#10676 100% Premium
Belize Bungalow - Sleeps 4 - On the River in a Jungle village
Guesthouse • Cristo Rey Village Belize
Exchange types accepted
Statistics
Listed July 2021
Views 466
General overview
Jungle view in the heart of a little village in the foothills of the Mountain Pine Ridge. 3.5 miles along a winding dirt road from San Ignacio. Large private deck & shared outdoor kitchen facilities.
We are a non-smoking/vaping property. The Belize Bungalow was our home for @ 5 years.
Our busiest season is Mid-Dec through February, so usually those dates would not be available for an exchange.
And if we aren't doing a simultaneous exchange, we will most likely be on the property staying in our own home.
We have a lot of flexibility!
The space
New Air Conditioning & High-speed WiFi.
The large L-shaped deck has 4 hammocks, and additional seating - with room to spare! We are steps away from the Macal River and have a two-person kayak and inner tubes ready for your use. The Belize Bungalow does not have a view of the river, but does have a nice jungle-yard view (as seen in the many photos).
We also have a second bungalow on the property that sleeps 2 - the Banana Bungalow - Listing #10532. And both bungalows are listed as #10481.
The Belize Bungalow is a stand-alone cabin. It was our home for over 5 years, before we built our current home closer to the river. The Belize Bungalow is roomy and functional, but not fancy :-)
The Belize Bungalow is fully screened. There is a custom-made mahogany queen bed, and two twin-size sofa beds. The very large, covered/screened deck overlooks the property with extra seating and private dining area.
There is a separate outdoor kitchen/dining area for the use of our guests. The kitchen is a shared area with the Banana Bungalow. The kitchen is not inside the cabin - as just boiling water would heat the entire room! Even our own kitchen is 'outside.' :-) The outdoor kitchen is two steps down from the screened deck.
Guest access
Single Story with two steps to enter. Gravel driveway is not conducive to wheelchairs.
Notes
Guests have access to the 1.5 acre property, which includes a genuine Mayan mound (yes, you WILL find Mayan pottery, guaranteed!) but you have to leave it behind.
Other features include an outdoor dining area/kitchen with a full-size frig and charcoal grill. There is also a double sink and 6-burner gas stove and oven - and lots of countertop space.
We grow fruits, herbs and vegetables. You are welcome to anything ready to harvest! Depending on the time of year herbs include, basil, parsley, oregano, garlic chives, catnip, sage, rosemary & mint! Veggies include tomatoes, onions, lettuce, hot peppers, and more! Fruits include bananas, pineapples, mangos, soursop, dragon fruit, avocado, raspberries, nuts, and more!
There is a 2-person kayak available, as well as two inner tubes for use on the Macal River - which is in our backyard! We recommend guests that want to take out the kayak, paddle up river only in the morning and then casually float back to our property. Pick-up service for the kayak is not available. There are places to stop upriver where you can safely dock our kayak. There are no secure places downriver to dock (other than the Belize Raptor Center). San Ignacio is down river and therefore it is not feasible to kayak to San Ignacio. There are dams on the river, so in the afternoon the river rises and flows quicker - that's why we recommend kayaking only in the morning.
Please note we have two bicycles available to use within our village. They are 'used' bikes and would not fare well on the roads outside of our village.
No open flames permitted in/near the bungalow.
We are a member of 'Pack for a Purpose' - we collect donated supplies for two local organizations - Cayo Animal Welfare Society and the Cristo Rey R.C. Village School. If you are interested in packing some supplies for either of these organizations, let us know and we'll refer you to our website with a list of needed items.
Features
Washer
Clothes dryer
Oven
Fridge
Iron
Hair dryer
Air conditioning
WiFi
First aid kit
Smoke alarms
Fire extinguisher
Bed sheets
Towels
Workspace
BBQ
Garden / yard
Deck / patio / courtyard / terrace
Covered porch / verandah
Travel Styles
Adventure
Family
Relaxing
Eco
Village
Water
Remote
Tropical
Hiking
Good public transport
House rules
Unsuitable for infants under 2
Suitable for children ages 2-12
Pets not allowed
No smoking
Allergens
Cat free
Carpet free
Smoke free
Low allergen
Neighbourhood
Our village is a beautiful place to live, mostly because of all the wonderful Belizeans that welcomed us with open arms!
