Falling Leaves Lodge — Hotel in San Ignacio & Santa Elena

My family stayed at this hotel during our recent trip to Belize. The cabins here are spectacular, with all woodwork custom-made by local artisans, and every amenity you can think of. The rooms also scale by price and capacity, from honeymoon suites, family rooms, couples, and even a special vacation house for large groups. There are also ample facilities on the grounds of the lodge for outdoor eating, picnicking, and conferences in the rain forest itself, as well as Corona-aware sanitization sinks and faucets everywhere, so that you are assured of an ever-safe and clean experience while on site. And everything, including the cabins, is shaded from the hot sun by the forest itself, something rare compared to other facilities. We were very comfortable day and night.

The setting and location are spectacular, with the hotel nestled in the rain-forests of San Ignacio, on a hill with a view, a wonderful experience for tourists who came to Belize to experience the country, and not just a carbon-copy of U.S. block-style hotels. The hotel is literally next door to the Cahal Pech Mayan site, one of the only Maya sites where a visitor can walk through the actual rooms and ruins of the Mayan ruling elites. No other hotel is as close to this site (that I noticed, anyways), and none with this level of quality and amenities.

Most importantly -- The on-site restaurant, open for breakfast and dinner, was by far the best food we had on our trip, and this was a trip where we experienced food from many other restaurants in a country where the cuisine is already spectacular. This is not an exaggeration -- this food was top-notch at a normal, affordable price. The menu has a wide variety of offerings that span both Belizean and Western favorites, including vegan options, as well as amazing cocktails. I recommend the Maya fish and the whole snapper, and the chocolate chip French toast in the morning was also a favorite. If you have kids, there is something here they will eat and love.

Finally, the service is spectacular, with a hard-working management and staff that will see to your needs and comfort, and who are managed by a family known for their excellent work across industries, not a corporation that just wants to get your credit card for the week and then send you on your way.

If you are looking for a relaxing, authentic, safe, and comfortable stay in the country you paid to visit, this is the lodge for you. If instead you are a complainer who prefers to stay in a sterile office building with a bed -- maybe expand your horizons. This hotel has all of the comfort, safety, and amenities you could need, and is in the forest, and is as accessible as all other hotels. It is the perfect balance of convenience, comfort, safety, rain forest seclusion, and accessibility to the cultural treasures of Belize. If you believe in the environment, come to this hotel, it is the...

We had an amazing recent trip to the Falling Leaves to facilitate our trip to the ATM caves on our trip from Guatemala.

The accommodation was on a different level compared to anything else we experienced on our trip. We received a really warm welcome from the staff who provided a delicious free drink upon arrival. The bags were brought to our bedroom for us, where we were greeted with the great room which was spacious, clean and modern. Most importantly the air conditioning was capable of nearly freezing the room (can't emphasize how huge this was for us, as it was very hot and humid compared to what we are used to). We left our laundry outside our door and the hotel had it cleaned and folded in our room by the time we returned a few hours later.

Keith upstairs in the bar provided top notch cocktails, easy conversation and was really helpful by providing recommendations for the remainder of our trip which was really welcome.

The food was also great, choice was good and the lobster was delicious. We would have no problem dining here multiple nights in a row, which is not the case for other hotels.

The highlight of our stay however was Christiana. Upon checking out of our room, I forgot my hat. As we were travelling down to the islands for the rest of our trip, it was not feasible for me to return to San Ignacio. I had mentally written the hat off as a loss and came to terms with it fairly easily. Christiana contacted me trying to return the hat, and was willing to send it to Caye Caulker. As we had no accommodation yet booked for the following few days I could not provide a location for her to send it to and ensured her it was OK, and that I did not need the hat returned. Christiana was not giving up that easy! Once we had our return flight booked from Belize City, she travelled to the airport personally to hand deliver the hat.

I was blown away that a hotel would go to this trouble to return a hat to a guest. It really sums up how much the Falling Leaves go above and beyond for their guests in every way!

Cannot recommend...

My husband, daughter and I stayed at Falling Leaves Lodge recently, and it was rejuvenating for all of us. We arrived and Miss Paula greeted us and walked us down a garden path to our room that reminded us of the secret garden but rainforest version. We later saw capybaras and a wide variety of birds in the garden including Toucans. The room was cooled off, smelled amazing and was very welcoming. The beds were very comfortable and we all slept well. After admiring the furnishings, I was advised that a local Belizean artist made all the pieces in the room. The food from the restaurant Obsidian at the hotel offered excellent choices like Civeche with freshly made tortilla chips, Mayan Fish, and whole fried fish which we ate the two nights we were there because the food was so flavorful and the best we had so far on our Belize vacation. The dragon fruit Margarita I had was unlike any other Margarita I tasted, and I would go back to the restaurant for that alone, this was truly their signature drink. The view from the restaurant was breathtaking and made us feel like we were in the soul of San Ignacio looking from above at the beautiful landscape. I highly recommend staying at Falling Leaves Lodge if you want to have a true Belizean rainforest experience right next to the Cahal...