I am having a really hard time trying to describe our experience at Jaguar Paw. My husband and I stayed here on a whim, the last night of our Belize trip. After having seen and experienced other lodges/resorts/etc in the Cayo district we were shocked by Jaguar Paw. The property itself and location is beautiful (thus our staying there) but that was about it. It wasn't bad per se, but for us, it was definitely not good either.

Let me begin my seemingly scathing review by stating that if I were traveling with young children or extremely old and stuffy people, if I was uber wealthy (maybe not even then) or if I didn't want to leave any of the 'luxaries' of the modern world behind for a true jungle experience, then this place would be perfect. But since my husband and I are in our earlier years, a little more adventurous and looking for a new and unique experiences, this place was definitely not for us.

To begin with, there are three HUGE diesel generators on the property that are very noisy. You can hear the hum of the generators all the way to the back of the property nonstop. This pretty much eliminates any possibility of seeing/hearing wildlife as it scares it all away, not to mention they are extremely wasteful ecologically speaking. Plus they have AC units running non-stop even in unoccupied rooms!

The staff was nice, but they were all young and not really attentive or very knowledgeable of the area, wildlife or attractions. The cave tubing they have is okay but the one Mayan pot that is there has been completely trampled and ruined and there are water pipes in some areas of the caves. Although the caves themselves are beautiful and huge!

They have a baby Howler Monkey that has been 'rescued' as it was hit by a car (most likely on their property) and lost one of it's back legs. But instead of being given to an expert )or the zoo) to rehabilitate it, they are trying to treat it like a pet. This is cute when it's a little baby, but it's going to get big fast and it should be learning to be a monkey with it's own kind instead of being a plaything for the rich guests. And by rich I mean you have to be wealthy to stay here. We spent almost $500.00USD in one night. The food is okay but EXTREMELY over priced as are the drinks. Plus they have some enclosure on the property with these really cute nocturnal animals (I forgot the name) but it's not large enough for them and the staff isn't equipped/educated to handle them. They allowed us (without warning) to walk in with only sandals on when there was urine and feces everywhere (they were peeing over our heads) and then didn't tell us the animals liked to climb you with their sharp claws (the staff member actually hit one in the face to keep it from climbing on him-so sad).

The decor of the entire property adds nothing to the jungle experience. In fact, I think it severely takes away from it. They light up the jungle at night with colored disco lights. The decor overall is gaudy and very kitsch. We joked the whole evening that Kathleen Turner (via Romancing the Stone) decided to come down to the jungle to set up shop. This was reinforced by the 80's music all through dinner, the elaborate bar set up full of little trinkets and mirrored walls, the disco lights outside, the jungle scene painted in the bedroom along with the bark glooed to the wall and the glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling.

The pool is beautiful and the gorgeous German Shepard (who will swim with you on the cave tubing) completely made the stay worth it. We had fun if only because we found the entire thing to be so amusing. I hate to put negativity out there but I have to be honest and I'd really recommend going elsewhere.

Our family (3 boys 17, 11, 8) stayed at the Jaguar Paw for 5 nights, four full days. We will definately be back. There is so much to do, we didn't have time to do it all (cave tubing, jungle tours, repelling, jumgle tumble, zip line, Mayan Ruiins, more?). We had four full days of activities. Each time we had our own guide for only our family. We left for the activity on our schedule and went at our speed, and the staff was very happy to accomodate. the staff is very knowledgeable about the jungle fauna, animals and local history. The hotel has a pet monkey that my kids played with for almost a full day. the first day we arrived, our 11 year old got in the pool and noticed howler monkeys high in the trees above his head. The food is incredible. I am still amazed that a full service hotel exists in the middle of the jungle, unbelievalbe!

My Wife and I along with our teenage Son recently enjoyed a weeks stay at The Jaguar Paw resort. . The food was excellent and so was the accomodation and service. We were made to feel very special, almost as if we were the most important people in the world. This attention came not only from all staff members but also from the management itself.

The nearby caves were an exciting adventure as were some of the 'unofficial' jungle tours that our Son embarked upon with some of the younger Staff members who he had befriended.

Both ourselves and our Son had the very gratifying experience of seeing a corner of the World in a very relaxed and uncommercialised manner

Reginald A. Foy

I was there Jan.22 with 3 friends! There was so much to do right on their Property I will have to return! I couldn't do everything! We did the Zorbing (they call Jungle Tumble) Rock Climbing, Rappelled down a 190 foot cliff to edge of the river where people do River Tubing. At night, we took a canoe up river through the caves to a remote jungle location where we saw Jaguar Cat Tracks and a million stars. No civilization!
We did an all day Cave trip where we saw Maya Pottery and ashes still there from ancient ceremonies. That cave was just a 10 minute walk from their restaurant.
There's a FREE butterfly farm miles of trails we walked with their dog Lucky. (no, they don't have maps, but this isn't Yellowstone is it?) Pool and Jacuzzi at the mountain's edge!
I don't see how people say food is expensive! I spend more at Wendys for a meal in the States. Lunch was 6 bucks. Dinner is more gourmet, local creations and filling.
Maybe these other people who thought it was expensive were thinking Belize Prices were US dollars??? It's 2 to 1 in U.S favor. I don't know what they were thinking.
Maybe they don't travel much.
The Hotel is designed to resemble "The Temple of Doom" and the owner told me she decorated the rooms in themes for FUN. To surprise and stimulate when you walk through the door. I had the African Room with a four poster bed made from vines. It was cool!
Every room is sooo different!
Most other hotels have thatch roofs, and Guatemalen/ Mexican fabrics/ decor.
The same all over the Country.. She wanted to be different. Besides, Thatch rots in a year without clearing the jungle. It needs sun to keep. from rotting. They didn't cut down a single tree when they built.
Besides rescuing and releasing wildlife, the owner's a "Treehugger!"
There's internet available in the lobby but who needs TV?
Go to Cancun if you want Hilton! Yuck! Give me REAL anytime!!
This is REAL jungle...AND....whoever said they have cruise ships is sorely mistaken!!!
They don't do Cruise Ships anymore!! They haven't done them since last year!!
Too many people spoiling the peace!
All the Cruise Ships go from the Government Park which is a ZOO!
Speaking of Zoo, the real zoo is only less t6han 20 minutes from their Hotel too.
Jaguar Paw does ALL the ruins trips. Tikal, Caracol, etc. but we didn't have time to go. time.
We went to the Cayes instead. (a mistake) Now THAT'S an expensive place to go!!!
I'm sorry we didn't stay more at Jaguar Paw.
It was the BEST TRIP I HAVE EVER BEEN ON!
So many caves! So natural and places to explore!
I can't wait to get back.