In 2011, I wrote a post
entitled “Can you handle 18 – From 13 to 88?" about a family reunion in Belize
that was a huge success, so huge, we went back. Again, we numbered 18 and if
you do the math, this time the age range was 15 to 90.
Once again we went straight
back to the oldest jungle lodge resort in the country, Chaa Creek. Why, you might
wonder would we not want to try somewhere new? The answer can be boiled down to
one word – people – because that is the secret sauce of Chaa Creek that you
can’t get anywhere else. Just like the Costa family and their staff in the previous post made the Hotel La Perla in Corvara the nicest hotel in the world, Mick and
Lucy Fleming and their daughter and staff make Chaa Creek the nicest resort.
Nothing is impossible or too much trouble. Nothing is refused or denied.
Whatever can be done to make your holiday wonderful, the Flemings and their
team will do it.
For this family reunion, the
weather was a challenge. It rained a lot which meant some of the sites, roads
and activities were either closed or the access was incredibly difficult. But
such was the ‘can do’ and adventurous spirit of Chaa Creek that if we were
game, they were game. We forded rivers (and got stuck) drove through impassable
roads (and got stuck) and came back every night with wild stories to tell.
There is nothing that brings a far-flung family together like an adventure and
we had many. Aunt Mary braved the zipline through the forest canopy. We went
deep into the Mayan caves. My mother (in her 80s) once again demonstrated her horseback-riding
prowess. My father, in his 90s, was a great walker.
And through it all, the
people of Chaa Creek pampered us, rescued us, fed us, mixed wickedly good
drinks and made sure that our family had a wonderful, wonderful time. And
in the end, that's what it's all about.
