9 Best Hotels in Northern Belize, Belize

Directly on the bay just south of town, Almond Tree Hotel Resort raises the bar on Corozal Town lodging. In your air-conditioned room or suite, enjoy original artwork on the walls and high-thread-count cotton sheets on the beds. The high ceilings are beamed, and floors are acid-stained concrete finished with beautiful colors. From the first-floor deck and second-floor balconies, you have views of town and also the Cerros Maya site across the bay. There's an attractive pool and a small beach area. The choicest digs are the large suite with separate living room and panoramic views of the bay. The first-floor bar and restaurant, decorated with local artwork, have limited hours and require advance notice for dinner. Children under 12 are not allowed at the hotel.

Cerros Beach Resort is an off-the-grid option for good food and simple lodging—there are just four small, solar-powered cabanas—on Corozal Bay, near the Cerros ruins. Expat owners Bill and Jenny Bellerjeau (Bill is the chef) offer expertly made local and American food. Don't miss the ceviche. On Sunday, there's often a beach barbecue. Guests typically come by boat from Consejo or Corozal Town. Except after heavy rains, you can also drive here from Corozal or Orange Walk. 

The resort is occasionally closed in late summer/early fall, so double-check with resort if you plan to visit at that time.

Lounge on the second-floor veranda of this small waterfront guesthouse and watch the fishing boats anchored just a few hundred feet away—rooms have air-conditioning and Wi-Fi included in the rate.

Yucatec Mayan for "coming of the rising sun," Hok'ol K'in, founded by an American Peace Corps veteran and now operated by Belizeans, is a friendly small budget hotel on the Corozal bayfront. It has 10 basic but comfortable and very clean rooms with cable TV. Five have air-conditioning (small additional nightly charge), but even the rooms with only fans enjoy a nice breeze from the bay most of the time. Rare for Belize, some of the rooms are wheelchair accessible. There's also a two-bedroom apartment for longer-term rental. Free Wi-Fi is available in the restaurant.

This family-owned place is a step up from other hotels in central Orange Walk Town, and the low rates for the standard rooms with air-conditioning, free Wi-Fi, cable TV, and continental breakfast put it among the best values in northern Belize. Nicely furnished premium rooms have queen beds and flat-screen TVs. The hotel arranges trips to Lamanai as well as tours that include cave tubing, the Baboon Sanctuary, Belize Zoo, and Altun Ha. The owners, Orlando and Cindy de la Fuente, also own El Gran Mestizo and Maracas Bar & Grill.

About 3 miles (5 km) from La Milpa Maya site, this field station is a combination lodge and summer camp; stay in rustic thatched cabanas with a private bath or in a dorm that sleeps up to 30. Since you're in a remote area, you'll likely want to eat all your meals, generally simple Belizean-style dishes such as rice and beans with stew chicken or pork, at the field station; you can book a room without meals. Hiking trails are maintained around the lodge, and guides are available to take you to La Milpa and other Maya sites. In spring and summer, you can visit archaeological teams working at La Milpa. You'll likely see lots of wildlife, including spider and howler monkeys, ocelots, peccaries, deer, and possibly even a jaguar.

This upscale, eco-oriented bed-and-breakfast is hidden away off the Consejo Road north of Corozal Town, with four tastefully decorated rooms on the second floor with private balconies overlooking gardens, Belizean art, and locally made hardwood furniture. A common room downstairs has satellite TV, DVD player, a library, and Wi-Fi. The Canadian owners generate their own power, mostly with wind, and they work hard at being ecologically sensitive. Although the main B&B building is not directly on the water, Serenity has a beach on the bay a few hundred feet away and a decent-size pool. Rates are a good value for the high quality you enjoy, and delicious full breakfasts, mostly organic, are included.

A two-bedroom guesthouse is available for families or groups traveling together.

On a quiet street near the Banquitas House of Culture and backing up on the New River, this family-run hotel has simple but clean rooms, with tile floors and brightly colored bedspreads, at very affordable rates. Of the hotel's 21 rooms, 16 have air-conditioning. The rooms' TVs are now equipped with media streaming devices. The rooms in the garden annex are the best choices. The back gardens are attractive and alive with tropical plants, and you can relax in a thatched palapa with picnic tables next to the river.