The Rainforest Lodge at Sleeping Giant — Hotel in Cayo District

This review is very strange for me to write because it is a vacation resort, a destination and a restaurant.

The resort is a short taxi ride away from the main town of Belmopan and you will definitely want to go into the town for groceries, incidentals and restaurants. BUT that round trip will cost you BZ60$ each way. Yes, I will write that again in a slightly different way... It will cost you 60 US Dollars for a taxi to the grocery store, pharmacy or clothing store. If you use the resort's transport, it will cost you $90. That is just to get there.

So, let's say you didn't need to go to town and want to dine at the resort... You will pay at least $100 for a mediocre meal for two. Split on some wine and drinks and you will be headed toward $100 per head. Why do I call the food mediocre? Because it is just lacking in flavor. If you are in Belize then you should be expecting fresh, intent and tasty food from the local cultures. Sadly, this isn't it... It is boring food. The pizzas however, are excellent! $15 US Dollars minimum for a medium pizza for 1 person, with some coming in just shy of $30 for one 12" pizza.

Ok. So you're paying for the food and the ambience. That's the normal justification for a bottle of wine that is 5* the price you can buy it for elsewhere. It's because of the ambience. But then they charge you a resort fee at 15%

I have always been under the impression that a resort fee is charged if you are not staying somewhere and choose to use their services. Not here. They tax you 15% resort fee on everything.

Service... Pretty bad. Doors that don't lock. Bugs and leaves in the pools when you arrive. Water for the cooler left on the doorstep. Breakfast order that never arrived for grandchildren. No food available at various times during the day.

They promote electric bikes for hire but they don't have any. They rent the two golf carts at $35 USD for two hours.

The horse riding was cool but $50 USD for about 90 minutes and then they killed the memory by adding tax and resort fee. A resort fee for riding horses down the road from the room you have rented? I didn't understand that.

One of the servers particularly stands out for commendation... Rene. He was always excellent, regardless of what that he was wearing.

Other than a few, like Rene, the other service, like poolside food and drink service... it feels like they really don't want to be serving you. They get your order wrong, they miss things and you generally feel like you don't want to disturb them by actually ordering anything.

As the week went on, we ordered less and less at the pool and used the restaurant less and less. Each day we simply became more disappointed with all of it. Each excursion we did, we ate at a local restaurant instead. The experience, food and service was better everywhere outside the resort. Sad, but true.

The food in Belmopan from a number of restaurants is excellent and really shows you how bland and uninteresting the food is at the resort.

The grounds of the resort are beautiful, but only really in the main areas. If you wander a little further then you will find the rough edges.

The branded gift shop is unfortunately a very similar story. Everything they sell feels a little bit like you are being ripped off or at least being taken advantage of because of the cost of going anywhere else. $70 US Dollars plus tax for a coffee cup anyone?

We loved our time here, but as I suggested earlier, that is mainly because we found out how to escape by using our own transport companies and our own excursions. We then went all over the place and didn't use any of the resort provided services other than horse riding and gold cart.

We really enjoyed the pool, but it really isn't very clean. We have a pool in our back yard at home and I would not be proud if the water in my own pool was that bad. Cloudy, full of bugs and leaves. In 7 days, I didn't see anyone maintaining the pool as it desperately needed.

Summary: it is beautiful, but constantly feels like a scam. A wannabe luxury resort that does not...

This was quite possibly the best vacation/stay I’ve ever had and I travel a lot.

Rooms: Better than the photos. Spacious, clean, calming, great smell, great soaps. The couch in our room was so comfortable we fell asleep in it lol. Fantastic spacious showers. Clean drinking water from a water dispenser. And the views — you truly are nestled in the jungle. We had an avocado tree right in front of us, vines with leaves bigger than my body. Beautiful and unbeatable accommodation.

Food If you do not eat here you are doing yourself a disservice. The food AND cocktails were out of this world. Everything had flavour, richness, and freshness - I truly believe they source everything locally because you can taste it in the meat, vegetables, sauces, fruits, drinks. Oh, and everything is made in-house. Recommendations: oxtail on sourdough was soft, easily pullable, bread was somewhat sweet and just delicious. Came with house-made plantain chips that were just chefs kiss. We ordered again the next day for the chips alone pollo asado was out of this world. We got the leg — it was so juicy, so tender. The handmade flour tortilla was a dense, moist texture. Beautiful in the mouth, also great flavour. Great pairings with the sauces and the onion garnish. chicken chile for dinner was hands down our favourite dinner dish. There are hints of cinnamon that just absolutely complete the dish. Highly, highly recommend. sleeping giant cocktail was sweet — more of a dessert drink, but not so sweet that you can’t have it with a meal. Absolutely delicious. nopal jalapeño margarita is a MUST. Best margarita I have ever had. They make the syrup from nopal/cactus themselves and it’s just, the flavour can be tasted instantly. It’s sour and salty but not at ALL overwhelmingly so; the flavour balance is perfection. Highly, highly recommend. cocotel is almost like a Long Island iced tea because of the mesh of alcohols but don’t be mistaken; it is a drink of its own in both flavour profile and texture. It is made out of carbonated coconut water (incredible); you can taste the coconut. High in alcohol so you are sure to get tipsy from this lol. It’s great. MAYAN CHOCOLATE CAKE !!! SO rich. So delicious. We had it for breakfast the day that we left because it was so, so good. Very rich though and surprisingly filling so make sure you have enough room to fully enjoy this.

