6 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.

George Hardie's Las Vegas Hotel & Casino is northern Belize's largest and most upscale hotel, with a fitness center, swimming pool, bars, and a good restaurant on-site. Part of the bustling 54,000-square-foot Las Vegas complex, which sprawls across 12 acres in the Corozal Free Zone, it primarily caters to Mexican gamblers who come to try their luck in the Free Zone's three casinos (there are no casinos in Mexico), and some of the most desirable rooms are reserved for them. Las Vegas Casino is the largest casino in Central America and operates 24 hours a day year-round.

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 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.

One of the oldest hotels and restaurants in northern Belize, Tony's Inn is still going strong, with spacious, refurbished rooms and a popular bayside restaurant and bar, all on beautifully landscaped grounds. For the most enjoyable stay, choose the upgraded deluxe rooms with modern baths, mahogany furnishings, comfortable beds, and new air-conditioning units.