Casa Sophia @ Alma Del Rio / river Eco-comfort
Cottage in Cayo District
4 guests · 2 bedrooms · 1 bath
Reasons to book
Guests love it hereGuests give this property a top rating
Great for petsBring all your friends and family, even the furry ones
High-end valuePrice for this property is higher than average in the area
About this cottage rental
For the true nature lovers, Alma del Rio is simply the perfect spot to perform the Belizean verb of 'Chillaxing' . Our Charming and natural river front Eco-Houses are artfully crafted and are Casa Sophia is a 2 story house, located by the Pine-ridge road on the Macal river only 10 min from San Ignacio. Enjoy pristine views and bird life while drinking your morning coffee in our screened lounge or on our secluded river beach. the perfect gateway to experience the best of Cayo.
Alma Del Rio is the winner of the Belize tourism board award for the best small accomodations or the year!!
Casa Sophia is a unique and natural homestay. This 2 story small house is artfully crafted, overlooking the Macal river and forest canopies often visited by Toucans. Walking down a short path, there is a secluded swimming spot on a sandy island. Our place is a lot located in a small residential stretch ON the pine ridge road, with natural attractions and services close by (driving distance). The space: The top floor is a half 'open' room with a river view that serves as a kitchen and lounge area. The bottom floor can be divided into 2 compact bedrooms separated by heavy wooden doors or made into a 2-bed suite for couples or a family that would enjoy the shared space. Enjoy our rain shower, great views, and relaxing in a hammock on your porch. We have taken all the effort to ensure the 2 buildings on the property have maximum privacy. We also accommodate larger groups who can rent the entire compound: La Alma and Casa Sophia, artfully crafted houses nested peacefully in the environment. Enjoy a cup of early morning coffee in your screened lounge with a misty view of the river, often visited by many colorful birds. We planted a young food forest under the huge Guanacaste trees, and there is a small herb garden for your use. Following the path to the river, you find a secluded island with comfortable access (in season).
We offer all the amenities for you to enjoy your river experience: a cooler, a picnic mat, bamboo plates, beach towels, water shoes, and paddle boards. Enjoy complimentary tropical fruit, handmade soaps, coffee, tea, and drinking water . We offer a fully equipped kitchen, a hot and cold shower, board games, a spacious dining table, and a lounge area with a great river view. We are kids and pet friendly!! Important note: Casa Sophia is a 2-story house with rather open railings; babies or toddlers will require supervision when on the top floor. We do not have AC, but we do have a great river breeze often. by passive cooling, the temperature indoors stays comfortable. Our house is environmentally friendly: We use a solar water heater and energy efficient lighting, biodegradable products, and minimal use of plastic.
We try to offer a true jungle experience. . We often bring our dogs to the property, so if you prefer that we don't, please let us know before you arrive. Mind that living in nature proposes we do get visits from multi-legged or flying critters inside the house. The occasional bangs from falling branches, the chirps and clicks of geckos, howler monkey cries - they all add to the beautiful orchestral tune that nature plays.
The entire property is for guests.
You have a Palappa and a BBQ area just in the back of the property.
We stay in San Ignacio, always available to assist and help you have the perfect stay. Anything you need - be it an extra pillow or just some good recommendations - we are here to help.
Alma del Rio is located 2 miles from Santa-Elena towards the Pine Ridge reserve. Though a sleepy road, before you reach our tranquil home there are several great attractions - you will pass cool M farm where you can purchase fresh milk and Yogurt, Eden Valley Mayan kitchen to taste delicious locally made chocolate, 'The bluffs' bar and grill for great food, drinks and live music, Maya mountain lodge that only uses organic, fresh, local produce in their menu (vegan options available too!). 2 Min drive from our house you can find a magical waterfall. In San Antonio village, we highly recommend trying the the women's co-op restaurant -excellent traditional, hearty Mayan dishes that are some of the best in Belize.
If you travel by car, it's a easy as eating a pie; We are right on the road on the way to pine-ridge. A taxi can be arranged for around $20-$30BZ ($10-15USD). Buses pass regularly during the day between Santa Elena and Cristo Rey for $2-3BZ($1USD). Once reaching San Ignacio everything is a walking distance, but taxis are available to take you around for as low as $5BZ ($2.5US). Around us we have a couple of restaurants only a few minutes drive as well as a beautiful water fall. We have a detailed book with all the information at the house. We can help you arrage all transportation.
No smoking inside the rooms or kitchen
We ask guests to separate waste into the designated bins and follow the Bio-toilet instructions
Please be kind to the environment and our houses :)
Please be considerate to our neighbors with noise
Please turn off all fans and appliances when not in the house- fans don't keep the room cool.
