Lodge at Chaa Creek

Initially our impression of this hotel was poor. We were given a cabin without AC in temperatures about 38 degrees centigrade [100 degrees fahrenheit] which we could not handle. There were already 3-4 fans in the room which made no impression and the manager offered us an extra fan. We enquired about an upgrade to a room with AC and the immediate reply was it would be US$275 extra per night . This lead to some interesting discussions and eventually we were offered a free upgrade. After this everything went extremely well. The replacement room was very adequate and well appointed, The breakfast and dinner was very good and they had a varied menu. The bar area serviced fairly priced drinks. The pool area was very nice and it served drinks. The complex also had a small boutique shop. Excursions are only within the grounds of the complex which were interesting but limited. We would have preferred to see Mayan sites. We visited the local town and its market which being a Saturday made it more interesting. Everyone was very friendly particularly the restaurant staff.

From the time you arrive you discover the unique nature of this property. The grounds are beautiful, the accommodations are top notch, the food and wine list exquisite, and the staff extremely kind and helpful. We chose not to partake in may of the available offerings, choosing to simply enjoy the pool and walking throughout the grounds. We did have a guide drive us around the outer property, Our guide Louis was exceedingly knowledgeable, pointing out various birds, monkeys, medicinal herbs, and the like. His knowledge of Mayan history offered a fascinating morning as we drove areas I would never think of driving myself. If you do visit the Lodge ask for Louis as a gude, for any of the trips.

I have travelled all over the world and stayed in many hotels. The hospitality and kindness shone through. Of course the lodge is beautiful and the rooms have all you need but the staff and owners make this place special. The food is delicious. Being vegetarian, dinners were made especially for us. The lunch/pool menus have plenty of choice and there wasn't a meal I didn't enjoy. Complimentary activities on site including upstream canoeing along the river, the butterfly sanctuary and early morning bird watching was easily accessible and very enjoyable. The lodge is set in beautifully maintained gardens emersed in nature.

My wife and I stayed four nights at Chaa Creek and had a fantastic time. We booked a treetop villa. The villa is enormous - a large living room, bedroom area, bathroom, and shower room. There is a deck that wraps around the villa with several seating areas and a private splash pool. The villa is not a "treehouse" per se. It is at ground level at the entrance but is set on a hill - behind the villa, we were perhaps 50-70 feet above ground with a beautiful view of the river below. We were visited once by a family of howler monkeys, and saw several colorful birds and iguanas in the trees outside of our deck. The grounds are very large and beautifully landscaped. There are many hiking trails, a gorgeous pool, and a pretty common area with the restaurant and bar. The resort offers many activities at no extra charge. We did the morning birdwatching twice and the night tour once. We would have liked to canoe on the river, but it had rained a lot recently and the current was quite strong, so we passed. We booked an all-inclusive package that included all meals, a full-day tour and two half-day tours. The food was fine, although not exceptional. The tours were outstanding - we visited two of the Mayan ruin sites, and canoeing in Barton Creek Cave. We loved all three tours, and canoeing in the cave was especially interesting. The package also included transportation from Belize City and a stop at the Belize Zoo, and we arranged for a Chaa Creek guide to take us to our next destination (Placencia, via the Hummingbird Highway). Both road trips were very nice and the zoo was surprisingly fun. All of the staff were wonderful. Everyone (desk, dining, concierge) was very friendly and very helpful. In particular - the guides are amazing. All of our guided tours, onsite and offsite, were led by very knowledgeable and experienced guides.

We stayed for 4 nights 3 full days at chaa creek before moving onto the cayes. Grounds were truly beautiful as was our room. Food was fantastic and everyone there were so lovely and nice w amazing smiles :-). Our room had only screens so every morning we woke up to the birds. There are quite a few activities which I wish we had taken better advantage of. We did do the early morning bird watch and the night creature walk both of which were super fun. I didn’t feel this lodging was super convenient to local restaurants in town which we were fine with. We busied ourselves all 3 days w a couple tours and going into San Ignacio but found ourselves tired/ lacking motivation to go back into town to dine though I had heard of some good restaurants there. It is about 10 miles from town and a $30 ride using their transportation, $15 using a street taxi from San Ignacio. Renting a car would have made it all easier but we didn’t go that route. We did most of our eating at the lodge which was very good. The dining menu changed every night and the breakfasts were delicious as well. Really an enjoyable experience.!