All our favorite trips have the same thing in common: We return home with the sense that something foreign has now become familiar. Staying at Ka’ana Boutique Resort, with its focus on sustainability and cultural authenticity, helped me feel this way about the entire country of Belize.
Set in the jungly Cayo District near the scruffy, bustling town of San Ignacio, Ka’ana is the first luxury spa resort in Western Belize. Open since 2007, this little slice of paradise features everything you’d expect in a swanky stay: High-threadcount sheets, a spa, an elegant restaurant, even a wine cellar. However, with its committed staff of young locals, casual vibe and eco-friendly agenda, it feels more like a landed estate that’s been returned to everyday Belizeans.
I’d attribute this impression to the passion of Belizean resort director Ian Lizzaraga. At Ka’ana, he’s eager to create an environment defined by his country.
For instance, the pottery, jewelry and woodwork for sale in the lobby gift shop is all made by Belizean artisans. Paintings in the rooms depict mystical Mayan scenes, reflecting the resort’s proximity to the sacred site of Xunantunich (zshoo-NAHN-too-neech). The grounds are landscaped with (helpfully labeled) indigenous trees and plants. Several spa products feature the country’s exquisite chocolate. Ian’s even been toying with the idea of replacing Ka’ana’s present, cumbersome wooden room keychains (which could easily double as weapons) with a small MP3 player, stocked with a full spectrum of Belizean music.
At Ka’ana’srestaurant, La Ceiba (named for a huge tree sacred to the Mayans), chef Sean Kuylen creates elegant dishes that reflect both Belize in particular and Central America in general. The resort’s gorgeous organic garden allows him to keep much of his cuisine local in the extreme, but the proteins are also sustainably farmed. Menu standouts are jerk chicken with cumin yogurt, salmon cooked on a cedar plank, and the bright bite of lemon meringue pie, but be sure not to miss the grilled jalapeño cheese made by Mennonite farmers in the Belizean north.
Also, don’t skip the cocktails. (Unless non-alcoholic is more your style, in which case you should go for their fresh-from-the-garden coolers in flavors like ginger, mint or hibiscus.) The bar here manages to be slick, modern and cozy at the same time, and makes a tangerine mojito that’s a vacation in itself. Or, try a spot of nance (nahn-cheh), a mellow brown sugar liqueur made by fermenting one nance berry for months in the bottle; hard to find at many resorts or even at the airport duty-free, Ian introduced this sweet apertif to our travel bloggers group as an everyday drink in Belize.
Booze aside…some of my favorite moments in Belize happened at Ka’ana. One afternoon, I treated myself to a float in the palm-fringed infinity pool, a soft rain erasing my memories of drought back home in L.A. Later in my casita, I moved my still-drying sneakers only to disturb a tiny frog, olive green with black speckles. Carefully, I scooped him up between a water glass and a small dish (that had recently contained handmade Mayan chocolates) and set him down outdoors on the rain-slick front porch. Off in the tangled trees, his brethren could be heard croaking the song of a healthy ecosystem.
Ka’ana aims to keep this song going. In addition to using low-energy lightbulbs, recycled paper products and local hardwoods, the resort now employs a Sustainable Adventure Tourism Director. Eager to take guests to parts of the nearby Mopan River and surrounding broadleaf forest they might otherwise miss, the SATD also aims to encourage replanting of the area’s over-harvested forest corridors, giving wildlife a chance to move more freely between habitats. A resort plan is forming that would allow guests to make a lasting contribution to the community by planting some of these trees themselves
I loved being a sponsored guest at Ka’ana, and hope to return someday in a spirit of pure romance. Who knows…maybe in December 2012, in honor of Mayan Doomsday. Wouldn’t mind one bit if this was the last place we ever saw on Earth.
