“You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself.” -Buddha

“The horseback ride was one of my favorite parts of the trip.” – Hand-cranked ferry to Xunantunich, 5 minutes from Ka’ana.

Incredible Trip

We stayed at Ka’ana from thurs-sunday in early May. The tone for the trip was set immediately when we arrived and were greeted with drinks as we stepped out of the van. The staff could not have been friendlier and more attentive. We truly felt like we were the only guests there and they attended to our every need. We met with the concierge Onil who walked us through our planned activities and asked what type of foods we liked for our arranged meals.

We did a horseback ride/river picnic as the lone excursion type activity. I heard a lot of great things about the ATM tour but didn’t try that out. The horseback ride was one of my favorite parts of the trip. After a 5-minute car rise we arrived at a horse ranch and were led by the owner of the ranch Santiago (request him if you can, he was awesome) through a long trail ride that ultimately led us to the Mayan ruins. These are simply incredible to see and should be visited. on our way back we stopped off at an area near a river and enjoyed a picnic right near the water. Oscar, our favorite Ka’ana employee, had set-up an incredible picnic area for us. It was an overall fun and relaxing experience and the food we ate (from a menu discussed the day before back at the hotel) was delicious.

We got massaged the last day which my girlfriend and I both enjoyed. Be sure to book them in advance as they are not full time employees on-site.

The last night we did the private five course meal on the yoga platform and again, Oscar helped serve us and did an incredible job ensuring that we were enjoying ourselves. He goes above and beyond with little touches like putting local flowers on the ground around our table.

The hotel grounds and rooms are very nice, the staff waits on your hand and foot and I would recommend the hotel for special occasion type vacations. You get almost every TV channel you can think of and there is WiFi on the grounds. The pool area is a little small but suitable for the size hotel. You should have no problem getting a chair.

Some note: As mentioned often, breakfast is the best meal of the day. Dinner is good too although not everything stands out. I will say that I had red snapper that was cooked on a cedar plank that was incredible. The only “Con” I would mention is that the hotel itself is a considerable drive from the airport. While this has nothing to go with the hotel and can’t be improved upon, it is something to factor in. It took us 2 hours to get from the airport to the hotel and while it was very interesting to learn about the country from our driver, we had come from NYC and were tired from traveling for so long. On the way home we had mentioned to Oscar (now one of our buddies) that the initial drive-in took a while and he forwarded our frustration along. The drive back was actually cut to about 1.5 hours thanks to an aggressive driver which was much appreciated.

GoPro Camera – We want to jump out of planes now!

We got to work with some very talented friends who came down from New York to check out Ka’ana’s version of Belize – and capture it on video.

From making clay pots with local Maya women, horseback riding through rivers, hanging out in private pool villas, swimming into – and exploring Maya caves (Including human remains!) to helicoptering over rivers and waterfalls… The list goes on, so let’s leave it to the photos!

Arriving In Style!

Where’s Lamanai?

The View From The Helicopter, No Big Deal.

Chasing An Airboat On The Way To Lamanai!

Breaking-In The New Villas…

Luxury Tent At A Maya Ruin.

Firepit Sundowners

Our Genetically-Blessed Friends:

Spelunking The Maya Underworld!

Horseback Riding

Meeting The Locals At The Zoo.

We’ve been working with New York-based designer, Cara Araneta, to upgrade the interiors of our Balam Suites, King and Queen Casita Suites. Her vision was to combine Belize’s colonial heritage and indigenous crafts with expedition influences, scattering antiques like vintage binoculars, cameras, telescopes, and old, military medals. Also, placing English colonial portraits adjacent to local artists’ artworks and using warm, local textiles and patterned accents. Each suite is personally styled. “I wanted every room to tell a story – and feel personal.” Here are some work-in-progress snapshots.

Balam Suite

Balam Suite – Detail

Bar Shelving – Expedition Finds

Beaded Shakers – Add Attitude To Headboard

Casita Suite – Queen

Casita Suite – Queen – Detail

Casita Suite – King

Casita Suite – King – Detail

Master Suite – Detail

Master Suite – Private Outdoor Deck & Shower

The Travel Channel spotlights Belize’s Great Blue Hole, a sinkhole off the coast of Belize a few hours away from us here at Ka’ana. A great diving spot to explore!

We couldn’t think of a better way to combine our love for cocktails and helping our local school, so we came up with The Succotz Cocktail: Sweet Corn and Banana Colada with a Choco Banana treat. All proceeds go to Succotz Primary School. Now who says a drinking habit is a bad thing?

Indiana Jones had it wrong, he should have made his way to Belize. Here’s what we suggest for your own stylish adventure:

Images Clockwise: Crystal Skull (British Museum); Xunantunich Maya Ruin; Wool and Leather Fedora, Rag and Bone (Barney’s NY); Leather Laceup Boots, Timberland (Barney’s NY).

The skeletal remains of an adult Maya, along with several artifacts and ceramics – reported to be over 2000 years old – was discovered during the replacement of drainage pipes on Burns Avenue: one of the busiest streets in San Ignacio, Cayo.

In addition, bone tools, ceramic vessels, conch shell fragments, deer antlers, obsidian blade fragments, peccary teeth and pottery shards were buried with the individual who, according to renowned archaeologist Dr. Jaime Awe, was a male. Of the ceramic vessels obtained, three were complete while the pottery shards included an etched Juventud-Red vessel which possibly dates the site as early as the Middle Pre-Classic Period. What’s more is that the situ, which may have been abandoned after being destroyed by flood waters, is believed to be a part of Cahal Pech, thus proving that the “Place Of Ticks” was as extensive a settlement as was originally thought.

The artifacts, ceramics and remains will be displayed in the Welcome Center which is currently under construction as part of the development and rehabilitation of San Ignacio Town. For the time being, though, locals and tourists alike flock to the site to offer assistance, speculation and support to the archaeologists who’ve halted public works until their excavation is completed.

For more information read “Burns Avenue Becomes New Tenochtitlan” and “The Maya Arise On Preclassic Burns Avenue.”