WHAT’S NEW IN BELIZE? A Look at New Hotels and Restaurants

Article by: Lan Sluder Belize First Magazine

Here are reviews of some of the hotels and restaurants that have opened in
Belize within the last year or so.

AMBERGRIS CAYE
Cayo Espanto Do you want to live like a multimillionaire? You can, at least
for a few days, at this new resort on a pint-sized private island on the back
side of Ambergris Caye. Here, the staff outnumbers the guests, and you have
your own private butler. Your meals, prepared by an award-winning team of
chefs, are brought to your villa, where you can dine at a seaside table on
"fire-roasted Frangelico pork tenderloin with a sweet potato-papaya souffle"
or linger over breakfast as you lounge on Egyptian cotton sheets, watch cable
TV or listen to your own hi-fi system. The walls of the one- and
two-bedroom villas literally fold back to let the sunshine in. Or, if it’s
too warm, zap up the air conditioning. Each villa has a pool, though it’s
hardly bigger than a bath tub. Most guests, says owner Jeff Gramm, come with
the best of intentions to dive, snorkel, fish and tour, but end up spending
most of their time happily ensconced on the island. The ambience -- and
rates -- are St. Barts-esque, rather than Belizean, but this caye may be just
right for dot.com winners, honeymooners and cost-be-damned anniversary
celebrants. Negatives? At these prices, we’d like to see tile floors rather
than concrete in the villas, and real swimming pools rather than splash
pools. And, no matter how many butlers there are, the $1,495-a-night rate
for the two-bedroom villa here is way over the top. And that’s our final
answer. P.O. Box 90, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye; tel. and fax
011-501-2-13001 or tel. 888-666-4282 in U.S. and Canada; e-mail
[email protected]; www.aprivateisland.com. 4 villas. Air
conditioning, private splash pools, tours. AE, MC, V. Rates: US$595 to
$1,495 per cabaña, per couple, including all meals, but NOT including a 17%
service charge (so that’s how they pay for all that staff!) and tax.

Banana Beach We’ve heard almost nothing but raves for this condotel since it
opened in late 1998, and in February I finally got to stay here to see what
it’s all about. What it’s all about is casual comfort, a lot of space for
the money, with the island’s friendliest staff helping you enjoy a
near-perfect seaside location. All the 35 units, situated Mexican-style
around an interior courtyard with swimming pool, are one-bedroom suites. They
vary a bit in size and decor, but all have a big bedroom -- mine had a comfort
able king-size bed -- and a combo kitchen (with everything you need to cook
up a good seafood meal, if you’re so inclined) and living room, with cable
TV. All units have A/C, ceiling fans and direct-dial phones. Developer and
manager Tim Jeffers (he also developed the successful Coconuts Caribbean)
spoiled me with a second-floor unit, with a balcony directly on the water.
The front corner units facing the Caribbean on the second and third floors
are my faves here, although a total of 14 suites are on the water with
private balconies. I wouldn’t want to sit out a hurricane this close to the
sea surge, but the balcony is a great place to enjoy a Cuban cigar, a
Duurley’s and tonic, and an easy tropical evening. The beachfront here has
a low seawall, but steps away is a beautiful small swimming beach. No
restaurant or bar on site yet, but several watering holes and restaurants are
within strolling distance. Condos at Banana Beach are going for US$105,000
and up. Complaints? None, really, though it’s too bad the site and design
didn’t allow every unit to be seafront. And with the location about 2 miles
south of town, we’d like to see bikes thrown in for free, as at Coconuts,
rather than rented. In fact, we’d like to see south end hotels offer free
use of golf carts. P.O. Box 94, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye; tel.
011-501-2-63890, fax 2-63891; e-mail [email protected]; www..bananabeach.com.
35 one-bedroom suites. Pool, air conditioning, bike rentals, tours. AE, MC,
V. Rates (direct booking) are US$125 double, including hotel taxes, from
Dec. 21 through Easter, US$100 rest of year; seventh day free on bookings of
at least a week.

The Tides You can tell this is a place where divers stay by the dive gear
hanging over balcony railings. If your main interest is scuba, you couldn’t
do better than The Tides. The boats and dive shop of Patojo Paz, one of the
most respected dive masters on the island, are just steps from your door.
Patojo, with his wife, Sabrina, opened this hotel in 1999. The three-story,
12-room inn has a retro look, more like the older wooden structures in San
Pedro than the new concrete buildings. Inside, though, it’s all modern and
attractively -- if not lavishly -- furnished. The rates are attractive, too,
especially in season when you can get a double here starting at US$75. The
hotel, on north end of town near the river channel, is a little removed from
the in-town action, but there is a beach bar here and it’s not a bad hike
down the beach to restaurants and shops. San Pedro, Ambergris Caye; tel.
011-501-2-62283, fax 2-63797; e-mail [email protected]; www.
ambergriscaye.com/tides. 12 rooms. Bar, air-conditioning or fans, some
rooms with refrigerators. MC, V. Rates: US$95 double with air
conditioning, US$75 with fan, mid-Nov - April. Some discounts available
off-season.

