The Best Cheap Hotels to Book in Belize

Rumors Resort Hotel is perfectly situated for exploring the Cayo rainforests and major Mayan sites | Courtesy of Rumors Resort Hotel / Expedia

Alex Robinson

18 November 2021

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With rolling mountains rich in wildlife, unspoilt rainforests and myriad coral cayes in turquoise seas, Belize is the perfect blend of Central American wilderness and Caribbean beaches. It’s smaller than Ireland – so you can hike through the jungle or climb an ancient Mayan pyramid in the morning and be back in your oceanside hammock in the afternoon, ice-cold beer in hand. And a holiday won’t bankrupt you either: with plenty of cheap hotel deals and easy, inexpensive public transport, Belize is a backpacker favorite. Book one of the best cheap hotels with Culture Trip.

Drift Inn, for boutique-hotel looks

The wood deck swimming pool area at Drift Inn in Belize

Courtesy of Drift Inn / Expedia

This great-value-for-money hotel and hostel on Belize’s popular Ambergris Caye is in a splendid spot. Find it in the heart of San Pedro village, close to bars, restaurants and dive shops, a number of which offer discounts for Drift Inn guests. Less than a minute’s walk from the beach, accommodation ranges from bunk-packed, single-sex dorms to private rooms with wraparound balconies, decorated in a palette of whites and turquoises, with a few boutiquey touches including indigenous art and throw pillows.

Up-for-it atmosphere at Sandbar Beachfront Hostel

A wood deck with lounge chairs over the water at the Sandbar Beachfront Hostel in Belize

Courtesy of Sandbar Beachfront Hostel / Expedia

With beer signs tied to the balconies and a young, backpacker clientele looking to party, the Sandbar is, as you’d imagine, an upbeat cheap Belize hotel – think again if you’ve come on vacation for long, restful nights of silent slumber. That said, there are privacy screens on the beds in the dorms, and you’re an easy stroll from the beach, in the heart of Ambergris Caye’s lively San Pedro village. Since there’s a bar, social areas and a menu of good-value excursions, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to make new best friends among fellow travelers.

Lower Dover, for ancient ruins

Lower Dover Belize surrounded by nearly 100 acres of private secondary rainforest

Courtesy of Lower Dover / Expedia

This cheap Belize hotel is in a magical setting, surrounded by nearly 100 acres (40ha) of private secondary rainforest. Hummingbirds whir, monkeys screech, and unexcavated Mayan temples await your arrival, peppered among the trees. The Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Cave, with its eerie pre-Columbian remains and spectacular stalactites, is on your doorstep, and the hotel organizes dozens of well-priced adventure excursions. Accommodation – in simple, wooden cabins painted in candy-shop colors – ranges from private rooms with en-suites to dorms. Furnishings are simple, with mosquito nets draped over beds – and in the dorms, privacy curtains and lockers.

Cultural events at Kismet Inn

Beachfront colorful picnic benches shaded by palms at Kismet Inn

Courtesy of Kismet Inn / Expedia

This low-key cheap Belize hotel and hostel stands in the heart of the Garifuna village of Hopkins, itself as laid-back as a long, quiet snooze in a hammock. Accommodation is simple, in brightly painted shutterboard shacks with small workstations; rooms are en-suite, while dorms have shared bathrooms. There’s plenty of deck space overlooking a long, pristine, white-sand beach; and the lodge organizes excursions and cultural events, including live Garifuna music and drumming.

Tropical Paradise, for diving excursions

The brightly colored cottages at Tropical Paradise Hotel just steps from the beach

Courtesy of Tropical Paradise Hotel / Expedia

You won’t find a cheap hotel in San Pedro village with a better location than that enjoyed by Tropical Paradise. It is right on the beach in the heart of downtown, with an abundance of restaurants, bars and convenience stores less than a minute’s walk away. Rooms and dorms are simple, spick-and-span affairs painted in peaches and apricots, with plum-colored bed linens and little desks in the private rooms. Staff can organize diving and tours, and the bar-restaurant serves food and cocktails all day.

Lounging heaven at Rumors Resort Hotel

The sun sets over the lush pool area and grounds of Rumors Resort Hotel in Belize

Courtesy of Rumors Resort Hotel / Expedia

This cheap hotel, a five-minute drive from downtown San Ignacio town in western Belize, is perfectly situated for travelers out to explore the Cayo rainforests and the big Mayan sites at Caracol and Xunantunich. Single, double and triple rooms (the latter with space for two couples and a single) are crisply decorated in creams and rough stone, with chunky bamboo furniture and desks. The hotel has a large pool with plenty of lounge chair space, a restaurant and a long list of tours to places including the Tikal ruins, across the border in Guatemala.

Venus Hotel, for ruins and rainforest

The big, traditional, balcony-fronted green building of the Venus Hotel in the heart of San Ignacio, Belize

Courtesy of Venus Hotel / Expedia

Situated in a big, traditional, balcony-fronted townhouse in the heart of San Ignacio, the Venus is a cheap hotel perfectly positioned for nights out on the town. This is Belize’s second city, with a most Central American feel, which means there are dance-bars aplenty on your doorstep, as well as ruins and rainforest just 10 minutes away – including the spectacular Mayan monuments at Xunantunich and Caracol. So, you’ll be spending little time in the simple beige and whitewash rooms or mixed four- to six-bed dorms.

Jaguar-spotting at La Milpa

Mayan-inspired thatch-roofed cottage built of hardwood at La Milpa Lodge

Courtesy of La Milpa Lodge / Expedia

La Milpa is named in honor of the Mayan maize and fruit plantations that have fed this area since before there was rainforest – when Belize was part of a nation of rural Mayan city states. Today, La Milpa is a tranquil glade in towering rainforest wild enough to be home to resident jaguars. You sleep in Mayan-inspired thatch-roofed cottages built of hardwood, with ranch-house decks where you’d expect to see a rocking chair but will find a hammock. Staff run excellent wildlife-focused excursions.

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