The Lodge at Chaa Creek

The Lodge at Chaa Creek has stood on the Macal River since 1977 — Belize's original luxury jungle lodge, the first cottage resort in Cayo, set in a three-hundred-and-sixty-five-acre rainforest reserve in the Maya Mountains foothills, around fifteen minutes from San Ignacio. The lodge carries a genuine spread of stays: around twenty-three thatched cottages, suites and villas with mahogany beds, Mexican-tile floors, Maya art and sundeck verandas, from treetop Jacuzzi suites elevated over the river to the new Ix Chel Luxury Rainforest Villas with private plunge pools, Jacuzzis and personal butlers, alongside a separate, rustic riverside Macal River Camp that keeps a back-to-nature option. An on-site organic Maya farm feeds the main restaurant, modern international and Central-American fusion among Belize's best, with a jungle bar over the river. A hilltop spa looks over the Macal, with an outdoor pool, a children's pool and a hot tub. The grounds hold a Blue Morpho butterfly farm and a Natural History Centre, and the reserve's trails, horseback riding, river canoeing, caving, birding and the Maya ruins of Xunantunich, Cahal Pech and Caracol fill the days. It is around two to two and a half hours from Belize City with an on-site helipad, on a bed-and-breakfast base with Adventure-Inclusive packages, where children stay free — made for families, couples and eco-and-adventure travellers.