From Belize City, Dangriga, and Punta Gorda, there are flights several times a day on the two national airlines; Maya Island Air and TropicAir. Once at the Placencia airstrip, we can arrange a taxi transfer for you.
Sometimes the local airlines offer cash discounts for walk-up/standby customers. If you don’t mind taking the risk, you can try that to save a few dollars. Keep in mind that each plane carries only 12 passengers, though. If, on the other hand, you want to be sure to have a seat, you need to book in advance and pay the regular fare. The airlines also offer various fares, including lower non-refundable fares, depending on your flexibility and luggage allowance.
There is also bus service. Since schedules are complicated, please visit this website for details: http://www.placencia.com/services.htm#trans . You will probably take a bus from Belize City to Belmopan and then Dangriga, and then transfer to a bus to Placencia. If you take the bus from Belize City or Dangriga, it passes the hotel so please let the conductor know you wish to get off at Maya Beach. For Maya Beach, this is a much better route than taking the bus to Independence (that will involve an additional water taxi to Placencia and then another taxi to Maya Beach). It’s much better to take the bus that passes 100 feet from our front door!
One of the nice ways to travel is to rent a car at the international airport in Belize City. It takes about 3.25 hours to drive to Maya Beach from Belize City. Private taxis can also transfer you to and from the hotel for a price of around $250-300 US each way. Depending on your group size, a private taxi can be a little less expensive than flying. Driving directions from Belize City are available here. If you drive, you should look for signs for Maya Beach approximately 6 miles after you turn on to the peninsula at Riversdale. Once you enter the Maya Beach area, look for our sign on the left, or the sea side, of the road. If you reach Jaguar Lanes, Green Parrot Resort, Mangos restaurant or the Maya Breeze Inn, you have gone a little too far South.
If you want to fly to Placencia and then rent a car or golf cart, you can do it through a local rental company called Placencia Car Rentals, Barefoot Rentals, or Budget. Cars rent for $70-120 US dollars per day. Golf carts are around $60-$70. Please mention us when you contact them so they know how to reach you. Should the Placencia companies be out of cars, some rental companies in Belize City will send a car down for you. The cost of doing this is approximately $200-250 US dollars to have a car delivered to you in Placencia. It will cost another $200-250 US dollars to have the car picked up, but if you drive it to Belize City yourself, you can save that charge. Normal car rental fees of $70 to $120 US dollars per day will apply.
Within walking distance you will find a small convenience store and a few small restaurants. If you don’t have a car, you can use taxis to go further. There are also a few busses toward Placencia Village in the afternoon and evening, and you can return by taxi whenever you choose.
The answer to this depends on what you plan to do on your vacation. Golf carts cost between USD $60 and $70 per day, depending on where you rent them. Cars are in the USD $70 to $120 range per day. Since taxis are only USD $20 one-way for the 8 miles to Placencia Village, even though that might sound expensive, it would cost less than using a golf cart if you’re only planning on one trip to the Village per day. However, if you like to have a lot of freedom and make more frequent trips, a golf cart could be a good choice (albeit a little slow). If you want to drive around the countryside and visit some of the national parks, farms, or Mayan sites on your own, you can take advantage of having a car, although it certainly isn’t necessary since engaging Belizean tour guides are available to take you just about anywhere.
There are tour operators to the North and South of the Maya Beach Hotel. Some are independent, and some are associated with other resorts. Most tour operators will pick you up at the hotel as long as the tours are booked in advance. We can recommend those who do, if you want to save a little transportation cost. Any tour that you would like to do can be arranged by our Front Desk staff.
Yes. If you have your own laptop, tablet or smartphone, you can connect with wifi. There is no charge. We attempt to cover every corner of the property with more than 20 routers
We have a small number of complimentary kayaks, SUPs, and snorkeling sets available for guests to use on a first-come first-served basis.
Yes! We have a small pool adjacent to our outdoor dining area. It is available to guests of the hotel and the rental houses.
US dollars will be welcome in the hotel and other local establishments. Maya Beach Hotel does NOT accept travelers’ cheques. For total fees of approximately 3-5 percent (fees from both your home bank and a Belize bank), you can get a cash advance in Belize Dollars from a bank using your ATM card or credit card. If you like to have small change on hand for tips, etc., please bring US $ in small denominations ($1, $5, $10).
