6 Best Hotels in The Southern Coast, Belize

This cozy beachfront cottage keeps the guests returning. In the heart of the village, this cottage colony features tile floors, ceilings paneled in local hardwoods, refrigerators, fans, and porches with sea views. A continental breakfast with fruit and locally baked bread is brought to your cabin each morning. Sundays offer the option of a more ample breakfast with fry jacks and burritos for an extra cost.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.