Why Orchid Garden Eco-Village

Belize is a marvelous country to visit, and the reasons for going there are legion: the second longest barrier reef on the planet, the pristine waters of the Caribbean and over a thousand cayes and atolls providing world class diving, snorkeling and sailing; inland you have ample opportunities for visiting ancient Mayan cities, cruising down picture book rivers, zip-lining through the rainforest canopy, tubing through magnificent caves and even exploring an underground cavern containing the calcified remains of 14 human beings probably sacrificed to the Rain God Chac around 950 A.D..

Caution needs exercising, however, when it comes to choosing from one of the hundreds of Belize hotels on offer.  The guidebooks warn you that a Belize hotel is anything its Belizean owner decides to call a hotel, and the quality can vary enormously.

What you want, of course is to find and choose one from a much smaller number: those Belize hotels that offer genuine value for money.  There are Belize hotels that are very comfortable and provide all modern amenities, but they cost an arm and a leg; then there are those Belize hotels that appear to be charging a much more reasonable amount, but when you get there the room is pitiful, the shower doesn't work, the cockroaches resent your presence in the bathroom, and trying to sleep at night reminds you of a scene from The Bridge over the River Kwai.

www.tripadvisor.com is an excellent place to start your research.  Increasingly people rely more on the opinions of travellers who have actually stayed in the Belize hotels they are trying to choose from, rather than a travel writer, whose information may well be out of date before the book gets into print. 

Another consideration is location.  If you've never been to Belize before, look for one of those Belize hotels offering all-inclusive packages in a location that minimizes travelling times to those locations you're going to want to visit.  There are excellent Belize hotels on San Pedro (Ambergris Caye) for your sailing, snorkeling and diving; but if you want to combine those activities with some of the most striking traveller attractions on the mainland it's going to take you three times as long and cost you twice as much to get to them if you're based on one of the Cayes.

From among the handful of Belize hotels that satisfy all these requirements, the one I recommend is the Orchid Garden Eco Village hotel at 14½ Miles Western Highway.  It's rated the no.1 B&B in and around Belize City on Trip Advisor (and has been for the last 18 months) with a 98% guest approval rating.  It's 20 minutes from the International Airport, 20 minutes from the water taxi terminal in Belize City, and less than an hour from great Inland tours to the ancient Mayan city of Lamanai, the awesome underground exploration to the Tomb of the Crystal Maiden (A.T.M.), zip-lining through the rainforest canopy and tubing along the Caves Branch River - the list goes on.  Its all-inclusive packages are tremendous value for money, combining Inland and sea-based tours into an unforgettable two-centre experience that captures the essence of Magical Belize.

By all means do your own research, based on your own requirements; but if your normal life keeps you too busy to spend hours on research, just click on www.trybelize.com - this is the one to beat!