Adventures Within Reach Travel Blog

Hotels in San Ignacio:

1. San Ignacio Resort Hotel
2. Vanilla Hills
3. Ka’ana Resort
4. Lodge at Chaa Creek

The main hotel in town is the San Ignacio Resort Hotel.  If you think you want to eat at restaurants in town, go to the farmers market, etc., this is the best option.

Most of the other hotels are outside of town, so you will have to take a taxi into town.  They are all in a lovely jungle/garden setting, so great for relaxing.

All hotels have a pool.

See Also:

1. Belize Trip Report — Placencia, Ambergris Caye, San Ignacio
2. Belize Hotels
3. All Belize Trips

San Ignacio Resort Hotel

Lovely hotel right in town but still with a jungle feel.  You can see monkeys, iguanas, and a large variety of birds in the trees.  It has a nice restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, bar, and large swimming pool with nice deck area all the way around.  The bar has happy hour every day 4-6pm (a drink of the day is 2-for-1), and it also has espresso drinks.  There is filtered water to fill water bottles.

Rooms have a coffee pot, robes, desk, and 2 luggage racks. 

• Garden view rooms have a balcony with 2 chairs, small table, and (rather useless) hammock.
• Regal rooms are larger with a loveseat, but no balcony.
• Garden and Regal are the same price.

The hotel has a Green Iguana Project on site, and it is worth a tour.  The tours depart every hour, on the hour, 9am-4pm and takes about 45 minutes.  The price is US$11.50/person.

You can walk into town for dinner or to the San Ignacio Farmers Market, but it is a steep hill back.

Vanilla Hills

Vanilla Hills is the closest “jungle lodge” to town. Located just 7 minutes away by car from San Ignacio down town, it is in the middle of the nature and has a cozy boutique feel to it.

The bar is beautiful with gas firepit, fountain, and wine cellar.  The 3 Senses Restaurant is world-class. There is a lovely pool.

There are 6 guest houses, all with A/C, positioned at least 50 feet apart from each other, so there is plenty of privacy.

• 3 Tree Houses which are designed for 2 guests
• Guest house Hibiscus can host 3 guests
• 2 guest houses (Villa Vista and Orchid) have two bedrooms and can host 4 guests (Orchid) or 6 guests (Villa Vista).

Ka’ana Resort

The Ka’ana Resort is a boutique hotel with 17 rooms. There are

• 5 standard rooms – 1 queen bed, no patio or outdoor shower (1 has a deck with hammock)
• 6 casita suites – 2 queen beds, outdoor shower, outdoor tub
• 4 master suites – 1 king bed, outdoor shower, plunge pool
• one 1-bedroom villa – 1 king bed, outdoor shower, plunge pool
• one 2-bedroom villa – 1 king bed + 2 twin beds, 2 bathrooms, outdoor shower, plunge pool

A full breakfast is included with the villas and a continental breakfast is included with the other rooms.

They offer a full spa, yoga (one class is free), Maya Cooking Class (90 minutes), s’mores night, 2 bonfires, onsite vegetable garden.

You can request a special dinner in the vegetable garden, wine cellar, stargazing, or jungle garden.

Lodge at Chaa Creek

This is a 5-star property with 28 rooms.  This is the most luxurious lodge in the area. There are 28 rooms and villas tucked into the jungle. Each room has slightly different characteristics.

All of the rooms have a deck and 2 hammocks. Only some of the rooms have A/C, but they all have fans. There are no TVs in the rooms except the Spa Villa. Most rooms have a mini-fridge except the standard rooms. One villa has 4 beds for families. Entry level rooms do not have a/c but lots of fans. 

There is a beautiful restaurant and bar. Breakfast is included with the rooms. The bar offers infused rum.

There is a large infinity pool. There is a Butterfly Exhibit on site plus nature trails, farm, and a bird watching tour every morning. There is a complimentary canoeing tour on the Macaw River.

See Also:

1. Belize Trip Report — Placencia, Ambergris Caye, San Ignacio
2. Belize Hotels
3. All Belize Trips

Hotels in Placencia:

1. Brisa Oceano Hotel
2. Turtle Inn
3. Ellysian Boutique Hotel
4. Umaya Resort
5. Naia Resort & Spa
6. Itz’ana Belize Resort

All hotels have a swimming pool (except Brisa Oceano), A/C, fans, TV, hairdryer, Internet, safe, mini-fridge, and laundry service (extra cost), unless specified.

For pickleball players, Turtle Inn has a court, and Inky’s has 4 courts located mid-peninsula (very close to Naia).

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1) Brisa Oceano Hotel

Briso Oceano is located right in the center of Placencia village on the “Sidewalk”, so it is easy access to restaurants, shops, and grocery stores. The Pickled Parrot bar is right next door, which plays American football games on the TV.

