While winter brews in North America, Belize’s climate is at its optimal point for many locals and visitors in December and January with temperatures evoking those first touches of summer during the last of spring. Just a short flight away from many US international airports, Belize and the Lodge at Jaguar Reef in Hopkins Village stand ready and waiting to receive those seeking respite from the harshest season in North America. As a country with English as its official language, Belize provides great ease of communication wherever you go and at Jaguar Reef all employees are also proficient in the language of top-notch customer service.
Visitors to the Lodge at Jaguar Reef have a wide range of options to make the most of their stay whether you prefer to lounge in your room or take in the long sunny days on the beach. As far as accommodations, there’s little in Belize that compares with the Lodge’s bespoke rooms. Luxuriate in a room optimally designed for your enjoyment while providing privacy and minimal distraction to better revel however you’d like during your stay.
Enjoy Hopkins’ beaches without concern about the summer heat and just for a moment relish in fulfilling your beach bum fantasies where freshly harvested coconuts are brought to you ready to drink. As you take in those gentle December rays, you can consider your range of options for the day as Jaguar Reef provides a wide range of on-site activities for you to make the most out of your winter getaway. If you’d like to get your heart pumping, you can use one of the resort’s kayaks or paddle boards to get out into the sea and enjoy the salt spray as you traverse along the village coastline, taking in the sights of one of Belize’s historic Garifuna communities. If you’re lucky, you might be treated to the sight of a manatee or dolphin on their own journey. For those looking for more leisurely water activity, you can swim right at the beach, the pool, or take a swing from the Big Dock’s rope dive to savor a few laps around the pier.
If you’d like to travel off-site and see some more Belizean culture, try out the chocolate tour where you’ll get the opportunity to see how cacao is processed into one of Earth’s greatest delights and even try your hand at making it yourself before indulging in the finished product. You’ll learn the history of cacao production on an organic farm as well as the significance of the plant to Maya culture.
There’s also a premium selection of snorkeling and fishing tours available for those eager to get up close with Belize’s sea life. On the Barrier Reef Light Tackle Sport Fishing, you’ll take a boat trip through Southern Belize’s mangroves, reefs and beyond to experience fishing as done by Belizeans via trolling and casting nets. You’ll learn personally why Belize is highly revered for its fishing and have the option of having the day’s catch cooked for you back at Jaguar Reef’s premiere restaurant the Paddle House. As for snorkeling, our options are designed to cater to novice swimmers. Choose between a half-day trip to nearby South Water Caye to experience the wonders of the reef at two locations or venture a bit further out to Silk Caye. There, you’ll get to immerse yourself in one of the most robust areas of the reef within a marine reserve. Refuel with a light lunch on the island before one last stop at Turtle Alley known as a playground for stingrays, turtles and nurse sharks all accustomed to humans.
There’s also the option to visit the Jaguar Reserve and potentially see the namesake animal. Even if Belize’s favorite big cat doesn’t make an appearance, you’re still in for a treat with the opportunity to appreciate a robust forest landscape, home to a menagerie of native animals as well as a migratory hub for many North American birds also retreating from the cold.
And don’t worry, you can still enjoy some winter holiday classics at Jaguar Reef like eggnog, or go with the Belizean variation rum popo, a creamy beverage spiked with a splash or two of aged Belizean rum. Get a serving via room service and sip on one in the comfort and privacy of the plunge pool available in several of our suites while you reflect on the day’s gifts and plot your next adventure.
However you decide to pass your winter vacation at The Lodge at Jaguar Reef, it’s certain you’ll be returning home with a warm sheen of tropical sun to get you through the remaining winter.