Crystal Paradise Resort

Belize , San Ignacio
SAN IGNACIO, Cristo Rey Village
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50 reviews shown

10/10

Exceptional

02 Apr 2026

Stacey

Our three nights at Crystal Paradise was the perfect way to experience the jungle and the surrounding San Ignacio area. Each morning we had breakfast with over 60 species of birds and every evening we enjoyed wonderful home cooked meals. Our tour guide Romel was a legend as we explored various caves, ruins, and waterfalls. Thank you to the Tut family for hosting us.

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

09 Mar 2026

Luis

The property is amazing, lots of beautiful birds to see right from the porch area. The river is a 10 minute walk from the property. You can cool down and listen for monkeys. The Staff is super friendly and helpful. The meals are delicious, self-serve bar is awesome, and dining area is outside so you can enjoy being in nature. I would recommend getting picked up from airport, don’t bother renting a car especially if you plan on doing excursions with the resort because they provide transpo for everything.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

26 Feb 2026

Elizabeth

Spotlessly clean rooms, perfect location, kind staff, good food, great value - absolutely stay here!

Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

12 Feb 2026

robert

Great staff. Fun to watch Tuscan come right to the main entrance banister. Amazing tiny restaurant down the road. It says Carmz Bakery but it is breakie lunch and dinner. Wonderful people and delicious meals.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

15 Jan 2026

Wenda

The cabin was very clean and comfortable. The staff were kind and helpful. If you didn’t want to eat at the resort, there is a great restaurant 5 minute walk. Carmz.
The grounds were lovely and there is a hike down to the river. Downhill and quite rocky. It would have been nice to have a bench to sit on once down there. The drinks are on an honor system which is good. $7.00bz for a beer which was expensive and they don’t allow you to bring your own. Which I have never heard of. We only stayed one night and it was lovely. Tons of birds around.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jan 2026

Jordan

If you’re going to the cayo district for a few days of adventure and truly want to experience the jungle as well as world class Belizean hospitality, please look no further.

The Crystal paradise resort truly has it all. From accommodations, scenery, hospitality, cleanliness, and value for quality, this place can not be rated highly enough. Not to mention this is one of the few fully Belizean owned family tourism business remaining in the region. Multiple generations of the Tutt family have put their lives into this place, and it shows.

Even as someone who is not a “birder” it is easily appreciated. They have designed the resort to bring the jungle to you. While you are eating your meals, unbelievable birds come right up to the deck to eat or bathe. You fall asleep to serene jungle sounds and wake up to the birds chirping.

This place is a hidden gem and if you’re looking for a quiet, magical, friendly jungle experience, this is where you want to go.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

07 Dec 2025

Tetiana

Staff

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jul 2025

JEREMY

Beautiful property with wonderful staff! We took advantage of the resort's transfer and tour services, which was a great decision. We were very well taken care of and I will be staying here again in the future 🙂

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

08 Apr 2025

Magdalena

We didn’t know that the kitchen was open only for breakfast. Also our bedroom was not made as it appeared on the website.
Breakfast was great and the service very nice as well.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Mar 2025

Jerome

Excellent jungle lodge. The family owner/operators are super helpful. Really great spot.

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

10 Mar 2025

Paula

Quite

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

17 Feb 2025

Katty

Beautiful well kept grounds, peaceful, amazing food and great customer service!
We took the tours offered by the property and everything was well organized.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

17 Feb 2025

Tamara

Lively property

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

05 Feb 2025

Gray

Everything a family run ecolodge should be and so much more. A wonderful trip of a lifetime.

10/10

Exceptional

09 Jan 2025

joanne

The staff were very friendly and took great care of us. The rooms were nicely decorated in local crafts and fresh local flowers. I enjoyed watching the exotic birds from the sheltered decks. The food was great, too!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Dec 2024

David

Nice clean rooms. Nicely decorated. Beautifully maintained property. Easy and plentiful parking. Nice area.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

29 Jul 2024

Meggan L

My husband and I visited as the first part of our Anniversary trip. We were greeted by Eric at the airport immediately after our arrival and had a great ride to the resort. Eric was also our guide for tour of Caracol Ruins, Cave & Pools, he also took us on the most spectacular cave tubing experience and set up with zip lining. We admired so much his knowledge of the land and the animals! The resort itself is breathtaking and so relaxing. The whole Tut family are so kind and accommodating. Food is top notch authentic Belizean Cuisine and the sound of the surrounding forest is amazing. Highly, highly recommend!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

10 May 2024

Ted

Beautiful.
Cold beer

Business Friends

10/10

Exceptional

20 Apr 2024

Leslie

They were great assisting with scheduling tours upon my arrival in Belize! Local knowledge was excellent. Birds were awesome!

