Guatemala & Belize, tailor made holiday

Community
In Antigua we support the charity Safe Passage which opened its doors in 1999 to help educate the children who work on the Guatemala City rubbish dump. The organisation represents a refuge from a life marked by extreme poverty and dangerous conditions. In Antigua, the hotel Posada Lazos Fuertes give their profits back to the charity. We recommend this hotel for clients who are keen to stay in a comfortable, yet simple hotel which has very direct benefits to the charity and poor communities in the area. The hotel also offers training to some of the older rubbish dump children, which gives them more opportunities to find employment in the growing tourism industry.

The owners and builders of The Lodge at Chaa Creek employ over 100 full-time employees from local communities which is a significant number given the remote location of the property. It’s like one big family which continues to grow around the lodge as the success story of the property continues. Chaa Creek believe tourism must be firmly rooted within the local community and must provide true and lasting benefit to all. Chaa Creek has always been committed to providing an ecologically educational, as well as recreational experience. The Natural History Centre, Butterfly Farm, and rainforest medicine trail are all an easy walk from the cottages and have made learning about the natural and cultural wonders enjoyable for thousands of overseas and local visitors and students in Belize.#

Such ethics, together with good service, have earned them numerous accolades over the years such as; one of the world’s top ten international properties in Eco-Escapes, among the world's top 50 Eco Lodges by National Geographic Adventure Magazine. They also hold high accreditations from Green Globe and Rainforest Alliance.

Environment
Victoria House takes an active roll in helping to care for its surrounding environment in areas such as: battery clean up and re-cycling and having recyclable 5 gallon bottles of purified water available for guests. Rainwater collection is important as it helps to minimize use of locally produced water and use only rain and groundwater for irrigation. They support the Green Reef project which is a non profit making organisation set up to protect Marine life and conserve the coral cayes that run parallel to the coast line of Belize. Belize is one of the few countries where you can see the shy but strangely beautiful Manatee or sea cow. These huge herbivores rely on a diet of sea grass and without groups such as Green Reef numbers could diminish even further and the manatee could disappear altogether.