The first brief taste I got of those villages was about six months ago when I drove through the Belize River Valley with the manager and co-owner of Maruba Resort, Nicky Nicholson, who is something of a community activist in that neck of the woods. We stopped at every village. I liked what I saw. The expansive fields, the lush tropical growth and the sociable villagers all dovetailed together making for a grand tour.   

To get back to surfing the internet. On travelbelize.org in the Belize District section was a listing for accommodations in Scotland Halfmoon at the M & H Ranch and a contact number.  I phoned the number several times Thursday and Friday to no avail. Being in the newspaper business one learns there is more than one way to skin a cat, so I called the village phone to leave a message for the owners of the “Ranch”, the Hendys. Still no response. Perseverance eventually paid off. Saturday I called Scotland Halfmoon’s village chairperson, Mrs. Iva Charlesworth who I met through Nicky and asked her if she could help me get in touch with the “Ranch”. Charlesworth’s husband Herman made the connection and reserved accommodations for me, my son and a friend of his for the “Ranch”.

The “Ranch” resort is owned and operated by Melford and Hilda Hendy, (the M & H in the resort’s name). Besides being an authentic bush experience Hendy’s place is a functioning horse and cattle ranch. They have a 50 acre spread with 70 head of horses and what looks like an equal number of cattle. They also grow rice and corn.

The “Ranch” has two cabins which sit about fifty feet from the bank of the river. The vistas are spectacular. The cabins have a rustic exterior, while the interior is comfortable and homey: bed, tables, selves of books, refrig, micro-wave, sink, shower and sewage. And even though the “Ranch” is situated way off the beaten track, one never feels alone for the holler monkeys sing their soulful songs night and day, shades of Jurassic Park.

The Hendys also provide grass-roots Creole cuisine for those travelers that prefer not to cook their own, Melford’s daughter-in-law prepared some hearty rice-n-beans with beef for a late supper. The delectable meal was gobbled up in record time; like Houdini, now you see it, now you don’t. 

Hendy’s “Ranch” is a pleasant experience. A place to kick back and savor the joys of rural life. It is well worth the trouble to get there: a true hidden gem.

For those interested in experiencing the “Ranch”, finding it isn’t difficult. Once you pass the Scotland Halfmoon Bridge take the second right turn off the Bel Riv Road, (the first right takes you to Flowers Bank). Follow that dirt road straight ahead. Once the road devolves into a picado continue on it until it ends at the “Ranch”, about a three mile drive.