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

03 Mar 2024

Susan

Rustic Jungle Resort

We stayed in a 2 level cabin near the entry road. Very roomy. A little noisy for my tastes. It is thatch roofed so you can hear outside noises. And it got very cool at night, needed extra blankets mid February. I took my 9yr old grandson and he was interested in everything. The bird variety and ease of seeing was phenomenal. They were amazing. I love birds but not super knowledgeable. Birders were there with tripods and huge cameras and lenses. Lodge is in the jungle basically. Necessary to eat meals there as nothing walking distance. Food was good. Fresh fruits. Many tours offered everyday. We did Tikal in Guatemala, Chocolate making, Butterfly and hummingbird refuge. Iguana refuge, local market. All were excellent. Staff were all helpful, kind and friendly. No TV, phone. Did have wifi. 2 hour drive from airport which they will provide.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

24 Feb 2024

Suzanne

watch toucans while eating breakfast

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Jan 2024

Joshua

Great property with lots of birds to watch.

10/10

Exceptional

06 Aug 2023

Jeany

The property was nestled in a safe, quiet location just outside San Ignacio. The rooms were clean and comfortable. The home made meals were delicious. Carolita is a very gracious and super helpful hostess, chef and Jack of all trades! We very much enjoyed our stay.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

08 Mar 2023

Aww

The staff were friendly and always willing to share information about activities and the sights. Thank you!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

31 May 2022

Alyssa

Crystal Paradise Resort was a lovely place to stay and I highly recommend! The family who owns and runs the resort provide excellent services attending to every need including setting up transportation and COVID testing. The accommodations are clean, safe, and comfortable. The grounds are gorgeous and the only place in the country I saw both a parrot and a Toucan. The homemade meals were wonderful. I cannot recommend this place highly enough and I would absolutely return!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Jan 2022

Bradford

Great family-owned facility.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jan 2022

Sreenivas

Beautiful Place and awesome people.

Absolutely beautiful place and even more awesome hosts that took care of food and also helped plan and organize all the activities. Great if you are traveling with family and kids. Highly recommend.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

20 Jul 2021

Verified traveler

Very friendly, great food and beautiful property

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

08 Jul 2021

Patricia

Amazing. This place is unique, family built, gorgeous, magical, and warm & lovely people

Business Family

10/10

Exceptional

20 Feb 2021

Verified traveler

A Birders Paradise, really amazing. The construction was also facinating & gorgeous.The family are all accomplished & brilliant artists, ecologists, biologists that appreciate the natural world & add to its beauty.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jan 2020

Elizabeth

We LOVED our stay here. The family who runs this place are very attentive and kind. We are not birders but became fascinated with the variety of birds who visit the resort: toucans, lesser motmots, chestnut woodpeckers, and American red starts were just a few we had never seen before.

Our group of ten stayed four nights. One day they arranged a tour to Tikal with Mariella, a guide they use often and is *amazing*. The process of getting across the border is long but their guides made the process easy on both sides. One day we did a cave tubing tour which everyone enjoyed, especially the kids. One day we ventured on our own to Xunantunich which we enjoyed as much as Tikal.

We took breakfast and lunch at the resort and all our meals were delicious. Our kids especially loved the fry jacks for breakfast: pillows of fried dough that they could put syrup on, yum. One member of our group is gluten free and they were able to accommodate her. My mother had a birthday on the trip and they were able to make a delicious chocolate cake with candles to help us celebrate.

In the evenings we relaxed in the meal area and were able to self-serve beer or other drinks from the bar. They keep a jug of purified water which is very convenient and appreciated. Every member of our group loved where we stayed, the thatch roofs are charming and the location is beautiful and has lots of space for relaxation. Lovely! I hope we get to come back.

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jan 2020

Erin

Amazing jungle experience

The place is beautiful. More than anything the friendly staff and welcoming guests made the whole experience here
This place was a highlight of our trip. We ate homemade authentic breakfast and dinner here.

