Tranquility Lodge

We had a long travel day and arrived late. Sheila and Rusty were outside waiting for us when we arrived. Sheila had on her apron and dinner was waiting. How wonderful. We felt like family and the food was absolutely terrific. Sheila and Rusty Nale are terrific hosts. Sheila is a fabulous cook and Rusty is social and friendly and made us feel like we were at home. Even his jokes are funny! The rooms are clean, well-decorated and welcoming. The upstairs dining area is screened in with a view of the jungle. We loved the Tranquility Lodge and the surrounding jungle - complete with a swimming hole! We recommend the Tranquility Lodge.

We were there for 3 days and it was such a great experience. Everything was perfect including the room, the service, the great food (Sheila is a fantastic cook), the river, the jungle, the butterflies and, specially, the owners, Sheila and Rusty. We want to go back there !!! If you go in southern Belize, YOU MUST GO THERE!!!

Sheila and Rusty provided an amazing place for our service group to relax after long days of service work. The food was absolutely delicious (our group loved food a little bit too much). I would recommend Tranquility Lodge to everyone! Amazing!

A co-worker and I found Tranquility Lodge by "accident" on a scouting trip for an international service trip for university students. This was the best accident we ever made. Sheila and Rusty were amazing to work with and set up trip arrangements---their knowledge of the area helped us set up a great trip. Their extreme generosity while we were staying with them made us never want to leave! The meals were better than great (and we had big appetites after doing service all day!) and the rooms were perfect for our group (they even fed our coffee addictions!) This is a great spot for groups! We were able to reserve the whole lodge and the great room upstairs was ideal for meetings and daily debreifs. The swimming hole is a great place to cool off and the lodge is at a perfect location to get to PG, Mayan ruines, and other villages in towns in Toledo.

Rusty and Sheila Nale have definitely figured out the way to run a B&B! Their hospitality, friendliness and helpfulness far exceeded our expectations. The rooms in this jungle setting are very well appointed and clean. The furnishings are unique and lovely. The meals prepared by Sheila, Rusty and their staff were a definite surprise -- as good as, if not better than, any meal served at 5-Star hotels in the States. We would highly recommend the Tranquility Lodge to anyone wanting a comfy room and a fantastic meal in an absolutely beautiful setting. Tami and Chuck Swanson Ogden, Utah

What a lovely stay we had at Tranquility Lodge in April -- having learned I am a birder, Sheila and Rusty arranged for Agapito, an excellent local birder, to not only go birding around the lodge itself but also to lead tours to local sites including Mayan ruins and an organic cacao farm, birding along the way. This was such an easy and pleasant trip; both room and food were very good. I hope to return someday soon and recommend this lodge enthusiastically, especially to birders.

I thoroughly enjoyed my too brief of a stay with Shelia and Rusty at the Tranquility Inn. Their previous experience (decades as hotel and inn managers in Belize) is obvious – they are most gracious hosts. The Inn is well managed, clean, and is all one needs to relax and enjoy the nature and culture of the area. The surrounding grounds are lush in tropical plants and teeming with a plethora of birds. (A high point was seeing Belize’s national bird – the colorful Keel-Billed Toucan my last morning there.) Shelia prepared great meals, enough so that I asked for seconds, which she gladly served. They recommended tours (Mayan ruins, Cacao Trail, caving, snorkeling, diving) – there is something for everyone. I hope to return; next time I will spend more time in this corner of paradise!

We spent part of the first week of February 2010 at Tranquility Lodge near Punta Gorda. The lodge itself is a great place for birding, and the hosts Sheila and Rusty are extremely helpful in locating and identifying birds and orchids. The accommodations were excellent and clean; the food was delicious. We felt quite at home and were able to do day excursions from here. Sheila and Rusty were able to recommend guides, birding spots, restaurants in Punta Gorda, and other good places to stay in the north. We will be going back!

We were very well cared for our entire visit. Airport transportation, terrific tours, local information, and thoughtful assistance. That just covers the mechanics of traveling. The room was spacious, clean, and very comfortable. The meals were delicious, and we really enjoyed the enteraining stories and jokes. The Nale's made sure our visit was safe, ecological, educational and very enjoyable. We look forward to bringing our family back to enjoy the peace and quiet and beautiful surroundings at Tranquility Lodge. The plants and grounds and swimming hole provide a fantastic getaway. The hosts were generous in their assitance to provide whatever we needed, TV, Internet, Laundry, and Transportation. The tours they arranged, diving, and local interest sites were smooth and hassle free. We really had a great time in our last days in Belize at Tranquility Lodge, thanks to our hosts, Rusty and Sheila Nale.

