This home is located off a rutted dirt road (typical for rural Belize) and might be difficult to find without specific directions or GPS coordinates.
Erika kindly made arrangements for us to access the house early. When we pulled up in our rental car, I screamed at my husband to stop because there were nails popping out of the wooden apron and I was afraid our tires would get shredded. He managed to maneuver around them, and we carried our luggage over the long wooden walkway back to the house. Mind numbingly loud music was playing from the park next door, which we found was the termination point for a canoe race. I was ready to walk away, already nervous about the shrieking of the howler monkeys and the plethora of mosquitos off the river. The music concluded after four hours, and except for weed whacking next door one morning, peace and quiet reigned. It was exceedingly pleasant to relax in the hammock on the screened porch, the quiet only interrupted by the birds and the occasional sound of a canoe or boat on the river. There is also a table and four chairs on the screened porch, as well as a plastic Adirondack chair. Another hammock and two chairs are on the open deck. Fortunately, it was dry season and we were not bothered by the mosquitoes. We never saw the family of howler monkeys but witnessed the alligator and lots of iguanas. Rather than loud screeches, the howler monkeys made more of a chuffing sound, very tolerable. Whenever my husband walked across the floor, the whole house vibrated, maybe the result of being on stilts. There is no comfortable furniture in the living area, just an L-shaped series of storage boxes covered in cushions. One person can make a nest of pillows and lean into the corner. The temperature got down to 60 degrees at night. There are no windows, just screens, but there are blankets available in the closet. The listing showed a washer/dryer, but in fact, only laundry service is available ($15US per load). Staying here is like visiting your grandparent’s slightly disheveled lake cottage—-not luxurious but appropriate to the environment. There is a small grocery store within walking distance of the house if you choose to cook in the kitchen. Enjoy!