Rendezvous Restaurant & Bar We don’t know how a couple who spent years
living and working in Bangkok, Singapore and other world capitals ended up on
North Ambergris, but we’re glad they did. Rendezvous, a 24-seat bistro in a
chalet-style house next door to Journey’s End, joins Capricorn and Mambo as
a top island splurge. One thing’s for sure: You won’t confuse the food
here with rice and beans. It’s Thai-French fusion, which means that
Thai-style ingredients and spices are married with classical cream sauces.
The result, say San Pedro’s more discerning diners, is delicious. Start with
the larb nua, a spicy Thai beef salad with mint, basic and red onions
(US$10), then mainline the pad Thai -- the dish actually migrated to Thailand
from China -- (US$18), and cool down with chocolate truffle cake with
wongla seed candy (US$7). The owners also make (from imported grape
concentrate), bottle and and sell their own wines. For those who want to be
close to the kitchen, or to sleep off too much fun, Rendezvous has a
third-floor suite with balcony for let. North Ambergris Caye, tel./fax
011-501-2-63426; e-mail [email protected]; www.ambergriscaye.com/rendezvous.
Figure on paying near US$50 a person here, with drinks, tax and tip, plus
US$10 round-trip for the water taxi. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Café Amnesia No, you’re not seeing spots -- that’s the new Café Amnesia, on
upper Front Street across from Rasta Pasta. The food is "international"
-- to me that means light and interesting stuff for lunch -- and the
atmosphere is island hip. Run by Ildiko and Mai, the café stays open later
than most restaurants, serving until 11 p.m. 8 Upper Barrier Reef Dr., San
Pedro, Ambergris Caye; tel./fax 011-501-2-62806; e-mail [email protected].
Open for lunch and dinner daily except Wednesday.

Other Changes: The peripatetic Rasta Pasta, having moved from the Playador
to the SunBreeze to uptown Front Street, had to drop its late night music
after complaints from neighbors, but in February Maralyn and Albert opened a
reggae and Belikin branch at the former Shark’s bar dock (and, thank heavens,
it freed the sharks that had been caged there). The Front Street location
will focus more on breakfast, deli and bakery items -- Rasta Pasta’s
fresh-baked English muffins are works of art. Café Olé, in the annex of the
SunBreeze, across from the airstrip, on one of only two spots of pavement on
the island, started as a place to grab a latte in the morning, but it’s added
a complete menu, including ambitious dinner dishes. Jam-bel’s, tucked in
behind Big Daddy’s, has a lot of fans who love the jerk chicken. BC’s
Barbecue, just south of the SunBreeze, is the place for a beach-side barbie
with big servings of ribs, fish and chicken. Condomania continues apace, as C
aptain Morgan’s, Sunset Beach and other hotels build new condos. We hear,
though, that condo sales -- at least at some developments -- aren’t so great,
and that a number of condo owners are continuing to have problems with the
legalities of new condominium ownership laws in Belize and with condotel
management. Victoria House is under new management. Lancaster Hotels and
Resorts is the new operating and management company for Victoria House. A
spokesperson say the company will be renovating this summer and finally will
add a pool later. The Island Ferry is a new option for those who want to get
up and down the island by water.

CAYE CAULKER
Iguana Reef Inn If you want to stay at the Ritz-Carlton of Caye Caulker,
this is it. The 12 suites in this two-story inn have air conditioning,
refrigerators and queen-size beds. Unlike many of the hotels on the island,
the furnishings are as tasteful, art is on the walls, and the mattresses are
firm and comfortable. We hear there’s a pool coming, a first on the island.
The lee side location, next to the soccer field, means you trade views of
the sea and reef for sunsets over the lagoon. By the way, Iguana Reef’s Web
site is excellent, with more information on Caye Caulker than most of the
"official" Caye Caulker sites. P.O. Box 31, Middle St., Caye Caulker; tel.
011-501-2-22213, fax 2-22000; e-mail [email protected];
www.iguanareefinn.com. 12 suites. Air conditioning, refrigerators, tours.
MC, V. Rates US$90 double, mid-May to mid-Nov., US$75 rest of year;
discounts for stays of seven days or longer.

