Cayo is the westernmost district bordering Guatemala. Nestled between the hustle and bustle of Belize City and the serenity of Stann Creek, Cayo fuses the best of both worlds. Accessibility meets Zen. There’s a distinct reason why Cayo is a famous tourist destination: it offers an intriguing jungle atmosphere to complement seeing Belize through local lens.
An hour’s drive from Belize City, Cayo is Belize’s largest district. Covering almost 2,000 square miles, it comprises farmlands, lush valleys, and mountain ridges. Much of the district is covered in dense vegetation, boasting secrets our Mayan ancestors left behind as their legacy. Trekking to the ancient Mayan ruins can be done in the morning and cave tubing at Jaguar Paw in the afternoon. With the Macal River flowing though the twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena, canoeing down the river while watching nature refresh itself is another option for a half day.
The people are friendly, diverse, hospitable, and inviting. A true melting pot, residents are eager to exhibit the wealth nature bestowed on them. Smiling faces greet visitors as they enter and warm farewells bid on departure.
Ka’ana Boutique Resort is the newest luxury 5-star resort located ten minutes from downtown San Ignacio. Operating in the most ecotouristic district in the country, we strive to strike the perfect balance between rustic and luxury. A stone’s throw from Cahal Pech and Xunantunich, two renowned Belize Mayan ruins in the Mayan civilization, Ka’ana allows adventurers of varying intensities the chance to explore Cayo at one’s own pace. From all-inclusive packages to unique adventures, Ka’ana and Cayo caters to every traveler who wants to throw the cookie-cutter vacation out the window.
So it’s been one of those days where no amount of espresso will keep my mind focused! The hours keep ticking by and my to-do list keeps growing. Which leads me to a task I always consider one of the easier on my schedule, expanding and updating the playlists for the restaurant and bar. Seems like a fun job, something fairly straightforward and achievable irrespective of how my mushed my head is, right? Maybe not…
When we created La Ceiba Restaurant, the ethos was very much to represent the best of local and regional styles with an international flair. Chef Kuylen reaches the gastro heights with his understanding of local favorites, doubled with his San Fran experience. Polo brings the noise with his cocktails, and I’m reasonably happy with our wine offering (which I can’t blame on anyone else!). We’ll come back another time to discuss design, service etc, but the part of the experience that’s often under-appreciated and overlooked is that of the music. I chose to go with regional music of all kinds, as well as a few from further afield that we all personally enjoy. I wanted the music to be chilled-out and loungy, have a latin edge, and wanted stayed away from lyrics (especially English) so as not to take away from the aesthetic of the culinary experience. In general I opted for more light-hearted, upbeat music to make the experience more enjoyable and carefree. Think vacations, chilling, summertime, food, cockails, friends and fun!
Achieving this however is a whole ‘nother thing entirely! Where to start? It’s been a long road, a lot of trying and testing and listening and changing. And it’s ever-evolving. I cannot wait for our upcoming partnership with the ever-so-cool Stonetree Records, but in the meantime will have to settle for foraging through the internet wilderness, searching for the sweet taste of latin lounge music. Wish me luck!
Along with the stunning Casita’s, the sparkling infinity pool, the lush landscaping, romantic spa setting, there is the restaurant, the lounge, and the 2000 bottle wine cellar of Ka’ana that truly make this boutique luxury hotel my top pick.
Frieze Lounge offers a spacious room, laid with slate floors, a high gloss mahogany bar, stocked with the finest of liquors, cigars, and of course wine. This is a great spot to get out of the heat while you chill out on the oversized chairs, and sofas, the fans in the room cool you down immediately, and with the signature blended drinks, and cocktails offered, you can easily, along with the great lunch menu spend hours enjoying the food and libations offered. They also offer a large sunny patio off the front, and a quaint garden patio off the rear of the bar.
We stayed at Ka’ana for a total of 4 nights, so had the opportunity to sample both the lunch and dinner menu quite extensively. On our first day we sat in the lounge, enjoyed a nice glass of red wine along with some seafood ceviche and the traditional corn salbutes. They were both outstanding. The ceviche ($9 USD) was a generous portion, and was packed with flavour, crispness, and well presented. The salbutes ($8 USD) were topped with shredded chicken, pickled onion, tomato concasse, lime chifonade and crumbled queso blanco. An excellent option to hold you over until dinner. On another occasion we sat down outside on the patio, with 2 icy cold Belikins and enjoyed a caesar salad, and nachos. Of course neither were the typical caesar or nachos, at Ka’ana even those simple menu items were extraordinary. The classic caesar ( $10 usd) came with a creamy anchovy dressing, tender grilled chicken, and freshly baked croutons. The Nachos ($ 9 usd) were topped with freshly pickled jalapenos, onions, tomatoes and cilantro, and their own béchamel cheese sauce and freshly ground free range beef tenderloin made these the best nachos I had ever had. After a few more beers we headed back to the pool, to relax once more amongst the stunning scenery and peacefulness of Ka’ana.
