Hotel Location

Lying just north of the Maya village of San Jose, the Columbia River Forest Reserve protects 103,000 acres of tropical rainforest. It is one of the largest tracts of undisturbed rainforest in Central America. A 1993 study found this region to harbor one of the most biologically diverse ecosystem in Belize.

The Aguacaliente Wildlife Sanctuary (AWS) National Park is located in the Toledo district of Belize was declared in 1998. The area covers approximately 5,468 acres of land and water. It conservation focus is the protection of the central wetland areas, which consist of three fresh water lagoons and a hot spring connected by a number of creeks.

In short, as the world's first Fairtrade and organic certified cacao producers, this means that Toledo Cacao Growers Association farmers earn their money! To echo Oxfam's slogan of yesteryear "Trade, not aid", this is a sustainable, commercial business where farmers are paid a premium rate for the cacao that they produce organically, thereby minimising any impact on the land.

The Belize Spice Farm & Botanical Gardens, located at the foothills of the Maya Mountain in beautiful Belize, is the result of the inspiration and hard work of Tom and Tessy Mathew. When vacationing in Belize, the Mathews, originally from Kerala, India, were struck by the fact that the climate and topography of Belize are quite similar to that of Kerala, which is known for its world famous spices, such as Tellicherry Black Pepper, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. So in 1990, they started the Golden Stream Plantation in the Toledo district of Belize to grow cacao and citrus. With the aid of the Belizian Government, they imported seeds and cuttings of spice plants native to their homeland.