Maya Beach Hotel

, Placencia, Belize
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Maya Beach Hotel

, Placencia

Rooms: 10

Maya Beach - Placencia - Belize Hotel Website | | 520-8040
211 Traveller

Reviews - Maya Beach Hotel

Historical Traveller Reviews of Maya Beach Hotel

Great atmosphere and the best food in Placencia

from A TripAdvisor Member
I would like to thank John and Ellen for the best vacation we have ever had. This was our first trip to Belize and it was a trip with great memories. The Maya Beach Hotel is a great place to stay - we stayed in the Dreamsicle House Lower Level. The beds were comfortable, the room clean and large enough to accommodate our family. The view from the front porch was ideal and the hammocks made for a great place to nap.

We ate in several restaurants in and around Placencia, but none could compare to the food and service at the Maya Beach Hotel. The wait staff knew us by name and went out of their way to make us feel welcome and comfortable. The food was fresh, expertly prepared and served with a smile.

John and Ellen assisted us with planning trips and excursions and each one of them was excellent - the Mayan gods smiled upon us!

Thank you, John, Ellen and your whole staff, for a wonderful trip. We hope to see you again soon.

The Taylors

A special place!

from A TripAdvisor Member
My husband and I have stayed in some remarkable five star resorts from Hawaii to the Caribbean, and the Maya Beach Hotel didn’t seem like my style, but we were there for a family wedding. I was skeptical. Would it meet my rigid standards?

The quaint and charming Maya Beach Hotel is now one of our favorite places! It is a vacation unlike any we have previously experienced. The hospitality at the Maya Beach Hotel is unmatched. John and Ellen are incredible hosts and were attentive to our every need. Only have time for a short snorkeling excursion? John and Ellen will make it happen. At the end of our far-too-short stay, we knew many on the hotel staff by name. The food is as good as the best we have experienced on a vacation. The beach has pristine white sand and is diligently manicured and raked everyday. The Hotel is quiet and private – unlike the hustle and bustle we have experienced in other massive resorts. If you stay at the Maya Beach Hotel, you won’t need a vacation after your vacation.

If you need satellite cable TV (or even just a TV) in your room, a newspaper delivered to your door everyday, a gym and spa, and an overly decorated room with a large bathroom and garden tub, then the Maya Beach Hotel is not for you. Actually, then Belize is not for you. If you want a vacation away from the noise and the grind of everyday life in a place that is truly special, then visit the Maya Beach Hotel!

Beautiful location, fantastic price, and wonderful hosts!

from A TripAdvisor Member
My husband and I stayed at the Maya Beach Hotel for our honeymoon in late March/early April. We enjoyed ourselves immensely; the tours were phenomenal, the meals were delicious, the beach was beautiful (albeit windy most days), and our hosts (John & Ellen) were gracious and accommodating. We stayed in the Jaguar room which was just perfect for us. It was right next to the restaurant and steps away from the water.

If you are a practically-minded traveler who is looking for an economical option for a Belize vacation (and are not expecting the Ritz on a Motel 6 budget) you will be very happy with the Maya Beach Hotel. It seems like it goes without saying that whenever and wherever you travel, you should use common sense in keeping doors locked, etc., as you would at home, although we had no problems with safety or security. I was sad to read the comments of the previous guest, because our experience was absolutely the opposite!

We plan to come back to Belize and stay @ Maya Beach Hotel again someday. Hopefully sooner than later!

Paradise in Belize

from TitanGirlUSA0402
What a wonderful, relaxing place to visit! I stayed in the lower Dreamsicle and could not have asked for a better place to "get away from it all". John, Ellen and all of the staff remembered my name from the moment I arrived and treated our party like royalty. They were very accomadating and my mouth still waters whenever I think about ANY of the food. I ate at two other restaurants during my short stay and their food did not come close to being as WONDERFUL as John's at Maya Beach Hotel. Everything from the day trips they suggested and helped plan to the wedding & reception they planned, produced and carried out was fabulous!!! Before I left, I was already planning a return trip to stay longer. Maya Beach Hotel & Restaurant are First Class without the fluff and expense of fancy resorts.