A big highlight and memorable moment for me was hanging out in the kitchen of Ka’ana Boutique Resort with the personable, talented and passionate Chef Sean Kuylen (pronounced kwee-ln), born and raised in Belize. With the bubbly enthusiasm of a little boy, he was bouncing around the compact space wanting to show me the ingredients he was using, tell me about his ideas for future dishes and have me taste a bit of this and and that. With a foundation in classic French cuisine, he trained for 2 years in kitchens in San Francisco and Florida, and now finds his inspiration from everywhere he turns. Watching him prepare the smoked red snapper, he exclaimed with a wide grin, “I stole this from Disney World! They had cedar-planked salmon. I saw the cedar trees here and said, hey they’re not poisonous, let’s do it!” And so he did; he finishes off the fish with a flambé that would make a fireman flinch.
As Ka’ana owner Ian Lizzaraga explained, Ka’ana is where you’ll find “the Belizean experience on a 5 star level.” Their values of sustainability and cultural authenticity are apparent on the grounds, in the rooms and in the restaurant La Ceiba, named after the native tree to Guatemala, sacred to the Mayans. The team is taking the traditions they grew up with and giving them a current interpretation. As seen in their spin on a piña colada for example- a sugar corn colada, reminiscent of their childhood snack of corn ice cream with cinnamon. They’re taking advantage of local products including brown sugar, cacao and coffee; and they’re using organic produce from their beautiful garden just outside the restaurant. The basil and arugula you’ll see on your plate will have been collected from the garden right before service. And as above, your fish may be smoked on cedar wood, from the tree just outside your room.
Of course I was most interested in Chef Kuylen’s desserts, but I have to say, months later, I am still thinking about his corn dukunu. It was a component in a larger dish – sautéed Mennonite pork sausage with chipotle and guava tomato chutney served over Mayan dukunu, the latter a roasted corn and coconut milk tamale. I also tasted it in its pure form as a purée and knew I would want to recreate it at home in my own kitchen. The purée, in the bottom casserole above right, was a masterful play on sweet and salty, with a healthy kick of spicy too – zoom in on the chef’s gallon jug of habanero hot sauce! That caught my eye and I thus proceeded carefully during meals! Enjoy the recipe below, that the chef generously shared with us here (and not only because I begged for it!). But most of all, stay tuned for the next post… Chef Kuylen shares some sweet recipes too!
Chef Kuylen’s Corn Dukunu
1 cup canned sweet corn
6 oz yellow cornmeal
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
1 cup coconut milk
4 oz smoked bacon, diced
Combine all ingredients except the bacon in a food processor and mix forming the dukunu batter. In a saucepan render the diced bacon and add the prepared batter stirring constantly preventing it from sticking. Cook for 15 minutes until the batter gets thick and golden yellow in color. Adjust the seasoning and enjoy with fish, chicken or sausage.
Alternative: this batter can also be steamed forming a firm Dukunu Cake.
Render the bacon and add it to the raw corn batter. Spoon the batter in foil or corn husks and seal the ends. Set in a pot of shallow water, cover and steam for 45 minutes forming a traditional Dukunu Tamalito. Once cooked, carefully open and enjoy
And the story you’re about to experience with Chef Kuylen (pronounced Kwee-Ln) will take your taste buds on a cultural and inspiring journey through Belizean history.
Meet our new chef, Sean Kuylen. Born and raised in beautiful Dangriga, Belize, Sean’s passion for the kitchen was nurtured by one of his greatest influences-his mother. Appreciation of Belizean cultural cuisines was fostered from a young age and later fused with other styles when he ventured abroad in 2004. Through training at the City College of San Francisco, Chef Kuylen learned American and French cuisines and did internships at both the historic Cliff House in San Francisco and the Canadian Pavilion in the Epcott Center at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. He returned to Belize in March 2008, where for a year and a half, he worked as Head Chef at Hamanasi Resort in Hopkins Village, Stann Creek.
Now Chef Kuylen has joined the Ka’ana family as Executive Head Chef. His challenge, he says, will be to put a different spin on Belizean cuisine. “Some people say there is no such thing as Belizean cuisine”, Chef Kuylen shares. But like Leela Vernon asks in her popular Creole song, “Who seh (Belize) noh have no culture?” Chef Kuylen answers and says “Belize does have exquisite cultural cuisine!”
