good for you

Located in a picture perfect setting on the banks of the Moho River is Cotton Tree Lodge, a Belizean hideaway that celebrates the unique cultural heritage of the region.

The elegant resort is designed in the traditional Mayan style, over 100 acres of natural, forested land in Toldeo, the southernmost region of Belize.

At the heart of the complex stands The Lodge, a large, rotund dwelling that acts as the focal gathering point for the resort. Here you'll find the restaurant, bar and spacious veranda surrounded by a grove of mango, orange and grapefruit trees.

The ten spacious cabanas are similar in design, built high on stilts with bay leaf thatched roofs and large, breezy windows. Built well above ground among wild fig trees, these cosy cabanas also come with private decks and hammocks overlooking the river.

Unique to the area, this jungle retreat is a haven for nature enthusiasts, adventure travellers and tourists keen to discover the 'other' less touristy side of Belize.

good for belize

The resort was built with the help of residents of the neighbouring Mayan villages and has good eco credentials.

Cotton Tree Lodge is "off the grid", using solar power supplemented with diesel generator power instead for their electrical needs. The lodge maintains an organic garden and has started a reforestation program that plants teak and mahogany trees. They have also created a composting system with flush toilets and a self-contained reservoir that uses banana plants to return nutrients to the soil.

Rooms

Food

The restaurant features Belizean favourites as well as innovative dishes created by the chef. The daily changing specials capture the freshest foods available, which are then prepared blending local and international ingredients with a tropical "twist".

Fresh traditional ingredients such as chilli, tomatoes, avocados, rice, beans, succulent seafood and poultry are combined in the dishes, reflecting the warmth and colour of Belizean life. You'll find a collection of dishes typical of Belize along with traditional favourites.

Vegetarian and other special dietary requirements can be catered for.

sunrise breakfast

Tropical Fruit Cocktails, Breakfast Burrito, Egg & Bacon Souffl´, Huevos Rancheros, Muffins & Pancakes, Local Preserves, Freshly Squeezed Juice, Horchata

tropical lunch

Spicy Sweet Empanadas, Jerked Chicken Quesadillas, Marinated Shrimp Tostados, Tropical Pasta Salads, Conch Fritters, Chicken Tortillas, Grouper Burritos, BBQ Fish Burgers, Lobster Salbutes. (Packed lunches are provided for days that you are out on excursions)

dining under the stars

BBQ Catch of The Day with Wasabi Lime Butter, Rum Glazed BBQ Shrimp with Pickled Watermelon Salsa, Peanut Chicken Sate with Banana-Ginger-Habanero Chutney, Beef & Lobster Fajitas with Rice n Beans and Tropical Salsa. Grilled Lobster Coriander Butter and Sweet Chilli Glaze, Garlic Pork Medallions with Smoked Orange and Radish Sauce.

Features & Facilities

• Restaurant
• Bar
• Internet
• Phone
• Birdwatching
• Horseback Riding
• Mayan Chocolate Making Workshops
• Canoeing, Kayaking & Swimming in the Moho River
• Self-guided Orchard Walk
• Mayan Mountain Hike & Medicinal Plant Tours
• Guided Night Jungle Walk
• Mountain Biking
• Road Trips & Boat Trips

See Local Info for more on activities.

Local Info & Activities

Mayan Chocolate Making Workshops: These offer guests hands-on experiences involving everything from picking fruit from cacao trees and drying the beans with local Maya farmers to cooking chocolate and discussing fair trade with members of the Toledo Cacao Growers Association.

Blue Creek Hokeb Ha Caves: Included in the rates is a trip to the tiny village of Blue Creek and Hokeb Ha Cave. Here you swim into the caves through a pool of emerald blue cool water eventually coming to darkness. This is the underworld of the Maya, where you light your lantern and explore numerous chambers filled with stalactites and stalagmites. Archaeologists have found many Late Classic ceramics and an altar inside the cave, leading them to believe that the Hokeb Ha cave was once used specifically for Mayan ceremonial purposes.

