Chan Chich Lodge

Normally, when I discuss travels I focus simply on the restaurants that we ate in. This time I am focusing a little bit on where we stayed. This is two part, there was only one food option to eat during part of our vacation, and secondly I loved the place that we stayed in and would highly encourage everyone to stay there.

A few months ago, the husband and I were undecided as to where to go on vacation this summer. We were talked with the neighbors next door who raved about the trip they took to Belize last year. After doing some online research, we also chose Belize. We did chose a different trip than they took, we opted to spend four days in the jungle and four days at the beach.

Then the hard part came, where should we stay. I had my heart set on staying at the Chan Chich Lodge near Gallon Jug. You may ask why? I love checklists of sorts and love the book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. I read the description of Chan Chich and knew that we had to stay there.

As I alluded to previously, there was no other choice of restaurants to eat in while we stayed there as Chan Chich is in the middle of the jungle. I think that the nearest village was about an hour away over very bumpy roads. We got to the lodge on a three seat airplane that landed on a dirt air strip on a farm. It was quite the experience.



One may ask how the food was in a place that was so remote. The food was fantastic! We chose to do the meal plan since there was no other food option around and that gave us the option of an appetizer, meal, and dessert for every meal. The only complaint I could have over the menu is that it didn't have a lot of local dishes on it.

The breakfast choices were likely the most authentic local food. They were delicious. My favorite was eggs on tortillas with plantains, black beans, and salsa. I also really liked the fried jacks that I topped with mango jam. I am getting so hungry just thinking of it now.

The black bean soup on the lunch menu was perfect. The stewed chicken was another local dish on the menu. The meat was so tender that it practically fell off the bone. One day, we had a cheeseburger for lunch after a long, hot, and sweaty hike. It hit the spot.

For dinner, I had the beef tenderloin a few times. In my last post, I mentioned that I fell off the "no red meat wagon". When I fall, I fall hard. This beef was so great and tender. The fish dishes on the menu were also great. One night for dessert, they served creme brulee. It was unlike any other creme brulee I have ever had before. It was amazing and I am salivating while reminiscing about it.

I would strongly recommend a visit to this hotel. The staff was so friendly. I was getting teary when we left them. They really made us feel like we were part of their family. This was true for the woman who worked at the front desk, Lettie, the various waitresses, and the guides that we had on hikes and drives. We met the manager on our last day there as he was travelling during the first part of our stay. He too was incredibly nice. After staying at Chan Chich, it will take a lot to impress us.