Fantastic time at Kumquat Cottage

Guest: Solange (Minneapolis, MN)
Date of Stay: 12/28/10 Review Submitted: 02/03/11

My friends and I (5 people) stayed at the cottage and had a wonderful time. The property was well-maintained - very simple, tasteful, and effective furnishing, plumbing, lighting. Though I didn't read the listing here, all of the information and photos seem accurate. We were grateful to have the guidance of the property's manager, Ricky, who did more than he needed to in helping us find our way about. I highly recommend the trip to the ATM cave and Hannah's restaurant. Also, though the name escapes me, the restaurant with the South Indian cuisine is amazing - leave a long time for service!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, adventure seekers, sightseeing, families with young children.

CONVENIENT, REASONABLY PRICED, NICELY EQUIPPED, ECO FRIENDLY COTTAGE

Guest: NO KA OI (HOUSTON , TX)
Date of Stay: 01/11/11 Review Submitted: 01/18/11

My daughter and I had a fabulous time during our recent visit to San Ignacio. The Kumquat Cottage was an excellent, reasonably priced, convenient choice for lodging. The architechtural design and decor of the cottage is creative and quirky. The gardens are a joy to explore. Bring your ear plugs if you are a light sleeper. San Ignacio's dogs love to bark night and day. Cable TV, Telephone, Cell phone, PC, Internet Access and kitchen appliances are provided. The shower does work but you need to follow the instructions in the guest information to get hot water. If you are expecting a 5 star resort go elsewhere and pay a lot more. But if you want a convenient, reasonably priced, nicely equipped cottage in a safe and friendly neighborhood then KUMQUAT may be a great choice for you. San Ignacio center is a short walk downhill. Good, inexpensive restaurants are plentiful. We especially enjoyed KO_OX HAN NAH, SANNY"S GRILL, SERENDIB, ELVIRA'S, and MARTHA'S. If you are fortunate, you will encounter "Rasta Man" selling his homemade conch fritters. They are delicious! Venture uphill to SWEET TINGS bakery (coconut cake is a must). Tours leave from town. John Chuc of Kin Wink Jungle tours is most highly recommended.

Recommended for:Tourists without a car, adventure seekers, sightseeing.

Winter Get-away in Tropics

Guest: timolly (Sioux Falls, SD )
Date of Stay: 01/04/11 Review Submitted: 01/16/11

We don’t want to say anything to encourage other people to stay at Kumquat Cottage. That’s because we don’t want any competition when we try to rent it again next winter. We left a foot of snow and a temperature of -2 behind at dawn, and were standing in a lush tropical “English” garden all our own by sundown. Kumquat Cottage is an elegantly simple and functional work of art perched on a hillside overlooking the town of San Ignacio. Ricky the manager is prompt and helpful when you need him, absent when you don’t, and steers you in the right direction for eating, shopping and touring. You can hang out in town, visit Mayan ruins or spend a hot afternoon in the cool cottage reading a book and sighing contentedly. Nevertheless, we strongly feel this is not the place for you and would discourage you from attempting to rent it unless you clear it with our calendar first.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, pet owners, tourists without a car, adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, sightseeing.

Great value for money - Homely Cottage and great for family of 4

Guest: Vivek and Amarja (Flower Mound, TX USA)
Date of Stay: 12/21/10 Review Submitted: 12/31/10

Lovely cottage with artsy-rustic look/feel. Don’t expect flashy,modern condo - just a homely,countryside dwelling with ALL necessary amenities for comfy stay. Best part is “care taker Ricky”. Great guy who provides all the help you could ask for. Fully equipped kitchen with a few basic spices,oil,sauces. Complimentary cell phone (‘top’ it up with card from grocery store) there for use. Basics can be bought from local store. Beautiful ‘natural’ back yard with variety of trees/plants and colorful flowers/ leaves. Cottage comes with own two ‘Iguanas’ that perch on some of the trees. 8 min walk from 3-street downtown. Great quaint little restaurants! Hannah’s for great Belizian-Indian food. Greedy’s for good and cheap burger meal. Xunantunich,CahalPech,Butterfly farm,Chaa Creek (med trail) – 1 day on your own. Be prepared for off road driving. Don’t turn around and come back. Mountain Pine Ridge….go with a tour/personal guide (Ricky came with us… nicest part of our trip). Lovely place to stay!

