30 Best Hotels in The Cayo District, Belize

This was the first true jungle lodge in the Cayo, and owners Mick and Lucy Fleming (he's from England, she's from the United States) have spent more than three decades polishing The Lodge at Chaa Creek to a fine, rich patina, while adding features like a gorgeous bi-level swimming pool. The gracefully landscaped grounds, surrounded by 365 acres of rolling hills above the Macal River, are magnificent. All on-site tours are included with your accommodations, including early-morning bird-watching with a naturalist, Belize Medicinal Plants Trail, Natural History Center, Blue Morpho Butterfly Farm, and canoeing or tubing on the river. For an additional charge, there are horse stables and one of the best spas in Belize. The whitewashed cottages with thatched roofs and custom-made furnishings as well as the suites and tree houses are elegantly stylish, but prices can be high. There are all new ultramodern suites at the highest price point. For cost-conscious travelers, there's the Macal River Camp, with small A-frame rooms on raised wooden platforms. At the lodge itself, dinner is a special event, starting with cocktails in the bar and perhaps ending with brandy and a Cuban cigar under the soaring thatched palapa. Chaa Creek's tours, although not cheap, are among the country's finest, and horseback riding is also available.

As you sweep down Blancaneaux's hibiscus- and palm-lined drive, past the big main swimming pool, you may get a whiff of Beverly Hills, and indeed the lodge is owned by film director Francis Ford Coppola. Spread on a hillside above Privassion River, the villas with their soaring thatch ceilings, Japanese-style tile baths, plunge pools, and screened porches have appeared in Architectural Digest and dozens of other magazines. There is a sort of jungle-inspired turndown service, with candles lit in the evenings on your balcony, a \"newspaper\" about the weather and happenings, and freshly baked treats. The filmmaker's own villa, with private pool, is available when he isn't in residence. The main restaurant, Montagna, is one of the best in the Cayo, specializing in Italian dishes and serving wines from Coppola's wineries. A second restaurant serves Guatemalan food, so your taste buds are never bored. The lodge's organic farm supplies about 80% of the vegetables for Blancaneaux and its sister property, Turtle Inn in Placencia. The ceiling fans in the hotel bar appeared in Apocalypse Now, and the massive black slate bar top was carved by the Garcia sisters of San Antonio. You can swim off large boulders in the Privassion River, relax in a giant hot tub, swim in the infinity pool or, if you have a luxury villa, dunk in your private plunge pool. Blancaneaux offers a variety of tours and has a stable of horses for riding trips. There's also a gift shop with high-quality and wonderfully colorful Guatemalan blankets, dresses, blouses, and crafts.

Queen Elizabeth II once stayed at this resort with well-appointed rooms that have verandas facing a nature reserve, making you feel like you're outside the city environs. Owned by four sisters from San Ignacio, the hotel and its Running W restaurant is a lovely lodging and dining choice at the edge of town. There's an iguana hatchery on the property, which you can tour as a guest. The hotel also has a tennis court and nice swimming pool. Birding and other excursions can be arranged by the friendly staff.

Some 800 feet above limestone cliffs and the Macal River gorge, across from Elijio Panti National Park, Black Rock Lodge has one of the most beautiful settings of any lodge in the country. The well-shaded cabins have stone or tile floors, custom-made hardwood furniture, and stunning views of the Macal River. There's also a spring-fed swimming pool. Savvy, eco-conscious owner Cameron Boyd runs the lodge on hydro and solar power and keeps room rates low. However, because you're a 35-minute drive from San Ignacio (mostly on a narrow, single-lane trail), you'll need to take all your meals here (they don't come with the room rate) and do most tours with the lodge.

Sitting on 7,200 acres, Hidden Valley has more than a dozen waterfalls, at least two private caves, and 90 miles (150 km) of hiking and mountain biking trails. The entire lodge has an old-school colonial feel, and the estate grounds, including the waterfalls, are exclusively for guests and not open to the public. All the cottages have mahogany furnishings, tile floors, and brick fireplaces. Meals and drinks are served in the lodge's main house, which has vaulted ceilings and four fireplaces. After dinner, sip coffee grown on the premises. There's a full meal plan and all-inclusive packages (three-night minimum) with lodging, meals, drinks, tours, and transfers from Belize City available.

These 12 bright and airy wooden cabanas connected by a boardwalk are a true haven nestled within 700 acres of jungle. Wake up to the sounds of the birds, relax in the hammocks, sample some Belizean cuisine at the restaurant, or take advantage of the nature trails to see wildlife. There is plenty for everyone to do, from unplugging and relaxing to hiking and adventuring. The charming bungalows are tastefully decorated, have very comfortable beds that can be hard to find in the rainforest, and nice en suite bathrooms with lots of hot water.

This jungle resort on the Macal River is a step up in luxury, service, and dining from other run-of-the-mill lodges in the area. With lofted ceilings and tile floors, bathrooms with glass-block shower walls, and stylish furnishings, Mystic River's 15 cottages may lure you to lounge in your room or at the pool instead of going on one of the jungle adventures offered by the resort. On cooler winter evenings, you can relax in your king bed, and watch a crackling fire in the stone fireplace. When it's hot, four of the villas have private plunge pools. At the lodge's restaurant, La Ranita (The Little Frog), in a high-ceiling, thatched palapa set about 100 feet above the river, the chef serves an eclectic menu of Belizean and other dishes. The French co-owner/manager also keeps 40 milk goats and makes her own cheeses.

