Hickatee Cottages is a beautiful small lodge just outside Punta Gorda Town (PG for short). 

Ian and Kate Morton lovingly built Hickatee Cottages, Hickatee Nurseries (where food for their restaurant is grown organically) and Charlie's Bar next door to have minimal impact on the environment.

The result is a wonderful haven (with great food) surrounded by lush tropical forest that is home to Black Howler Monkeys, jaguars and other jungle wildlife, tropical birds, native orchids and bromeliads, and Blue Morpho butterflies.  

An email to us from a recent guest:

The Hickatee Cottages were fabulous!!   The cottages are beautiful, the food was great and they have a great network for tours.  I was VERY impressed.

Contact us for more information.

Steppingstones is a tranquil small (two unit) guesthouse on the beach near Monkey River, just south of the Placencia Peninsula and north of Punta Negra. 

Owned by Sue and Chris Harris, Steppingstones provides its guests with the unique opportunity to enjoy the unspoiled natural coastal beauty of southern Belize, as well as the jungle environs of Monkey River, and the Creole culture of Monkey River Village.

Oh, yes, the fishing.  In another life, Sue and Chris owned Harris Angling, one of the UK's premier tackle shops.  So, fishing is pretty important to them, and they have a cadre of very capable Monkey River guides for fly fishing, light tackle and trolling trips to the Sapodilla and Snake Cayes, the Bay of Honduras, and, of course, Monkey River.

Steppingstones cabanas have full kitchens, allowing guests to prepare their own meals, or they can take advantage of Sue's gourmet cooking skills for one or all meals.

Contact us for more information.

Coral House Inn is a restored guesthouse on the southern end of Punta Gorda Town in the Toledo District.  In fact, the Coral House Inn has the distinction of being the furthest point south in Belize that you can drive to on a paved road. 

Coral House Inn was "discovered" and renovations begin in 2003.  (The house was originally built by a French Canadian in 1938 of concrete and large stones, and the graves of three US Confederate soldiers can be found on the northern end of the property.) 

Rich and Darla Mallory have done a beautiful job with the now-completed renovations, and Coral House Inn today offers guests well-proportioned and tastefully decorated air conditioned rooms, swimming pool, wireless Internet connection in all rooms and by the pool, daily maid service and complimentary use of bicycles.

Rick and Darla can arrange most any kind of tour of the Toledo District, including fishing, horseback riding, caving, Mayan ruins and jungle hikes, making Coral House a wonderful in-town base for a far-southern Belize vacation.

Contact us for more information.

The Lodge at Big Falls is located on the banks of the Rio Grande River about 18 miles north of PG. 

Thatched cabanas are spacious, furnished with colorful Central American textiles, and each has a private verandah where guests can relax, have their morning coffees and juices, and sight the many varieties of birds and butterflies that inhabit the tropical forest around the Lodge. 

Big Falls guests also enjoy the Lodge pool, full service restaurant and bar, library focusing on Belize's heritage, wildlife and environment, and complimentary use of kayaks and inner tubes for exploring and enjoying the Rio Grande River. 

Contact us for more information.

Cotton Tree Lodge offers a unique all-inclusive jungle experience on 100 acres of jungle in the Toledo District. 

The Lodge sits amid wild fig trees on the edge of the Moho River, and is off the grid, using solar power for electricity, an organic garden for vegetables, producing chocolate from organic cacao and a unique composting system for organic wastes.  A teak and mahogany reforestation program is also currently underway at Cotton Tree.  

Cotton Tree also maintains a very close relationship with the nearby Mayan villages, and guests can take cultural tours of these villages, including hands-on experience in traditional Mayan cooking or crafts.

Tours included in rates are Blue Creek Cave, Maya Mountain hiking, Tamash River/Barranco, Moho River birding, Rio Blanco, Deep River, Pushila, Nim Li Punit and Lubaantun Mayan ruins, and cultural visits to Santa Anna Village, San Pedro Columbia Village and Punta Gorda Town.

Cotton Tree also offers two very, very special chocolate weeks during Valentine's Day week and the Cacao Festival in the Toledo District.  These special chocolate weeks include visiting local cacao orchards, lending a hand in harvesting the cacao, initiating the fermentation of the cocoa beans, and drying the beans post fermentation. After making chocolate the traditional Mayan way, guests explore modern chocolate making techniques including refining, conching, tempering, and molding the chocolate.  Each guest leaves with a chocolate bar they made themselves.

Contact us for more information.