Dear Cher

Just to update you they now have upgraded some of there cabanas, they now have an extended veranda fully screened, with hammocks and a table with deck chairs. These cabanas are now A/C.

LG

what tours did you go on while at Cahal Pech? Do you need to pay for the Mayan Experience (Xunan and Cahal Pech) or can you get there by walking/bus from the lodge? We're trying ot make our trip as cheap as possible. Thanks!

You don't need AC if you stay in the cabanas, IMO. We loved our stay there. You can walk to the Cahal Pech ruins but you need a car or bus ride to Xunantunich. (I don't know how much that one costs because we missed Xunan. somehow.) We did take tours to Caracol and Tikal from Cahal Pech resort, and the one to Tikal was arranged - actually we were just put on a list. We drove ourselves to the Caracol ruins, which was about a 3 hour drive each way on the worst road in the world, but it was worth it!

So you can drive yourself pretty much anywhere but I'd highly recommend a tour into Tikal or you won't know how to get there or your way around the ruins at all. It's a massively huge place. The guide stories are worth it too.

Cahal Pech is a great resort and I'd stay there again in a minute. San Ignacio is a wonderful city to stay in too.

We're staying at Cahel Pech during our upcoming trip - I've found the answer to most of my questions, but I can't find anything online about drinking the fresh squeezed juice in Belize... I know it's recommended to avoid fruit that's not in a peel, salad that's been washed w/ water and so on... I assume if you should avoid the tropical fruits then the juices too... But it seems like such a shame, I'm looking at menus online and it all looks so good. Anyone? Will the fruit juice make me sick? (A fountain diet coke at the cancun airport made me sicker than a dog for 12 days last year, I've got a sensitive stomach I suppose - luckily it was on the way home...)

Water and food are fine in Belize, eat what you are served and enjoy it. Try stew chicken with rice and beans.

We will be a group of 2 couples staying at Cahal Pech in the a/c rooms. Should we change to the cabanas if they are available? Also, what tours would you recommend we see? We will be there for 3 full days in February. I know we want to see Tikal, but beyond that... Any help/ideas would be appreciated!

Any restaurants worthwhile in the town of San Ignacio? We have a rental car with us.

I too was at Cahal Pech just a couple of weeks ago. I really am wondering though, how you had such a wonderful time ... the paper thin bath towels (some with holes) didn't bother you? What about the blankets on the bed that smelled like mildew or the a/c that definitely had mold growing in it? Or what about the fact that there is a 2 inch gap between the wall and the ceiling that can let any number of creepy crawly things in from the outside? And that bathroom that looks like someone slapped a toilet, sink and shower in a closet and hasn't REALLY cleaned it in 2 years didn't bother you either, boy you must be one good trooper!

I have to tell you, out of all the places in Belize I stayed, I was looking forward to this one the most, because it just looked sooo amazing and different. It was absolutely the worst place I stayed. Service was terrible, especially at dinner. Be prepared to wait an hour for your food -- this happened every night to all of the customers, many people complained. I asked several waitresses how long they had been working there, they ALL replied "just about a week" ... hummm, I wonder if they just hire help during the busy season (it was Christmas week and no one seemed to know what they were doing). I think the only ones were the cooks, if there's any bright spot in this stay at all, it was the food, it was surprizingly good. But even the food was not good enough to cover over all the other sins of this place.

I AGREE! This place was nothing like advertised. The lovable Lenny screwed us hard on our tours and promised a honeymoon suite. This "honeymoon suite" turned out to be a regular room below motel 6 standards. The water from the shower had one temperature that was luke warm when we were lucky and had a steady drip. The service in the restaurant was horrible. We waited over a half hour for rum punch one night when people all around us were getting drinks. Breakfast was the only thing they could do right, so we ate in town the rest of the trip. Cafe Sol is a great restaurant in town. Cave tubing was the best tour. Cashing travelers checks was shotty at best. They had the money sometimes, other times they would just send you away. I've stayed at nicer Hostels! San Ignacio hotel looked nice, try there.

I was there in June and July 2005 for one month. I was treated like a queen. The accomodations were not the Ritz. But they were very clean and comfortable. The view from my veranda was unbelievable. The food was excellent. The service was slow, but you are on vacation. By slow I mean dinner took an hour. The hotel is located about a 4 minute walk from Cahel Pech Maya site. I went several times to do water colors. In the afternoons, when steamy, the pool and bar were great. San Ignacio is safe, fun and very interesting. Many interesting and exciting adventures can be booked from the hotel. This is not Disney World. If you want a antiseptic vacation and all events planned for you, this is not the place for you or any other country as well. Leave attitude behind you in the States and enjoy the experience.