Palmento Grove is a Garifuna owned cultural lodge on Kalipuna Island, set among the mangroves of Fresh Water Creek Lagoon on the north side of Hopkins, right where the lagoon meets the Caribbean. Guests have described it as an island in a lagoon at the edge of the sea, and arrival is part of the experience: the crossing from the village is a short boat or kayak ride of about five minutes.
Lodging is a pair of secluded solar powered cabins, Anichigu and Isieni, each sleeping up to four with a queen bed and a bunk, a private bath, WiFi and a tranquil porch with lagoon views. Rooms run $75 a night for two, with additional guests at $12.50 each, honest simplicity rather than resort polish.
The lodge exists to share Garifuna culture, and for more than ten years founder Uwahnie Martinez, who left a fourteen year banking career to build it, has hosted travelers for farm to table cooking classes with traditional dishes like hudut, fishing off the dock and kayaking the lagoon waterways. The lodge also organizes the Belize International Paranda Folkart and Music Festival, and pickups can be arranged from Placencia, San Ignacio and Belize City.