Lost key fee- $20BZ
Alma Del Rio is the winner of the Belize tourism board award for the best small accomodations or the year!!
Casa Sophia is a unique and natural homestay. This 2 story small house is artfully crafted, overlooking the Macal river and forest canopies often visited by Toucans. Walking down a short path, there is a secluded swimming spot on a sandy island. Our place is a lot located in a small residential stretch ON the pine ridge road, with natural attractions and services close by (driving distance). The space: The top floor is a half 'open' room with a river view that serves as a kitchen and lounge area. The bottom floor can be divided into 2 compact bedrooms separated by heavy wooden doors or made into a 2-bed suite for couples or a family that would enjoy the shared space. Enjoy our rain shower, great views, and relaxing in a hammock on your porch. We have taken all the effort to ensure the 2 buildings on the property have maximum privacy. We also accommodate larger groups who can rent the entire compound: La Alma and Casa Sophia, artfully crafted houses nested peacefully in the environment. Enjoy a cup of early morning coffee in your screened lounge with a misty view of the river, often visited by many colorful birds. We planted a young food forest under the huge Guanacaste trees, and there is a small herb garden for your use. Following the path to the river, you find a secluded island with comfortable access (in season).
We offer all the amenities for you to enjoy your river experience: a cooler, a picnic mat, bamboo plates, beach towels, water shoes, and paddle boards. Enjoy complimentary tropical fruit, handmade soaps, coffee, tea, and drinking water . We offer a fully equipped kitchen, a hot and cold shower, board games, a spacious dining table, and a lounge area with a great river view. We are kids and pet friendly!! Important note: Casa Sophia is a 2-story house with rather open railings; babies or toddlers will require supervision when on the top floor. We do not have AC, but we do have a great river breeze often. by passive cooling, the temperature indoors stays comfortable. Our house is environmentally friendly: We use a solar water heater and energy efficient lighting, biodegradable products, and minimal use of plastic.
We try to offer a true jungle experience. . We often bring our dogs to the property, so if you prefer that we don't, please let us know before you arrive. Mind that living in nature proposes we do get visits from multi-legged or flying critters inside the house. The occasional bangs from falling branches, the chirps and clicks of geckos, howler monkey cries - they all add to the beautiful orchestral tune that nature plays.
The entire property is for guests.
You have a Palappa and a BBQ area just in the back of the property.
We stay in San Ignacio, always available to assist and help you have the perfect stay. Anything you need - be it an extra pillow or just some good recommendations - we are here to help.
Alma del Rio is located 2 miles from Santa-Elena towards the Pine Ridge reserve. Though a sleepy road, before you reach our tranquil home there are several great attractions - you will pass cool M farm where you can purchase fresh milk and Yogurt, Eden Valley Mayan kitchen to taste delicious locally made chocolate, 'The bluffs' bar and grill for great food, drinks and live music, Maya mountain lodge that only uses organic, fresh, local produce in their menu (vegan options available too!). 2 Min drive from our house you can find a magical waterfall. In San Antonio village, we highly recommend trying the the women's co-op restaurant -excellent traditional, hearty Mayan dishes that are some of the best in Belize.
If you travel by car, it's a easy as eating a pie; We are right on the road on the way to pine-ridge. A taxi can be arranged for around $20-$30BZ ($10-15USD). Buses pass regularly during the day between Santa Elena and Cristo Rey for $2-3BZ($1USD). Once reaching San Ignacio everything is a walking distance, but taxis are available to take you around for as low as $5BZ ($2.5US). Around us we have a couple of restaurants only a few minutes drive as well as a beautiful water fall. We have a detailed book with all the information at the house. We can help you arrage all transportation.
No smoking inside the rooms or kitchen
We ask guests to separate waste into the designated bins and follow the Bio-toilet instructions
Please be kind to the environment and our houses :)
Please be considerate to our neighbors with noise
Please turn off all fans and appliances when not in the house- fans don't keep the room cool.
Lost key fee- $20BZ
Amenities
Pets allowed
Kitchen or Kitchenette
Internet / Wifi
Parking
Laundry
Balcony or Patio
Garden
Map of Cayo District
Ratings and reviews
5.0 / 5.0
Outstanding(18 Reviews)5.0 / 5.0
This property exceeded all of our expectations! The location is absolutely beautiful. And the host was fantastic. Hadas set up our excursions for us and was always available to answer questions or get us a taxi into town. I highly recommend this property.