Mayan Mountain Hike: Included in the rates is a trip into the Columbia Forest Reserve mountain range. Accompanied by a local Indian guide you'll explore one of the many possible trails which wind through second growth forest until you reach the primary forest canopy. There are no trail maps for Southern Belize so your guide is essential here, pointing out the hidden birds, camouflaged wildlife and medicinal plants that abound.

River Tours: Included in the rates is this trip to the southernmost settlement in Belize, Baranco. This village is home to a small Garifuna group of families. You'll enjoy a traditional lunch of fufuo (a kind of fish and plantain soup) and then head down to the coast to the Tamash River on to The Tamash and Sarstoon Delta Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the most remote reserves in Belize. This area provides habitat for warries, tapirs, ocelots, and jaguars. Rarely seen birds and animals such as the scarlet macaw, and the white-faced capuchin monkey have been spotted here.

Moho Bird Watching: (Included in the rates). Over 600 bird species live in this area year-round plus those that visit Belize as part of their migratory pattern. Canoe trips or leisurely walks along the banks of the Moho River are excellent for observing waterfowl such as anhingas, kingfishers, herons and swallows.

Rio Blanco: Included in the rates is this hike through the jungle to the Rio Blanco waterfall, a favourite jumping spot for local thrill-seekers.

Deep River: The Deep River trip is included in the rates and features a tour of the Seven Hills Sugar Mill where you'll get the chance to see crocodiles, manatee and a variety of jungle flora. You'll also encounter a whole new set of bird species such as golden-hooded tanager, yellow-backed oriole, rufous-capped warbler, and the rare orange-breasted falcon. At the mouth of the river you'll visit a site once thought to be a pirate hideout and place of buried treasure.

Ruins: Included in the rates are trips to various Mayan ruins including Pushila, Nim Li Punit and Lubaantun. Pushila is a Mayan ruin partially excavated in the 1920s then abandoned. It is known principally for its many carved monuments dating to the Classic period and has a unique architectural feature: a triple-span bridge. The ruins can only be reached by boat so you will travel by canoe up the Moho River.

Nim Li Punit means "the big hat", in the Maya Kekchi language. It comes from a carving on the longest of the site's twenty-six stellae, depicting a figure wearing a large headdress.

Lubaantun is the largest Maya archaeological site in the south and one of the last major settlements built in Belize. Temple walls were constructed of cut stone and fit without the use of mortar. A controversial Crystal Skull was found here in 1926. The skull is said to show no tooled markings and is composed of pure crystallized quartz.

Village Excursions: Included in the rates are trips to various local villages including Santa Anna, Punta Gorda and San Pedro, Columbia. In Santa Anna you can participate in a tortilla making workshop with the Kekchi Mayans.

Punta Gorda is a gateway to and from Guatemala. In the market near the clock tower, the town springs to life on holidays and Saturday and Wednesday morning market days. This is when the villagers and Guatemalans from across the border pour in to buy and sell handicrafts, meat, produce and simple household goods.

San Pedro Columbia is the largest Kekchi Maya village in Belize with over 700 residents and is well known for its hand woven embroidery.

insider tip/s

The lodge is 15 miles away (by road or river) from the nearest town so make sure you stock up on things you might need before arriving at Cotton Tree Lodge. If you're planning an extended stay then anti-malarial tablets are a wise precaution and remember to bring a good bottle of bug spray. It can get chilly in the evenings so bring a light jumper and trousers.

Sustainability

The resort was built with the help of residents of the neighbouring Mayan villages and has all the hallmarks of environmental sustainability.

Cotton Tree Lodge is "off the grid" using solar power supplemented with diesel generator power instead for their electrical needs. The lodge maintains an organic garden and has started a reforestation program that plants teak and mahogany trees. They have also created a composting system with flush toilets and a self-contained reservoir that uses banana plants to return nutrients to the soil.

What's more, the lodge has partnered with Sustainable Harvest International and developed a demonstration garden to teach local farmers how to reuse a plot of land rather than continue with the typical slash and burn farming methods.

The hosts and guides at Cotton Tree Lodge stress that tours of the local Mayan village are intended to introduce tourists to the local culture. The people who live there are accustomed to a working relationship with the resort staff. That the relationship is mutually beneficial is fundamental to the philosophy behind the Cotton Tree Lodge. This focus on the interrelationship between the resort, the nearby village, and the rainforest is an important part of a stay here. Sustainability is the key.

