We were treated like royalty from the minute we were picked up from the airport

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Category: Visiters Comments

Published on Monday, 12 September 2011 15:37

Written by Trys

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Stayed June 2011, traveled with friends

We loved our stay in tropical paradise!

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Category: Visiters Comments

Published on Monday, 12 September 2011 15:33

Written by Trys

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My girlfriend and I stayed at Orchid Garden for 6 days and 5 nights during the rainy season in July. We enjoyed our stay here immensely and would recommend it to anybody.

At the beginning of our trip, we missed our plane flight because our original flight was canceled last minute, and we tried to catch an earlier flight but didn't make it in time. Christine and Jason were able to accommodate the change of plans and shifted back the activities by one day without hesitation.

The food at the resort was wonderful. We had home cooked meals every day and loved to chat with the company of other guests staying at the hotel. The meals have an oriental flavor to them as the owners are Asian, but I'm sure they could fix up the meal any way you wanted it. I love the fresh juice and fruits that were served on a daily basis.

The service from the employees was magnificent. We did not have a single issue with the housekeeping, drivers, or the waitress. In fact, they went out of the way for us. One morning, when it was raining, someone came to our room before breakfast to make sure we had umbrellas. Another time, we received a flashlight to make sure we could see the path on the way back to our room.

The drivers on the trip were very knowledgeable and friendly. Alfredo and Alvaro both made us feel welcome and at home. Once, we made a pit stop for some ice cream in town, and another time the driver bought a bag of mangos for us from a roadside stand. On the 2nd to last day there, we wanted to buy some souvenirs, so the driver drove us out of his way to town where he waited on us while we shopped around!

The rooms were not fancy, high class suites, but were simple and elegant. It suited our needs just fine after a long day of adventure.

As for our excursions, we participated in an eco tour, went ziplining, went cave tubing, explored a local Mayan cave(ATM), visited Mayan ruins, enjoyed a jungle cruise on a speedboat, and visited the zoo as well as a baboon sanctuary. Let me say that all of these activities were super fun and adventurous! If you're into outdoor activities, you will enjoy the activities Belize has to offer. All of our guides on these excursions were helpful and took care of us.

If you do come in the summer, do bring bug spray, and possibly long pants/shirt to sleep in. The occasional mosquito followed us in the room.

Finally, we were sad to leave the paradise of Belize and Orchid Garden. If we had the opportunity to stay there longer, we would have. Overall, we highly recommend this place. I high expectations of this place based on it's reviews from Trip Advisor, and it did not fail to disappoint.

Stayed July 2011, traveled as a couple

Unforgettable Experience, Highly Recommended!

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Category: Visiters Comments

Published on Monday, 12 September 2011 15:36

Written by Trys

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My boyfriend and I stayed at Orchid Garden during our trip to Belize. As soon as we stepped off of the plane, Alfredo was there to take our bags and drive us back to the hotel. Christine and her staff immediately made us feel welcome and gave us a tour of the grounds. The location is quiet and serene, filled with all kinds of plants and wildlife. The rooms are private, spacious, and very clean. We even had a gecko friend spend the night with us on occasion :-) In regard to security, we felt 100% safe during our entire stay.

The main reason that we decided to stay at Orchid Garden is because of their vegetarian/vegan vacation package. I must say, the food was amazing and we never went hungry, that's for sure. It was also nice staying in a hotel that is gentle on the earth and respectful of the animals and critters that roam the grounds. All of our trips and transportation were coordinated in advance by Orchid Garden, down to every last detail. This allowed us to focus on having fun and really experiencing all that Belize has to offer. Alfredo, our driver and tour guide, was very interesting and knowledgeable. Even though we only stayed in Belize for one week, we learned so much about the history and culture of Belize.

Stayed April 2011, traveled as a couple

Lived up to all the great reviews

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Category: Visiters Comments

Published on Monday, 12 September 2011 15:32

Written by Trys

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We did a lot of searching before deciding to stay here. The Orchid Garden Eco-village offered the most activities and number of nights for the price. The reviews made it seem almost too good to be true, but the Staff at Orchid Garden Eco-village totally lived up to the claims.

Miss Christine is a fabulous hostess. She made sure we had no worries during our trip, and everything was wonderful. Alvaro and Alfredo made the drives to and from our activities as valuable as the activities themselves. They have tons of information and entertaining stories about the culture, history, and the animals/plants we saw along the way. Carmelita and Lucretia took very good care of us at meal times. Pablo kept us laughing as we joked around by jumping back and forth between English and Spanish, and Santiago (with his dog, Happy) kept us safe and secure all night.

We appreciated the other reviewers reminding us that the intention of the Eco-village is to preserve the natural beauty of the location and be as eco-friendly as possible. You will see a very conscientious effort has been made to recycle/reuse and reduce waste. The rooms are very spacious, nice, and clean, but not unnecessarily lavish.

You will probably see the same warnings to drink only bottled water as you would about Mexico. Except for a bottle of soda and a selection of local beers that we purchased in Belize City on the way to the Eco-village, we ate and drank only what Miss Christine provided and, as a result, neither of us had any signs of the "travelers illness".

This was an excellent first impression of Belize and made us want to return to stay here again to do the additional activities that we did not have time for.

Room Tip:You can send your preference of soft, medium, or firm mattress with your reservation. Otherwise the rooms are about the same.

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Reviewed August 1, 2011