Patiently, we waited for the 6:00 a.m. bus to Belize City on Sunday. It was quite early for all of us. Usually on Sundays, we would sleep in until the afternoon heat wakes us up. But this Sunday, adventure called our names and woke us up at 5:30 a.m.. The Belizing staff was invited by
Lamanai Landings Hotel & Marina for two days of accommodations and adventures.
If I’m honest, the journey to Orange Walk was exhausting. As mentioned in our
St. Herman’s Blue Hole blog, the bus schedule on Sundays is different and the buses are usually jam packed. This time was no different. All of us fit in the bus like sardines in a can. Tight with little space to move, the ride to Belize City was long and excruciating; the morning sun had no mercy on us. Its rays beamed through the windows and warmed up the bus like an oven.
I couldn’t help but to feel sorry for Derrick, a kid sitting on his left had motion sickness while a sweaty lady standing next to his seat, found comfort on his right shoulder. Sandwiched between two different scents, the ride was rather overbearing.
When we finally got to Belize City’s bus terminal at around 11:00 a.m., we wasted no time getting off that bus. There, we waited half an hour for a connecting bus to
Orange Walk. The ride from San Ignacio to Belize City definitely tired us before our day even started. Growing impatient, a Chetumal bus eventually came and we got on it.This ride was the same as earlier – hot and packed. We were alert for the entire hour and forty-five minute bus ride, since it was our first time traveling to Lamanai Landings. We didn’t want to miss the location and be stranded in the middle of the highway.
After passing the little collection booth just before crossing the entrance bridge to Orange Walk, we spotted the Lamanai Landings sign. We shouted to the bus driver to stop. The bus halted on the side of the road and all of us got off and made our way towards the resort.
The premises was beautiful. At the entrance was a large palapa structure that served as the lobby and the hotel’s restaurant and bar. The bar was situated in the center of the area. The reception office was on the left of the bar and the kitchen on the left. Dining tables and seats were place around the space. In front of the restaurant was a serene lagoon tributary of the New River. Boats and canoes were tied at the end of the docks.
We looked at each other with excitement when we saw the boats, wondering which one we would use to go on the crocodile safari tour later. Ms. Roanni – the manager of the resort –, who invited us, was not there. Nonetheless, we were gracefully welcomed by Ms. Karen, who is the receptionist in charge of bookings and guests at Lamanai Landings. She introduced herself and briefed us about the resort’s background before she provided us with our room keys. She told us to drop our bags and go back to the restaurant for lunch and a complimentary drink.
Walking towards our accommodations, we saw wooden sculptures of crocodiles along the sidewalk, as well as tropical flowers, shrubs, and trees. There were three colorful buildings, each with at least eight rooms – four downstairs and four upstairs. All of us stayed in the first building, the red one. We had two rooms, one upstairs and one downstairs.
The boys rushed upstairs to get that room, so I was left with the room downstairs. Each room had two beds, as initially it was four of us that were supposed to go on the trip – Jared, Derrick, Nicco and myself. However, Jared couldn’t make it, so I invited my friend, Jasmine, who was willing to promote our brand on social media and take photos with us. She was our model.
The rooms were big, each had two beds, air-conditioning, a bathroom and a balcony with an incredible view that overlooked the lagoon. I took advantage of the free WiFi, and started to post pictures on social media. I felt like tourist.
After settling down in the rooms, we freshened up and prepared ourselves for lunch. We took a few pictures of our rooms before heading to the restaurant. We all ordered wings and had our complimentary drink. The drink was delicious! The bartender assured us that it wasn’t alcoholic, but we were convinced that it was because it tasted amazing.
During our lunch, two boats arrived at the resort with about twenty-five tourists that were returning from their Lamanai Tour. From a distance I spotted numerous red dots on their legs and arms. I couldn't help but regret leaving my bug spray on my bed that morning. "Forget the bugs," I thought to myself, "I'd be on my first
Lamanai River Tour tomorrow! I can handle anything."
After we all ate, we went back to our rooms for a little rest. While Jasmine and I were resting, Derrick and Nicco decided to take a boat ride along the lagoon with Captain Tyrone. About ten or fifteen minutes later, they were back with beautiful pictures and videos of the lagoon, the sugar factory, and surrounding plants. I was a bit angry at myself for not going with them, but the truth is, I needed that short power nap.
Captain Tyrone was so nice and he gave us a brief description of the crocodile safari tour. He even showed us the tool he uses to catch the crocodiles. He told us that they normally capture the crocs, tag them, and gently release them back to their habitat. We were all super excited about the tour that night. We coudln't wait to go on our
Crocodile Safari Night Tour.
We continued taking pictures of the restaurant and surroundings of the resort. Then after an hour of doing that, we decided to relax by the bar and drink a beer for a little while. One beer turned into three beers. We spent about an hour there, laughing and telling stories with the bartender. She was a delight. The entire atmosphere was nice and welcoming.
Although it was only the first day of our two-day stay at Lamanai Landings Hotel and Marina, we were already in love with the friendly staff and the laid-back environment. We were treated with such kindness and respect. I felt like a celebrity. So if you're reading this blog right now, I'd definitely encourage you to visit Lamanai Landings and start
Belizing today!