Has anyone seen the October issue of Travel & Leisure? There is a fantastic feature story on Belize. They highlight a few properties, including a place I am not familiar with. It's called Kanantik Reef & Jungle Resort. Has anyone been there? Is it as fabulous as the article describes?

I think this is the best article on Belize in a travel magazine. It talks a lot about the culture and the history of the country. It also focuses on some of the more interesting areas , such as Placencia and Cayo, rather than the more predictable, "touristy" areas.

I have been to Kanantik and it is very lovely. Large thatched roof deluxe cabanas. Located S of Hopkins on the coast of the mainland. They have a true all inclusive program which includes everything except motorized fishing (diving is included). Pricey tho at $310 pp per night. Cabana only is less expensive ($265/nt) but it is very remote so unless you rent a vehicle you will be eating all your meals there and doing their tours. No village or anything in walking distance (hardly anything in reasonable driving distance!) They have a private airstrip and Maya Air will stop on their run to/from Placencia. Beautiful place, great for honeymooners. No kids under 12 allowed. I think they have excellent customer service - I had a bit of a mix up with a reservation where it was confirmed for a certain date in early Nov, then they emailed back saying it could not be confirmed since the hotel was closed till a week later. I sent the original "confirmed" email back asking what was up with that. Eventually the owner called me very apologetic, and said he would re open the whole hotel earlier for my clients! Can't beat that for customer service!!!

Very impressive service! Thanks for the description and color commentary. I believe that any company can make a mistake, but the great ones are those who are committed to "making it right" after.

I also like that the article didn't dedicate too much column space to Ambergris. I think that from a marketing standpoint, the Belize tourist board is smart to ephasize its more rustic destinations. AC is great, don't get me wrong, but it's already a "known" place. It also attracts many of the same type of travelers as other beach-focused destinations throughout the Carib and Mexico, so the competition for those tourist dollars is more fierce. Whereas very few destinations can compete with Belize's wildly varied interior.

I've stayed at Kanantik twice and hope to return again next season. I'd rank it in the top 10 places to stay in the entire country. Attention to detail, beautiful location, delicious food, superb service, delightful staff, great guides for side trips, all inclusive at its best.
Their website is www.kanantik.com
Thanks for the heads up on the article, I'll pick up that magazine tomorrow.

Thanks for your insights Hunter. Should I return to Belize, this place is #1 on my list! I think my next vacation, finacial gods willing, will be to St. Petersburg, Russia. But I alternate between Europe and Carib every 6 months, so I could be looking at Placencia in the summer of '04. Though my wife is likely going to push for the South Pacific. The website you sent me could go a long way in helping me win my cause!

The South Pacific, how exciting. I loved it.

I would love to go, but it's prohibitively expensive.

Actually the prices have come down quite a bit in recent years due to the conception (and reality) that it was prohibitively expensive.

Wow, that's good to know. Are you in the travel industry professionally, or do you just enjoy exciting trips? Or both?

Thanks for your help and your gentle replies.

The Cook Islands are very good value and work on the New Zealand dollar which has an excellent exchange rate to your advantage.