When planning a trip to Belize, you’ll find a variety of places to stay, giving you plenty of options depending on what kind of experience you’re looking for and what your budget is.
Related: 9-Day Belize Itinerary from the Cayo to the Cayes
Where did I stay?
My boyfriend and I were in Belize for eight nights, starting with four nights in the Cayo and then one night on Caye Caulker and three nights on Ambergris Caye. Here are the three places we stayed during our Belize adventure:
The Cayo
When researching the Cayo district, I knew I wanted to get a true jungle experience by sleeping amidst the sounds of wildlife in a jungle lodge.
That’s why Pook’s Hill Lodge was perfect for us.
Pook’s Hill is about a two-hour drive from the Belize City airport, so it’s about as remote as you can get. But this eco-lodge that burns cohune nuts to heat the water in the cabana bathrooms offers a true jungle setting complete with hummingbirds in the main lodge, hiking, birding, night walks and, of course, wildlife.
The lodge serves community meals in their dining room, which allows guests from all over the world to meet each other and share stories. But it’s also necessary because the lodge is so remote with no other dining options nearby and it seems like most visitors don’t have rental cars. We thought the meals were delicious, but we eat just about anything and don’t have any dietary restrictions. (We were asked about restrictions when we booked, but because we have none, I’m not sure how serious dietary issues are accommodated.)
We loved our stay at Pook’s Hill Lodge. We loved that Pook’s Hill was only a few miles down the dirt road from the Actun Tunichil Muknal, or the ATM, Cave, one of the most popular adventures in the Cayo. And we didn’t mind the lack of air conditioning and television or the fact that we needed head lamps to walk back to our cabana after dinner or the howler monkey that woke us up really early with its calls.
If you’re looking for a jungle experience that’s a little less remote or if you want to chill at a resort, there are many other options in various price ranges.
Caye Caulker
For such a small island, we found a lot of options for lodging on Caye Caulker, ranging from beachfront hotels to hostels. We ended up staying at Island Magic Beach Resort primarily because I liked the pictures on their website.
And I wasn’t disappointed.
We stayed in an ocean-view room on the third floor with a kitchen, a private hammock on our patio and direct stair access to the pool. (It was also the only night during our entire trip that we had a television.)
After settling into our room, we wandered around the resort to find a restaurant, a pool, swinging chairs overlooking the water and a dock with more chairs and swimming access.
Island Magic Beach Resort is nestled in a quieter area than many of the hotels on Caye Caulker. But because the island is so small, it didn’t take long to walk to just about everywhere, from gift shops and grocery stores, coffee shops and restaurants, street vendors and excursion sign-ups, all along the way to The Split.
The only morning we were on Caye Caulker, I woke up early and watched the sunrise from the resort’s roof. After we checked out, we left our luggage in their storage locker, had more fun wandering around the island, and when it was time to catch the water taxi to our next destination, the resort drove us there on a golf cart.
Ambergris Caye
The final leg of our trip was on Ambergris Caye, where we splurged to stay at Matachica, an adults-only resort and spa. Matachica is so private that we had to hop on the resort’s boat transfer for 10 minutes to get there from the water taxi in San Pedro.
We stayed in a seafront casita with our own lounge chairs and a hammock overlooking the water. It was fabulous.
The resort has a dock with chairs to be lazy on while the friendly staff deliver fruity cocktails upon request, but the only time we took advantage of the dock was one early morning sunrise. We spent most of our time there using the resort’s kayaks and snorkel gear to check out the reef, dining at the well-known restaurant and lounging by the pool or outside our casita.
Each lodging was unique and memorable, and they all contributed to the awesome adventure we had in Belize. I highly recommend all three!
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