La Ceiba, was without a doubt one of the best dining experiences I have ever had. Executive Chef Sean Kuylen originally from Dangriga in Belize, and trained in San Francisco has created a very stunning menu, offering all local ingredients fresh from Ka’ana’s own garden, free range meats from the neighbouring Spanish Lookout area offers simply the freshest in ingredients, and he has truly created a menu that reflects on local cuisine as well as infusing an international flare.
On our first visit to La Ceiba we started out with freshly made gnocchi ( $8 USD) and the Spanish Lookout cured free range beef carpaccio ($12 USD) which was simply perfection. As one who is from land of beef in Alberta Canada, I was simply amazed at the quality of beef that was being used, along with the great presentation, we were already drooling over what would be our main course. I went with the lamb shank for ($20 USD), and my partner decided to try the 10 ounce pork chop ( $20 USD) both were cooked perfectly and accompanied with fresh vegetables, excellent.
The next night we were spoiled. Executive Chef Sean Kuylen asked us what we wanted to have that night. I usually like to leave it up the chefs imagination, and after establishing what meat we preferred, he was off to the kitchen. We were presented to start a soup. Now personally I am not a big soup fan, for some reason when I dine out it is rarely something I order. In this case, I was blown away. Chef had whipped up a creation of gnocchi, italian sausage, bacon, in a coconut base and topped it off with a delicate pile of the beef carpaccio. It was amazing. Our entrees were the same, we wanted beef. When our main dish arrived to our candle lit table we were presented with an 6 0z, perhaps slightly larger, beef tenderloin on top of freshly made risotto, with arugula. The beef was tender, cooked medium rare, and simply a delicious meal. After the big meal we decided to go light on dessert. We went for the house made gelato, which satisfied out our palettes perfectly. The service we received while dining was impeccable. The wine was always at the right temp, the pours were perfect, and everything we ordered came out exemplary.
The great thing about dining there was that the Chef was creative, and more than willing, and actually really excited to prepare anything you wanted. There was a guest there at the same time who was a vegan, and he created a lasagne out of tortillas, and fire roasted tomatoes, and other delicacies, she was so impressed, they stayed an additional night. We had other meals as well during our stay, these for sure were the highlights. Not to say that the lunch we had on our last day was anything less than awesome. I had shredded cured duck leg simmered in plum sauce with their home made tortilla with arugula and cucumber, and my partner had the burger, which was topped with delicately breaded onion rings, jalapenos and cheddar, it was big, and would have my vote for the best burger in Belize.
Ka’ana has the whole boutique luxury hotel perfected. Again after only 3 years, they most certainly deserve to be among the elite in the exclusive Small Luxury Hotels Of The World association. This is a for sure must see when you are in Belize. Even if you are not staying at the resort, both Frieze Lounge, and La Ceiba Restaurant are most certainly worth a visit to. The Cayo district is full of activities, lush landscaping, and majestic ruins. So, either after your trip to the Cayes, or before, this should be on your list of places to see here in beautiful Belize.
I was indeed warmly welcomed to Ka’ana Boutique Resort this month. Greeted by Mario at the water taxi terminal in Belize city, my partner and I were transferred to the resort aboard a fully air conditioned van with an icy cold coke, and a bottle of water ready for us. The drive itself is great. Traveling along the Western Highway from the city to the district of Cayo offers the eyes the opportunity to glance upon the vastness of the open lush landscape, as you are swept through the hills and approach San Ignacio you feel truly taken away.
Pulling into the resort just outside San Ignacio, the tree lined road brought us to the doorsteps of this small luxury resort, which subsequently was also awarded the designation of becoming a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of The World, a huge accomplishment considering they have only been in operation for 3 years. We were greeted immediately by 3 amazing staff members, smiling warmly, and awaiting our arrival. Seated in the lobby we were brought a fresh blended drink of ginger and lime that was very much appreciated after the long journey from San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. We were escorted to our casita tucked away amongst the fruit trees, and hibiscus, and were introduced to the member of the staff that would clean our room, and provide the evening turndown service. I was already blown away, and we had been there for about 15 minutes. The room we were staying at was simply immaculate, ultra stylish and with every element of luxury you could imagine.
The Resort is nestled on 16 acres of lush tropical fruit trees, and they also have their own 2 acre vegetable garden which provides the goods for La Ceiba Restaurant. The Infinity pool is perched above the grounds, and offers plush loungers, fluffy towels and a sexy outdoor shower. The spa is located just off the pool, and offers everything from Swedish massage, facials, body scrubs, and wraps, and after a day at the pool the Sunburn soother. They also provide packages that offer an array of their services set over a 2 hour time period, booking is highly recommended for these services.
At Ka’ana they will provide you with an abundance of exhilarating experiences, Mayan temples, ancient caves, sparkling rivers, a majestic rainforest, and horse back riding, with their desire to expose you to what this country truly has to offer. I have only mentioned in this post what the resort has to offer in term of amenities, but don’t worry the next post will be dedicated to the food at Ka’ana, which without reservation is indeed the best of what Belize has to offer, stay tuned!
