Swimming. The Caribbean Sea is beautifully shallow for a few hundred feet in front of the Maya Beach Hotel. So even non-swimmers can enjoy being in the water. The sandy bottom makes it easy to spot many of the small fish and occasional crustacean. We haven’t seen it yet, but a lobster could walk right up to the beach and offer itself for your dinner!
Kayaking and snorkeling. With a little effort, you can paddle one of our four complimentary kayaks out to False Caye, a small island approximately a mile away from the hotel. It takes around 3/4 hour in each direction. Take along your snorkeling gear and have a look at the coral and other underwater life surrounding the caye. You can also explore the interior of this mangrove caye with its interior lakes. Kayaking on the Placencia Lagoon is possible as well – please ask for details. The hotel maintains a small supply of snorkeling gear, but you may want to bring your own to ensure you get the size and fit you need.
Bicycling. We have a few bicycles at the hotel that are free for you to use if you like. Take a short trip up or down the road to one of the other nearby resorts for lunch, or spend the day riding to Seine Bight or all the way to Placencia Village. It’s impossible to get lost, since only one road serves the peninsula.
Placencia Village. Take a bus or taxi to the lovely town of Placencia at the end of the peninsula. There, you can hang out with Creole fishermen and other locals in one of the popular watering holes. Stroll up the beach. Have a lobster burrito for lunch. Check out the tiny shops that line the “sidewalk”, named in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s smallest street. At the end of the day, return to the Maya Beach Hotel to unwind.
Seine Bight Village. This village is just 3 miles from the Maya Beach Hotel and it is where you can experience the Garifuna culture. A few small restaurants let you sample Garifuna cooking and a popular artist also works from her studio in Seine Bight.
Bird watching. Belize is home to more than 500 species of birds. Many of them make their homes in the coastal areas of Belize, including Placencia Peninsula and the nearby cayes. Hop on a bicycle or walk the peninsula to try and spot the birds in the Maya Beach area.
For pricing information and details for each tour, please click the link after each description. Please note that these prices are set by the tour operators and sometimes they change so if you would like to book any of these activities in advance, please contact us and we will contact the tour operators on your behalf.
Snorkeling. Licensed guides will take you to fabulous locations to see Belize’s marine life. Inside the reef, you can see the smaller and more delicate tunicates, anemones and sponges that survive in the clear, calm waters. Most of the snorkeling inside the reef is done from the beaches of small cayes. For more adventurous snorkeling, take a guided trip outside the reef. Or try the spectacular experience of giant, harmless whale sharks swimming next to you. .
Diving. With the world’s second longest barrier reef just 18 miles directly east of you, the underwater possibilities are endless. Cave dives, wall dives, shark dives, and wrecks beckon divers of all levels. We work with all the licensed dive operators in the area, so tell us the kind of diving you like and we will arrange the best possible experience for you. .
Dive instruction and certification. Get certified in as little as three days, or take a course to advance your skills and enhance your enjoyment of diving. .
Try a dive. A "discover dive" is a real dive with a certified dive instructor, but you can do it without certification. It's a great way to find out what all your scuba diving friends get so excited about! Then if you like it, get certified in as little as three days! .
Fly fishing. Our area is renowned for saltwater flyfishing. If you like to fish, you should try it! Guides will pick you up at the hotel, provide gear and take you out for a day of some of the most challenging fishing anywhere. Bonefish, tarpon and permit fish are abundant, and it might look easy when you can see the fish right in front of you, but tempting it on to your hook is another matter altogether. .
Deep sea fishing. Venture outside the reef and try your luck capturing dorado, tuna, grouper, snapper, sea bass, or even a huge marlin. Placencia’s guides know just where to go to keep you in the middle of the action. .
Cockscomb Basin tours. The Belize government set aside this large sanctuary to help protect native species like the jaguar. Set in a basin surrounded by the Maya Mountains, the entrance to this subtropical rainforest preserve is less than 30 miles from the Maya Beach Hotel. A guide can take you deep into the forest, where you’ll see many species of native plants and animals, including the jaguar, the rare red eye tree frog, 300 species of birds, orchids, and giant trees – including Belize’s exotic hardwoods. .
Monkey River and Manatee tours. Join a boat tour or kayak up the Monkey River where you’ll see – you guessed it – monkeys! Or choose a shorter Lagoon tour to view the giant Manatees in the wild.
Maya sites. Some estimate that 2 million Mayans once lived in Belize. Today, the entire country only has around 240,000 residents, with a small percentage being Mayan. Easy day trips from the Maya Beach Hotel can include Lubaantun and Nim Li Punit. Excursions to other Maya sites and villages can be arranged as well. .
Cave tours. Cool off by hiking, swimming or floating through one of Belize’s fantastic underground cave systems. A visit to Blue Creek Cave can be combined with Nim Li Punit or Lubaantun for an exciting day trip. Other cave tours further inland can be arranged. .
Horseback riding. An inland adventure that includes horseback riding along the Pine Ridge in the Cayo district, plus swimming in a pristine cave. .
Massage and other spa services. Everything from a private masseuse to larger resort spas can be arranged through the Maya Beach Hotel. .
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