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, adventure seekers.

Spacious, comfortable, offbeat, and utterly charming - one of the best lodging values anywhere

Guest: haveukewilltravel (Brooklyn, NY)
Date of Stay: 12/10/10 Review Submitted: 12/28/10

This is a spacious, comfortable, beautifully-situated place that offers tremendous value. I can't imagine a better option in San Ignacio, especially for the price. It's attractive -- the photos don't do it justice -- and full of quirky, charming visual touches that make a stay there even more magical. The fully-equipped kitchen is a great bonus: go to the farmer's market on Sat., pick up some just-laid eggs, some pupusas, and some homemade salsa and you're all set for Sunday brunch. There's a rooftop terrace from which you can see a million stars, and a solar-powered bathtub that faces a window with a view of the garden. It's only a 3-minute walk from the center of San Ignacio, but feels secluded in its hilltop setting. Cahal Pech is a 20-minute (uphill) walk from Kumquat -- no need for a taxi or guide. The only caveat is that San Ignacio is full of roaming dogs, who will sometimes raise a ruckus at various hours of the day, and if you're a light sleeper, you may want to bring earplugs (this is true anywhere in the area). As for us, we slept just fine on the huge and comfortable bed. I'd go back to Kumquat in a minute.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing.

6/5 stars for Kumquat Cottage and San Ignacio Town.

Guest: james patrick (minneapolis, mn)
Date of Stay: 11/12/10 Review Submitted: 12/01/10

Warm, Creative, Accommodating, Unique, Romantic. These are words that come to mind in reflecting upon our most magical stay at Kumquat. The artist-driven cottage feels truly "of the earth," while being astoundingly comforting and cozy. Minutes walk from Mayan ruins, breathtaking jungle, and highly personable "downtown" San Ignacio. *not sure what's to do? Just call the wonderfully kind and charming caretaker. He's a blast and loves the guests of the cottage! What a treat. TIP: Arrive on Friday.. wake up early (Sat) for Belize's (must be) BEST farmer's market! Stock up on frijoles, plantains, arroz, salsas, tortillas, and fish. Then get back up to the cottage (5 minute walk) and FIRE UP the wonderful barbeque grill that is nestled in Kumquat's amazing private garden! Sit alongside your private stream and waterfalls as your food cooks on the grill and in your fully stocked/loaded Kumquat Kitchen! Also, be sure to walk just a few paces up the hill from the cottage for homemade tortillas on many corners, as well as Sweet Ting bakery, complete with decadent cheesecakes and snacks! *That might be a good stop after walking through Cahal Pech, one of Belize's oldest Mayan ruins. (10 minute walk from the Cottage!). *Lastly, I would certainly be sure to spend time sitting on Kumquat's private rooftop patio overlooking the river valley, just getting some sun! *You will certainly be surrounded by your own coconut and banana trees, as well as Kumquat's own resident 6 foot iguana! *He stays high up in the trees and loves the sun! -I can honestly say that Kumquat is Belize's most down to earth yet luxurious temporary residence. We stayed in cabanas and guest houses.. but nothing compared to Kumquat!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing.

Guest: Galen University Student (-)
Date of Stay: 03/27/10 Review Submitted: 11/30/10

http://summerforwinter.blogspot.com/2010/03/keepin-it-real-at-kumquat-cottage.html Our friend Dani's parents came down to San Ignacio for a week. They stayed at a cottage called Kumquat Cottage. We all got to meet them on Friday night when they invited the whole UVM crew to the place for a barbeque and some fun! Dani's dad, also known as the grill master, grilled us up some fresh tilapia and shrimp kabobs while everyone else brought a dish for dinner. Dani's parents were hilarious; we all had so much fun! Her dad made a bocce ball set out of some rocks and limes so that kept us entertained for most of the evening. There was even a dance off between Dani's dad and one of our people at one point. We had so much fun at the cottage that our group has decided to rent Kumquat out on the last weekend we're here in Belize as a final hoorah. Below are some pictures.

