Many travelers who visit Belize for more than a quickie cruise ship stop like to do a “surf and turf” vacation: part of the time on the Caribbean, part of the time in the jungle. With a stay at Kanantik Reef and Jungle Resort, you can do both in one place.

Located on an isolated stretch of coast between Placencia and Dangriga, Kantika sits on 300 forested acres filled with wildlife. It also is connected to the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Santuary, which offers the chance to spot even more—like jaguars and pumas. Our correspondent awoke one morning to find jaguar paw prints on teh beach outside her cabana.

This is an eco-sensitive resort, but you don’t have to rough it.

The Kanantik Reef & Jungle Resort’s twenty-five private cabanas merge Mayan rustic décor with contemporary accents. They’re quite spacious, with expansive decks, vaulted thatched roofs, living rooms and dressing areas, all paneled in local Belizean hardwoods. Furniture is handcrafted by locals who utilize indigenous techniques. Indoor/outdoor showers maintain privacy while providing a view of the sea.

You may encounter more than a few creatures stopping by, however. “Insectophobes might want to second-guess their stay.”

See our full review of the lodge and get more information on transportation and tours here: Kanantik Reef and Jungle Resort review.

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We’ve had our eye on Pelican Eyes in Nicaragua for a while, but felt like some improvements needed to come into play to make this a true upscale travel lodging option. Also known as Piedras y Olas (Rocks and Waves), this is a San Juan del Sur institution that started out modestly and grew along with the destination.

With an expanding number of villas in the mix as nightly room choices, Pelican Eyes now offers reason enough to stay in San Juan del Sur rather than venturing on to Morgan’s Rock. There are still some obvious rough spots, especially when it comes to service and shuttles, but there are enough other positives to make up for it.

All of the two-floor, two-bedroom casas (houses) and smaller casitas (townhouses) are constructed with the same smooth, whitewashed style as the original hotel. They are airy and expansive, luxuriously outfitted with hand-carved furnishings, locally sewn linens, salto ceramic tiles, skylights, and delightful bedrooms overarched with adobe brick ceilings reminiscent of a Spanish wine cellar. All the units open onto marvelous private patios and porches; the casas have two.

Full gourmet kitchens, with hand-painted tiles, professional cookware, and an assortment of appliances (mixers, blenders, and more) are complimented with tasteful dining areas. Enormous, modern marble and glazed-cement bathrooms have rainforest showerheads and thoughtful amenities.

With two restaurants with a view, pools, and a great panorama of the bay throughout, this is the best place in town to kick back and take it all in.

See our detailed review of Pelican Eyes in San Juan del Sur.

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After giving it a rest for a little while, we’ve got two new resort reviews going up for Nicaragua. The first is so close to Granada “you can hear the cathedral bells,” says our correspondent Paige Penland.

El Jicaro Island Resort is no city hotel though, that’s for sure. It’s a very ec0-friendly but upscale lodge built on an island in Lake Nicaragua, reached by boat from Granada. Here’s what’s in store after you get there.

There are only nine marvelous, two-story villas on the rugged little isleta, imaginatively designed to blend seamlessly into this mountainscape in miniature. Flagstone trails wend through the rocky forest floor between them, where a fragile ecosystem was carefully conserved during construction and delicately landscaped afterward, using permaculture principles. These exuberant gardens, into which the resort was so perfectly inlaid, interweave native flowers and trees into an optimum environment for all.

In some ways this resort surpasses the best hotels in the nearby city and you can’t beat the location if you’re looking for calming views and solitude. Come here to truly unwind and spend quality time with your romantic partner before diving back into what the city has to offer.

See our full review of El Jicaro Island Ec0-Resort.

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If any country has proved that luxury guests are willing to pay for hotels that are taking care of their environment, it’s Costa Rica. Monte Azul Boutique Hotel, situated on 125 acres in the foothills of the country’s highest mountain, this is luxe lodging that’s really green. Most furniture found in the rooms is designed and produced on site using salvaged, recycled and certified woods. The organic produce and organic coffee served here are grown on site. With composting, furniture made from salvaged wood, and a reforestation nursery, you can feel confident that you’re staying at a place that works in harmony with its surroundings. If you stay here, you’ll even have a tree planted in your name.

Monte Azul is a big step above most nature lodges though in terms of aesthetics.

Stretching the creative element to new heights and placing the Monte Azul Boutique Hotel in a category of its own is the fact that all spaces are regularly curated with fine art by both national and international artists. Many pieces are produced in Monte Azul’s on-site artist-in-residence program and some travel to the Monte Azul Contemporary Art (MACA) gallery in New York City. Inspired by the natural surroundings and the local community, the artwork adds a new dimension to your experience. In your room, there are halogen lights to illuminate the art and a pricelist with artist biographies.

Because the public and private spaces function as galleries, they are continually changing; you can request that your room be curated with a particular artist, or you may discover new fine art pieces on a return visit.

There are only six casitas and villas in this huge expanse of property intersected by wildlife trails and streams. The top choice is Casa Palo Alto, a 3,300-square-foot home with three bedrooms, a huge upper terrace lining the open and expansive indoor living area, another lower terrace, and a pool area. See our extensive detailed review of Monte Azul Hotel in Costa Rica.

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Central America has long been in the forefront of eco-tourism, but much of the focus has not been on Guatemala, but some of its neighbors to the south.

Our man on the scene, Al Argueta, says it’s time to add Laguna Lodge on Lake Atitlan to the list of eco-friendly resorts that are also pampering enough to be considered luxe.

“The rooms themselves are made from materials that include volcanic stone, palm wood and adobe bricks made on site. Like the restaurant, they open up completely to the lake and enjoy wonderful views.”

The restaurant is vegetarian, but so good that you won’t care if you’re a carnivore. The bulbs may be a little dim and you may may a few small sacrifices, but the lake will thank you.

“The need for environmentally sustainable accommodations has been made abundantly clear with the recent proliferation of algal blooms on Guatemala’s most beautiful lake. Caused by phosphates from untreated waste water and agricultural fertilizer running into the lake, the first appearance of Lake Atitlan’s cyanobacteria dates to the 1970s but is only now getting the attention it deserves.”

See our full review of Laguna Lodge.