This well-run lodge, just off the Hummingbird Highway near the Sibun River, offers luxury in a remote rainforest setting. The luxe earth-tone accommodations are lavished with Belizean hardwoods and sunlit decks, from Spanish casitas to mountain-view suites with plunge pools to a two-bedroom cabana. The second and third levels of the main lodge, used as a bar and dining room, have gorgeous views of the nearby Maya Mountains and the river. There's also a nice pool and well-tended gardens you can wander around for a whole afternoon.

Set on the banks of the Belize River, this lodge is a good spot for families, especially those who like to ride horses, as equestrians of all skill levels have a choice of horses from their herd of about 100. Owners John and Carolyn Carr and daughter Leisa Carr-Caceres arrange canoe trips and hikes on the lodge's 4,000 acres. Naturalists may disagree with the lodge's policy on keeping wild animals, but you'll get the chance to see deer, a jaguar, and a spider monkey on the lodge grounds, along with many birds in an aviary. A bar and grill, conference area, art studio, and art gallery are in a building next to the swimming pool.

Beautifully designed, modern one-, two-, and three-bedroom villas dotted along the riverside at the foot of the Maya Mountains, each with its own courtyard and plunge pool, offer tranquility and privacy. When you feel like being around others, join them at the giant shared pool surrounded by upscale loungers. To get back to nature, the hotel provides kayaks and tubes to hit the river, or bikes to explore the trails. Eating at the beautiful river-view, open-air restaurant for every meal can get pricey, so stock up on groceries in Belmopan, and you can cook some of your meals in the full kitchen.

Once you make it up the steep hill, you'll enjoy the best views in the Cayo at this hotel at the western edge of San Ignacio, near the Cahal Pech Maya site. You have a choice here of 78 thatched cabanas, rooms, and suites, all air-conditioned and with cable TV, plus beds in two student dorms. The restaurant serves Belizean and American fare in an open-air space with views of the town and valley below. Cahal Pech offers a variety of tours and multiday packages from the hotel. This resort is often heavily booked even in the off-season.

The low gurgle of nearby Mopan River rapids is the first and last sound of the day at Clarissa Falls Resort. Warm and friendly owner Chena Galvez and her family have spent their lives on a cattle ranch here, a rolling 900-acre expanse of grassy pasture. Over the years Chena and family have built a small colony of homey thatch cabanas for visitors to stay in. If you're on a tight budget, there's camping available and, for students only, rooms in a bunkhouse with three meals daily. The open-air restaurant by the river serves tasty mestizo dishes at modest prices.

This birder's paradise family-run jungle lodge has a range of accommodations, from two simple rooms to a collection of traditional thatched cabanas with views of the Macal River Valley. It is operated by the Tut (pronounced toot) family—Mom and Dad Tut and their 10 children, and they make you feel like a part of the clan. Mom and the daughters cook and run the lodge, and several of the sons are accomplished guides for birding, caving, and river expeditions. The lodge also promotes its multinight birding and adventure tours.

With somewhat eccentric decor and televisions in every room, Dream Valley is not quite luxurious and not quite rustic, but guests enjoy its intimacy and quiet location right at the jungle's edge. Raised wooden walkways lead you between zinc-roofed cabins, a spa, and the main lodge. The location is removed enough that trips into Belmopan are challenging without a rental car, so your main dining option is the on-site restaurant, which serves tasty burgers but little Belizean fare. However, the staff is welcoming, views of Belize River are beautiful, and the best adventure tours of Cayo are within reach.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

If ever since you were a kid you've wanted to sleep in a tree house by a river, this is your chance. Parrot Nest is a budget lodge at a shady spot beside the Mopan River in Bullet Tree Falls, about 3 miles (5 km) from San Ignacio. It has two tree houses, along with seven other rustic cabanas. This is not a luxury joint, so some of the accommodations have shared bathrooms. There's good birding on the grounds, and the lodge provides inner tubes free so you can float down the river.

This roadside hotel just west of San Ignacio provides a pool, an affordable restaurant and bar, and a convenient location, all at moderate prices. The 11 rooms all have air-conditioning, cable television, and Wi-Fi. An on-site tour company, Go Maya, offers tours and trips to surrounding areas, with a discount to Rumors guests.

High above a bend in the Macal River is this remarkable, relaxing lodge whose grounds are right next door to the 45-acre Belize Botanic Gardens. From a vantage point 30 feet above the forest floor on the covered deck and canopied walkway, you'll see iguanas sunning in the trees. You can swim and dive off the rocks from the sandy river beach below. The food is excellent, and there's always a vegetarian option. The lodge also offers horseback riding and a full range of tours.

Kick back in a hammock and listen to the river trickle by and the birds chirp on your private veranda in these eco-friendly jungle cabanas. Set on a 100-acre rain-forest reserve, with farm-to-table dining and lovely pool area, Table Rock is a friendly and serene choice for lodging in the jungle. Technically in the tiny village of Cristo Rey, it's about 5 miles south of San Ignacio town.