Lovely place
- Details
- Category: Visiters Comments
- Published on Monday, 12 September 2011 15:41
- Written by Trys
- Hits: 387
We booked a 10-day all-inclusive package via Orchid Garden by email with the elusive Jason, who we never met, although his wife, Christine, who actually runs the place, was around constantly to make sure everything was OK. When we showed up, we were assigned our personal driver/guide Alfredo, who can flawlessly identify a 3-inch bird at a distance of 200 yards. Alfredo gave us a tour of the lush grounds and told us something about the history of Belize.
In the morning, after an excellent breakfast in a dining room full of tropical vegetation, Alfredo took us to our first excursion, a community baboon sanctuary, then back to Orchid Garden for lunch and another excursion in the afternoon. Dinner was always great, eaten together with the other guests, all of whom had interesting stories to tell.
The other days followed the same pattern, either with a morning and afternoon excursion to other points of interest, or in some cases, full-day excursions to distant points. Alfredo was endlessly patient with special requests, like stopping repeatedly so I could photograph a bird, an iguana, or something else.
Jason also planned a trip to the Mayan ruins at Tikal (in Guatemala) for us. At the border, one of the people in our group had some trouble because the immigration official at the Belize airport failed to stamp his passport. The Belizeans are pretty easy going and didn't care, but the Guatemalans were kind of uptight and wouldn't let the guy in. Having Alfredo around to solve the problem prevented the poor fellow's honeymoon from being ruined.
One of the best things about using Orchid Garden as the base and letting Jason plan the whole period, even the time in Tikal and the reef is that he gives you a price quote for the entire package, including pretty much everything, so you know in advance what it will cost and don't have to take much money with you.
All in all, it was a fantastic experience and if you want to experience the tropics in an English-speaking country (the only one in all of Latin America), Belize is the place to go and Orchid Garden is the place to stay.
Stayed February 2011, traveled as a couple