5.0 / 5.0
We spent 3 weeks in Belize: first week at a yoga retreat on the northern part of Cay Caulker; 2nd week sailing on a 48' catamaran and the third week in the jungle at Casa Sophia. My partner and my 33 year old son from CA. We all agreed the jungle time was the best!! So much to see and do and we packed it in: bird watching, Rio on Pools, Caracol, ATM Cave, Barton Cave, market day, live music at Aguada and Gulley's, Big Rock Pools. Coming home every night to Casa Sophia for a shower and a Belikan...it was magnificent. And Hadas kept us informed about live music, great restaurants, great tour operators. In fact we all 3 have decided that another trip to Belize is in our future. Such a lovely country!! Easy English everywhere. Currency exchange - simple 2 to 1. Delicious and inexpensive food nearly all of it grown on the island. Little if any garbage. I've traveled and worked a lot in the Caribbean and this was by a long shot, one of the best Caribbean vacations I've ever had!
5.0 / 5.0
The house was beautiful, such wonderful attention to details in the decor. The house is a short beautiful drive up the mountain away from town- so it is peaceful and quiet but close to everything. The pictures do not do this house justice.
The shower- was a work of art- nicest shower ever! What is not pictured was a child play house- which was perfect for our 3 year old. The jungle sounds of birds were amazing. The house was clean, had all the basics. Thank you for the recommendation of St Leonard’s- we had a amazing day with Carla, Rob and Miguel. Thank you Hadas for making such a beatiful and sharing it with us to enjoy.
5.0 / 5.0
Wished we had stayed a few more nights to be able to visit everything around us. The sounds and views of the jungle around us was amazing!
5.0 / 5.0
We loved our stay, thank you again
5.0 / 5.0
We had a wonderful time staying at this unique, beautiful and perfectly located jungle house on the river! Our hosts (Hadas, assisted by Elmer and Dora) were warm, welcoming and extremely helpful from the time we booked right through our stay.
This property was well situated to serve as our "base camp" for excursions in the San Ignacio area. The ATM cave tour is a must see - truly a unique experience for even the most seasoned and adventurous travelers. We also did a horse ride up to Mayan ruins which was very memorable. Hadas was kind enough to handle bookings for our excursions, which was a great benefit to staying here. There's nothing like getting picked up and dropped off right at your property!
The space itself should be included in an ad for VRBO - the upstairs is the best screened in jungle viewing space I have ever seen. The bedrooms are comfortable and waking up in the jungle is a great experience! You may decide to make a return visit to Belize just for the shower here!
All in all this is an ideal location for your jungle vacation to begin!
5.0 / 5.0
The property and hosts (Elmer and Dora) exceeded all expectations. The property was beautiful and we had everything we needed. Elmer and Dora helped make my daughters 13 birthday so special by delivering a cake and song! We definitely will be back. 10 out of 10 ;)
5.0 / 5.0
Nestled away in the perfect location if you're wanting to experience the jungle and lifestyle of Belize. Santa Elena and San Ignacio were fantastic cities to experience. Make sure to stop at the ladies fruit stand to the left at the 3 way intersection when you come into town, she has fantastic fresh juice! The property is an amazing little food forest with fantastic views of the local flora and fauna. We loved how the home uses solar heated rainwater! The home is very clean, organized, and VERY welcoming. There was even a fantastic play area for our 18 month old son. We've stayed a couple different VRBOs over the years, and this one definitely stands out as a place ran by people who care about their guest's comfort and experience.
A Sincere thank you to Tom and Hadas for being such great hosts, and sharing this fantastic experience with us!
5.0 / 5.0
What an awesome experience. This is a bird lover's paridise! We saw and heard many toucans, aracari and tanagers along with howler monkeys. The outdoor shower was a favorite!
5.0 / 5.0
So much thought and detail put into this peaceful riverside spot. Close to everything, yet far enough away. Hosts are thoughtful and tend to every detail. Thankyou Hadas and family.
5.0 / 5.0
Hadas and Tom’s place is a perfect place for those who enjoy birds, nature and tranquility. The house has a huge screened window where one could spend all day watching the large number and variety of birds. It was a treat to see toucans!
The house is clean, private, quiet and secure. It is well stocked with everything one needs for cooking.
Hadas helped set up our tour, which was helpful and took the stress out of figuring it out ourselves when we are not familiar.
May be good to include driving directions to the house, especially for those driving in the dark and lose GPS access (like us!). Hadas gratiously came to find us- which was appreciated.! Some of the streets are less well marked than others. We highly recommend and will look forward to staying here again sometime!
5.0 / 5.0
This was one of the best rentals I've stayed in. The hosts were excellent- meeting us for check in and answering all of our questions. We even had our rental car battery die and they came to jump us.
