Gaia Riverlodge
Modern Maya treehouse
Riverside rainforest reserve
A paradise of modern eco-minimalism perched among the trees in Belize’s jungle, Gaia Riverlodge hotel is one of those places that you want to keep all to yourself. While you’re there, the warm staff are your friends, the hidden riverside ‘beach’ and swimming holes your backyard pool and your hardwood-and-Mexican-tiled bungalow your home.
Facilities
Rooms
15, including one suite.
Checkout
Noon. Earliest check-in, 2pm.
More Details
Rates usually include Continental breakfast.
Also
Every evening before dinner, a popular and informal ‘social hour’ is held in the bar area, and guests and staff get together and chat about the day’s adventures over an aperitif.
Hotel Closed
Annually from 7 September to 9 October.
Free Internet Access
Laundry
On-Site Restaurant
Room Service
Spa
At the Hotel
Mountain bicycles to borrow, river ‘beach’ with palapas and swimming holes, spa, sprawling grounds, free WiFi in main building. In rooms: flashlight, beach towels, screened windows, mosquito netting, purified water in reusable jugs.
Our Favourite Rooms
Each cabana is distinct, with its own blend of Mexican tiles, native Belizean hardwoods and handmade local textiles, but the most impressive views can be found in the rooms overlooking the on-site Five Sisters Waterfalls; the Waterfall View Suites even have private terraces with views of the waterfalls.
Poolside
The lodge doesn’t have a typical swimming pool, but if you walk down the 300 steps to the Privasson River, deep natural pools filled with mountain spring water await you, lined with soft white sand, sunloungers and palapas shading hammocks and chairs. Drinks and snacks can be delivered to you, and a trolley can take you back up to the restaurant deck.
Spa
The Jungle Spa offers a range of treatments – including massages and facials – using natural and indigenous ingredients in its one treatment room.
Packing Tips
Keen eyes for spotting wildlife like the reserve’s many wild jaguars, and a good book by one of Belize’s most renowned authors, like Zee Edgell, for digging into while basking on your riverside lounger.
Children
Children aged 16 and older are welcome, but not catered to. The Waterfall View Suite is the best lodging choice for families, as the living room sofa can pull out into a queen bed.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
For the full rainforest effect, nab a table at the edge of the deck and watch the jungle canopy spread out before you. Sunset up here – known as the ‘purple sunset’ to locals – is especially awe-inspiring.
Dress Code
Easy breezy jungle chic – simple linens and cottons, and maybe a splash of colour to help you fit in with the wildlife.
Hotel Restaurant
A veritable treehouse perched over a rainforest ravine and the Privasson River, Gaia Restaurant is an extension of the airy, natural-feeling lobby. The regularly rotating menu, sourced from the on-site organic garden and neighbouring farms, features local Belizean favourites like coconut rice, ceviche and empanadas; nightly specials include the popular spicy Creole shrimp. Breakfast includes a range of Continental, American, Belizean and Maya options, including fresh fruit and yoghurt.
Hotel Bar
Part of the restaurant and lobby, the open-plan bar is the perfect place to settle in for a cosy evening with a local beer or the Gaia Kiss signature cocktail and make friends with the bartenders.
Last Orders
Breakfast is served from 7 to 10am; lunch from noon to 3pm; dinner from 6:30 to 9pm.
Room Service
The full restaurant menu is available in your room during regular restaurant hours.
Planes
Belize City’s international airport (BZE), serves direct flights to and from a number of major US cities, including Houston and Miami, with connecting flights to other major international cities. Once in Belize City, you can either continue your journey by car or via a scenic 40-minute flight on TropicAir to the Maya Flats Airstrip, an hour’s drive from the lodge. Charter flights can also be arranged to Blancaneaux Airstrip, at neighbouring Blancaneaux Lodge, a 10-minute drive from the hotel.
Automobiles
Hire a car in Belize City if you want to make the scenic three-hour drive to the hotel and have the freedom to explore the Cayo District more independently. Otherwise, the hotel can arrange transfers from Belize City, Maya Flats Airstrip and Blancaneaux Airstrip. Parking at the hotel is free.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
Set in the middle of the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, Gaia is a prime getaway for outdoors and adventure enthusiasts. On the hotel’s grounds alone, there are the makeshift beach and swimming holes on the Privasson River, a hike (or bike ride on borrowed bicycles) to swimming at Big Rock Falls and a hiking trail through Broadleaf Forest. The concierge can plan any other adventure further afield that you might have in mind, from a visit to the Maya ruins at Caracol, cave canoe trips, zip-lining excursions and organized visits to the market in San Ignacio.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