La Ceiba Restaurant will be taking an exciting direction under Chef Kuylen. Our creative modern flair will be infused with classic Belizean flavors to take our menu to another level. We invite you to join us on this new culinary journey—a journey, which according to Maya belief about the Ceiba Tree, will act as a portal between earth and heaven.
Followers on Twitter! Visit Ka’ana’s Martini Lounge Bar anytime this month, use the Promo Code: “Dame un Martini por favor!” and when you order your 1st Martini, you’ll get a 2nd martini free! Offer is valid for martini drinks only and ends August 31, 2009. You may only use the Promo Code once for the duration of the promotion.
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A big smile has recently appeared on one of our mango’s. We are not sure if it is a new strain of fruit or a happy guest or a happy member of staff.
In any case, smiles are abundant at Ka’ana.
Just come and see for yourself.
Pictured are Leonardo from our Landscaping Department and Choco Brothers, Calvin and Mario, from our Maintenance and Tours Department and One Happy Mango called “Charlie”
In an effort to deliver a high quality food and beverage experience, Ka’anas’ management team and restaurant staff spent the evening in the Martini Lounge Bar with Pamela and John from Rumfish y Vino in Placencia, Belize. Pamela Solomon has been a professional in the wine business in the States for many years before she and her husband decided to buy a restaurant in Belize and start importing wines. Her specialist area is “Italian wines.”
Pictured are Nick, Luky, Alex and Polo from the hotel with Pamela and John and some of their best friends (AKA great Italian wines) As the slurping wore on well into the night and at least 20 different Italian wines from all regions of Italy were checked out you can be assured of some exciting new Italian wines on the list and in the rooms as soon as they are delivered to the resort next week.
This was such a hard part of the staffs day to day work lives but we like to point out that no glasses or wine bottles were injured during the filming of this event. The staff certainly have a new found respect and enjoyment about Italian wines. Ka’ana will follow this up with an organised Italian wine tasting at the end of May also hosted by Pamela and John.
When you head down to Cayo, be sure to stop by the resort even if you are not staying at Ka’ana and ask for our new Italian greats, one thing for sure, drinking Italian wine it’s better than owning a Lamborghini, why? It doesn’t come in Yellow and it can’t give you a heart attack when the check comes………
Ka’ana Boutique Resort & Spa, a new luxury resort located in the Cayo District of Belize, features private helicopter transfers from Belize International and Municipal airports. The convenient forty minute flight provides discerning travelers with spectacular views of the rainforest canopy, pine forests of Mountain Pine Ridge, and 1000 foot falls, considered the largest waterfall in Central America. Champagne service is provided on arrival at Ka’ana’s private helipad located conveniently on property. Starting January 5, 2009, Ka’ana’s Romance package, ideal for couples and honeymooners, will include the one-way scenic flight
Hotel guests gathered in the Martini Lounge bar with Ka’ana’s General Manager, Nick Davies to sample some Pinot Grigio. The objective apart from just having a fun little get together was to select a new Pinot Grigio to compliment the existing Santa Margarita which made it onto Ka’ana’s first list and has stayed as a staple favorite ever since. After much chewing and slurping (not a lot of spitting, they were all great), there was a unanimous verdict. Sartori, from Venezie, Italy was the clear winner and will make it onto the new list which will be delivered in a couple weeks. There is still some tasting to be done, so if you are heading Ka’ana’s way, remember to ask what’s on the investigation list! Pictured with Nick are Donna and Fernando from Toronto, Ontario; John and Sally from Indianapolis, Indiana; honeymooners Jonas and Nan from Maryland, and Mike and Cindy from Belize.
Preparing your own three-course dinner with the assistance of award winning chef Manolo Castillo is something else entirely. After expressing his own personal interest in cooking, guest Gregg Santo was invited to join Chef Manolo in preparing a delicious customized dinner consisting of involtini mozzarella, with parsley and basil olive oil; tom kah gai Thai soup, followed by a chocolate mousse with grand mariner.
Changing from his chef uniform to dinner attire, Santos slipped back into the restaurant in time to surprise his partner with his culinary talents. The evening was a great success and lots of fun for everyone.
