Magical, Magical Sleeping Giant Lodge in Belize’s Maya Mountains

Warning:  Cornball alert.  I am going to gush about this spot.  Wax lyrical…and use words like magical way too many times.   In fact, this is the third time already.

But I can’t help it.  It’s all true so…proceed with caution.

I was leaving a gorgeous, honeymoon ready suite at Almond Beach Resort in the beach village of Hopkins.  I was pretty sure that my experience there – the Garifuna drumming and dancing, the warm, helpful staff and the HUGE beautiful room could not be topped.  BUT?  I was wrong…

Sunday morning, I reluctantly boarded a private van for the 1 hour, 15 minute ride through the valley lined with citrus groves and then the twisty, turny Maya Mountains.   We turned in at the rather unremarkable Sleeping Giant Rainforest Lodge sign.

2 minutes later we were there.  Immediately surrounded by flowers, butterflies and hummingbirds, I climbed the stairs to the lodge, bar and dining area and met Eugene, the manager and my host.  He took me on a quick tour of the lodge – showed me the view from the dining room…

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HOLY CRAP…and then showed me to my casita.

And I was absolutely blow away.

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A huge sitting area…and windows to my porch.

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My back porch, my hammock and my private sunning patio surrounded by a trickling stream (that I could hear faintly while falling asleep) and my semi-private view of the pool.

My first morning I went outside to find a trio of ducks bathing in the stream.

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The beyond gorgeous bathroom with spotless glass doors to the shower and then a door to my outside patio and deep deep bathtub.  Ahhhh…

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I just loved the iridescent green tiles and this glass bowl sink that almost looked like it was carved out of the river rocks outside.

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There was no way I wasn’t putting this to use.

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Even the smaller details like the gorgeous soaps made locally in scents like jasmine and lemongrass were divine.

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And then the stunning pool right behind my patio.

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And the hot tub.

IMG_9299And behind the pool…down these stairs…

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The beautiful Sibun River.  Perfect for kayaking.

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I was totally enchanted.  It almost makes sense that a giant is sleeping right in front of you.   After first seeing the suite and the pool, I wasn’t sure that much else would shock me.  But about an hour after arriving, I took the guided 20 minute hike up the hillside, to a three story lookout tower called The Gazebo…

THE VIEW.  The giant’s head is behind the beautiful Sibun River.

Sleeping Giant Lodge is relatively new but the owners have over 50,000 acres of land- it is their land pretty much as far as the eyes can see.

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The entire area is gorgeous and the lodge is so close to attractions like St. Herman’s Cave and the Inland Blue Hole (more on that tomorrow), the ATM cave, tubing, the Crystal Cave and other lesser known and less explored cave systems for all sorts of spelunking skill levels.

The lodge is just beautiful on its own – away from the insane view.  Upscale but super comfortable.

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The dining area where breakfast and dinner are served.

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Delicious food.  They even elevated my stew chicken, rice & beans (probably the most common Belizean dish) to the next level.

IMG_9281This strangely handsome leaf mantis joined me for breakfast one morning.

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And at night…the walkways are all lined with flickering torches leading to the main lodge.  Magical.  It’s the only correct word for it.

Not my finest picture but you get the idea…

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Sleeping Giant Lodge is like being transported to another world – perhaps the Hobbit’s Shire or  the land of Oz.  After being at the beach, the green of it, the birds, and the flowers are all just striking.  Breathtaking.  Almost overwhelmingly beautiful.

The location and scenery is some of the most…well I’ll say it again, magical in Belize.

For more information on this spot and some AMAZING packages that combine this lodge with their partner resorts in Hopkins, check out Sleeping Giant’s website.

Oh yes…and I loved that there was beauty in the most mundane things.

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AND that my bathtub and shower glowed at night.

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LOVE THIS PLACE.    It’s really a spot everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime.

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