Our stay in Martha and Murray's penthouse apartment at Avana Villa was incredible. My wife, myself and our three children (ages 20,17, and 12) stayed Dec. 27-30, 2014. The villa sits 1-1/2 miles down a private road just 2 miles, or so, west of San Ignacio on a beautiful 20 acre, gated estate. Our hosts had everything ready on our arrival and showed us around the beautiful grounds, filled with fruit trees, a sheep meadow and lush tropical plants. The penthouse apartment was perfect. Its was large with high ceilings (and ceiling fans) and cool stone floors. There was a full kitchen which was prefect for cooking in. French doors led out to a wonderful veranda with incredible views to the north and west into the hills of Guatemala just a few miles away. The sunsets were totally amazing every night we where there. The villa is off the gird and powered by solar, butane gas and a gas powered generator, when needed. You must be respectful of this and turn off lights and fans when not in use, but we had no hardships with this. The hot water for showering is gas fired and plentiful. There is a large library of books, board games and DVD movies and a laptop DVD player for guests to use. Martha and Murray are great hosts. Always willing to show you around the grounds and give advice on places to dine and things to do in the San Ignacio area. Martha even brought a week old lamb up to the villa to meet our kids, which really thrilled them. But i think our favorite thing about Avana Villa was the triangle swimming pool. Nothing was better then returning from a long hot day exploring the nearby Mayan ruins, caves and jungles, then diving into the cool clear waters of the pool. A real treat. I would highly recommend this property. ... On a side note. If you happen to play disc golf the only course in all of Belize is just 3 miles west down the Western Highway. I was so surprised when we drove by it. I had not even given playing disc golf a thought while in Belize, so was very happy to go one afternoon and play a round. Its a great little 9 hole course laid out through the dense jungle and up and down over still buried Mayan ruins. It was an unexpected find. Check it out if you play. They have free discs to use. Say hi to Tino, the owner and pro for me.

From the moment we arrived to the moment we left, we felt pampered and cared for. The place is extremely clean, with great views, and fantastic wild life. The owners took a lot of time to show us around, to point out every tree and animal living on their beautiful property.The place has a feel of being in the middle of nowhere, while it's really close to the city.
Renting a car is well worth it, and driving around San Ignacio wasn't hard.
The owners also took care of our religious needs, namely kashrut and shabbat.
If you are looking for an affordable paradise-like place away from a city hustle,we highly recommend it!

What an incredible place. Martha and Murray are wonderful. They make you feel like you are visiting old friends not just renting a place to stay. The property is gorgeous and made us want to never leave Belize. The location is secluded enough to really enjoy the jungle of Belize but has the accessibility to so many things the country has to offer. It was great having Avana Villa as our base to go and explore. We do recommend a rental car for this location and it is a bit hard to find without good directions.

I stayed here with my girlfriend in May in the Penthouse suite on the top floor. We had such a great time here the house is such a beautiful oasis in the middle of the jungle. Weather was great throughout our two week stay. The owners were great hosts and cooked great meals and were very helpful with lots of information about the country and activities to do. Felt very safe here as well with the 3 dogs and fully fenced property, we did not have to worry about any kind of intruders. Overall Avana Villa was a very affordable place to stay and relax or have some wild jungle adventures! We will be planning our next trip back very soon.

My family of five stayed at this Lovely Home, and it was wonderful. I would surely stay here again on my next visit, my three boys enjoyed the pool very much. Bree & Honey were very happy dogs & the owners were nothing short of helpful, very informative with information.