Great location! Great hosts! We want to go back! We were a mid-30’s couple on vacation. Staying in Cristo Rey was great, we would walk to dinner each night. It didn’t have the busier feel of nearby San Ignacio. I really struggled when I was booking where to stay, I was concerned with being further from “city” amenities like grocery stores and more restaurant choices. But we were so glad that we stayed in the village. The dirt road into town is only 10 minutes maybe. Cheryl and Jeff were great hosts, there when you needed help or travel tips, but out of the way when you wanted privacy. The Banana Bungalow has a great 180degree view of the jungle, you can see the river as well. River kayaking and tubing is a 30 second walk at the bottom of the property. The village has some snack shacks and a few walking distance restaurants (Sandals was our favorite dinner spot). Like most of Belize, some of these are basically extensions of someone’s house. Cheryl and Jeff have plenty of recommendations to walk or drive to. The bungalow was done well, nice tile shower. Everything was up to date. We were worried about the lack of air conditioning but it wasn’t too bad. We opened up all the windows and used the ceiling fan, but didn’t feel the need for using the floor standing fan during our stay. We never used the outdoor kitchen area for anything but making coffee, but it looked well equipped. There is a refrigerator and freezer to use in that area.
In the area, we did 20-30 minute drive to Xanantunich Maya ruins. Didn’t do others so I can’t compare, but those ruins were interesting. Also drove another 5 minutes, parked, and walked into Guatemala. That was “ok”, but not amazing. If we had more time then I’m sure there are more interesting places to see, but we just went there for lunch after the ruins. Jeff recommended Big Rock Falls. It was an hour drive on bumpier dirt roads, but worth it. Only a few people there. Nice pool to jump into and the falls are very pretty. Would make a nice picnic spot. Steep steps on the trail to get down to the falls though, so I wouldn’t bring grandma. For sure the highlight was doing ATM cave. Very cool adventure experience.
Overall a wonderful experience. Glad we stayed in Cristo Rey outside of San Ignacio. We had 2 days but really, having 4 days would have been ideal. Cheryl and Jeff are so genuinely nice. We would love to go back!