Recommended for:

Not up to standard

Guest: NR (San Jose, CA)
Date of Stay: 11/05/10 Review Submitted: 11/30/10

We were quite unhappy with our stay here. The screens in the windows are bent and ripped, and even though we kept the doors closed all day, mosquitoes were getting in. The owner's response: We were provided with a can of Fish to spray on any ant or mosquito we see. So how am I supposed to sleep at night? Philip also claimed that an unfortunate set of circumstances set upon us: Hurricane damage took out the bathtub water heater, the shower head heater element burned out, the stove gas ran out in the middle of cooking our meal, there were not enough towels due to a previous guest, and the computer keyboard did not work making that useless. How can all happen at the same time? Poor management of this rental, that's how. Ricki (manager) makes promises to fix or provide things and never follows through. The water temperature should be checked before each guest, and they need to act upon the guests' needs right away if it is not working. Same for the gas- this should be checked and kept at a filled level. And a simple thing like towels- really? This place is poorly run and I was not impressed even by the home. We were constantly stubbing our toes on the shoddy steps within the house and none of the rooms are on the same level, so it is very dangerous when you need to go to the bathroom in the night. The outside too has slippery, dangerous steps to the back property and the roof. I do not recommend staying here. Be aware of this owner and the manager who seem to be helpful until they have your money, and then make excuses why they can't fix things.

Owner response:This guest was perfectly happy until Saturday night she sent an email indicating these things needed attention. Stores are closed on Sundays but the manager went around immediately to see what the problem was. By Monday morning everything was fixed: new shower head heater (even though it was working just fine, she just didn't know how to use the unfamiliar technology), the rooftop solar water heater was hooked up again after being knocked out the week prior by Hurricane Richard (sorry, bad things happen at 105mph), additional towels provided (she was provided with 4 towels initially which should be plenty for 5 days, we are not a hotel with daily linen service), the cooking gas tank cannot be topped up each week and it cannot be predicted when it goes out, so we provide two electric skillets and a microwave for such occasions. Even a new computer keyboard was shipped down later that week; tropical climates wreak havoc on electronics at the worst moments apparently. Mosquitoes fly in through doors that have been left wide open all day, not through three layers of window netting so a spray can is always provided for guests so they can take care of any problem (or fix that of previous inconsiderate guests). Yes, there are steps and several levels, the house is on a hill and has many wonderful and unusual design features. Please do not stay here if steps offend you. The moral is (just like when you stay anywhere) if you notice anything amiss, let us know and we will go out of our way to fix it as soon as possible, as we proudly did in this instance. If this was the only 'shoddy' thing this guest noticed in the country of Belize we would be amazed. I am sure they have all now been fixed now this guest has left the country :) Oh, and please note other current guest reviews for some context here; if you see a string of truly legit complaints with no remedies from us, then Kumquat - and Belize - are probably not right for you.

Recommended for:

best choice we made

Guest: mazza (virgin islands)
Date of Stay: 07/22/10 Review Submitted: 07/31/10

everything was as we hoped. very close to town so you dont need a car but we rented one and stayed five nights and used kumquat as home base. it was perfect to come home to. also the owners are helpful in planning your itinery.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, tourists without a car, adventure seekers, sightseeing.

Favorite part of our trip

Guest: JWClarinet (Portland, OR)
Date of Stay: 04/13/10 Review Submitted: 04/22/10

We stayed at the cottage in the middle of April and had a great time! The people in San Ignacio are really, really friendly and there are a ton of things to do. Ricky was really helpful and made our trip even better. The cottage was clean and had everything we needed. The yard is huge and beautiful as well. We'd definitely stay there again.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, adventure seekers, sightseeing.