All rooms have drip coffee makers and small beverage refrigerators. Our king suites and vacation rental properties (beach houses) do have kitchens or kitchenettes. Our restaurant serves meals all day,and offers room service.
Our housekeepers can do small amounts of laundry for guests. The charge is BZ $40 (US $20) per small load. We are not able to dry clean or wash delicate items.
The Maya Beach Hotel is on a long beach with some of the softest sand in Belize. There is 60-70 feet of sand between the hotel and the water. Nothing else (except coconut trees, hammocks and beach chairs). The water is very shallow in front of the hotel, and you can walk out sixty feet in waist-deep water. Walking up and down the beach, you will pass in front of some other developed beach properties as well as some natural sections of beach, perfect for beachcombing! Depending on the weather conditions, the water may be extremely clear, cloudy with sand or even occasionally “murky”. There is no way to predict the water conditions in advance. But keep in mind, a 45-minute excursion to the beautiful cayes gives you crystal clear snorkeling & diving regardless of the on-shore conditions.
Most rooms have king beds, please refer to the individual room descriptions for more information and pictures. The rooms have small tables and chairs with pretty views out large windows and an attached balcony or patio. The difference between rooms and suites are rooms have a coffee maker and mini-fridge only while suites have kitchenettes or kitchens.
Electricity in Belize is 110V/60Hz (same as the US). All of the outlets at the Maya Beach Hotel are the US type. Voltage variations and surges can occur and we suggest that you bear that in mind if you are planning to use your laptop computer or other electronic devices. Irons are available from the Front Desk on request but are not provided in every room.
Yes, we do host weddings, special events, and family reunions. Please email info@mayabeachhotel.com for additional information.
No. All of our hotel rooms are non-smoking as are indoor common areas of the hotel and restaurant.
You may smoke outdoors, but please be considerate of other guests and restaurant patrons and smoke in areas where others are not affected. This includes balcony areas where the smoke may enter a guest room due to the breeze.
Sorry, pets are not allowed in either the hotel or the rental houses, but please show us a picture of yours because we like cats and dogs too!
Besides the Bistro at the Maya Beach Hotel, there are several other dining options in Maya Beach. Restaurante Laguna at Umaya Resort, Azure del Mar at Singing Sands, Green Parrot, Rum Bum, Potliquors, and Jaguar Lanes (a 4-lane bowling alley) serves very casual food.
One of the great things about Belize is that the public is always allowed to use the waterfront. Locals and tourists wander up and down the beach to their hearts’ content, although in quiet Maya Beach you often have the beach to yourself.
Belize is a developing country and the Placencia Peninsula is a little isolated, so you should be aware that emergency services such as police, fire or rescue services are very limited and are not usually able to respond quickly. There is one police officer in Maya Beach, about 1/2 mile from our hotel. Placencia Village has a nurse and family doctor and it is a 15-minute drive from Maya Beach. Please take precautions to safeguard yourself and your belongings when you travel. We recommend leaving unnecessary valuable items at home.
Yes, you can drink the water from all guestroom sinks and all of the water in the restaurant. This water is purchased from the local water district and is potable. Many rooms also have water filters at the sink. We do not provide bottled water in the guestrooms as we are trying to reduce our use of single use plastics. We use a combination of well water and rain water for all toilets and showers. While the well water is treated with chlorine, it should not be consumed. If you prefer bottled water, it is readily available in the restaurant and at local shops. Note: we encourage you to refill water bottles with the hotel’s own purified water to reduce plastic waste.
Sandflies (no see’ums) and mosquitoes are sometimes present in the Maya Beach area, but well-maintained beaches do help keep the bugs at bay. Lemon-Eucalyptus oil is an excellent natural repellant. DEET-based repellents work very well to repel mosquitoes and sandflies, and other products like Avon Skin-So-Soft’s Bug Guard are also popular repellents for sandflies. If you are extremely sensitive to insect stings or bites, you will probably prefer to sleep in an air-conditioned room with the windows closed. The Maya Beach Hotel maintains our beach and facilities in ways that control flying insects, but it is a natural, subtropical environment. At times there are other insects but they are rarely a nuisance in maintained areas.
