Nabitunich "The Stone Cottage" — Hotel in Cayo District

Nabitunich is a destination on its own right, worth making the trip to Belize. It is a place with a heart and character. It felt like a rural heaven on Earth.

Now the details:

Location: don't let the fact that it is outside of town dissuade you- getting here is very easy because the property is on the main highway to the border with Guatemala. From Belize city you can take any bus going to Flores, Benque or San Ignacio and stop at San Ignacio/Benque and take a cheap taxi from there or ask to be stopped at the road leading to Nabitunich, like we did. We also asked the bus to take us from the nearby Mopan Gas Station for our onward journey to Flores in Guatemala. The fact that it's outside towns means you have piece and quiet and lots of space to go for walks and lots of wildlife. San Ignacio town didn't look great, so we had no desire to even go there.

Food: breakfast is delicious and often they prepare dinner on site, but you can also order food from nearby takeaway (nachos, burritos etc) for just $US 1 delivery. A big portion of nachos feeding 2 people cost 15 Belize dollars, a burrito is around $8 and the people delivering the food are lovely, so we recommend supporting them.

The place itself: the rooms have everything we need plus extra touches like fresh flowers from the beautiful garden. The views from Nabitunich are stunning- there is lots of space to hang around, there are large trees for shade and lots of flowers and wildlife- we saw toucans, hummingbirds, parakeets etc. 10 min walk through the farm there is the Mopan river where we saw water birds and howler monkeys. There is also a lovely dog (Magnolia) two hens with little fluffy chick's and a rooster.

The people staying there were all lovely and we had great chats in the communal area in the evenings. One man from Canada has been coming to Nabitunich for a month for the last 13 years, which really tells you something about this place.

There is a lot to do around Nabitunich- we rented horses with a guide to go to the nearby Mayan historic site along the river, which was a great experience and we highly recommend it. There are also different walking paths in the forrest and along the river to go for safe walks.

Finally- the person running the place Dominic made our stay extra special- he is super friendly, welcoming, knowledgeable, with a great sense of humour and it was a pleasure spending time with him. Thank you for our stay, Dominic! Also thank you to all the warm and hardworking staff of Nabitunich who made sure the who place is clean, beautiful and who...

After leaving the nearby Black Rock Lodge, we ate lunch in San Jose Succotz, visited the Xunantunich archaeological site, and then made our short way to Nabitunich, "The Stone Cottage". Later, during our pre-arranged dinner, we were greeted by the farm's unnamed cats, and by Dominick, the owner. During dinner, he sat and chatted with us about the farm, the B&B, local history, and us. Dominick was amazingly well informed about the American political situation, asked penetrating questions, and was a gentle, very wise soul. Only half jokingly, I suggested that Dominick be appointed the next Secretary-General of the United Nations.||Our two rooms were in a single small structure near the dining room and veranda. The garden area outside the rooms was filled with beautiful flowers, trees, and other plants. The rooms had functioning air conditioners, interesting lighting, a comfortable bed, a coffee pot. Our particular building looked like it had been a livestock structure long ago, but was quite nice.||Birds were abundant in the trees and farm fields around the B&B. My brother in law walked down to the Mopan River, with the Xunantunich site visible on the other side.||At night, we watched in fascination as a stream of leaf-cutter ants carried their harvest down and across the walkway.||The next morning, we went back to the dining room for the complimentary breakfast, and after Dominick chatted with other guests from Guatemala and Mexico (speaking Spanish), he came back to talk to us. Pulling up a chair, he asked us about our work (all retired now), and listened carefully while my wife talked about her work in biotech. Again, he asked well-considered, penetrating questions about her work.||The internet was down across Belize when we left. We had intended to pay with credit card or PayPal, but without internet, neither worked. "No problem - we'll catch you later" was his response. Fortunately, we were able to take care of it a few days later, once again with a very pleasant exchange, this time...

Situated on a farm, this 250 acre property is close to the main town of San Ignacio and even closer to the ancient ruins of Xunantunich (you can see it from the farm with a clear sky!). Surrounded by flowers, lush vegetation, and a beautiful river just a short walk on the property, Nabitunich is about as peaceful as it can get. It is also a great base to use if you are interested in heading to Tikal in Guatemala, or, the rest of Cayo.

We were greeted by the owner Domenic, shortly after our arrival, and served a nice dinner on our first night as well. Domenic is so down to Earth, knowledgeable and friendly. If you need help planning anything during your stay, he has many contacts and knows the areas extremely well! I met a lot of people during my 12 days in Belize, but, he remains my favorite. I enjoyed chatting with him in the dining hall during dinner on a nightly basis. Marta, Maura, and the rest of the staff were always in good spirits and willing to help in any way that they could.

The included free breakfasts were massive and such a great way to start our days exploring the San Ignacio region and Cayo District.

You will run into dogs and cats on the property so if this bothers you, just be aware. I love animals so it just added a little extra pleasure to our stay. Magnolia, one of the dogs, will likely follow you around to help guide when walking around the property on your way to the river. Such a good pup!

Room #3 will forever be my friend Ana's favorite room, Domenic! LOL ;-)

Thanks to everyone at Nabitunich for making our stay so memorable. I will definitely recommend this place to anyone staying in the area and if I ever make it back to your beautiful country, I will definitely be returning here!

All the best to you guys moving forward.

Jeff and Ana (the...