It has 24 units — standard rooms, studios with kitchenette, 1-bedroom/2-bedroom/3-bedroom suites with full kitchen. All are ocean view or ocean front. The 1-bedroom suite ocean front and studio ocean view are interconnecting, making it a 2-bedroom. All have a balcony, but some are larger than others. There is no telephone in the rooms.

The hotel is located right on the beach, but there is no swimming pool. The beach has kayaks, volleyball, corn hole, beach chairs, and bicycles.

The small restaurant is on the second floor, serving breakfast and dinner, with nice views of sunset. There is a small gym and lots of parking.

2) Turtle Inn

The Turtle Inn is a tropical luxury Francis Ford Coppola hotel just outside of Placencia village.

It has 25 cottages. Garden cottages and 2 garden view villas have A/C, but all units have ceiling fans and outdoor showers.

There are 2 pools + a kids pool.  The family pavilion also has a gelato bar. Beach bikes and kayaks are free to use. Paddleboards and trimarans are an extra cost. There is scheduled shuttle service into the village. They also have a pickleball court.

There are 4 restaurants:

1. Mare Restaurant – Italian and seafood (BLD)
2. Aunti Luba’s Kitchen – Belizean food on the lagoon side (Dinner)
3. Gauguin Gill – Seafood on the beach (Dinner)
4. Pizzeria (BLD)
5. Laughing Fish – Pool bar (Lunch)

Continental breakfast is included with the room.

There is a full spa.

Wine Tasting is offered when possible.  It lasts 1.5 hours for 2-12 people, near the Wine Aquarium 4-5:30pm.  The price is $60/person for 2 whites + 2 reds, or $100/person for upgraded wines.

3) Ellysian Boutique Hotel

Located right in Placencia Village with 13 rooms in a tall building on the beach.  There is no elevator.

There are 13 rooms.  No interconnecting rooms, but some are next to each other.

• Studio: 1 King bed, mini-fridge, and coffee maker, ocean view more expensive than garden view.
• Suites: 1 king or 2 queen beds, kitchenette
• 1 Penthouse: 3 bedroom

Muna Restaurant is on the 4^th floor with great sunset views.  It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  There are a few outside tables.

There is a nice pool next to the beach and a pool bar. The spa in on the 5^th floor. They have parking by the street, and they have bikes.

4) Umaya Resort

Umaya is located on the northern part of the Placencia Peninsula in Maya Beach. Some rooms are west facing with a lagoon view and some are east facing with ocean view.

Most of them are 2-bedroom/2-bathroom condos (1 king+2 twin beds), but they can also be rented as 1-bedroom/1-bath. There is a separate area of the resort with six 3-bedroom/2-bathroom self-contained cottages (1 king+2 queens) and a small separate pool — also oceanfront. All units have a full kitchen and patio/balcony. There are no interconnecting units. There is one penthouse condo with 1 king + 2 queens and more small appliances.

The resort has a large pool that faces the ocean with a nice beach. The pool has a bar and wood-burning pizzeria. The beach has hammocks, kayaks, and paddleboards.

The main restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and faces the lagoon. Next to the lagoon is a dock and firepit area, which is a perfect spot for watching the sunset. There are other restaurants close to the hotel as well.

There are bikes you can use and also a shuttle to Placencia town twice a day.

5) Naia Resort & Spa

Naia is a boutique hotel with 36 rooms.  They all have 1 king bed.  One twin bed can be added to a beachfront room.  There are 5 units with 2 bedrooms/2 bathrooms and have a small pool.  Some houses have a pool and some do not.  They have a standalone tub and outside shower.  Rooms can be beach front or beach view.  All have a porch/balcony and a kitchenette.  There is also a 4-bedroom house.

Located in the Maya Beach area in the northern part of the Placencia Peninsula.

The swimming pool is on the small side.  There is pool bar.  The main restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Meals are not included but can be added.  There is a second fancier restaurant upstairs.

There is a full spa, tour desk, and gift shop.  They have kayaks, paddleboards, snorkel equipment, and bikes.

6) Itz’ana Belize Resort

Itz’ana is about 4 miles north of Placenia village (Siene Bight).  The shuttle to town is $5/person one-way.

It has 62 rooms, including 14 villas, which are 3 bedrooms, which can be rented together or separately.  All rooms have a king bed, patio or deck, filtered water, mini-fridge (minibar is not included), French press for coffee, and showers.  The 3-bedroom villa will have a plunge pool, and washer/dryer.  You can book your room with or without breakfast.

There is a huge swimming pool, and the pool bar has a wood-burning pizza oven.

The long, beautiful beach has lounge beds, swings, hammocks, and bean bag chairs.  They have kayaks, paddleboards, and bikes.

The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating in a nice garden area.  Check out the Biblio Bar – it has a “secret room” which can be rented out for private events.

Yoga is offered every morning on the Yoga Deck.  They also offer massages, but there is no gym.

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