“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.
Note: Some links here are affiliates that provide a commission upon purchase at no extra cost to you, and we were guests of the resort, but all opinions are my own.
“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 (click for availability and rates).
We are so happy that we did!
Ka’ana is deeply romantic. See the other happy reviews of it at that Expedia link above, or these easy links to Hotels.com and the accommodations site, Booking.com.
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 — a key aspect of fun hotels that bring joy.
Ka’ana Resort 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!
If you enjoyed this article and are still planning your trip, you can check rates and availability at Ka’ana here. Have a great trip!

The author, Lillie Marshall, is a 6-foot-tall National Board Certified Teacher of English, fitness fan, and mother of two who has been a public school educator since 2003. She launched Around the World “L” Travel and Life Blog in 2009, and over 4.2 million readers have now visited this site. Lillie also runs TeachingTraveling.com and DrawingsOf.com. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media!
Jessica
Tuesday 29th of December 2015
Hi! My husband and I are planning a trip to Belize for our Honeymoon right now, we are so excited and all of your blogs have been SO helpful! I REALLY like the idea of using the private shuttle to get from San Ignacio to Placencia with the stops along the way, do you remember what service you used?
Lillie
Wednesday 30th of December 2015
I'm SO thrilled to hear that the articles have been helpful, Jessica! You'll have such a great time! I don't remember the name of the service we used, but I know I just Googled keywords until I found a few options, and went with the one that seemed to have the best reviews. Enjoy!
Alisa Hill
Tuesday 17th of February 2015
From the pictures it looks like the most beautiful jungle resorts I have ever come across. The resort rooms, the food all are awesome. A perfect honeymoon paradise. Thanks for sharing.
Lillie
Tuesday 17th of February 2015
Thanks for reading and commenting! We still think about it often.
Jill
Wednesday 28th of November 2012
I enjoyed looking at these pictures and have enjoyed looking at your blogs. Thank you for sharing!
Lillie
Wednesday 28th of November 2012
Yay! Thanks for reading!
Ka'ana Boutique Resort Blog » Blog Archive » A Blogger chooses Ka’ana for her Belize Honeymoon!
Tuesday 18th of September 2012
[...] Around the World “L”!!, chose Ka’ana for her Honeymoon; see her great Review: Belize Honeymoon – thanks [...]
oliver
Monday 6th of August 2012
I love these photos...