Every time I come across a cute little bottle of shampoo from Hickatee Cottages in our bathroom I am taken back to the wonderful few days we spent at Hickatee Cottages in the capable hands of Ian and Kate. I am writing at least 10 months after we actually stayed there and it is amazing how many of the details are still in my mind.. just thinking of our time there makes me feel relaxed!
First of all, on a whim, we arrived in Punta Gorda having decided to leave Plasencia earlier that day.... and without a reservation at any hotel. We couldn't get through to Hickatee Cottages by phone, but because of a great flyer we had seen in the tourist information office, we decided to take the risk and grab a taxi out to Hickatee. We arrived with our backpacks on, weary after a day of traveling on a bus from Plasencia...and completely unannounced. We were greeted by Ian in his Wellington boots who was doing some renovations on Hickatee Cottages, but nonetheless received us with such warmth and good humour and offered us a place to stay. And it was so much more than a place to stay.
Believe all the positive things that the other reviews will tell you -- the cottages are simply beautiful - they come beautifully but simply furnished in a thoughtful and sensitive way -- the interior floors and furniture are beautiful hardwood and fit the jungle surroundings. They feel private and just magical in the middle of the jungle. The grounds are perfectly manicured and just heaven.
The plunge pool in the center of the property is a welcome refreshing dip after hiking or biking for the day. We used the bikes available at Hickatee a couple of times to bike into PG. Ian is also happy to give you a lift into the town for dinner and you can find a taxi back to Hickatee fairly easily.
Breakfast was wonderful - fresh fruit, cooked breakfasts... and always a pot of tea and coffee for us -- one of our favourite memories is being woken at the designated time by Ian shouting "tea and coffee on the deck guys." Tea and coffee in the evening was also made even more special by the addition of Cyrilla's chocolate -- a local woman with whom Ian and kate have a relationship. It has a wonderful grainy texture that is unlike chocolate I have ever tasted anywhere else in the world.
Dinners were fantastic. Not only is Kate a very skilled cook with a wonderful eye for presentation -- but she also uses many vegetables and other products home grown on their property. The dinners were the best we had anywhere in Belize. Sitting on the deck in the main reception area at night with the sounds of the jungle buzzing around listening to wonderful local music were some of the best nights we have ever had traveling in any country. Ian and Kate really do promote and support belizean musicians and we ended up coming away with two awesome CDs which we listen to quite frequently and memories of Belize and Hickatee come flooding back.
Ian and Kate were also very willing to work with us to shape our travel plans while in PG and beyond. They booked us flights to get back to belize City because we decided to stay as long as possible in the PG area. We were very keen to do a stay in one of the villages and they made that possible for us. Ian took us to the butterfly farm which he manages which was an incredible and dazzling experience. From there he dropped us in laguna village, where we stayed at the village guesthouse. That is an experience we would highly recommend -- we ate each meal with a local family (really great meals, actually) and played soccer with the local boys and got a tour around the village. It really felt like a positive experience and we hiked 3 miles back out to the main road to get the bus back to PG and make our way back to Hickatee for a night in the lap of luxury. This experience -- where Ian and Kate facilitated our not actually staying with them for a night, but wholly encouraged us to support local tourism efforts and explore our interests in the PG area -- really demonstrated their commitment to PG and just gave me the utmost respect for their goals in running Hickatee and being a part of the PG community.
We really are sorry that it's taken us so very long to review this wonderful hotel, but it hasn't ever gone far from our minds and we really will never forget Hickatee Cottages. Thank you Ian and Kate for the little piece of heaven you provide in the Belizean jungle!
