3 Best Hotels in San Ignacio, The Cayo District

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.

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.