Meet Patricia Rodriguez, our Reservations Manager and Destination Wedding Coordinator. Patricia, affectionately known as “Patch” to all of us, is reserved and soft-spoken, but a steady and dedicated personality of Ka’ana. She works tirelessly with any guest, whether it’s about their stay or to co-ordinate their wedding day, to ensure that it will be amazing and everything they want it to be and more. We asked her a few questions about what motivates her.
What’s the most exciting part about your job?
Meeting and interacting with people from all walks of life; everyday is a new experience.
What keeps you focused on the details of other people’s weddings?
Knowing that the experiences our team puts together will create memories for our guests for a lifetime. When coordinating weddings I try to get in the mind of the bride to picture what she wants her special day to be like. That way I can ensure her wedding day is stress free, all she has to do is smile for the photos.
Do you have a favorite moment(wedding or otherwise) that stands out in your memory?
I’ll always remember my first wedding at Ka’ana. When Lauren & Eric walked over to their onsite wedding pergola it brought them to tears. It’s an amazing feeling to know that my team and I were a part of making that moment extra special.
With the villas, we challenged ourselves to create a truly world-class product that could sit alongside these great destinations and really put Ka’ana on par with the best of the best, and our own favorite resorts around the world. – Colin and Ronan Hannan, Hospitality Design.
In an effort to foster early childhood learning, Ka’ana adopted the Succotz Primary School, located in the nearby village of San Jose Succotz, in April of this year. Since then, we’ve raised US$1,275 which has helped us in executing initiatives such as the recently completed Bathroom Rehabilitation Project. In addition to arts & crafts supplies and the one-cubicle bathroom facility for the kindergartners, we’ve paid the US$18 yearly tuition for over sixty of the three hundred and sixty students currently attending by customizing our Summer Offer. Through generous donations, the staff was able to provide the school’s baseball team with sporting equipment and uniforms, which afforded them the opportunity to, not only compete in the National Softball Competition, but also secure the league’s first place.
We here at Ka’ana are committed to supporting the school with the following programs: Feeding Program, Scholarship Fund and Sports Program. We also plan to assist with the establishment of new bathroom and cafeteria facilities for the juniors and seniors as well as to fence the school grounds.
Ka’ana has been featured in the October/November issue of the San Diego Style Weddings Magazine which serves as a resource guide for Southern California brides. The Magazine, published by San Diego Style Weddings, includes accessories, bridal services and vendors listings, cake design, fashion, photography, and – of course – wedding planning.
The article, entitled “Fabulous Five: Five Amazing Honeymoons Under $5000”, highlights Ka’ana as the “ideal hideaway” for honeymooners who’d like to “experience the culture, history, and geography of an unknown region without having to sacrifice comforts and amenities” they’ve grown accustomed to. The piece ends by stating that “a honeymoon at Ka’ana” – “a gem hidden in the jungles of Western Belize” – “is truly an experience you can call your own.”
Ka’ana’s Adopt-A-School ProgramSummer Special, which invites you to effect change in Belize, has received great coverage from numerous online publications like Frommer’s, Hipster Travel Guide, In The Know Traveler and Sherman’s Travel. Its most recent exposure, dating on September 21, 2011, was in The Washington Times. Founded in 1982 and published by The Washington Times LLC, The Washington Times is one of the most-often-quoted newspapers in the U.S., thus reputed to be “America’s Newspaper.” The article “Book An $18 Night At Belize Resort And Send A Child To School“, written by inveterate traveler Andrea Poe, stresses the fact that US$18 “pays an entire year of a child’s school tuition.”
Experience a departure from the traditional horseback riding tour when you visit the private ranch of the Santiago Juan family. Ride across an open pasture towards the bank of the Mopan River and be led by Luis, your personal guide and ranch hand. An exciting river crossing takes you off the beaten path and on an eye-opening ride that reveals a different, slower way of life.
Included in the tour is a stop at a yet-unexcavated Mayan site on the ranch. Luis will provide the history of the area while you dismount your horses and hike to the top of a Maya mound. From that vantage point, you will have a 360 degree view of the valleys and mountains as well as peek at the excavated Maya city of Xunantunich. This tour can be done in a half day or extended for a full day to include a private picnic and a first-hand view of the ranch-hands at work.
Book three nights in a luxury Balam or Casita and get your fourth night for only US$18.00, which will be donated to our Adopt-A-School Program. This $18.00 can pay for a local Belizean child to attend school for a full year.
Ka’ana has committed to supporting the following programs at Succotz Primary School: Bathroom Rehabilitation Project, Nutritional Meals Program, Scholarship Fund and Sports Program.
We also welcome and facilitate donations for playground equipment, purchasing of computers and the refurbishment of classrooms or volunteer work at the school.
Offer Valid For Travel Between May 1st & November 15th.
Considered to be the heartland of a civilization that once was, Belize boasts a rich heritage of archaeological sites. Its Cayo District, one of the last unspoiled places on earth and once the epicenter of the Maya, is dotted with ancient cities and ruins.
Travel across one of the last hand-cranked chain ferries which leads to Xunantunich, “Maiden of the Rock” – one of the region’s most legendary and popular archaeological sites frequented by a multitude of adventure travelers. Perch atop “El Castillo” which rises above the jungle canopy and witness panoramic views of the surrounding mountains, valleys as well as villages. Stop on the way back at a traditional market in the village of San Jose Succotz on the Mopan River, offering local crafts made from cloth, fabrics, slate, wood and other natural products.
With a myriad of spectacular natural attractions, there are plenty of adventures – archaeological sites being only one of them – to discover and explore Belize as a diverse destination!
