Belize (offline)
| country: | Belize |
| location: | Englishtown |
| price: | From US $110 - US $165 per day per cabana. Seven nights including transfers from Placencia, food pack, tax; Green Season (30th Apr-12th Nov) US $969 - US $1065 High Season (19th Nov- 22nd Apr) US $1297 -US $1493 |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
description
This is a tiny resort nestling between the jungle and the Caribbean.
It consists of a traditional wood built double storied island building with a self contained cabana apartment on each floor. Next door live the English owners, Chris and Sue Harris, and behind their house is Rose Cottage, where the staff live.
Apart from that, there is just beach and jungle as far as you can walk in either direction (about a mile of narrow coral sand all told) - a real Robinson Crusoe place where you can find true peace and tranquillity as you get back to the simple life. There's no road - you reach us by boat. The only sounds are the cries of birds and the lapping of the waves - perfect peace.
Our sand is clean, firm and beautiful, and our beach is swept every day - it's just like walking on warm velvet. The water out front of the resort is crystal clear, lovely for swimming and snorkelling, and you can never get bored sitting on your veranda watching the greens, blues and silvers shift and sparkle.
Dolphins, manatee and turtles can occasionally be spotted from our dock, as well as magnificent eagle rays which will fly clean out of the water. There is even a baby reef about 100 yards off shore which is fun to snorkle over. At night, the tropical sky is full of stars, and you can sit on the end of our dock watching shoals of tiny luminous jelly fish drift by like a reflection of the stars in the sea.
This is a true eco-resort which runs on solar power. Water is supplied from the sky, and there are plenty of vats to ensure that we don't run dry. The buildings have been built facing into the prevailing wind to catch every stray breeze, so we have nature's own air conditioning - helped by fans for those times when the air is still. We are building a beautiful tropical garden, and at least some of the food you'll eat is grown on site.
Located on half a mile of narrow jungle fringed beach, there are no other houses, no hotels, not even a road - we are reached by boat. With one of the largest solar installations in southern Belize, this resort runs entirely on clean silent solar energy. Home grown vegetables and fresh free range eggs are often available to guest. A pack of local food is supplied (free if you are staying for a week or for a fishing package) but if you get tired of trying your hand at cooking the local produce, gourmet and family dinners are available by arrangement. Home cooked frozen “take away” meals are also available, or you can arrange to go into the nearby village for a traditional Belizean meal.
Trips can be arranged to Mayan ruins, modern Mayan communities, caves and waterfalls, wildlife reserves and there is a fabulous jungle walk in the nearby village where you can usually see howler monkeys. We also retain the services of some of the finest fishing guides in Belize, and catch and release fishing on the reef, the mangroves, the lagoon or up one of the beautiful rivers is fantastic.
A relaxed, friendly, private place to stay where you feel more like you're staying at your own beach house than simply being on holiday.
It consists of a traditional wood built double storied island building with a self contained cabana apartment on each floor. Next door live the English owners, Chris and Sue Harris, and behind their house is Rose Cottage, where the staff live.
Apart from that, there is just beach and jungle as far as you can walk in either direction (about a mile of narrow coral sand all told) - a real Robinson Crusoe place where you can find true peace and tranquillity as you get back to the simple life. There's no road - you reach us by boat. The only sounds are the cries of birds and the lapping of the waves - perfect peace.
Our sand is clean, firm and beautiful, and our beach is swept every day - it's just like walking on warm velvet. The water out front of the resort is crystal clear, lovely for swimming and snorkelling, and you can never get bored sitting on your veranda watching the greens, blues and silvers shift and sparkle.
Dolphins, manatee and turtles can occasionally be spotted from our dock, as well as magnificent eagle rays which will fly clean out of the water. There is even a baby reef about 100 yards off shore which is fun to snorkle over. At night, the tropical sky is full of stars, and you can sit on the end of our dock watching shoals of tiny luminous jelly fish drift by like a reflection of the stars in the sea.
This is a true eco-resort which runs on solar power. Water is supplied from the sky, and there are plenty of vats to ensure that we don't run dry. The buildings have been built facing into the prevailing wind to catch every stray breeze, so we have nature's own air conditioning - helped by fans for those times when the air is still. We are building a beautiful tropical garden, and at least some of the food you'll eat is grown on site.
Located on half a mile of narrow jungle fringed beach, there are no other houses, no hotels, not even a road - we are reached by boat. With one of the largest solar installations in southern Belize, this resort runs entirely on clean silent solar energy. Home grown vegetables and fresh free range eggs are often available to guest. A pack of local food is supplied (free if you are staying for a week or for a fishing package) but if you get tired of trying your hand at cooking the local produce, gourmet and family dinners are available by arrangement. Home cooked frozen “take away” meals are also available, or you can arrange to go into the nearby village for a traditional Belizean meal.
Trips can be arranged to Mayan ruins, modern Mayan communities, caves and waterfalls, wildlife reserves and there is a fabulous jungle walk in the nearby village where you can usually see howler monkeys. We also retain the services of some of the finest fishing guides in Belize, and catch and release fishing on the reef, the mangroves, the lagoon or up one of the beautiful rivers is fantastic.
A relaxed, friendly, private place to stay where you feel more like you're staying at your own beach house than simply being on holiday.
rooms, food and facilities
The cabanas have a simple well equipped kitchen complete with fridge, bathroom with shower, a sleeping area with two double beds, a sitting area and a private veranda with hammocks. A single folding bed is also available if needed There are individual fans in the rooms & you may even get a wake up call from the rooster!
We offer our guests a holiday library, games and jigsaw puzzles, and ofcourse a safe sandy swimming beach, pedalo, and even a local dugout!
We don't use generator backup, instead we are about to install additional wind power. We now have two fishing kayaks available for use by guests for exploring or fishing.
how this holiday makes a difference
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The nearest village, Monkey River Town, used to be the second largest town in Belize. The banana industry relocated because of disease and the town went from a population of around 8000 to perhaps a couple of hundred. Fishing and tour guiding are the only way of making a living here. The village is isolated from the jungle road into the nearest town by the river, and there is no public transport.
We have chosen to set up our business in Toledo, the poorest part of Belize. Good employment is hard to find here and there is a very high percentage of child labour in the agricultural industry as families struggle to survive. Even one small business like ours makes a difference as the money we spend creates a ripple effect into the local community. By employing local fishing and tour guides we pump much needed money into the local community. In particular, the jungle walks around Monkey River employ both men and women, and there is a small shop and a couple of tiny restuarants which also create employment for village people. Guides often support an extended family network.  We buy local produce wherever possible and always buy fish which the local children catch at weekends and bring to our dock. This is a useful addition to their family income and gives them a sense of pride in achievement. We ask our fishing guests to practise catch and release fishing except where fish is needed for food. We support national organisations promoting wildlife and also the care of domestic animals. We run the resort on solar power, collect our own rainwater and recycle wherever possible. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |