Lodge at Chaa Creek

We stayed for three nights in a deluxe cottage and couldn’t have been happier. What we didn’t realise before we arrived was that this place has such an amazing backstory of the Flemings who bought a farm in 1977 and have been developing it ever since - we thought it was lovely this isn’t some big hotel chain and genuine heart and soul has gone into everything here. They give you a magazine telling you the whole story which is fascinating. The grounds are beautiful, as is the pool and little bar area. We loved the breakfast - especially the new menu launched on our last day and the dinner menu changes every day. We did the chargeable night tour and saw tarantulas, a scorpion, frogs but missed the ant eaters and armadillos and other night crawlers. We saw toucans and hummingbirds and howler monkeys from the grounds, took a canoe ride up the on site river, my wife did the complementary bird watching tour and also did the horse riding with the most beautifully looked after horses. I think the only slight catch is that it’s a 15-20 min drive into San Ignacio but then again there’s not much there. They have a restaurant in town called the Guava Limb Cafe which serves broadly the same menu as the hotel lunch menu. We also thought that the cocktails were the best we can ever remember (and this is from a couple who have drunk a LOT of cocktails all over the world) - fresh juices and house infused rum and vodka. We used this as a base to go to the Xunantunich and Cahal Pech Mayan sites and also went to Caves Branch for the amazing cave tubing. Having spent a week in San Pedro, it was bliss being surrounded by lush gardens and just the sounds of the jungle. I’m in awe of what the Flemings have created here, and am really grateful privately owned hotels like this still exist in the world.

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.