Vanilla Hills Lodge

Hotel

Remote, off the beaten path, which is why Belize.
Excellent food, service and amenities.

Beautiful and peaceful place. Friendly and accommodating staff. Highly recommend.

What an absolutely amazing place! The casitas are great with nice big decks for outdoor enjoyment. The owners are so friendly and helpful and make you feel so welcome. The rest of the staff are also very friendly and helpful. The food is excellent! A great choice if you’re going to San Ignacio.

Wonderful place, friendly people.

This trip was planned to escape the pandemic and we did — the resort and people who live and work there were simply amazing. So clean, food was fantastic! Highly recommend.

Love the settings for great photos.

Beautiful place, exceptional customer service. Everything was perfect! I love it. Would highly recommend.

Beautiful place, excellent service. The superior suites are so lovely. Overall a great place.

Amazing, one of my favorite places for a little getaway. Every detail from the room to the food is beautiful and exceeds expectations. Highly recommended.

Clean and great owners. Love it!

Amazing place! coming back really soon.

Sooo many wonderful things that can be said about Vanilla Hills Lodge! I have written a detailed review on Trip Advisor, but wanted to also say on FB what a PERFECT place Vanilla Hills Lodge was for our recent 7 nt stay! We were looking for: Quaint/boutique property
Outside the chaos of town
Close enough to town for easy access
On or near the river
Jungle like atmosphere Vanilla Hills met everything we were looking for an then some! If you are looking for the lodge "feel", but not the lodge out of town proximity then this is your place! Thank you VHL for adding to our travel memories!

The owners were the kindest, most helpful people I have ever dealt with. They suggested multiple things for us to do. They made awesome breakfast and dinner at very affordable prices. If I ever make it back to San Ignacio I would stay here again. Thank you for everything!

The hosts make this place. OMG everything is amazing.

A rare find it certainly was! I say that not only because our lodging was special but also because the owners (Claudia and Franklin) were welcoming and knowledgeable hosts. I highly recommend staying here to experience the Cayo district and the Belize jungle!

The owners Claudia & Franklin are Super Host.
Every detail of our stay was handled with upmost care. We had the Tree House Room. Tucked away in the forest. When we first arrived Claudia met us and personal showed us around. Our bed was decorated with our guest towls shaped into a heart with flowers sprinkled around wishing us a Happy Anniversary. Every day there was a new towel art to greet us.
Claudia helped us plan all our activities and booked them all for us. Every night she would call a cab to pick us up for dinner. We let her pick. Not one was a disappoinment. And Claudia's home made breakfast our fantastic. Home made breads, jams, fresh eggs just to name a few. After a long day sight seeing we would come back to swim in their new infinity pool. Claudia would come out with towleds and cocktails.
If you are just looking for a few days to relax or a combination of relaxation and adventures this is your place.

Vanilla Hills is a piece of paradise.
Claudia and Franklin are friendly, professional, full of good advices and solutions for any request as well as of tips to get the best from the area.
Location is strategic for some amazing trips.
The lodge is clean, comfortable, perfectly and nicely furnished and surrounded by flowers and jungle.
All the structure is indeed perfectly maintained.
Breakfast is delicious!

The cabin was a perfect size with plenty of room, a lovely bathroom and kitchenette made everything easy. We were close to the ruins and sites we wanted to tour, Claudia was an amazing host and had excellent recommendations for restaurants and shops. We nearly let one of the cats move in he was so charming and there were some adorable free roaming bunnies and at least one very enthusiastic frog looking friends. I think sunset at the pool with the birds and the breeze was one of my favorite things. I also really appreciate their efforts to step lightly on the land.

Fantastic place, friendly, helpful, nothing was too much trouble. Claudia and franklin were our witnesses and made our day so very special, can't wait to go back.

Claudia, Franklin and Jessica are absolutely wonderful hosts. The lodge is beautiful, the cottages (esp the Treehouse) are outstanding and the rooms are spacious and beautiful and are equipped with everything that you need. The location of the cottages provides a lot of privacy and gives you the feeling that you are in the middle of nature. Claudia’s breakfasts are delicious, especially the home baked bread. While we were there we had a small medical emergency and Franklin and Claudia could not have been more helpful. They were extremely caring and took care of everything that needed to be done. Jessica’s towel art is not to be missed! We would love to come back! Thank you again for a magical stay!

Amazing experience! If my wife and I head back to Belize we will stay again.

Look no further. You have found the place! My girlfriend and I stayed in the Hibiscus guest house. It was beautiful! The stain wood interior fit perfectly with the jungle surroundings. The rooms were very comfortable and cozy and we had plenty of privacy. Everything was clean and well cared for, and it was clear that the owners take the extra time and attention to make sure everything is perfect. When we arrived we found lovely fresh cut orchids placed around the house, it was a welcomed display. The site grounds are strikingly beautiful, you really do feel like you're in a jungle oasis. We loved getting up each morning to the sounds of the patriots, toucans, and howler monkeys. The best part of the whole adventure were our hosts. Claudia was amazing, and a God send, she singled handily saved our vacation. We arrived late in the evening in the pouring rain. Claudia came out to meet us with umbrellas and helped us to our cabin. When Claudia found out we had not eaten because of traveling all day she insisted on feeding us a wonderful German Supper. We were scheduled on a tour to see the ATM cave the next morning, but because of the rain Claudia knew it would be closed. She went the extra mile by calling our original tour company (which had done nothing to inform us the cave would be closed) confirmed the closure and then booked us on another tour of Caracol.

