Casa Santa Maria - Jungle River Retreat, Off-The-Grid, Seclude Get Away. - Benque Viejo Del Carmen

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Entire home

Our kitchen, for your use or you can pre-order additional meals.

Lower level, hotel style rooms and washroom, including an outdoor shower.

Overview
Amenities
Policies
Location
Host

Exceptional

5 bedrooms3 bathroomsSleeps 8

Popular amenities

Parking available
Breakfast available
Dryer
Washer
Kitchen
Free WiFi

Explore the area

Benque Viejo del Carmen, Cayo

Che Chem Ha
‪7 min drive‬
Xunantunich Mayan Ruins
‪37 min drive‬
Five Sisters Falls
‪90 min drive‬
San Ignacio (CYD-Town Airstrip)
‪45 min drive‬

Rooms & beds

5 bedrooms (sleeps 8)

Cedar Suite

1 Double Bed

Mahogany Suite

1 Queen Bed

Negusta Suite

1 Double Bed

Santa Maria Suite

1 King Bed

Studio Suite

1 Queen Bed

3 bathrooms

Bathroom 3

Lower Room - Shared

Toilet · Shower only · Outdoor shower

Santa Maria Private

Toilet · Shower only

Spaces

Deck or patio

Porch or lanai

Outdoor shower

Kitchen

Balcony

Garden

Dining area

About this property

Casa Santa Maria - Jungle River Retreat, Off-The-Grid, Seclude Get Away.

The Casa Santa Maria is a 3,000 sq. ft. retreat, located in an Eco-village on the Macal River features 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, full kitchen, and an optional full meal plan. The house is powered by solar energy and has eco friendly water and septic systems. The property requires 4 wheel drive vehicle to access, but our manager can coordinate all local tours including ruins, horseback riding, Pontoon Boat excursions, etc.

Bedrooms include a Master (queen), Main Floor (queen), Studio (queen) and two lower floor hotel rooms (double). The house features two outdoor covered decks and a jungle view to the Macal River.

The Eco-village features a number of trails, gardens and look out locations of the Mayan Mountains.

Property manager

Jim Hagen - Owner, On-site Manager - Walter Browning

Languages

English

Add dates for prices

Amenities

Kitchen

Washer

Dryer

Free WiFi

Outdoor space

Breakfast available

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Kitchen
Washer
Dryer

House Rules

Flexible check-in available (contact host in advance of arrival)

Minimum age to rent: 21

Check out before 1:00 PM

Children

Children allowed: ages 0–17

Events

No events allowed

Pets

No pets allowed

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy

Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges

Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed

On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited

Host has indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property

Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property

Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit and a deadlock

About the area

Benque Viejo Del Carmen

Benque Viejo Del Carmen is home to this holiday home. Poustinia Land Art Park and Upe Nai - Living Maya Immersion are cultural highlights, and some of the area's activities can be experienced at Ajaw Chocolate & Crafts and Bol's Cave Museum. Belize Botanic Gardens and Belize Botanical Gardens are also worth visiting.

Benque Viejo del Carmen, Cayo

What's nearby

Che Chem Ha - 7 min drive - 3.4 km
Xunantunich Mayan Ruins - 37 min drive - 20.1 km
Cahal Pech Mayan Ruins - 42 min drive - 28.5 km
Belize Botanic Gardens - 51 min drive - 28.1 km
Five Sisters Falls - 90 min drive - 59.3 km

Getting around

San Ignacio (CYD-Town Airstrip) - 45 min drive

Frequently asked questions

Is Casa Santa Maria - Jungle River Retreat, Off-The-Grid, Seclude Get Away. pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

What time is check-out at Casa Santa Maria - Jungle River Retreat, Off-The-Grid, Seclude Get Away.?

Checkout is at 1:00 PM.

Where is Casa Santa Maria - Jungle River Retreat, Off-The-Grid, Seclude Get Away. located?

Situated in Benque Viejo Del Carmen, this holiday home is 1.8 mi (3 km) from Macal River and 2.1 mi (3.3 km) from Che Chem Ha. Benque Viejo House of Culture and Poustinia Land Art Park are also within 12 miles (20 km).

9.4

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.

Learn more

9.8/10

Cleanliness

10/10

Check-in

9.8/10

Communication

8.8/10

Location

10/10

Listing accuracy

10/10 Excellent

Clifton O.

6 Dec, 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Secluded getaway

The property was a perfect getaway from our busy lives. Secluded deep in the jungle, we enjoyed a week among nature seeing birds, monkeys, quash, and other animals. The meals cooked by the staff and the nearby tour guide, Robert, were also worth it!

Stayed 6 nights in Nov 2024

10/10 Excellent

Roberta H.

23 Feb, 2025

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Beautiful home in the heart of the jungle

This property is very beautiful in an even more beautiful setting. Walter (property manager) was extremely responsive to requests and Jim the owner was quick to answer messages. Our entire family enjoyed this property. A few things to note the road getting there is extremely rough, when they tell you that 4 wheel drive is required that is not an overstatement. You will want to make sure you have everything you need before you head to the house because getting into town is not a small feat. But if you come prepared it really is a once in a life time experience, you will be serenaded by howler monkeys and other wildlife.

Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2025

10/10 Excellent

Katie N.