The owners, Rusty and Sheila Nale, run a top-quality operation at Tranquility Lodge outside of Punta Gorda in Southern Belize. Tranquility Lodge is picturesque, quiet, comfortable, clean and exceptionally well run. The rooms are clean, comfortable and very well appointed. The grounds are attractive, clean, safe and private. Sheila's cooking is wonderful and she had no problems creating a vegetarian menu for the entire week that I was there. What impressed me the most, however, was there efforts in helping to plan out my week. Sheila worked with me on the itinerary and put together a perfectly-balanced week of tours, activities and experiences: everything from jungle tours and Mayan ruins to scuba diving and birding. Southern Belize is definitely an up-and-coming area and Tranquility Lodge is going to be a big part of that.

Tranquility Lodge is located in a convenient location not far from the main southern highway. The place is much higher quaility than many others that I've stayed at around Belize for same price. Rooms are well decorated, breakfast is delicious. Rusty and Sheila are great hosts, they really made our stay at Tranquility Lodge very enjoyable. There is also a great swimming hole that they have on their property where you can go take a dip in the nearby river. Highly recommended

We really enjoyed our stay at Tranquility Lodge. It feels like a hidden treasure in the jungle, even though it's very convenient to town. There are big, tall vine covered trees, bamboo and lots of tropical flowers, some of which I had never seen before. We even heard howler monkeys! One of our favorite things about Tranquility Lodge is the way the innkeepers, Rusty and Sheila Nale, make you feel right at home. Whether it's Rusty's great sense of humor and knowledge of the surroundings and ability to answer our many questions or Sheila's way of pampering her guests with delicious meals that had me asking for the recipes, the whole effect is warm and welcoming. We especially enjoyed the spacious upper palapa, where we spent many hours relaxing, reading and birdwatching. The rooms are each unique and offer different setups based on your needs. We chose the large family suite and it was perfect for my husband and I along with my 19 year old brother. It was very well decorated and had all of the comforts of home. The air conditioning ran nice and cold, just like we like it, and we even had an Ipod dock and a flat screen tv. The beds were super comfy and we all slept really well, making sure that we had our energy for some more sightseeing! The only problem that I had is that the three nights that we stayed there almost seemed too short because there is so much to do there. We're already planning our next trip down, we want to try out the Cultural Culinary Tour that Sheila told us about. We were able to visit some of the Mayan villages this trip, and I can't wait to take the cooking classes from all of the cultures unique to Belize, including Mayan, Garifuna, East Indian and even seeing how the natural cacao becomes chocolate, in the way that the Mayans have been doing it for centuries. All in all, we had a great time and I would recommend it highly. I can't wait to return, and I know my husband and brother heartily agree.

Our stay at the Tranquility Lodge was great! We went there for our anniversary and had a very relaxing time. This is the place to go if you want to get away from it all! The rooms were so comfortable, the food outstanding, and the hosts were great. We have recommended this lodge to all our friends! Sylvin & Mary Forman

You can experience the true Belizean rain forest "the real deal" and also go back to a cozy room with TV and AC if you like. The food was similar to a fine restaurant except you can be relaxed and wear your shorts and flip flops if you want to. Rusty and Shelia are the perfect host's concerned enough to look out for you, but letting you have your privacy too. They really know how to do it . Only bad thing...I wish I could remember Rusty's jokes then I would be the hit of the party!

Our stay with Sheila and Rusty felt like a home away from home. They treated us like family! They have a lovely lodge and went out of their way many times to make sure we were accomodated and happy. Sheila is a great cook and we were fed well the whole time. The grounds are wonderful to walk around on in the morning and evening and Rusty was always there to point out the birds and creatures. The A/C blew cold and the water ran hot. The bed was very comfy and the room was always clean. We didn't want to leave. I was actually surprised at how few bugs there were and didn't have a problem with any while there. We'll be back for sure and highly recommend you stay too! This couple knows how to run a business!