Facilities/grounds Hands down the most beautiful resort I have ever been to and we came during a tropical storm — it rained the entire time — this did not subtract from the experience. Instead, it was almost more beautiful watching rain drip from all the vegetation, seeing the ducks swim in the little rivers and waterfalls that are scattered across the grounds. The plants are vibrant, in full bloom, birds of paradise the size of trees over 20 ft tall. I have to give kudos to the gardeners because the landscaping is just breathtaking and we never got tired of it. Everyday we discovered something new. It’s beautiful. Flowers and vines and jungle in just every direction. I would book for this alone. The resort is like a maze lol and it’s a joy getting lost in it.

I highly recommend doing all of the hikes. They put you properly in the jungle. It’s refreshing, exhilarating, humbling. We biked the entire orchard in the back until the path took a turn only for us to find more orchards. It’s truly a choose your own adventure kind of (natural) playground and for anyone who is adventurous or an athlete, this place is a dream.

Staff The staff — oh my, the staff — so kind, so fun, many of them incredibly knowledgeable and happy to answer your questions. I hope they get taken care of because they deserve it. They make you want to stay and come again because of their genuine kindness and generosity. Some very passionate about the food! Really will miss them.

All in all, come here. Eat here. Hike here. One of the best experiences of my life and we’re already planning on coming back. Thank you, Sleeping...

This was the most amazing hotel experience I have ever had!

ARRIVAL I coordinated pickup with the hotel, so they had a driver at the airport ready for when we got out. Alex arrived on time, was incredibly nice, made good conversation, shared history, and let us nap. When we got to the hotel he took our bags to our room for us while we checked in. It was such an easy process.

CHECK-IN The staff knew our names before we even checked in. We were greeted so warn my!! The check in process was easy, we sat in the lobby and confirmed our information and then we were shown around the main parts of the property, had the map described to us, given all the details for food, and were shown to our room. It was just enough info to not be overwhelming after a day of travel.

ROOM We stayed in a creekside cottage, and we loved it! Our cottage was clean, already had the AC on and had its own water dispenser. The private patio backed up to a running stream that had the perfect amount of natural noise. A hammock to lay on, two outdoor lights and ceiling fans, and a little sitting area. We could see our neighbor but there were no windows in our direction so it felt private.

The bed was the perfect mix between soft and firm. The pillow are thin, but you get two per person. I liked it, but husband didn’t do much.

The bathroom was warmer than the rest of the room, but led to an outdoor bathtub which was so neat! I do wish they had bubble bath to go with it or bath salts.

THERE IS NO WIFI OR TV IN THE ROOM. Good luck getting cell service. But lobby and pool do have WiFi.

FOOD It is a culinary experience! Every meal is farm to table and you are given only three options, and they are different every day. We didn’t have one bad meal. If you are a picky eater you will have to have an open mind, but nothing is “scary”. Breakfast is NOT going to be anything you’re used to, so don’t expect any traditional American food. It is a bit pricey $30-50USD a meal for a couple (no drinks), but we skipped the “all inclusive” and still spent less than we would’ve with it.

STAFF I cannot say enough good things about every staff member. From the driver to front desk to servers and groundskeepers everyone is so nice and they make a point to learn your name. We were always greeted with our names in the lobby and restaurant. They alone make me want to come back.

ACTIVITIES OFF SITE They have a board of activities, however they have a lot more options than just those. Make sure to ask!! We ended up doing a rappelling adventure in a cave and absolutely loved it.

ON SITE ACTIVITIES There is SO MUCH to do here. Hiking to a gazebo, 5 different bridges, a treehouse with a net above the river, horse rides, citrus grove, rappelling (they are updating it), swimming in the river, yoga, kayaking, paddle boarding, pool, hot tub, exploring the 600 acres.

MY ONLY CON We hiked to bridge 3, and wanted to go to bridge 4, but there are no clear signs. Really, the signs for the hikes are almost nonexistent. We missed a turn somewhere and ended up hiking a not-so-clear path and found ourselves at bridge 5. Before you get to the bridge there is a sign that says caution steep ledge” but it’s on the opposite side of the path, so you think you have to go right but if you do you end up at the rappelling location. You actually have to turn left at the sign and cross over a stream on 4 small rocks. It was NOT clear at all. Since it isn’t a well traveled path there was a it of overgrowth and I tore up my legs on thorns multiple times. Once you cross the bridge there are zero signs pointing you back. You assume you go thru the grove but it is so overgrown that there is no path. Do not do in sandals. I ended back at the hotel with blood dripping down my legs, but the staff was nice and found alcohol to clean me up.

Overall, this was not enough of a deterrent to knock off any stars. But it was very disappointing.

FINAL THOUGHTS If you don’t stay here you are...