Other Changes: No wonder the new Trends Beach Hotel is popular. It’s the
first thing you see when you get off the boat at the public dock on the front
side of Caye Caulker. The tropically pink and green hotel has smallish but
attractive rooms. A plus: You’re next door to the best restaurant on the
island, The Sand Box. If you just want a Cuban sandwich or a snack, the YooHo
o Deli (don’t you love the name?) is a great spot.

(For all the doings at Caye Chapel, see the separate article.)

COROZAL TOWN
Café Kela I looked at my check here and couldn’t believe it. The total
dinner tab, for my snapper filet sauteed in herbs with a huge serving of pomm
es frites, washed down with a couple of glasses of delicious fresh-squeezed
lime juice, came to under ten dollars Belize, less than five bucks U.S.
And this is no dive. It’s a charming little bistro -- there are only five
tables -- in a thatch palapa across the street from Corozal Bay. The menu
offers seafood, crepes, cassoulets. Most items have a French twist, as the
owner lived for awhile in France. No alcohol is served, but you can bring
your bottle. On First Avenue on the bay about a quarter mile north of
Corozal Cultural Center. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Other Changes: The Y Not beach bar at Tony’s has been replaced by a fancy
new bar and grill, though it still has a thatch roof. Don Quixote, the hotel
near Consejo which has been in limbo for years, may actually reopen, though
when is still a question. Smuggler’s Den near Consejo has great rates, and
we hear the Beverly Tempte, the owner of Casablanca (one of seaside hotels
that deserves to be better known) is opening a new restaurant in the Corozal
Free Zone.

BELIZE CITY
Villa Boscardi If you’re nervous about staying in beautiful downtown Belize
City (you shouldn’t be, but many are), this B&B in a residential neighborhood
between the city centre and the international airport could be perfect for
you. Owners Franco and Francoise Boscardi have turned their Buttonwood Bay
home into a lovely place to overnight. Villa Boscardi costs about the same
as the nearby Belize Biltmore Plaza, but it’s twice as nice. Plus, you get a
full breakfast included in the rate, and the Boscardis offer free transport
to and from the airports, except on Sunday. 6043 Manatee Dr. (P.O. Box
1501), Belize City; tel./fax 011-501-2-31691; e-mail [email protected];
www.villaboscardi.com. 3 rooms. Air conditioning, gift shop, free airport
transfers, breakfast included. AE, MC, V. Rates US$65 double, US$55 single
year-round.

Other Changes: The Great House has added six new rooms on the third floor,
doubling its inventory. The new rooms are just as attractive as the old
ones. Three Amigos is the popular replacement for GGs. Chef Bob has
replaced Mango’s. (For the big changes at the Princess, see the separate
story.)

CAYO
Mayan River Resort The valu-o-meter just got turned up to wow in Cayo,
thanks to this all-inclusive which opened in November 1999. Some visitors to
Belize complain that hotel rates seem reasonable enough, but at check-out
the total tab is lot higher than expected. At remote lodges where guests are
locked in to a single provider, the price of meals, drinks, transfers, tours,
tax, and service charges often is several times the room charge. But here,
owners Jay and Pamella Picon deliver everything for one price: transfers
from your arrival flight in Belize City, room, all meals, daily tours
(including trips to Tikal, Caracol and Barton Creek cave), local beer and
drinks, and even tips and taxes. And that one price isn’t a budget-breaker,
either, starting at under $115 per person per day. Fact is, it may be the
best deal on the mainland. For 2000, the resort has loosened up a bit on its
three-, four- and seven-day packages and now allows guests to start on any
day, assuming there’s room. The location is a bit, well, unexpected, across
the Mopan River from the back streets of old Benque, but once you’ve taken
the short ferry ride (Jay had the steel ferry built to his specs) to the
resort’s 10-acre coconut palm-studded grounds, you’re in your own private
paradise. The thatch cabañas are done up in high Belizean style, with
cabbage bark wood floors and mahogany cabinets, and they come with all the
modcons, including cable TV, VCR, 24-hour electricity, the best beds in
Belize, and refrigerators stocked with complimentary soft drinks and
Belikin. Three of the cabañas are larger suites, with full kitchens.
Breakfasts are to order, and dinners usually have a theme such as Thai night,
with recipes Pam Picon picked up from cooking courses at the Oriental Hotel
in Bangkok. Pam is editor of the Belize Report newsletter, and she’s put to
good use what she’s learned from visiting many of Belize’s top resorts.
Over drinks or a barbecue at the expansive, art-filled Picon home which
occupies a prime spot on the grounds, Jay, who admits to his share of tax
problems in the U.S., will regale you with tales of his days as a pilot and
head of large U.S. aviation companies. The resort has good security: Guards
with Rottweilers patrol after dark. So what’s the down side? Obviously,
this place isn’t for those who want to do things entirely on their own,
trying different restaurants and heading out on a whim. You’re not
absolutely locked into an inflexible plan, but tours, cocktail hours, meals
and such are all necessarily on a schedule. Plus, as at many small lodges,
the particular mix of guests when you’re there has a lot to do with your
total experience. A pool would be a nice addition here, since river swimming
really isn’t an option. Riverside North, Benque Viejo del Carmen, Cayo;
tel. 501-9-32047, fax 9-33272, e-mail [email protected];
www.mopanriverresort.com. Rates for 2000: Seven-night all-inclusive
packages, year-round, are US$798 per person in a cabaña, or US$973 for a
suite with kitchen; four-nights, US$548 and US$648; three-nights, US$426
and US$501. Christmas, Easter and several holidays are slightly higher. MC,
V, Discover. Closed July-October.

