Blancaneaux Lodge

The Blancaneaux lodge is truly amazing. Located in a enchanted landscape, the cabins are very inviting and beautifully furnished. Staff is exquisite, very friendly and helpful. The variation of restaurant choices (guetamalan, organic and italian) is very welcome. In short, a true delight to stay at.

Blancaneaux Lodge is one of the most fabulous places I have stayed. Attention to detail is exquisite - they have thought of everything - and the staff, to a person, is what all resorts should strive to have and train. This was a "big birthday" trip for me, and from beginning (the reservation and planning process) to end, I was treated as a VIP worthy of kind attention and care. From the Jaguar Juice greeting at check-in (my new favorite drink!) to delicious (included in room rate) continental breakfasts and dinners on site (we tried all the food venues and they were all fantastic), the dietary offerings were top notch. The range of activities is extensive, and we took advantage of many of them - every guide we had was exceptional, and focused not just on information sharing and spotting, but also, importantly, safety. My friend and I stayed in a river cabana, which was perfect "rustic luxury" - emphasis on the luxury. We were right next to the rushing "waterfall", which provided the most peaceful and restful white noise for sleeping. Despite no air conditioning, the room was always fresh and cool for sleeping. The bed was extremely comfortable and linens were high quality. Toiletries smelled absolutely delicious and left my hair and skin clean and soft, and my hair shiny and manageable. I want to offer a special thank you, by name, to the many individuals who made this stay so very special: Jemuel our conciege, was incredibly helpful and friendly. Sindy, at the front desk, always had a smile on her face and was a welcome sight every morning. Two of our servers, Marty and Jairo, were especially fabulous. Our guides were uniformly the best I've ever had on any trip, ever - Edgar and Randall at Chiquibal for the night hike, Derrick at Xunantunich and Barton Creek, Jeronimo at Caracol and Geraldo for our transfer from Blancaneaux to Turtle Inn, St. Herman's Cave for the tubing and the inland Blue Hole for swimming. Run, don't walk, to this very special corner of the world!!

The Blancaneaux Lodge was an incredible experience. The accommodations, the food, the excursions, and the service were all of the highest quality. Our Garden Deluxe lodge overlooked a waterfall and was clean and cozy. We dined at the Gautemalan and Italian restaurants and were impressed with both. For excursions, we were led by Gilbert to the Mayan ruins at Caracol. He was very knowledgeable about the history, the grounds, and the local vegetation. He also took us to Rio on Pools, which was a refreshing dip in the river. We also went with Peter through Barton Creek Cavern - a kilometer-long canoe ride! My gf and I hiked through the reserve to the Big Rock waterfall. (There are two paths to get there, so be sure to speak with the staff to understand the best path if you are not as physically fit, as one path is fun but much more challenging). The best part of the experience was the service. The staff is very helpful, friendly, and flexible. We would travel elsewhere in Belize and found ourselves saying a few times that the Blancaneaux wouldn't have let XYZ happen, as they were always accommodating. We'd definitely stay there again and recommend highly to anyone looking to explore the Cayo District.

I thoroughly researched our Belize trip for months, and all of the rave reviews I read about Blancaneaux were exceeded by our actual experience. We could not have been happier with our two-couple, four-night stay at the Lodge in the Francis Ford Coppola Villa, everything was simply amazing. First of all, we are incredibly grateful to have had Edman as our personal attendant at our villa. The level of professional, excellent service he provided was the equal of any other luxury stay we've had worldwide, and whatever we needed or wanted, he was there to coordinate or provide. Thank you, Edman, for making our stay delightful. The rest of the staff was wonderful too, everyone happy to help, being proactive and easy going, just a joy to be around. The other element of the Lodge that was above and beyond expectations was all the delicious food experiences. Our first night we dined at the Italian restaurant, which had so many great options on the menu, it was hard to choose, and everything was fresh and yummy. (We ended up ordering salads with almost every meal because all of the fresh vegetables come directly from the extensive on-property gardens). But our evenings only got better from there, with incredible food served at the Guatemalan restaurant and the vegetarian Garden Spot (where we also added on a tour of the gardens), and finally an unbelievable private barbecue cooked and served on our villa's porch. Every dish we tasted was out of this world, and again the service and ambiance could not be beat. For tours, we started by going to the Barton Creek Cave, which was interesting, but probably only worth the long trek there if you have a rainy morning or afternoon to fill. However, the next day we went with Alex to the Maya site at Caracol and it was absolutely extraordinary and you should not miss it. Compared with many historic sites, Caracol was practically deserted and we were able to tour it and learn so much with Alex's expert guidance. On site, several of us hiked to Big Rock falls, enjoyed superb massages and relaxation in the hot pool at the spa, and savored every minute of the beautiful scenery beside the river that runs the the property. For the villa itself, the beds were wonderfully comfortable, the shared common areas delightfully decorated and perfect for lounging and conversation, the bathrooms clean and nice (although there is a large step up into the shower, so be aware if you have accessibly issues) and in all ways an amazing place to relax and spend time. If you are coming to Belize, you should definitely make time for a stay at Blancaneaux. We're already talking about when we might come back for another visit!

We spent 3 incredible nights at the Lodge this past January and wish we had scheduled a few more days. The entire team at Blancaneaux truly is spectacular. From the moment we arrived until the moment we left the experience could not have been better. I wish I had known about this extraordinary spot years ago, we will definitely return. From the dining to activities to lodging and service, it is extraordinary. We loved Belize and Blancaneaux.