Hi all: I'm still putting together my spring trip for my 13 yr old daughter and me. Right now, I'm figuring we'll spend a few days on Caye Caulker then go inland for the remainder of the trip. We definitely want to do a bit of horseback riding; otherwise we'll still deciding whether to cave tube, visit ATM and/or Tikal, among other possibilities. In reading Fodor's and Lonely Planet, as well as searching the web, I think I've narrowed down our lodge choices for the inland portion of our trip to four: Ian Anderson's Caves Branch, Black Rock River Lodge, Chaa Creek, and Duplooy's. Does anyone have experience with any of these lodges, positive or negative, that you'd recommend one over the rest?
1
lansluder
In my opinion, Chaa Creek is by the best of the four you mention, but it is expensive. It just won an award from Fodor's as one of the 100 best hotels in the world. I write the Fodor's Belize guidebook.
Ian Anderson's I'd put second of those four, then duPlooys and then Black Rock. All four are good, however.
I'd say the #1 lodge in Belize is Chan Chich, though it's in a remote area and away from anything else.
--Lan Sluder
2
hopefulist
Chaa Creek has a cool jungle camp which is where I'd stay if it was my trip. We prefer doing the inland portion 1st and ending up on the water, for what it's worth. You might want to consider purchasing these:
Wildlife ID cards
Play It! Belize book
Happy trails!
3
jeanfromboston2
At Chaa Creek, we stayed 4 nights in the Macal Jungle Camp,as hopefulist recommends, and 1 night at Chaa Creek Lodge. The camp is lots of fun--cost us $110 per night for two with breakfast and dinner. Large cabins, communal bathrooms (but with hot showers and flush toilets). Excellent food cooked by a Belizean family. The camp is only a 10 minute walk from the lodge, and you can use the pool and other facilities. The Lodge is lovely, luxurious (but no AC), and beautiful. Food is pricy. People who did the horseback riding at Chaa Creek loved it. We booked the ATM trip separately, with PACZ, and they picked us up at Chaa Creek for a small extra fee.
4
mamajosh
I would have loved to stay at Chaa Creek but it was far too expensive and the cheaper attached jungle camp was full. We stayed at Black Rock and loved it. Got a room with a beautiful river view. I do think you'd be best suited to rent a car if you're going to Black Rock. It's pretty remote (which is what we wanted). Having a car gave us the flexibility to make our own tour arrangements (though we did book ATM through the hotel) and eat in town.
Pro tip
Lonely Planet
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