15 Mar, 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Fun in the jungle!

Jim was extremely responsive leading up to the trip and Walter and Lucy were perfect hosts once we arrived! Definitely coordinate to have Lucy cook your meals while there, no doubt! And use Robert to coordinate any trips. They have you covered no matter how you want to spend your time there.

Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Shannon V.

17 Dec, 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, listing accuracy

Welcome to the Jungle

If you’re looking for a jungle paradise getaway, this is the place to go. Staff are incredible and quickly became the highlight of our stay here. They accommodated us as much as they could and shared their love for their passions and their home-country which made our family fall in love with the place. The drive in is a bit of a rough adventure so I wouldn’t recommend getting there after dark.

Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2023

8/10 Good

James B.

6 Feb, 2025

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Remote Jungle Escape with Stunning Wildlife and Adventure

We had a fantastic stay at this remote jungle retreat! The location is absolutely stunning—lush greenery, abundant wildlife, and the sounds of howler monkeys and birds all around. The property is truly off-grid, and we never needed to use the backup generator.The private trail down to the water was a great feature, though it’s quite steep, so be mindful of your mobility. The drive in is an adventure in itself—definitely bring a 4x4 with a low gear for the final stretch.The host and property manager were friendly, responsive, and very helpful. They recommended a local tour company, and Robert’s horseback ride and lake cruise were top-notch and very reasonably priced—highly recommend!The only small downside is that the house could use a bit of sprucing up. It’s nothing that would keep us from staying again, but don’t expect the same level of polish as a hotel at a similar price.Overall, we loved our stay and would absolutely return. If you’re looking for a unique, off-grid jungle experience, this is the place!

Stayed 6 nights in Jan 2025

4/10 Poor

Jeff & Val R.

8 Feb, 2025

Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2025

10/10 Excellent

ken I., Idalou, texas

1 Mar, 2020

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Love Casa Santa Maria!

Such a lovely place and worth the 30 minute drive on a bumpy dirt road. It was heavenly and Iris was a wonderful cook! Belize is an excellent vacation destination. We will be back!

Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2020

10/10 Excellent

Lorie G., Canada

13 Apr, 2019

Big place

Nice big clean place for 2 people. Lucy and Marcos are great hosts. Thanks Jim

Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2019

8/10 Good

Zac P., Where do you live?

7 Jan, 2019

Really cool property

Jim and Lucy were great in helping us coordinate our travel and stay at the Casa Santa Maria EcoLodge. I do recommend to bring ear plugs as the house is very loud and the generator is extremely noisy. As long as you can manage your groups energy consumption and behavior you will have a blissful time. Lucy is a great host and cook. We had excellent meals, tours, and service. Lucy even helped us track down some lost electronics a town over from another tour agency. Incredibly good service!

Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2018

10/10 Excellent

Alvin F.

27 May, 2018

Absolutely Beautiful

Casa Santa Maria was the highlight of our 10 day vacation in Belize. Lucy was great and made sure we had everything we needed while we were there and made our stay very comfortable. The property is absolutely beautiful and you will not be disappointed.

Stayed 3 nights in May 2018

This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.

10/10 Excellent

Tamara M.

18 Jun, 2017

Simply beautiful!

Casa Santa Maria was the quiet escape that we needed. The pictures do not do it justice. It's a beautiful cabin, tastefully decorated and nestled quite perfectly into the jungle landscape. Although our vacation got off to a rocky start, Millie made every care disappear. She took such great care of us - helping us plan and reserve activities, preparing delicious meals, helping with delivery of our lost luggage and washing our clothes so that we were clean. Jim was also the most gracious host. He made sure we had everything we needed and then some. I would highly recommend Casa Santa Maria to friends and look forward to returning in a couple of years.

Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2017

This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.

10/10 Excellent

David D.

24 Mar, 2017

Exelent

This was a fabulous property the views are amazing. Lucy made you feel at home and a great resource for things to do places to go .

Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2017

This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.

10/10 Excellent

masha s.

11 Feb, 2016

Beautiful place, just beautiful

This is just dream come thru, place is gorgeous, i would say its even better than photos. Everything was very clean. We ordered dinners for all nights we stayed there, and Millie was absolutely great taking care of us, thank you so much! Food was delicious , the only regret, we only stayed 3 nights:( I miss Millie and the place. Jim, the owner, was very helpful and answered all my multiple emails with a few minutes of me sending them, even though some of them were not about the property, he helped with car rental recommendation, stores, etc Just a wonderful break from reality. Thank you !

About the host

Hosted by Jim Hagen - Owner, On-site Manager - Walter Browning

I'm a professional photographer in Canada. I'm a retired Sports Administrator/Marketing Director which included professional sports, university and the amateur sporting world.

Why they chose this property

I have developed the property as a "Creative Retreat" for artists, photographers and writers. Once construction was completed we had rental demands from many friends and visitors, thus we started to rent.

What makes this property unique

The property is located in the Belizean Rainforest and is truly off the grid. We are located in the Cayo District and have several excellent activities for guests. Our neighbour provides guided horseback riding tours and also day trips on the Macal River on a Pontoon Boat. The Macal River offers three waterfalls and swimming holes, etc. We also have a groomed trail from the house to the Macal River, were we also have a 16' canoe.