, which sweeps out into the sea, makes an ideal spot to watch the waves break over the Barrier Reef. Take bait and rods to the pier for $10 and the chef will cook your catch.

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.

At Hopkins' original upscale resort, Jaguar Reef's original whitewashed duplex garden and beachfront thatched cabanas is supplemented with newer colonial suites with local artwork, salt-tile floors, and custom-made hardwood furnishings. Although the beach here is good (for Belize), there's a nice pool with swim-up tiki bar. Meals are served in a beautiful glassed-in beachside palapa with a soaring ceiling set off by locally made basket lights.

Jaguar Reef offers frequent summer (July--August) web-only specials.

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.

The pulse of south Ambergris is changing with this 60-acre townlet of white, colonial-nostalgic villas by Hilton's Curio brand, complete with boutique shopping, a clubhouse, a taco truck, a spa, and all the trappings of a planned community in the States. Rooms, including cute garden cottages, are chicly designed. Think distressed wood and strong contrasting lines, offset by white fabrics that give the spaces a signature freshness. The development faces the lagoon, not the sea, but a complimentary boat runs on the hour to ferry guests to the \"Private Beach Club\" on the back side of Ambergris (note that sometimes there's a line for the boat). There you'll find a glittering beach where you can order expensive cocktails from an over-the-water daybed. Being on the lagoon, the beach has no sargassum seaweed but there are occasional annoying \"sea lice\" in the water. Mahogany Bay's tremendous Great House holds the restaurant Verandah and a deck-side bar, Shaken, and there are plenty of other places on-site to drop loads of cash. Overextended staff means service is far less personal than that found at smaller resorts. Mahogany Bay has something for everyone, but the massive resort isn't for everyone. It's easy to forget you're in Belize. This property has met controversy over its dredge-and-fill practice when making the mangrove habitat ready for construction. 

An upmarket alternative to fancy jungle lodges is this resort in Bullet Tree Falls, on the banks of the Mopan River. The eight rooms and suites in the three-story mansion (built fairly recently but designed to look like a colonial building) have polished hardwood floors, high ceilings, lots of rich wood trim, and perhaps the coldest air-conditioning in Belize. You can dine, at relatively spendy prices, on the veranda overlooking the small pool and the river.

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. 

This small, intimate lodge has six well-designed cabanas set in the shade on a low hill, with pimento walls, thatched roofs, and furniture handmade at the lodge and elsewhere in Belize. They're outfitted with everything you'll need, down to flashlights, purified-water coolers, and umbrellas. Meals are served in the main lodge building, which also has a bar, an art-filled guest study, and a gift shop. The lodge is not on the river, but it has an attractive swimming pool.

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.