I have mixed feelings about Warrie Head. It is one of the few vestiges of British Colonial life left in Belize and as such it is well worth a visit. This historic Estate was originally founded in the 18th Century as the site of a Mahogany Logging Camp, but the 1,200 acre property is now a working cattle and citrus plantation. It is situated in the rolling foothills of the Cayo mountains, overlooking the banks of the Belize River, just off of the road leading from Belize City to the new interior capital of Belmopan. A stately avenue of Royal Palm trees leads from the entrance gate, through vast manicured lawns, to the rambling old white plantation house, with its wide, screened verandahs, tray ceilings and highly polished wooden floors. The rooms are graced by some fine examples of 19th Century Belizian colonial furniture, massive four-poster beds, huge armoires, sideboards, planters chairs and rocking chairs, all made of solid mahogany. The beautifully landscaped tropical gardens are like an open-air museum, dotted with historical artifacts such as a 19th Century Sugar Mill and a 19th Century Steam Engine used to transport Mahogany during the days of Logging.
I had first visited Warrie Head with my younger brother in 1997, having recently inherited an abandoned 3,000 acre plantation in Belize from a distant relative in England. I shall always remember the lovely tropical garden at Warrie Head with its picturesque waterfall cascading through the grounds. Nor can I forget the kindly hospitality of Miss V, the wonderful Housekeeper at Warrie Head, who served us ice-cold mango and papaya juice, as we sat hot and sweating in our white wicker chairs, trying to cool off under the gently whirring ceiling fans on the verandah of the plantation house.
My brother and I so enjoyed our visit to Warrie Head that we both promised ourselves that we would come back there again one day to stay. Over the next few years my quick visits to Belize and the press of business prevented me from doing so, but in 2003 my Mother decided to come down to Belize for a visit and my younger brother and I decided to take her to stay at Warrie Head. My Mother's ancestors were British colonials who had owned plantations in Jamaica for over 200 years and we had lived in a large old colonial mansion in Jamaica filled with antique mahogany furniture, so I thought that it would feel just like home for her. Also my Mother was famous for her splendid garden in Jamaica, which had been laid out in the grand Edwardian fashion in 1905, and I thought that the garden at Warrie Head would certainly appeal to her.
Sadly, when we arrived at Warrie Head, the waterfall and cascades in the garden were dry. We were told that the rains were late that year and that the creek would be empty until it rained in the mountains and the water rose in the river. We were told that we could swim in the Belize River, which the garden overlooked, but knowing its dubious reputation for poisonous snakes and the occasional crocodile, we wisely passed on it. We did take a long walk in the gardens, but it was so oppresively hot and humid that we decided to return to our cottage.
To our horror we then discovered that there was no air-conditioning and no ceiling fans in the cottage. It was like a furnace in there and we were dripping with sweat. Miss V brought us some ice and some cold fruit juice, which quickly melted and became warm, and then she managed to find us a couple of large standing fans. Despite this we were still broiling. I couldn't believe that it was so hot in Belize in October, since I was only used to being in Belize during the Winter months when it was so much cooler. Even though we had once lived in Jamaica and had been used to living in a tropical climate, we were completely overwhelmed by the incredible humidity in Belize.
We then decided to move to the plantation house itself since it had ceiling fans and also a television and a VCR. The house was shut up and empty, since apparently the owners of the plantation lived in Belize City and they only came up to spend the weekends at Warrie Head. Miss V obligingly opened up the house for us and said that she would make up our beds while the Cook prepared dinner. Though the plantation house at Warrie Head was raised high off the ground and built on top of a hill to catch the breeze, like most plantation houses in the West Indies, it was just as hot and humid as the cottage we had just moved out of. We sat on the verandah waiting for dinner and I looked at my poor Mother who was simply melting in the heat. She is a diabetic, with a heart condition, and she looked so ill that I was worried she was going to pass out. My younger brother was so uncomfortable that he wanted to leave Warrie Head right away. I could feel the sweat just trickling down the back of my neck. We were all miserable in that dreadful heat.
To top it off the VCR was broken, the cable was disconnected and the television didn't work. There was no stereo or radio in the house, only a few paperback novels of the trashier sort which seem to have been left behind by previous guests. We decided we would play Bridge on the verandah, but the deck turned out to have several cards missing so that was the end of that. There was no one else to talk to, since we were the only Guests that were staying at Warrie Head. Apart from the Housekeeper and the Cook the only other person we ever saw on the plantation was a young sweating Latin chap who was the Gardener and he made sure he left and went home before it got dark.
So here we were trapped in an insufferably hot house, with nothing to do, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but darkness and jungle. We could not sleep a wink that night due to the intense heat and we were thoroughly disgusted. We absolutely refused to spend another night at Warrie Head and first thing in the morning after breakfast we left for San Ignacio and booked into the San Ignacio Hotel. It wasn't the Ritz by any means, but at least it had air-conditioning, a swimming pool and cable TV.
The one bright spot in the otherwise dismal experience we had at Warrie Head was Miss V, the Housekeeper. She is an absolute treasure and the owners of Warrie Head should thank their lucky stars that they have her. If it wasn't for Miss V and her wonderful personality, we would have left Warrie Head that very same night. She and the Cook, who I think was named Miss Rosa, deserve the highest praise. The
food that they cooked and served us for Dinner and for Breakfast the next morning was simple but delicious and we all enjoyed it immensely. They really took excellent care of us and they did their best to make us happy under the circumstances. Warrie Head could not wish for better staff.
So stay at Warrie Head if you must, to soak up the British Colonial atmosphere, but just be sure when you make your reservation to ask if the owners have finally fixed the television, VCR, or cable and also if they now have air-conditioning. Otherwise you might as well just book into a steam sauna and lock yourself in for the night. Hopefully you'll survive till the morning. I'm not so sure at Warrie Head.