3 Senses Lounge: An Outdoor Fine-dining Experience in Cayo  

Over the weekend, special invited guests attended the soft launch of a new restaurant and lounge in Cayo District.  It’s called 3 Senses and it’s a fine-dining experience that appeals to the faculties of sight, smell and taste.  The brainchild of a husband and wife couple that migrated to Belize from Germany, 3 Senses is an extension of Vanilla Hills Lodge and its their initiative to bring European wine culture to the Jewel.  In a sponsored segment we’ll take a firsthand look at the new 3 Senses.  Here’s News Five’s Isani Cayetano.

 

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

At the pinnacle of gourmet dining, the harmonious marriage between a well-chosen bottle of wine and a dish transcends taste boundaries.  Wine does more than accompany a meal; it complements, contrasts, and enhances each bite, unfolding layers of complexity that captivate the senses.

 

Claudia Konig, Owner, 3 Senses Lounge

“The concept behind 3 Senses is really that we want to specifically provide a very nice experience for our Belizean guests, not only for the tourists.  And the name 3 Senses comes from the fact that if you want to have a nice meal, or a nice experience with food and beverages, all three senses they need to be pleased.  You need to see something, it needs to be appealing for the eyes, if you smell it, it should smell very nice and finally, the taste buds, they need to be satisfied as well.”

 

The soft glow of string lights glimmer across wood and glass architecture, fire dances on water, and the air is infused with the aroma of wine and food.  Each sip and bite are carefully choreographed and designed to create a distinct sensory experience.  Welcome to 3 Senses, a restaurant and lounge nestled in the heart of Vanilla Hills, just outside of San Ignacio.

 

Franklin Syrowatka, Owner, 3 Senses Lounge

“3 Senses, first of all, it is something that was born between my wife and myself, you know. We have a hotel, this is a hotel here, and we are close to San Ignacio.  So what you want to do is give your guests a reason to stay at the hotel in the evening and not go to town, so you want to create something nice.  That’s how it started.”

 

 

Since then, Claudia Konig and her husband, Franklin Syrowatka, have invested significantly in an outdoor experience that embodies the spirit of Cayo District.  The couple fell in love with western Belize when they relocated from Germany over a decade ago.

 

 

Franklyn Syrowatka

“I came up with this circular shape of the lounge because, I think, it closes you in a little but it opens up to the pool.  Doing it like that, we could create these little nooks, you know, for two people, divided by plants.  So that’s how we started.”

 

 

 

The fine-dining experience here goes beyond mere sustenance, it is an art form and a celebration of life’s pleasures.

 

Claudi Konig

“We’ve created a classy and sophisticated place for our Belizean guests to come here to give yourself a treat, to enjoy the evening and maybe to get an experience you’ve never had before.  To taste a whiskey you have never heard of before or just to kind of get use to drinking wine in Belize.  Most Belizeans, they are not really familiar with wine and you can’t blame them because in the past it was not really in the culture here.”

 

The ambiance of 3 Senses whispers sophistication, inviting guests to embark on a culinary journey like no other. 

 

Claudia Konig

“Currently, we have fifty different kinds of wine on our shelves and we try to bring a very good experience with wine to our customers.”

 

 

 

Isani Cayetano

“What do you believe is the draw or the centerpiece for anyone who comes to 3 Senses?”

 

Franklin Syrowatka

“Well I believe it is the fire and the water, from a visual point of view, and then of course we have a wide selection of wines, you know, so we want to be ambassadors for wine.”

 

Isani Cayetano

“And whiskey.”

 

Franklin Syrowatka

“And whiskey, yes.  Although I must admit, my heart is where the wine grows because I grew up in a wine growing area of Germany and it was part of the culture there.”

 

 

 

In this symphony of flavors, wine and food intertwine, leaving behind not just a meal but a cherished memory, a sensory masterpiece etched in time.

 

Claudia Konig

“First of all, I would like to say big thanks to my husband, who is the mastermind behind the concept and to all the workers who participated and who are working for us, to kind of finish or fulfill our dream and big thanks to our amazing staff.”

 

Isani Cayetano for News Five.