Mayaland Villas This new spot is a nice compromise between being in town and
being way out in the boondocks. Opened in early 2000 by the owner of
Mayaland Tours & Travel, a well-known Belize City tour company, the hotel has
large rooms with verandahs, breakfast nooks, ceiling fans and 24-hour
electricity in modern duplex buildings, plus three less-expensive rooms in a
lodge. Mile 69, Western Highway, Cayo; tel. 501-9-12035, fax 9-12037,
e-mail [email protected]; www.maylandbelize.com. 10 rooms in cabins, 3 in
main house. Restaurant, bar, gift shop, tours. AE, MC, V. Villas US$105
double Nov. 1-May 15, US$84 rest of year; rooms in main house, US$85 double
Nov. 1-May 15, US$68 rest of year.

Green Heaven Run by a young French couple, Dominique Agius and Anne-Karine
Chappaz, and opened in mid-1999, Green Heaven has quickly established itself
as a top choice among moderate-priced lodges in Cayo. Dominique and
Anne-Karine, along with Anne-Karine’s parents, frequent visitors from France,
provide personal attention to guests and a friendly, casual atmosphere. The
four wood and stucco cabins, scattered behind the main building on a low
hill, are not deluxe, but they are attractively furnished. After the generato
r shuts down around 11, you can light an oil lamp. There’s no river swimming
here, but Green Heaven has the best swimming pool in Cayo, plus badminton,
volley ball and pétanque. Dominique runs the restaurant, La Vie En Rose,
serving French classics like Beef Bourguignon and crepes. You can even get
French champagne (US$7.50 a glass). P.O. Box 155, Chial Road, San Ignacio;
tel./ fax 501-9-12034, e-mail [email protected]; www.ghlodgebelize.com. 4
cabins. Restaurant, bar, pool. AE, MC, V. US$90 double Nov.-May, US$70
rest of year.

Aguada Hotel & Restaurant This little hotel -- just east of San Ignacio in
Santa Elena -- is a real find. You can stay here in a clean, modern room
with air conditioning for US$25 double, or US$20 if you just want a fan,
about a fifth of the price of the Hotel San Ignacio. And, like the Hotel
San Ignacio, it has a swimming pool, bar and a good restaurant. The Aguada
restaurant is a friendly, casual place serving Belizean and American dishes
at US$3-$8 for a full meal. Owners Bill and Cathie Butcher are doing a super
job here, in a quiet location just a short walk from the the Western
Highway, across from La Loma Luz hospital. San Ignacio is a US$2.50 cab ride
or a US$1 bus ride away. P.O. Box 133, San Ignacio; tel. 501-92-3609;
e-mail [email protected]; www.belizex.com/aguada.htm. Restaurant, bar, pool,
tours. MC, V. Rates from US$20 double with fan, US$25 with air
conditioning, year-round.