The property is beautiful and has everything inside you need from towels, to games, and cooking utensils. The location is good if you have a rental car. We went horseback riding, kayaking, and had dinner in San Ignacio very easily. We had complimentary coffee and fruit in the morning while watching the Howler monkeys down by the river... Property doesn't have wifi if you are looking to work from home, but it's gret for people wanting to explore nature. Definitely a 10/10 stay!! I highly recommend and hope to be back again soon.
5.0 / 5.0
This was the ideal forest experience. We will be back! From when I found the listing to our last minutes on site, Hadas and family(Sandra, Dora, tours with Sergio, Ian, Edwin, Carla) were amazing. Such wonderful and caring people are in Belize. This was our first time and what a wonderful oasis to come home to for a short time. They have thought of everything you may need and I felt like I was in a dream to watch the birds across the canopy of the trees to the exotic shower and the philosophy of this eco lodge. It was a lovey dream. Highly recommend the tours services in the guide book and such wonderful restaurants!! ATM with Ian, Ziplining and cave rubbing with Edwin, Xunatunich on horseback. Black rock falls, Rio frio pools, Toluca smoke house, Guava limb, San Ignacio market, and so much we missed we must return! Thank you again for everything.
2.5 / 5.0
My wife and I made a quick stop here while touring Belize and they picked the perfect place to build for a sunset. The unit was different but fun. There was a sweetheart black cat on the property that kept the local raccoons at bay. Overall we had a great time.
2.5 / 5.0
My boyfriend and I had an amazing stay at Alma Del Rio. The communication with Hadas, the owner, was great. She responded to all my questions promptly - and gave us amazing recommendations on tours, places to see, restaurants, and live music. She met us at the house personally, so check-in was a breeze. The photos of the house were a great representation, though photos can never show how beautiful this corner of the world actually is. The house was very comfortable, the kitchen was well-stocked with the needed tools - and we were happy to find she stocks, coffee, sugar, powdered creamer, salt, pepper, cooking oil, and some fresh fruit. Of course our favorite feature was the outdoor shower - which feels like you are at a tropical spa. We would definitely stay here again if we ever make our way back towards San Ignacio.
5.0 / 5.0
Quick stop
My wife and I made a quick stop here while touring Belize and they picked the perfect place to build for a sunset. The unit was different but fun. There was a sweetheart black cat on the property that kept the local raccoons at bay. Overall we had a great time.
5.0 / 5.0
Wonderful stay at Alma Del Rio
My boyfriend and I had an amazing stay at Alma Del Rio. The communication with Hadas, the owner, was great. She responded to all my questions promptly - and gave us amazing recommendations on tours, places to see, restaurants, and live music. She met us at the house personally, so check-in was a breeze. The photos of the house were a great representation, though photos can never show how beautiful this corner of the world actually is. The house was very comfortable, the kitchen was well-stocked with the needed tools - and we were happy to find she stocks, coffee, sugar, powdered creamer, salt, pepper, cooking oil, and some fresh fruit. Of course our favorite feature was the outdoor shower - which feels like you are at a tropical spa. We would definitely stay here again if we ever make our way back towards San Ignacio.
2.5 / 5.0
Our stay at Alma del Río was the highlight of our whole Belize trip. We miss watching bird TV out of the panoramic living room windows, and the spa - type outdoor shower - we loved the shower! Everything was immaculate, thoughtful small touches, great communication, such a stylish place.
2.5 / 5.0
Eco paradise
Our stay at Alma del Río was the highlight of our whole Belize trip. We miss watching bird TV out of the panoramic living room windows, and the spa - type outdoor shower - we loved the shower! Everything was immaculate, thoughtful small touches, great communication, such a stylish place.
2.5 / 5.0
Uniquely Awesome
Every detail in this house is well thought out and adds to the overall experience. My wife and I thouroughly enjoyed the stay. Only complaint is we wished we had booked a few more nights.
FAQs
How much does this cottage cost compared to others in Cayo District?
The average price for a rental in Cayo District is $166 per night. This rental is $208 above the average.
Is parking included with this cottage?
Yes, parking is listed as an amenity at Casa Sophia @ Alma Del Rio / river Eco-comfort. For more information, we encourage you to contact the property about where to park.
Is there a pool at this cottage?
We didn’t find pool listed as an amenity for this cottage. It may be worth double checking if a pool is important for your stay.
Is Casa Sophia @ Alma Del Rio / river Eco-comfort pet friendly?
Yes! This cottage is pet-friendly. For more information, we recommend contacting the booking provider about animal policies.
What amenities are available at Casa Sophia @ Alma Del Rio / river Eco-comfort?
We found 7 amenities for this rental. This includes pets allowed, kitchen or kitchenette, internet / wifi, parking, and laundry.
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