We stayed four nights at Mopan River Resort. This place is fabulous. I wish we had planned to stay several more days. The jungle atmosphere is so relaxing. The excursions were well planned, with every detail covered. Ron and Kim were the perfect hosts, and the staff was top notch. I would go again, and again.

This was a fabulous trip from day one. My husband and I and another couple were greeted by our driver just outside of the airport door as promised. The almost two hour drive was very pleasurable as he acted as a tour guide telling us about the countryside . The owners Kim and Ron greeted us at the boat ramp and accompanied us across the Mopan River. They guided us up to the Lodge and introduced us to the other guests . After a wonderful dinner Ron explained to us what we would be doing the next day. He told us how much money we would need , what we needed to bring , how to dress and what to expect to see . As the week went on it became apparent that we enjoyed being a part of such a relatively small group of people . We went on excursions together had happy hour together and ate together. We were of diverse backgrounds and nationalities and greatly enjoyed the company of the other guests.
The trips were strenuous but we are healthy 60 year olds and enjoyed them immensely . I would suggest bringing one pair of old clothes and shoes.

We stayed at the Mopan Resort for four days in the week before Christmas 2007. We had found the Mopan through Tropical Nature Travel, a small Florida-based agency specializing in ecotourism to Central and South America (check them out). A major factor in our choosing the Mopan was its (medium-sized) swimming pool, which seems to be a relative rarity among the lodges in the Belizean interior, and to which my lap-swimming spouse was a daily, crack-of-dawn visitor. Our only regret is that we were not there long enough to experience all of the excursions which are offered in the course of a full week's stay. But we were able to take one of the twice-weekly excursions to Tikal (a must-see). The Mopan is a stone's throw from the border with Guatemala, which permits a day trip with ample time to explore the ruins. The information provided by the resort (both on the Mopan web site under “Rates” and in Mopan’s welcome/orientation document, forwarded to us by Liz Sanders of Tropical Nature Travel) is clear and detailed about the border-crossing charges and site entry fees for the excursions, so we were not blind-sided by surprise costs. Food is delicious and plentiful, with each night's buffet-style dinner organized around a different world cuisine and preceded by appetizers and conversation at the bar, where my wife and I ALMOST made our way through the array of tropical cocktails on offer (there is an extra charge only for wine, because it is imported). The individual bungalows are compact and well-equipped, with excellent (quiet, powerful) air-conditioning, cable TV, a well-stocked minibar, full bath, comfy bed, and river-view sitting porch. The old-style thatched-roof architecture throughout the complex lends an exotic touch, though owners Ron and Kim Chrysler admitted, not entirely facetiously, to some nervousness about the incendiary danger of an errant skyrocket from the other, “town” side of the river (nightly fireworks being a pre-Christmas tradition, I gathered). The staff are terrific, beginning of course with Ron and Kim but also including the manager, Alexi, and his vivacious wife Nataszy. Also, Victor, our driver on the Tikal excursion (and guide/driver on a visit to Xunantunich, a Mayan site near the resort). Their idiomatic command of English was flawless (okay, the Chryslers ARE from Canada) and the easy, informal atmosphere (Ron & Kim and Alexi & Nataszy usually joined us for dinner at a communal table) was just right. I want to mention that although there is a small chapel on the grounds (built by the previous owners), there is no church-camp feel to the Mopan (for example, grace was not said at the start of meals). I would not recommend Mopan for the resolutely anti-social, but in any case one’s bungalow would offer a refuge should there be a severe outbreak of cruise-ship chumminess during a full-occupancy period. We were rather spoiled, as we were the only guests for the first two nights, joined by a couple on the third night and another couple on the fourth (the week before Christmas is traditionally a slow period, Kim said). The airport transfer service was much appreciated. Mopan River Resort is a laid-back charmer, both restful and exciting. I can't imagine a better place for spending time in the interior of Belize.

My wife and I have travelled a lot, and from the time we were met at the airport to be taken to Mopan until the time that the owners waved good-bye as we left a week later on the little red boat, I can honestly say that I have never felt so well cared for. Even the pet duck, Daisy, came by for a quick send-off.

Great food every day (served theme/buffet style for dinner, packed lunches to go for longer trips, coolers of drinks and beer for all on tour), lovely accomodations surrounded by well manicured gardens, and every day a different tour - Tikal, cave tubing, kayaking, and more - each fully escorted and well-guided. You need to bring enough cash for park entry fees, and that's all, because when they say all-inclusive, they mean it. Because its small and everyone eats and travels together, you get to interact a lot with the other travellers, and there's always stories to share with each other, not only of the day's activities, but where others have gone and what they've done.

Western Belize has a great number of attractions - don't miss them, and check out this great property.