“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!

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!

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 Mopan River, once used to transport chicle and logwood, originates in Guatemala, flowing into Belize to meet with the Macal River and form the Belize River – Belize’s major fresh water source.

Float along cool waters on inflatable inner tubes, pushed by light currents or rapids from the Benque Viejo Del Carmen Town – only a 10-minute drive west of Ka’ana. As you continue floating along the jungle-lined river, your guide will point out various native flora and fauna, including Green Iguanas lounging on Succotz tree branches. Villagers of San Jose Succotz still fish, swim and wash their clothing using flat granite rocks as scrubbing boards in the shallow pools of the river, giving you a glimpse of the local culture in Belize’s westernmost region.