We visited Belize for our Honeymoon last month and decided to spend half our time near San Ignacio and the other half in San Pedro. Despite being very big beach vacationers, our time near San Ignacio at Vanilla Hills ended up being the best part of our trip! This is definitely accredited to Claudia and Franklin. From before we checked in to the time we left, they were very attentive to our needs and helped us schedule every aspect of our 5 days and nights with them. We stayed in the Hibiscus cabin (since the Treehouse was already booked) and it was perfect! We felt very secluded in the jungle with beautiful views off our deck while somehow still being close to the main house to get water and breakfast each morning (which was delicious by the way! ). Below are the details of our stay at Vanilla Hills for anyone who is interested in our trip. Before we arrived, Claudia arranged private transportation from the airport in Belize City to Vanilla Hills. Claudia suggested stopping at the Belize Zoo or Baboon Sanctuary (actually Howler Monkeys) on our way and we decided to go with the latter. The Sanctuary was a great stop on our 2ish hour trip. While it only took 30 minutes and cost $14 BZE / person, it was worth it for the up close encounter with the howler monkeys. We were even able to feed mommy and baby monkeys! Claudia even called our driver on the way to check in if we were hungry or needed anything.

I just felt so at home at Vanilla Hills. It is by far one of the best places I’ve ever stayed at. The location is just perfect, not too far from town but far enough to be surrounded by nature. Claudia and Franklin are such wonderful people and will go out of their way to help make your stay perfect. Claudia is an amazing chef, wow those banana pancakes were the best! The guest houses are just beautiful and everything was so clean and perfect. I will definitely be staying there again!

The rooms are beautifully appointed, with form and function in mind. Everything is immaculate. The gardens are gorgeous and vibrant with animals and birds. The hosts are gracious and go out of their way to be helpful, giving out maps and tips to help you plan your time effectively. I feel like we stumbled upon a 5 star resort hidden under 3 star pricing. I would highly recommend to anyone.

I would go back to Belize just to stay at Vanilla Hills again. Wonderful hosts and property. Breakfast overlooking the property with Claudia's great food and coffee is one of those memories I will always go back to when I need a smile. We stayed in the Tree House-the craftsmanship is excellent and it was a very relaxing place to be. The entire staff was great.

This place is a gem. The owners — Claudia and Franklin were wonderful hosts. Very knowledgeable about the area and ready to help set up tours or recommend restaurants. Claudia herself is an amazing chef. Our first night, we were tired and decided to have dinner at the lodge. At the time I had no idea that Claudia did all the cooking! I thought there was a restaurant on site, but she does it all — including the most amazing home made bread. You need to request lunch or dinner in advance, but breakfast is a given every morning and you won't want to miss it. Especially the bread. The grounds are beautiful complete with pet rabbit, cats and local wildlife. You feel like you are in the middle of the jungle far away from civilization. It was the most wonderful experience.

Claudia and Franklin are the best hosts and have created a beautiful, welcoming, comfortable home away from home. Claudias cooking is outstanding and we even had time to sit and chat with them in the beautiful outdoor dining area about how their background and this beautiful place. They helped us coordinating our tours, drivers and even a take out meal. Highly reccomend, love these people and this place!

So beautiful. Claudia and Franklin were attentive hosts and set us up on an amazing tour of Tikal and our guide for cave tubing Edwin was sweet and knowledgeable. Beautiful property, our cabana was name Orchid, the picture was taken from the path down to the little pond and waterfall. Loved the nature sounds. Thank you.

This place is perfect. The houses are generously sized and made really well. The owners are so nice and helpful. They spent a couple hours talking with us about our options for sightseeing and even called to move a tour for us. You will be completely satisfied here. There has been so much time and care put into making this place perfect.

If you are considering a visit to San Ignacio and surrounding areas — you would be crazy not to stay with Claudia and Franklin at Vanilla Hills. There is so much to do every day, the lodge and your personal bungalow are in amazing shape, perfectly appointed and are beautiful. The property is incredible and the views stunning. The breakfasts with homemade breads, local eggs/bacon, and the yummiest pancakes helped start the day off perfectly. But the best part was the warmth we felt from our beautiful hosts. Thank you both for a memorable stay… our new friends.

Look no where else! My husband and I just spent 4 amazing evenings with Claudia and Franklin at their peaceful and beautiful facility. WE had our own bungalow with a small kitchen, bath, sitting area and bedroom. The grounds are stunning, the breakfasts were incredible (Claudia is an amazing cook and baker) and everything they suggested for our day trips were better than expected. I cannot gush enough about the place and our new friends! Thanks for the hospitality!

Claudia Is amazing! The most ideal hostess ready with a fantastic breakfast and tons of local knowledge. She also has a guide for any activity you may be looking into. She created a spectacular experience to begin our honeymoon.

Amazing place! Settled in the jungle, the individual cabins are beautiful and cozy. Nature sounds all around you. Owners and hosts, Claudia and Frank, are wonderful company. Claudia creates delicious meals that I was always looking forward to! Very much enjoyed our stay. Clean.