Crystal Paradise Resort

My husband and I stayed here for 5 days and fell in love with this family-run, jungle resort. It's awesome seeing 3 generations work together to manage everything from lodging to tours to the meals; this place is loved and cared for by a hardworking family. The meals we had there were fresh and delicious, and we truly enjoyed all of the birds we got to watch every morning during breakfast too. We hope to visit again!

I think the resort is probably 4 stars, but our guide Everill was exceptional moving it to 5 stars. The family resort is nice and I liked the family style meals. It is rustic, however, and it's more of a jungle inn than a resort. The river isn't an idealic pool, but we had a lot of fun in it. The management of our adventures was superb with Everill our driver/guide making our trips to Mayan ruins and cave tubbing/zip lining special for our multi-generational family.

Thanks so much to the amazing staff at Crystal Paradise. This was our first time to Belize and stayed here upon the recommendation of a friend. The rooms were clean and the grounds were beautiful and well maintained. The food was awesome and the stuff was so helpful and accommodating. We highly recommend. We would definitely stay here again!

This was our second visit to the resort, and once again it felt like visiting family. We were met at the airport by Eric, our bird guide from last time. All packed up and rolling we stopped at a roadside restaurant to have lunch. Marvelous small place that set us up for the drive to San Ignacio and our home for a week.|It’s round about 2 hours via a good road to the lodging. You can, if requested, make a stop at the Belize Zoo, but we can’t comment on that, because we’ve never stopped there. It’s an option though if you need to break up the drive.|On arrival we were met by Alba, the very nice person that handles all the day to day reservations and details. She’s been our contact for both our stays at the resort. She’ll answer your emails and phone calls to handle all your questions about a stay. We were able to squeeze into the place in December even though it was super busy. |The main thrust of our travel is to do birding in the area and to see a few of the abundant Mayan ruins in the area. Most are easily accessed from the lodge. This time we only visited Caracol, a rather large site that’s a bit farther away. We’d visited Caracol with a small group from the resort last time, so birding was the main objective. Great birds among the amazing remains of a major city.|Be warned, the road is under construction; paving, new bridges, will make the drive much easier in coming years.|The rest of our stay consisted of birding areas, some that were new to us, and some that we’d done before. All marvelous places.|A couple of things that I should mention; the dining area is open and covered. All meals are served in this area. The food, prepared by Carolita and her staff is wonderful. Local cuisine that is prepared and served fresh daily. They’ll ask you on arrival if you have food requirements that need to be met, so it’s up to you to tell them. The menu varies from day to day and we had no repeats in the week of our visit. Coffee and tea are provided a bit earlier than the food to allow you to get a bit of caffeine in before your meal. They are marvelous, inventive cooks, and lovely people. |The cabanas that we’ve stayed in are the ones facing the lawn. We’ve stayed in 3, 5, 6. All with two beds. A/C and fan were in all the rooms we inhabited. We never needed the A/C, but only the fan.|In closing; if you want to stay at a reasonable, family owned and operated place, by people from Belize we’d recommend Crystal Paradise. It won’t be our last visit.

My wife and I cannot say enough about our time at Crystal Paradise. The full experience from booking ahead to our drop off in Placenica was seamless. When booking we scheduled transfers, tours, meals, and lodging. They took care of everything and that made the trip so enjoyable. |We were greeted at the airport with a smile and an informative drive to the resort. The following morning they had us on the Caracol Mayan Ruins Tour. Eric was our driver and guide. He was a wealth of knowledge and had answers for every one of our questions. Our next day we were up early for the ATM Cave Tour. They took us to town to meet our guide, Ian, and we were on our way. They were adamant that we go early and we cannot stress enough how great this was. That cave system has a few pinch points that can cause quite the traffic jamb. Being the second group in, we didn't hit any of that. We sure saw it on the way out though so pleas listen to them on this. Don't overthink what you take on this trip. All you need is fast drying clothing, socks, and shoes that you don't mind getting wet. You don't take anything else with you in the cave so it'll alleviate some stress for yourself. Our last day we were driven to San Ignacio for a day of exploring and tasting the local fare on our own. Then we had a transfer down to Placencia where we stopped at a delicious tamale stand.|The meals were all different all exquisite. I can be a bit picky from time to time but I finished everything. The staff were wonderful from start to finish. If you have the opportunity to take a trip to Cristo Rey and stay at Crystal Paradise, DON'T PASS IT UP!!|The only other recommendation I can make is maybe ear plugs and a sleeping mask if you have a tough time sleeping with some light and noises. The rooms are beautiful and have screened in ceilings under the palapa roofs. You hear the nature all around so plan accordingly.|This place is a must!!!

I’m so glad I found Crystal Paradise. From the first WhatsApp message with Jeronie to the birding with Eric… the responsiveness, professionalism, and expertise has been phenomenal! The meals made by Carlita belong to a Michelin restaurant!!! Out of this world flavors! I was a bit nervous to go on my first international birding trip with my 3 year old son but they were so accommodating. Plus, my son made a friend with the owner’s nephew. They played together. It felt so family-like staying here. I cannot recommend this place enough and I can’t wait to go birding with Eric again as I still have some target birds I didn’t get to see on this trip.

I stayed here four nights for a birding tour. I really like this place, it's very peaceful, the food was very good, and the rooms were very comfortable. Overall a great experience and I hope to come back one day.

We were lucky enough to stay at Crystal Paradise with the Tut family. Words cannot express how hospitable and kind the family was towards us. ||Staying at Crystal Paradise Resort was like staying with family. The whole family was very welcoming and we ended up celebrating grandpa, the patriarch of the family's birthday with them. It was wonderful getting to eat delicious meals outside (covered, outdoor dining area), watching the variety of birds feast on fresh fruit on the patio (toucans, hummingbirds, you name it) and soaking in the sunrise and sunset. Hands down some of the best food we ate in Belize was here! Definitely be sure to add on the meals here! Carolita's cooking does not disappoint. ||I got injured on a tour (not through Crystal Paradise) and we didn't discover the extent of the injury until returning to Crystal Paradise. Alba came to our rescue! In quick fashion, she called up a local doctor, drove us to the hospital, assisted us throughout the whole process of going in for stitches, picking up antibiotics, and driving us back. So grateful for her! Also, shout out to Luz, who took us on a super fun, informative and enjoyable tour of Barton Creek Cave. Not only did we learn a ton but we got to enjoy a quick swim and a pit stop at a great local fruit/veg store and bakery on the way home. A perfect afternoon!