Royal Mopan Resort & Spa I showed up here late one afternoon, after a hard
day’s drive from northern Belize, with several stops for hiking. The only
staffer around looked dubiously at my rumpled clothes and muddy shoes and
sniffed, "Singles here are 95 U.S., you know." Then, a little reluctantly,
she showed me the room, down a motel-like hall, and it was my turn to sniff:
"I’m looking for a room, not a closet," I almost said. It was nicely
outfitted with TV and carpeting, but there are bathrooms in Cayo bigger than
this. I can only assume that the renovation to the former hotel at this site
didn’t allow for much change in room sizes. The pool here is beautiful, the
spa accoutrements fine, I suppose, and the views from the top of a high,
steep -- and I do mean steep -- hill in Benque are fantastic. But it’s hard
to imagine guests paying premium rates will enjoy the cramped rooms and
unenthusiastic staff. I visited not long after the hotel opened in early
2000 -- let’s hope the owners, the Feinsteins who also operate Blackbird Caye
Resort, turn up the hospitality here. And quick. Benque Viejo del Carmen,
tel. 888-271-3482 or 305-969-7947; fax 305-969-7946; e-mail
[email protected]; www.royalmayan.com. 24 rooms. Restaurant, bar, pool,
air conditioning, spa, tours. MC, V. US$139 double Nov. 14-June 14, US$97
rest of year. Combo packages available with Blackbird Caye Resort from
$1,050 per person.

Other Changes: Chaa Creek has added a complete spa, with the latest
equipment and therapies, and with licensed operators. Spa packages including
cottage accommodation, breakfast and dinner, massage, and manicure or
pedicure start at US$298 per person, double occupancy. Also, Chaa Creek’s Mac
al River Camp has replaced its platform tents with more-permanent small
A-frames on the platforms. We hear the food at the safari camp is as good or
better than at the main lodge dining room. Rosita Arvigo and company also
have gone into the spa biz, and Ix Chel Farm is now billed as a wellness
center, with guesthouse, featuring facials, massages, pedicures, Bach Flower
consultation, and herbal, mineral water, aroma and other therapies.

HOPKINS
Beaches and Dreams If you’re looking for a small place directly on the
beach, with good food and helpful hosts, this new spot just south of Jaguar
Reef Lodge may be for you. There are two beachfront octagons, each with two
large rooms with 14-foot ceilings, king-size beds, and fans. The Canadian
owners seem to knock themselves out for their guests. In-season rates aren’t
cheap, but they drop by 50% after May 1. The pub-style restaurant does a
great job with seafood, and you can even get pizza. At least two other small
resorts are expected to open nearby in the next year. P.O. Box 193,
Dangriga; tel./fax 011-501-5-37078; e-mail [email protected];
www.beachesanddreams.com. 4 rooms. Restaurant, bar, fans. Rates: US$160
double, Nov. 1-Apr. 30,, US$80 rest of year, including full breakfast and
transfers from Dangriga.

Tipple Tree Beya Inn For an inexpensive stay in an interesting place, you
couldn’t do much better than the new Tipple Tree Beya Inn, on the beach in
Hopkins. It’s not Jaguar Reef Lodge, but the prices are right, the expat
owners are friendly, and the accommodations, in either a private cabin or in
three rooms, are comfortable. P.O. Box 206, Dangriga; tel./fax
011-501-5-12006; e-mail [email protected];
www.sites.netscape.net/tippletree/belize. 1 cabin and 3 rooms (1 with shared
bath). MC, V. Rates US$40 for the cabin, US$30 double for rooms with
private bath, with seventh day free if booked direct. Tent camping allowed
on the beach for US$4.25.

PLACENCIA
Barnacle Bill’s This new duo of bungalows on the beach is great for folks
who don’t want to eat out every meal. Each bungalow, raised on stilts about
60 feet from the beach, has a full kitchen with microwave, two-burner stove,
fridge, toaster, a bedroom with queen bed, sleeper sofa in the living room
(separated by a louvered door for a little privacy), and bath. The
interiors are varnished hardwoods, with ceiling fans. Barnacle Bill himself
will stock your pantry in advance if you ask him to do so. The peninsula need
s more places like this. 23 Maya Beach Way, Placencia Peninsula; tel.
011-501-6-37010; e-mail [email protected]; www.gotobelize.com/barnacle. Two
cabins. No credit cards. Rates US$85 single or double Nov.-May, US$60 rest
of year. Additional persons US$15 each.

Other Changes: La Petite Maison has closed due to the death of the
co-owner, Mango’s of Maya Beach is the new neat-place-to-eat, Sea Spray, Trade
Winds, Luba Hati, Green Parrot, Inn at Robert’s Grove and Turtle Inn have
expanded, Mariposa, Sun ‘n Sea Cabañas, the Bamboo Room and the Purple Space
Monkey Internet Café have opened, Dave Dial has left, Wallen’s got air
conditioning, half the hotels on the peninsula are either for sale or have
sold, and the real estate action at The Plantation -- check out the new
"model home" -- and other sites is hot and heavy.

Copyright 2000 by Lan Sluder/Belize First Magazine
http://www.turq.com/belizefirst/