Cristo Rey Village is in the jungle region of Belize. While this provides incredible beauty and natural wonders, it also means that heat, humidity, sudden tropical squalls, power outages and water outages are not uncommon (However, we do have a back-up generator, and back-up water supply & pump).
We have high speed wi-fi service on the property and in the bungalow. It is fast and reliable! However, if the power to the village goes out, we do lose internet service, but that doesn’t happen often.
We strive for a calm, serene & relaxing environment; and most of the time it is just that. However, the local birds are very active as daylight breaks, and the Howler Monkeys can be a bit startling at night. We are also in the middle of a small, but active village. Sometimes the neighboring roosters, dogs, church music, etc. can be heard. For those travelers who are extremely noise sensitive please keep these things in mind.
Getting to my home
If we are onsite during your visit, we should be able to pick you up from the airport. IT is @ a 2 hour drive.
If it is a simultaneous exchange, we can help you arrange reasonably priced (for this area) ground transportation to/from Belize City and other destinations within Belize if booked far enough in advance.
If you rent a car:
Lucky Dreamer Lodge is 3.5 miles up Cristo Rey Road, from San Ignacio/Santa Elena turnoff, toward Mountain Pine Ridge. Our GPS coordinates are: 17.1302° N, 89.0593° W. We do not have a physical address (we're in the jungle :-)
With the recently paved roads, we are @ a 1 hour 45 minute drive from Belize City, but only 10 minutes from San Ignacio. We are close to all major tourist areas (by Belizean standards). For example, we are about 15 minutes closer to Caracol, Mountain Pine Ridge, Ziplining, horseback riding, birding & Barton Creek Cave (to name a few) than if you stay in San Ignacio. We are the same distance to ATM Cave, Crystal Cave & the Belize Zoo.
If you are driving here, look for the Santa Elena roundabout. Go straight through - DO NOT turn right toward San Ignacio. Count two speed bumps, then start looking to your left for a turn-off that heads up the hill (There is a small covered bus stop area with a bunch of resort signs) - that is Cristo Rey Rd. Stay to the far right of the left turn. Once you get to the paved part of the road in Cristo Rey Village (about 2.5 miles), start counting the speed bumps again. We are just past the third speed bump on the right! There is a big green sign "Lucky Dreamer Lodge" in our driveway entrance.
Please note: Once on Cristo Rey Rd, it is about a 10 minute drive to us, even though it is only 3.5 miles.
Nearest airport
Belize City (BZE)
However there is a small commuter airport that is currently closed due to the pandemic. It is about a 30 min drive from us - and TropicAir is your only choice which flies from the BZE airport.
Getting around
On any given day you'll see kids going door-to-door selling homemade goodies, or veggies from their gardens. The tortilla man delivers fresh tortillas twice a day (Sun-Fri) - for 95 cents U.S. a pound!
There is a small convenience grocery store directly across the road from us. There you'll find just about everything you need for simple meals.
Just a short walk down the road is "Carm's" & “Sandals” two local restaurants that serve made to order local-style meals. A short walk up the road is a place to go horseback riding!
About a mile down the road is a local spot called "The Showers" - a waterfall area, that very few tourists know about.
Once here, the bus and shuttle service stop right in front of our property from 7am to about 5pm daily, Mon-Saturday. (There is no public transportation available on Sunday, other than taxi service) The bus costs @ 75 cents U.S. each way. The shuttle costs @ $1.00 U.S. each way. The ride takes about 15 minutes. Taxi rides run between $10-$12.50 U.S. each way based on daytime or nighttime.
Map of Approximate Location
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Cheryl & Jeff
We both grew up camping and love nature with all it has to offer. In 2014 we moved to the ‘wilds’ of Belize from the ‘wilds’ of Minnesota.
We love animals and would welcome the opportunity to care for pets/animals during an exchange. We currently have two dogs, and only if an exchange is simultaneous we would need our dogs cared for (no need for walks, as they roam the 1.6 acre property). Just really need to have a love of dogs.....
Member Since July 2021
Travelling group
100% Response
LGBTQ+ friendly
Retired
Remote Worker
Desired Destinations
Open to any destination
Can travel at any time
Availability calendar
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