During a visit to the Santa Anna Village, tourists have a chance to share in the culture of the Kekchi Mayans. The Mayans here show resort guests how to make tortillas, and afterwards, the guests get a chance to make their own tortillas here as well.

Getting There

Cotton Tree Lodge will meet you at Punta Gorda airport and take you on the last leg of your journey by boat along the coast and up the Moho River.

Punta Gorda lies in the southernmost region of Belize, the Toledo District. Take the 45 minute flight from the International Airport in Belize City (BZE) to Punta Gorda on either Maya Island Air or Tropic Air.

Belize is on the mainland of Central America just south of Mexico and flanked by the Caribbean Sea to the east and only a 2 hour flight from Miami or Houston. You can fly from the United States on Continental Airlines, US Airways, Delta, American Airlines or Taca International.

Visit our Transport section for flights, hybrid car rentals and train bookings.

Rates & Bookings

**Room Only Rates**

*Standard Cabana*

Summer Season $109, Holiday Season $199, Winter Season $149

*Deluxe Cabana*

Summer Season $129, Holiday Season $229, Winter Season $179

*Honeymoon Cabana $149, Holiday Season $249, Winter Season $199.

*Family Cabana*

Summer Season $149, Holiday Season $249, Winter Season $199

*Jungle Cabana*

Summer Season $149, Holiday Season $249, Winter Season $199.

*Meals*: Breakfast $12, Lunch $12, Dinner $24, half price for children under 12

Summer Season: May 1 - November 20

Holiday Season: November 21 - January 5

Winter Rates: January 6 - April 30

**All Inclusive Rates**

Rates include all taxes (9% Hotel Tax for the room and 10% GST Tax for meals and tours are included), transfers to and from Punta Gorda airport, accommodations in private cabana, all meals, soft drinks, unlimited guided river, rainforest, Mayan ruins, village tours, and horseback riding. Also includes free use of canoes, mountain bikes, and kayaks.

Ocean excursions (to the islands, snorkelling and scuba diving) and alcoholic beverages incur additional charges.

All prices are in US Dollars

accommodation

All-inclusive rates per night are as follows:

standard cabana (max 2 person)

Single Occupancy: $245

Double Occupancy: $170 per person Summer, $220 Holiday Season, $195 WinterChild under 16: $75.00

deluxe cabana (max 2 person)

Single Occupancy: $275.00

Double Occupancy: $190 per person Summer; $240 Holiday; $215 Winter

Child under 16: $75.00

honeymoon cabana (max 2 person)

Single Occupancy: $295.00

Double Occupancy: $200 Summer; $250 Holiday Season; $225 Winter

Child under 16: $75.00

family cabana (max 4 adults or 2 adults and 4 children)

Single Occupancy: $285.00

Double Occupancy: $200 Summer; $250 Holiday Season; $225 Winter

Child under 16: $75.00

jungle cabana (max 2 person)

Single Occupancy: $295.00

Double Occupancy: $200 Summer; $250 Holiday Season; $225 Winter

Child under 16: $75.00

low season special

May through October - Stay 5 nights & get the 6th night FREE!

terms & conditions

• These rates are valid from 01/03/07 to 19/12/08
• Rates are inclusive of accommodation, all meals and soft drinks, full complement of activities on our grounds, half and full day guided adventures by river or land, free transfers to and from Punta Gorda airport
• Child rates are only applicable when sharing with one full paying adult. Children aged 16 yrs and over are charged as adults.
• The lodge is not suitable for children under 2 years of age.

booking & cancellation policy

• A 45% deposit is required to confirm the reservation.
• Payment in full is required 30 days prior to arrival.
• If a booking is made 30 days or less prior to arrival, then payment in full is expected upon booking.
• Cancellations more than 30 days prior to arrival will receive a 90% refund.
• Cancellations made less than 30 days and more than 7 days prior to arrival will receive a 65% refund.
• Cancellations received less than 7 days prior to arrival will be charged at full rate.

Want to avoid cancellation fees? Visit our Insurance section for information on travel insurance.