There is nothing we did not love about our stay at Macaw Bank. This was our first stop in Belize (and our first time to the country) and I'm so glad that it was. We stayed for almost a week, taking a night "off" in the middle to visit Tikal (and during that time Ron was kind enough to let us leave our things!).

We rented a car and drove ourselves from Belize City to the lodge. First - Ron's directions are excellent and accurate, and his recommendation that we get a 4 wheel drive vehicle was appreciated! We were greeted immediately upon our arrival by Ron and his staff, along with several of the adorable pet dogs that live on site (the dogs were ridiculously well-behaved - never asking for food or being annoying in any way). Ron showed us to our lovely cabin so we could drop our things, and then showed us around the amazing grounds. Basically, Ron and Al have taken a swatch of jungle and cleared a yard where they have their house, a staff house, one of the cabanas (Cotton Tree, which we stayed in), and the restaurant. The rest of the cabins are tucked away down a few short paths. The pictures really don't do the cabins or the grounds justice.

Our room was spacious, with a screened-in porch with our own hammock, large bed and bunk bed, desk, and then a bathroom with a lovely outdoor shower off of that. The rooms were clean and colorful, and the fan was sufficient to keep us cool at night. It's an eco lodge, so in the middle of the night (when there isn't any solar power and the generator runs out) the power sometimes goes out but since it cools down at night it's not noticeable. Plus, I mean, you're in the jungle! The sounds were amazing, and we woke up with the sun (in a good way) every day.

The food was ridiculously good and abundant - plus, Ron makes great coffee. He and Al take turns cooking; each has their own specialties. We got to have baked snapper, fried chicken, shrimp scampi, huge steaks - I was going to try to pick one that stood out above the rest but honestly, each meal seemed to almost top the last. And the breakfasts! The breakfasts were possibly even more amazing. We had long activity-filled days planned for each of our days there and Ron made sure to load us up with amazing and huge breakfasts each day (the Spanish eggs might have been my favorite), including coffee, fresh juice, and fruit - I don't think we ate lunch even once.

I know this sounds hyperbolic, but it really is an amazing place to stay. We were mostly out and about doing day-long trips but the grounds are worth spending time on as well - you can walk down to the river and go tubing, relax in a hammock, hang out with Talulah, their pet coatimundi, and bird watch, among other things. The staff was excellent, Henry in particular. We really enjoyed getting to know Ron and Al while we sat around in the afternoon drinking Belikins and rum punch; they had great advice, stories, and lots of knowledge about the area.

I hope we're lucky enough to return to Belize one day. If we do, we wouldn't stay anywhere else!

I've visited three times and it just keeps getting better. My first visit was by accident when another property "lost" our reservations. The owners here at the Jungle Lodge were thrilled to have us, even on short notice in a busy season. Great food. friendly and helpful staff, more flora and fauna than you can shake a stick at. I have some unbelievable pics of the native lighting bugs (HUGE ! ) and leaf cutter ants at work. Ron was even kind enough to show me a common or grey ? potoo bird - I'd have never have found it even in bright sunlight. And all that was just within two minutes or less of strolling from my door. I can't wait to visit again. It's like having a rain forest for a living room - with ice cold cokes and beer !

We (our 21 months old toddler, my wife and me) have been staying in April 2013 for 4 nights. We asked at the time of booking for a baby bed, which the didn't have. However, the attached another bar to a bunk bed and our daughter was all set. Ron and Al gave us a very warm welcome. They are very family friendly. They even organised a swimming ring for the baby so we can take her for a longer swim in the very refreshing river (we needed it as we had one of the hottest days in years). They have dogs and our daugther always wanted to play with them, which they patiently accepted without irritation. The day we arrived Ron showed us around with all the different animals he hosts and feeds.
The room was really nice and clean, set back nicely in the jungle. We had 2 fans in there, which we had to switch off in the night as it got a little chilli in the jungle at night. In the morning we were woken up by the animals of the jungle. Really nice experience.
Towels were changed every second day without asking, bed was made every day. The master bed comes also with a mosquito net over it whereas this was not needed.
The food was extraordinary. We had everyday breakfast and everyday dinner there. Once you had the first food the owners cook by themselves (not the employees), it renders you addicted. The breakfast was always hefty but rich in variety, which was really fine with us so we could spare lunch and look forward to having dinner again. Dinner was always multiple courses for selection and was just perfect, but most times almost too much to eat for one person.

All in all, this is a place you want to be and we'll go back there. The proximity to the sightseeing sights and the tranquility of the jungle makes this place a must. The previous reviews are exactly of what we have encountered there.

Thanks to Ron and Al for the great time there.