The Lodge at Chaa Creek
Macal River, Cayo, Belize
Location
Macal River
On the Macal River within a 365-acre rainforest reserve in the Maya Mountains foothills, around 15 minutes from San Ignacio, Cayo.
Transfer
A Cayo transfer
Around 2 to 2.5 hours from Belize City; an on-site helipad.
Villas
23 cottages & suites
Around 23 thatched cottages, suites and villas — from new Ix Chel butler villas with plunge pools to the rustic riverside Macal River Camp — with mahogany beds and sundeck verandas.
Best For
Who it suits
Families, couples and eco-and-adventure travellers; children stay free.
Board Basis
Bed & breakfast
Adventure-Inclusive packages add meals and unlimited on-site activities.
About the Resort
Belize's original luxury jungle lodge
The Lodge at Chaa Creek has stood on the Macal River since 1977 — Belize's original luxury jungle lodge, set in a 365-acre rainforest reserve in the Maya Mountains foothills. Thatched cottages and treetop Jacuzzi suites look over the river, the new Ix Chel villas add private plunge pools and butlers, and a rustic riverside camp keeps an eco option. An on-site organic Maya farm feeds one of Belize's best restaurants, a Blue Morpho butterfly farm and Natural History Centre sit in the grounds, and Xunantunich, Cahal Pech and Caracol are close.
Accommodation
Cottages, suites & villas
Around 23 units plus a riverside camp.
Entry
Rainforest Cottage
Sleeps two to four. A thatched cottage with a veranda and hammock, mahogany beds and Maya art, with garden or rainforest views.
ThatchedRainforest view
Suite
Garden Jacuzzi Suite
Sleeps two to three. With a garden view and a private Jacuzzi.
Private JacuzziGarden view
Signature
Tree Top Jacuzzi Suite
Sleeps two. Elevated over the river, with treetop and Macal River views and a private veranda Jacuzzi.
TreetopRiver view
Top
Ix Chel Luxury Rainforest Villa
Sleeps two to four. With a private plunge pool, Jacuzzi and a personal butler, over the rainforest and river.
Plunge poolButler
Eco
Macal River Camp
Sleeps two. A rustic, safari-style riverside cabin with shared facilities.
RiversideSafari-style
Food & Drink
Dining
International and Central-American, farm-to-table.
Signature
The restaurant
Modern international and Central-American from the on-site organic farm.
Bar
The jungle bar
Cocktails over the river.
Farm
Organic Maya farm
Feeding the kitchen.
Wellbeing
The Hilltop Spa
A hilltop spa over the Macal River, with an outdoor pool, children's pool and hot tub.
Hilltop spa
Over the Macal River.
Pools & hot tub
Plus a children's pool.
365-acre reserve
Trails and river.
Activities & Experiences
Signature Experiences
River, reserve and Maya ruins.
Maya ruins
Xunantunich, Cahal Pech, Caracol.
Macal River canoeing
Down the river.
Blue Morpho butterfly farm
And a Natural History Centre.
Horseback & biking
Across the reserve.
Caving & birding
Through the jungle.
Getting There
Location & Transfers
By road
From Belize City
Around 2 to 2.5 hours by car.
By air
On-site helipad
Helicopter arrivals.
Guest Reviews
What Our Clients Say
★★★★★
“The most extraordinary place I have ever stayed. Nothing prepares you for the depth of the silence, the beauty of the reef, or the sheer generosity of the experience.”
✓ Verified via feefo
★★★★★
“We’ve stayed here three times now. The house reef has no equal. The stargazing was, genuinely, one of the most moving experiences of my adult life.”
✓ Verified via feefo
★★★★★
“I had stayed at Four Seasons, One&Only and Velaa before visiting The Lodge at Chaa Creek. They are all magnificent. But this is different in a way that is hard to articulate.”
✓ Verified via feefo
Good to Know
Good to know
Board basis
- B&B; Adventure-Inclusive packages available.
Made for families
- Couples and eco-travellers; children stay free.
Setting
- A river lodge in a reserve.
Getting there
- Around 2 to 2.5 hours from Belize City.
Book This Property
Start Planning Your The Lodge at Chaa Creek Stay
Your HighStreet specialist will respond within 2 hours with a personalised quote and the best available rates — guaranteed.
1
Your holiday
2
Your details
3
Review
Step 1 of 2
Tell us about your stay
Dates, party size, villa preference and budget.
Destination
Dates & party
Date flexibility
Adults
2
Children
0
Budget & accommodation
Budget per person (flights + hotel)
£4,500
£500£50,000+
Villa preference
Flights
You Might Also Consider
Other Belize hotels you might consider
Belize
Blancaneaux Lodge
Blancaneaux is Francis Ford Coppola's jungle hideaway in the 107,000-acre Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, where thatched hardwood villas stand on stilts over the waterfalls and pools of Privassion Creek. Montagna serves Italian cooking from Coppola family recipes, an organic farm and a stone oven; the Waterfall Spa treats beside a hot pool; and Caracol, caving and horseback riding fill the days. Arrival is by road or a Cessna to the lodge's own airstrip.
Belize
San Ignacio Resort Hotel
San Ignacio Resort Hotel has been family-owned since 1976 — a 17-acre estate on a hillside above the Macal River, five minutes from town and the Cahal Pech ruins, billed as the only jungle in town. Around 27 rooms and suites in Belizean hardwood look over the river valley, rising to a Master Suite reached by a winding hardwood staircase and a Honeymoon Suite with a Jacuzzi and butler. The Green Iguana Conservation Project runs on site, the Running W Steakhouse serves family-ranch meats with Lebanese touches, and Maya ruins, caving and birding are close.
Belize
Naia Resort and Spa
Naia spreads along a mile of palm-fringed white sand on the Placencia Peninsula — a barefoot-luxury wellness resort and Belize's 2023 Hotel of the Year. Thirty-five modern beach houses and treetop villas in Belizean hardwoods open to private verandas and the beach, many with their own plunge pool and full kitchen. The spa is the heart of it: set on lily-covered lagoon islands with over-water treatment rooms and a private-island couples' suite. Fishing-to-table dining, cacao-farm tours and aerial yoga fill the days.