Cannot say enough good things about this relaxing and enjoyable place.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

14 Mar 2018

Sally

Beautiful hand crafted jungle family home

Amazing resort in the Belizian jungle – – family owned and run. Wonderful birding opportunities, watching the toucans eating papaya for breakfast on the deck. Dinners every night on the patio. Monkeys in the distance – fireflies out at night. Fun canoeing down the Macau river right in front of the property. Most friendly and helpful staff!!

8/10

Excellent

26 Feb 2018

Verified traveler

Staff was very helpful in planning our tours. Since it rained nearly the whole week we were there, plans had to be adjusted daily and the staff was very helpful in giving us updated weather/road condition reports and suggesting other activities. Food was simple, but tasty. No fancy restaurant food, but more similar to a home cooked meal. Grounds were beautiful, and we're sorry that we did not get to explore it more. The rooms were simple, but spacious and clean. Not much privacy though. You can easily hear conversations taking place in the adjacent room, as well as the next bungalow over. to Since the walls of the room do not go all the way up to the roof, and are covered with mosquito netting, if someone is smoking outside of your room, it is the same as having them right in the room with you.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Feb 2018

Janet

Amazing people and wonderful grounds

Everything at this lodge was so enjoyable I’d definately go again for longer next time. Birds and animals abound. We had the home cooked meals at the lodge and every night they were different and tasty. We were able to book Eric to take us on a tour of Caracol which I’d highly recommend. We also went to Tikal. All this headed by the calm and smiling manager Carolita.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

27 Nov 2017

corey

Thanks for all your help

Great place to stay great family that make sure u feel at home, the home cook meals are amazing and different everyday, also Hooked us up with the best guides, Eric had knowledge above and beyond and Carlos was the same.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Aug 2017

Richard

Very quiet and peaceful getaway

We had a very relaxing experience and enjoyed our stay.

10/10

Exceptional

10 May 2017

Verified traveler

My boyfriend and I stayed here for 5 nights and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The family who runs/owns the resort was great, helpful, and accommodating to any and all of our needs. We loved the serenity and peacefulness of the place. It was absolutely beautiful. A couple of things to keep in mind, they are little cabanas with no A/C, but we went during the hottest month for them and were comfortable in the evenings, super hot during the day, and they are located in a little village just outside of San Ignacio located off a mostly unpaved road. The drive was about 15 or so mins to town and very bumpy. We did tours every day so it wasn't much of an inconvenience for us. I believe if you are doing booked tours everyday or have rented your own vehicle, it shouldn't make much of a difference, but if you plan on taking a taxi plan on spending roughly $15 US each way. The only true con we had about the place was the cost of food such as breakfast lunch and dinner. The prices were more comparable to American prices. Breakfast and lunch were $10/pp and Dinner was $19/pp. We definitely enjoyed our stay and would stay there again.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

26 Feb 2017

Calvin

nice stay

The staff was very nice, served meals were family style and delicious. Carlos the caveman gave us a excellent tour of the ATM cave. Only thing bad was the bed was a little hard for our taste, but nothing I could not survive

10/10

Exceptional

12 Feb 2017

Hope

Beautiful place nestled in the jungle.

Located a few miles out of San Ignacio, it was quiet and felt very safe. We loved sitting on a swing on the porch watching the birds. Food was great, with lots of fresh fruit. They helped us book tours.

10/10

Exceptional

16 Jan 2017

Liz

Lovely setting in the jungle

The Tut family works hard make your stay at Crystal Paradise wonderful. The food is excellent, and they will accommodate your dietary needs. The setting is beautiful. Any excursion you want can be arranged there, and the driver is likely to be a family member, so you'll be well-taken care of. I will definitely go back.

6/10

Pleasant

04 Jan 2017

Wildlife Wonder

Long-way to Cristo Rey with wildlife of splendour

Location is about 20 min taxi/bus from San Ignacio. Taxi approx $20 BZ (£8 ish), bus $1.50 BZ - cheap bus, BUT hourly transit, last bus from SI is 6.20pm (Dec-16).
Wildlife galore - many birds visit at breakfast time for the fruit feast. Tarantula and scorpion plus a fist-sized moth, all in our cabaña, which was great! I love wildlife, so happily rehomed outdoors. Bats around too at night, plus other cool mammals, such as agouti paca (royal rat!).
The breakfast was good value, additional US$10 pp. BUT no choice, I did request fried jacks, the Belizean delicacy (yum!). Dinner was minimal, again no choice, which isn't really what we wanted especially paying US$15!!! 3-course consisted of nachos & veg for starters, fried chicken and mashed pots with retried beans for main, and sweet-pot pie for desert. Not my choice! Cheaper in town and more choice! I do believe that the accommodation should include options of B&B or possibly HB, but offer a choice of food. It's definitely the first place I've ever visited (including Guatemala & Honduras) where there is no choice in food options, it's bizarre!!! This was the same for Christmas dinner, but was generally better food.
The trips that they encourage you to signup on prior to arrival would be with a birding expert, apparently. We found that in town we saved over US$200 pp for tours. This deal included pickup & drop offs, so we often requested to be dropped back in town. Check out prices before you book!

