Lodge at Chaa Creek

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.!

This review is for the Macal River Camp. Great experience! The camp hosts are amazing, the food is local and delicious, you have full access to the resort (pool, museum, hikes, bird watching, canoeing), and you are right in the jungle with the wildlife. Howler monkeys make their presence known, toucans are nesting in a tree in camp, and you will hear and see so much more. We went on several excursions to a Mayan site and cave tubing. The guides here are fabulous. Every single person I spoke with on staff had been there for years or decades. Some even had their adult children now working there. Chaa Creek really supports their staff and offers ways for them to expand their knowledge. The camp tents are basic, but the beds and linens are fine. The bedside rechargeable lamps work really well. They provide towels and bathroom amenities. Showers are nice and hot and the camp bath house is very clean. Laundry facilities are available, but we did not use them. We met some wonderful guests in camp. I believe any negative reviews regarding the camp were made by people who did not research what they were booking. The camp is a fantastic value, but it is a camp where you will be staying in a cabin with no electricity. The Lodge is a 10 to 15 minute hike on a well maintained trail, but notice I used the word hike and not “walk”. One suggestion to enhance the camp experience; some sort of fans. The lights are rechargeable, are there similarly chargeable fans available? While we were there it was unseasonably hot, so sleeping was sometimes a bit uncomfortable. I didn’t love the butterfly farm. It was ver informative, but there are A LOT of butterflies in a very small space. I met someone in camp who had worked with butterflies, and they confirmed this was a very stressful environment for the butterflies and that crowding numerous butterfly species in the same space made it even more stressful. I was also confused about why they aren’t releasing any of the butterflies. It seems that butterflies are crammed into a small space for the enjoyment of the guests, not the sustainability of the butterfly population.

I loved being in the rainforest and waking up to the sounds of birds. The staff is lovely and helpful. the rooms have no keys which takes some getting used to but also makes you feel that stealing isnt a problem. You can lock up your valuables. The excursions are fun and interesting and the massages are great. They really make sure that you have a wonderful experience there.

In many categories of our 18 trips to different warm weather vacations they were near the top. Food, service, facilities were great. Our first night there instead of a chocolate left on our pillow there was a pupae in a box. The next morning we a had a butterfly that we released into the wild.

Chaa Creek truly deserves all the five star reviews here - so I will add my voice to all the praise! My husband and I splurged for the Ix Chel villa for the first three nights, and since I booked last minute we had to switch to a different room the last night. It was all done seamlessly. The Ix Chel villa with the private plunge pool might have been the most luxurious accommodations we have ever stayed in (we have traveled a lot) It was stunning, with floor to ceiling windows facing the rainforest, huge outdoor area with dining table, comfy loungers, plunge pool and the sounds of the river floating up from below. We spent more time than we planned at the villa, because it was so inviting in every way. When you book the Ix Chel villa, you "also enjoy the unobtrusive yet attentive service of a personal butler..." We've not encountered that level of service before, we weren't sure what to expect, but then there was Candy! Oh what a lovely person - she really made our stay at Chaa Creek extra special. She set up romantic dinners for us, greeted us at breakfast each morning, brought us lunch to our villa, arranged tours, helped me procure some things I forgot to bring from home, really whatever we needed. She was so gracious and kind and we really enjoyed her company as well - thank you Candy!! On our last day there we did the day trip to Tikal - incredible and an absolute must in my opinion - when we returned Candy had arranged for all our bags to be moved into our new room so we didn't worry about a thing. Although not as large, the Macal Riverview Suite was beautiful as well, and we did not have a problem sleeping with the multiple fans in the room (Ix Chel does have AC) The grounds at Chaa Creek are beautiful and lovingly maintained, The entire staff is friendly and helpful, we enjoyed the constant sounds and sights of tropical birds, the butterfly house, and amazingly we did not have any issues with biting insects. And the food - Outstanding!! Some of the best food we have encountered while traveling (and we are from NYC and DC to boot!) I really don't have a single negative thing to say about Chaa Creek- just highly recommend!