Hickatee Cottages, Punta Gorda, Belize

7 May 2013
Punta Gorda, Belize

We arrived at the Punta Gorda airstrip early evening via Tropic Air's small prop plane (booked at a discount through Hickatee). Ian from Hickatee Cottages immediately met us at the strip with a warm handshake and a smile. He warded off small children selling wares as we made our way to his truck parked out front. We piled into the truck grateful to have finally arrived after leaving our home at 3:30 that morning. He gave us a quick tour of Punta Gorda as we made our way to Hickatee. It was impossible to get our bearings as he wound through the narrow dirt streets but it was interesting to hear him talk about the little town with such pride and describe he and Kate's genesis there in PG (they originally hailed from England several years prior to opening their guest cottages in southern Belize).
After bouncing down a long dirt road at the edge of the jungle we turned into a small drive. Immediately the sounds changed and we could hear the insects buzzing and birds calling in the twilight. There was a small clearing of cottages, all with their porch lights cheerily welcoming us. Ian dropped our backpacks in the pathway and we followed him into "Charlie's Bar", the main building. Ian gave us a Hickatee Cottages run down and afterward showed us to our cottage where our bags had already been shuttled off.
We had booked the budget traveler's "Den" but ended up in Wilby Suite, which was a pleasant and happy surprise for these weary travelers! We followed the path and came to a quaint little cottage at the edge of the clearing. Inside the dim lights and Belizean woods were warm and welcoming. We walked around the cottage in disbelief, it was so beautiful and nice! We just didn't expect to stay in such a nice place.

After a long day of traveling the warmth, charm, and cleanliness of this cottage was awesome!

Fresh flowers from the surrounding jungle decorated our room.

The glass-less windows kept out bugs, but not the sounds of the jungle at night! Incredible!

Charlies bar: the main building at Hickatee. We took our meals on the porch.

 After unpacking and getting settled, we wandered up front for some dinner. Kate is an awesome cook and we enjoyed her fresh bread every night and fresh muffins each morning.

Dessert: local chocolate buttons and chocolate liquor. If you're lucky, Ian will come around one more time for a refill. ;)

The lighting at Hickatee is dim during the night due to their conservation of power. When I booked Hickatee I was under the impression that they were solar powered during the day but no power at night. I was pleased to find out that they run on generators after 11 pm in order to keep the fans running. We had to be careful of our electric consumption, however, we did not bring anything more than a phone charger so it didn't affect us. Only minor sacrifice (if you can call it that) for the amazing jungle location!
We were ready for some sleep after all of that travelling and Hickatee's warm welcome made us feel comfy cozy!

Hickatee Flickr Set:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/96624310@N07/sets/72157633779139748/