Our Romantic Honeymoon Jungle Resort in Belize: Ka’ana

“The Cayo district of western Belize is about adventure,” people told us as we planned our Belize Honeymoon.

“The area around San Ignacio is like the Indiana Jones part of the country. In Cayo, you hike ancient Mayan ruins, swim through underground caves to see skeletons of human sacrifices, and tour an iguana sanctuary.”

“Cool!” I exclaimed.

“But the thing is,” these wise Belize travel advisors continued, “You want to do all that adventure during the day, but this is your Honeymoon, right? So when you go rest at night, you’ll want to be somewhere beautiful and comfortable.”

“Right,” I replied. Where is good for that?

“Have you heard about a resort called Ka’ana?” my travel-loving advisors would reply. “It’s near San Ignacio, and I love it! You should stay there.”

Well, Colin and I went ahead and took the advice of these Belize travel mentors, and have spent the past three nights at Ka’ana Boutique Resort.

We are so happy that we did!

Ka’ana is deeply romantic.

There is something very sensual about being wrapped in the embrace of the jungle, cocooned inside artful architecture.

At night, you hear humming cicadas and clicking geckos, but snugly inside your suite, the air conditioning caresses you with cool breeze and the flat screen TV and WiFi keep you connected. (As someone who’s slept in sweltering, buggy $10 attic storerooms in Cambodia, comfort is now highly appreciated!)

What most moves me about Ka’ana, however, is the attention they have taken with detail. The planners ensured that each wall of each building, and even each item on the menu has a story: a story unique to Belize and to Ka’ana.

For much of the decor, the resort actually hired a fashion designer. (Why didn’t WE think of that for our apartment decor?) Some of the rooms even integrate personal objects owned by Ka’ana’s founders.

Ka’ana’s take on Pina Coladas nicely sums up their unique touches. Sure, they offer traditional Pina Coladas, but they are not prominently displayed on the menu. Rather, what IS featured is a “Sweetcorn Colada”: a drink made with a sweet corn mix that (in its nonalcoholic form) evokes childhood memories for the Belizians who help run the resort.

This brings us to the food.

Ka’ana prides itself on delicious, wholesome food, much of which is grown in the organic garden on the resort.

Pair this with the charming staff and the fact that there’s no extra charge to have food delivered directly to your room, and you can deduce that Colin and I sampled the menu like crazy… and savored every bite.

Just how charming are the staff members at Ka’ana? We have been impressed with customer service in all of Belize so far, but this resort really shines.

When Colin and I forgot our bug spray on the way to dinner, the staff member behind the desk gave us his personal bottle.

When we wanted to go into San Ignacio for dinner, we were provided with a complimentary shuttle both there and back.

When turn-down service came at night to make up the room, the staff members left a postcard with a little about their life stories, plus a complimentary dessert treat!

And when we wanted to hike the underground Mayan caves, the tour coordinator met with us at 9pm to arrange all logistics for the next day, including advising us on what to wear and bring to stay safe in the caves (which were AWESOME, by the way!).

So now here’s where things get crazy: We were in a gorgeous suite at Ka’ana, but the resort has two villas which really blow one’s mind… the One Bedroom and Two Bedroom Private Pool Villas!

I had the opportunity to tour both of these private pool villas while Colin was working on a graduate school paper, and haven’t shut up about them since.

I mean, look at the photo, above. It’s worthy of an Arabian Nights genie!

Tomorrow we bid farewell (or hopefully au revoir) to beautiful Ka’ana Boutique Resort to take the long drive from San Ignacio in western Belize to Placencia on the southern coast.

On the way, we will tour the Amish-style Mennonite community of Belize (what?!), swim in the Blue Hole cenote, and perhaps even put iguanas all over Colin at the iguana sanctuary.

Thanks for a phenomenal stay, Ka’ana! You are beautiful, romantic, and kind.

Readers, stay tuned and keep your great comments coming!

We were guests of Ka’ana Resort, but our opinions are always our own.