My wife and I looked at a lot of options for our stay in the San Ignacio area before booking Julie and Gary’s place and we couldn’t have been happier with our decision.
From the moment we booked to the time we left, communication with Julie was incredible. She answered all of our questions and provided so much information. We were busy with work and weren’t able to do as much research as we would have liked, but Julie had plenty of suggestions for sites to see and places to eat. She booked several tours for us with her trusted companies, taking away the stress and guesswork that often comes with selecting from the many available options.
When we arrived at the airport we were met by Roger, the cab drive that Julie had hired to take us straight to their place. For a very reasonable fee, Roger welcomed us with a kind, friendly, and welcoming attitude as well as a nice selection of ice cold drinks and a nice air conditioned SUV. We had a great conversation on our scenic trip, and Roger, a Belizean native and expert driver, gave us great information and answered our endless questions. He even attempted to teach us some creole! We had such a great experience that we decided to book him again for our second leg of the trip to Belize City.
When we got to the property, we were greeted by Julie’s smiling face at the gate. She helped us inside the secure, gated property, introduced us to Gary and the two dogs, gave us the keys to our house and told us to come over to their place when we got settled in. The house is big and well equipped with everything you’ll need. Everything was clean and well organized. There were some fresh bananas too! The a/c and fridge were cold, and so was the beer that Julie had cooling in the fridge (she’ll ask you what you want before you arrive and you can pay her back whenever). One highlight was the private patio with a view of the river, several types of lizards, innumerable birds, and beautiful butterflies. We couldn’t see any other houses nearby and it felt like being in the middle of the jungle, even though we were an easy ten minute walk to the heart of San Ignacio.
We cruised across the courtyard, and joined our happy hosts for a welcome drink and some of Julie’s homemade salsa on their patio with the same awesome view. Their place has some cool history and they provided even more useful information about the local area. Julie then gave us a tour of the property, which has a couple of cabanas, a laundry room, and endless filtered water and a river view picnic area. There were so many trees and flowers the place felt like botanical gardens. We were the only guests there at the time but even if we weren’t, the property is big enough for everyone to have their own space. We felt very safe and had privacy when we wanted it.
After the tour, Julie drove us into San Ignacio for another tour. She showed us the majority of town, pointing out the market, beautiful murals, stores and atm machines. She told us about the many dining options and made more great recommendations before we chose one for dinner. She parked and helped us inside, making sure that they had vegetarian options and would get a cab for us back to the cabana, post meal. It was a great choice and an easy ride back for less than $3 USD.
We walked everywhere and felt very safe doing so. You don’t even have to leave the block to find chocolate covered bananas, a well stocked grocery store, and a restaurant. Make sure to check out the big market for delicious fruit and veggies, and all kinds of cheap and tasty food. The river was a great place to hang out and cool off and you can rent a canoe to paddle around. So many more things to do, but Julie and Gary will tell you everything you need to know.
I could go on for pages about all the little things Julie and Gary did to make our stay with them perfect, but you should just book and see for yourself. I assure you, there will be no regrets, except that you should have booked a longer stay.