8/10

Excellent

20 Dec 2016

Yujie

Beautiful place for relaxation

Stayed here for two nights in December. Very nice place with beautiful garden. Staffs are friendly and helpful. A little far from the town. It costs usd $15 for the taxi but there might be cheaper options. Didn't get a chance to explore the area. Heard there is a waterfall nearby and the resort has horses for tours.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

01 Dec 2016

Aditya

Beautiful birding location

The resort is in the jungle and has lots of beautiful birds. The staff is very friendly and cooked up great breakfast and dinner.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Oct 2016

Verified traveler

Beatifully located place. Because it was off-season we were absolutely alone, which is kind of strange, especially because the place is located out in the greens. Nevertheless the staff tried to make it very comfortable for us. Thanks for your efforts.

10/10

Exceptional

06 Mar 2016

Soup

Awesome and amazing

The staff are so friendly, and Mr. Tut presides over the bird feeders with knowledge and as many stories as you want to hear. Beautifully Belizean experience, close to town, great tours offered, love the honour bar - don't get that in too many places anymore....

10/10

Exceptional

27 Jan 2016

Brian

Hideaway, that remains centrally located.

From the time I booked our stay, the staff here was nothing short of spectacular. They offered tons of helpful information and were extremely helpful in planning offsite excursions in the area. The onsite restaurant offers very reasonably priced Belizean meals that are simple but delicious. The staff and management here pays an extreme level of attention to detail and a maximum effort to ensure that not only fulfilled, but anticipated our every need. I was completely blown away on one occasion, when an offsite tour that my wife and I were on ran late. Although most guests eat on site, we had not made specific arrangements with the hotel to have dinner. We arrived back to the hotel a full two hours after dinner time at 8:30 PM, and not only was the kitchen willing to make us dinner, they were actually waiting for us ..... AND IT WAS CHRISTMAS EVE! If you are looking to stay at an authentic locally owned hotel that genuinely not only wants you to enjoy your stay, but actively helps to ensure it, end your search, this is the place. Two final suggestions, Crystal Paradise has there own in house tour operators that did an outstanding job, use them. They are also able to transport you pretty much anywhere on the mainland, another service that we found very convenient.

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jan 2016

John

Really liked this place.

We stayed three days. Our room was absolutely spotless. Showers had plenty of hot water. There's no air conditioning, but the construction of the cabins and the ceiling fans meant that we had no trouble whatsoever sleeping. The staff was extremely helpful, and helped set up a tour over to Tikal in Guatemala. There's a bar and a deck from which you can watch birds and agoutis. The restaurant served only one dish per meal; it was Belizean cuisine, which is to say fairly simple dishes with lots of stewed chicken and beef, and other food much like authentic Mexican. You'll probably want to eat breakfast and dinner at the restaurant, simply because there aren't many other places to eat nearby. They also fixed us a pretty nice box lunch a couple of days to take with us as we explored the area.

8/10

Excellent

31 Dec 2015

Stephen

Good base for activities near San Ignacio

Nice family-run place, apparently one of the only Belizian-owned resorts still around. Staff is really friendly.
It may be important to some to know that there is no A/C anywhere on the property, and the ceiling fans are noisy enough that we kept them off while sleeping. There are big screens on all windows and underneath the roofing, but this area has plenty of tiny insects that can still get through those holes. Some of those insects and other little animals make noises in the night too, for you light sleepers.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Dec 2015

A great lodge run by a Belizean family

The hotel is owned by a Belizean family. Three generations are present. It is a \"eco\" lodge. Numerous tours are available. A cousin owns the tour company. Tours include Mayan ruins, birding, cave exploration etc. Food at the lodge was excellent and all employees were friendly and helpful. We would stay they there again.

Partner