 Mariposa Beach Suites is a small (2
unit) property located at the edge of the Caribbean on the Placencia Peninsula, next to
Kitty's Place and a little over a mile north of Placencia Village.
Mariposa is owned and operated by Peter and Marcia
Fox, a retired couple who built Mariposa and made Placencia their permanent home in 1998.
 Both junior suites at Mariposa are located on the first
floor of Marcia and Peter's home (Marcia and Peter live on the second floor). Each
suite has a full kitchen, queen-sized bed, oversized bath and closets, private
 veranda and private
seaside palapa. All furniture in each suite was handmade on the property by Belizean
craftsman, of native Belize materials. Each suite is decorated with a hand-painted
Belize-motif frieze (shown at right).
 Suites are cooled by ceiling fans and have French doors
that run across the entire front of Mariposa, making the most of the famous Placencia sea
breeze. Each suite's veranda also comes equipped with the most essential piece of
furniture on the Peninsula - the hammock. Both suites also has their own private
beach palapas (shown at left) - great for relaxing in the shade after a hard day of
snorkeling and swimming.
Marcia and Peter will be glad to shop for you for
kitchen essentials (just
email us with what you need so that we can provide you with an
estimated cost). Peter's special homemade bread and Marcia's favorite stew will also
be waiting in your room when you arrive - no need to go out in search of sustenance on
your first night - just relax, have dinner and watch the moon rise over the Caribbean
Sea.
If you'd prefer not to cook during your stay in
Placencia, Kitty's Place and Rum Point are within easy (5-10 minute) walking distance from
Mariposa, or you can make arrangements with Marcia and Peter to dine at other area resorts
or in Placencia or Seine Bight Village.
Mariposa will provide laundry service upon
request, and daily housekeeping service is standard.
Email
us with any questions you might have about Mariposa.
 Ek' Tun Lodge is a 500 acre rainforest retreat on the banks of the
Macal River (shown at left) in the western interior Cayo District of Belize, approximately
12 miles upstream from San Ignacio. Ek' Tun lies just beyond what was once the
thriving ancient Mayan city of Tipu.
The Xunantunich Mayan ruins are 7 miles northwest
of the the Lodge, and the Pacbitun ruins are 7 miles to the southwest. The Caracol
ruins are less than 20 miles south (as the crow flies - actual travel time is much greater
because of poor road conditions).
The Ek' Tun grounds are
 nothing
short of beautiful (Phyllis was a landscaper in her former life in Colorado) and include a truly stunning mineral water pool
formed by a branch of the Macal River (shown at
left).
 The Ek' Tun Lodge facilities consist of
two traditionally thatched guest cottages (both of which can sleep up to 5 adults) and the
main building where Phyllis prepares breakfast and dinner for guests in a style she she
laughingly describes as "guerilla gourmet" (check out her recipe for "Hot Bananas" - a great dessert).
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The guest cottages do not have electric
lighting. Instead, your kerosene lamps are lighted by staff at dusk and produce
soft, relaxing and very adequate lighting (you'll be outside looking at the stars and
listening to the nearby Howler Monkeys most of the evening anyway). Although lacking
electric lighting, Ek' Tun's cottages are far from "rustic." Instead, the baths are quite modern and comfortable - very large tiled shower, plenty of hot
and cold water (and good water pressure), tile and stone floors throughout the cottages,
hand-made mahogany furniture and very comfortable beds.