Everyone needs a valid passport to visit Belize. Americans, Canadians, EC passport holders, and many other nationalities may visit Belize without obtaining a visa in advance. Please visit this website http://belizetourism.net/info/enrq_wkpmt.html to see the entry visa requirements for your nationality.
US dollars are accepted throughout the country. There is a fixed rate for the Belize dollar (BZ $) against the US dollar (roughly 2 BZ$ = 1 US$). Most establishments will accept US dollars and will give you change in Belize dollars. TRAVELERS CHECKS ARE NO LONGER ACCEPTED. There are two ATMs in Placencia Village and one in Seine Bight Village. Our recommendation is to bring a little cash for small businesses but rely on your credit card for security. If you are traveling from outside the United States, you should exchange your own currency into US dollars before you come. .
The Maya Beach Hotel accepts Visa, Mastercard and AMEX for payment, both for your accommodations and for incidentals such as meals, drinks, and tours while you are here. Cards are widely accepted at most retailers, but some of the smaller shops may require cash. Additionally, bear in mind that the exchange rate is a little more favorable when you use cash as your credit card company will use the official bank rate and may charge a foreign transaction fee, while cash is accepted at the rounded-up 2/1 rate to the US dollar.
The climate here is subtropical. The temperature is almost always in the low 80s to low 90s during the day. In the summer, nights are very warm and in the winter there is more relief from the heat with temperatures dropping in to the high 60s and low 70s overnight. There is normally less rain between the months of November and April but there is a chance of rain year-round and especially in the summer. A few internet sites have statistics which are interesting, if not helpful. The most comprehensive we have found is WorldClimate.com. The Savannah Forest Station is a few miles from us.
Tropical storms and hurricanes can threaten Belize, normally in the months of June – November. If you are traveling anywhere in the Caribbean you should have a contingency plan during those months. It might be as simple as purchasing travel insurance so that you can make a claim if your flights or prepaid hotel stays are disrupted by a storm. The Maya Beach Hotel monitors local and international weather sources and will keep guests informed of any potentially threatening tropical storms or hurricanes. If there is a storm approaching, we will advise guests of any recommendations made by Belize’s national weather and safety authorities and guests will be required to comply, even if that means early evacuation.
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There are some diseases in Belize that you can be vaccinated against before your trip. These include Hepatitis A and B, Typhoid, Tetanus, and Influenza. Ask your doctor which vaccinations are currently recommended or visit an immunization clinic. If you are not fully vaccinated for COVID-19 you will need to have present a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival that is no more than 96 hours old.
The main mobile provider in Belize uses GSM technology. If you have a phone with a SIM card, and you have a plan that allows international roaming, most likely your phone will work but remember that calls while roaming may be expensive. If you are going to be in Belize for an extended period and you expect to make a number of calls, check to see if your phone is unlocked so that you can purchase a SIM card from BTL (Belize Telemedia Ltd) in order to save some money.
We highly recommend using WhatsApp on your iPhone, Android or Google phone. WhatsApp is the most commonly used international messaging platform and you’ll find that many Belizean businesses use it for guest communications. The WhatsApp number at Maya Beach Hotel is +5016067617.
If your phone does not work here, we have a cell phone that guests can use while on the property to make calls, both locally and internationally. This will cost approximately 30-40 US cents per minute to call North America and 10-20 cents per minute to make calls within Belize. Again, we highly recommend using WhatsApp for no-cost calls between cell phone users.
Belize is on the Caribbean (East) coast of Central America, sharing borders with Mexico and Guatemala.
Actually, Belize is officially an English-speaking country. However, Spanish is the first or second language of many Belizeans so you may have a chance to use Spanish when you are here. You might also pick up some Belizean Kriol or a few words from the Garifuna or Maya people you may meet. A lot of Belizeans speak 3 or 4 languages!
Belize is a very diverse country, populated by Mestizos (44%), Creole (30%), Mayan/Indian (11%), and Garifuna people (7%). The remaining 8% of the population is made up of North Americans, Europeans, and Asians. While people live rather harmoniously, there are distinct cultural differences that can be seen in towns throughout the country. While at the Maya Beach Hotel, you will likely meet Belizeans of all sorts.
In terms of population, Belize has around 400,000 permanent residents. Its physical size is roughly the size of Massachusetts, or about two thirds the size of Belgium. Belize has around 240 miles of coastline on the Caribbean.
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