Which would you prefer: a private island to soak up the sun on a beach or an adventure in the jungle? In our case we could not decide when we planned the trip, so we picked both!

The Muy’Ono Resort arranged our flight to the island, a van from the island to the jungle, and a van to return to the airport at the end of the trip. There was no stress at all. We had concierges and guides the entire time who made sure we did not miss anything or get lost.

Getting to the island was exciting! We took a small plane from Belize City to Dangriga Airstrip. The 15-minute commuter flight brought us down the coast of Belize and gave us a sneak peak of the luscious jungle before landing close to the Caribbean sea waters. From there, we took a boat ride to the private island of Thatch Caye, where we were greeted with a warm towel and fruity drink.

Thatch Caye

With an island destination like Thatch Caye Resort, you can do excursions like lobstering, fishing, or boat tours. There were kayaks, paddle boards, and bikes also readily available on the island. We only had two nights on the island, so we chose to explore the island and soak up the sun.

The overwater Starfish Bar was our favorite spot. You could sit in a hammock swing or a hammock above the water while be served drinks and small bites.

At night, everyone on the island gathered at one table and ate authentic, farm-to-table Belizean food and shared their day’s adventures. If you caught lobster or conch on your excursion, the chef would prepare your catch for you.

Sweet Songs

After a three-hour boat and car ride from Thatch Caye, we arrived at our treehouse in San Ignacio. The long journey was well worth it. We were in awe at the beauty of the Sweet Songs Jungle Lodge.

The greenery and paths were pristinely kept, and you could walk down and hike along the banks of Macal River. We were in bliss hanging out at the infinity pool while the howler monkeys foraged for food above our heads.

Our treehouse, reachable by swinging bridge, had a screened-in porch with a swinging bed and outdoor tub. Closed in with glass, there was a king bed and a walk-in shower. The layout of the treehouse immersed you in the tree canopies with jungle wildlife.

Wildlife

My favorite part of the trip and this resort was the closeness to wildlife. Our mornings began with breakfast with the native birds and the occasional squirrel. The staff would lay out a tray with a variety of fresh fruit. Usually the toucans would take over, but we saw collared aracari toucans, keel-billed toucans, chachalacas, blue-crowned motmots, brown jays, red-throated ant tanagers, olive-green tanagers, and more.

During the day, we saw capybaras running on the grounds, and howler monkeys would visit us up close at eye level at our treehouse. In the afternoon, the birds would settle above a covered path between the pool and bathroom. For fun we would walk the path, and the birds would dart across and flap their wings close to our heads.

For dinner, the kinkajous came out for a snack. I, and other guests, volunteered to feed them bananas. One night, we woke at 3-4am surrounded by very loud growling. It was frightening at first, but once I heard “oogh oogh,” I realized it was the howler monkeys stating their territory. Their howls can be heard up to three miles away. Be sure to watch to the end of the playlist of videos and hear for yourself!