A Bit of Luxury In San Ignacio: A Look around the San Ignacio Hotel & Resort

A few days ago, I wrote about eating termites and visiting green iguanas at the conservation project at the San Ignacio Hotel in San Ignacio, Cayo, Belize.  But I didn’t just go for the wildlife, though I’ll admit…it was pretty good.  I stayed the night at the hotel and was pretty impressed.  Very nice digs. Let me show you around…

The hotel is just up the hill from San Ignacio town proper, an easy walk.  And the lobby is quite grand.

The stairway leads up to one room, the Master suite.  I’ll show you that in a second.

The Queen stayed at this hotel during her only visit to Belize in 1994.  That seems like a pretty good stamp of approval.

Prince Harry on his visit for the Queen’s Jubilee in 2012 stayed at Chaa Creek…another resort I plan to visit in the very near future.  It only makes sense that I follow in the foot steps of royalty.

Just off the lobby is an enclosed and air conditioned bar, a quite sizeable one….

And the Running W Steak House restaurant.  I didn’t get a chance to try it but I hear they have the best steaks in the country.

There were quite a few cars from Guatemala parked outside…people eating at this well known steakhouse.  Even this fancy one…you don’t see cars like this in Belize very often.

The outside tables overlooking the pool quickly became my favorite spot.

Particularly in the early morning…I was able to tick a few birds off this bird watching list right from my chair.  It certainly helped that the gentleman setting up the restaurant for the day was able to point them out and name them.  A bird book is also conveniently provided.

But back to the inside of the hotel.  The grand stairway in the picture above leads up to the Master Suite only…definitely not where I was staying but it’s nice to dream…

A large bed and a good sized sitting area…

I love all of the local Belizean art in all of the rooms and the lobby.

The view from the jacuzzi on the large private balcony…

 I also took a look at some of the other smaller rooms but equally nice suites.

Airy and cool, all with great views…I could get used to staying here.

I spent the night in one of the smaller room.  Perhaps you think I’m made of money?  It was on the roadside of the hotel but still very comfortable and quiet.

Good AC, nice sheets, lots of towels and good products, turn down service with chocolate, strong Wi-Fi, bottled water…very nice indeed.

Though the hotel only has about 25 rooms, there is also a huge conference room that can seat crowds off a few hundred or more.

Pluses of the hotel:  Other than everything I listed above, a great restaurant, the staff, the beautiful pool, the awesome Iguana Project and the beautiful grounds overlooking the Macal River…location is a huge plus for this hotel.   Many visit the Cayo district and stay in the lodges that are a bit off the beaten path for the true jungle experience.  If you are the type that wants to easily access different bars, restaurants, shops and nightlife on your stay, this hotel is perfect.  The town of San Ignacio is a few minute walk down the hill.

Potential Minuses of the hotel:  The minuses are almost the same as the pluses. It just depends on your point of view.   If you seek a “true Belizean jungle lodge” experience, if you want to go on evening nature walks and extensive early morning bird watching tours right outside of your hotel room, if want the feeling that you are way out in the wilderness, this may not be the right hotel for you.

For more information and much better pictures of the gorgeous hotel, please check out their website.  And as always, feel free to email me with any questions about the hotel or the area.