Staff of Kings!!!

from Celerysmommy
Maya Beach Hotel....what can't I say about it?
We decided to have our wedding there, even though, as a rule, they do not have weddings there. We had 16 people in our party...so vitually we had the whole Hotel to ourselves and it was amazing. I couldn't have thought of a better place to hold our ceremony, our reception and house our friends and family.
The Staff at Maya Beach Hotel is probably the best group of people I have encountered on any trip (and I have been a lot of places, even overseas). The owners, Ellen and John were the most accomodating and easy-going people I know. They and their staff went out of their way - on every account - to make everything go smoothly and wonderfully for us, and everyone in our party. All my friends and relatives have raved about Maya Beach Hotel. In fact, we are planning a trip back for our anniversary.
I think Maya Beach Hotel (about about 15 others that were with us have the same opinion) is a great place to stay. Each room is very unique and you feel like you are an individual at their hotel. No room is right next door to another and besides being simply, yet comfortably decorated, it is truly affordable. It is not the Ritz, or the Hilton, but it carries so much more for the traveler looking for something different. Our room, the Coconut Room was simply beautiful. I never heard one bad comment from any of our party, but praises about the individuality of each room and space in the Hotel.
Now, one word about the food/bistro at Maya Beach Hotel...SUPERB! I don't think there is any other place I have been to where everything I put in my mouth was absolutely delightful and sinfully delicious. John and the kitchen staff created some culinary excellence everytime I sat down to eat. Their food was fresh, rich, and had local flare, always. If I lived in Placencia, I would eat there at least once a day. Everyone in our party could not get over how great the food was there. It is on our "best restaurant" list for life!
Placencia is a slower-paced, simpler place and if you are looking for a cosmopolitan, fancy, upscale experience, then head to another part of Belize...or not Belize at all. If you want super people, a friendly, helpful staff, and excellent cuisine...then Maya Beach is my pick, every time! Love you guys! Can't wait to come back!

t stay in Dreamsicle House at Maya Beach Hotel

from not2old2go
The good points are that the hotel and Dreamsicle House are on a pretty beach and there is a good restaurant on the premisis.

However - when we checked in to both the upper and lower apartments of the Dreamsicle House we were told that the refrigerator was broken (no compensation to be made), and then found pans without handles, pots full of rust and burned on grease, squeaky doors, toilet tissue holders falling off the wall, patio chairs broken, etc. John was obviously angry that we would complain and responded that "this is Belize, you know". Ellen suggested that we might be happier in a different accommodation and was helpful in giving us names of other places to stay.

Unfortunately, we were expecting friends to join us and did not leave. The following morning we realized how unbelievably negligent that managers / owners Ellen and John were in not warning us that there had been a number of robberies of locals and tourists in the area recently. Theives came into our rooms that night while we were sleeping and went through clothes and bags - taking all of our cash. Needless to say - we left the next day. For the rest of the week we had a wonderful stay at LaruBeya - a new condominium development where the owners went out of their way to make sure things were ok (although it was more expensive).

Also, be aware of the fact that the hotel and house are right on the noisy and extremely dusty road. You would do better to go closer to Placencia to a place that is farther off the road and where there are a number of delightful and much less expensive restaurants.

It is ironic that of the six hotels / lodges we stayed in while in Belize, five were owned / managed by Belizeans - all of whom were friendly, accommodating and helpful. Only at the Maya Beach Hotel were there American owners / managers who were difficult, unpleasant and not interested in making sure they provided good service.

Best and most charming place on the beach!

from A TripAdvisor Member
First of all, hats off to the staff. They were friendly, knowledgeable, helpful, and A++ on the service. The owners and the program coordinator made sure that every little detail of our plans was in order and we got the best guides, transportation, and gear available. All of our trips; snorkeling on the barrier reef, sailing to the many cayes, cruising up the Monkey River, horse-back riding, and even simple trips to town were all wonderful with the careful planning and arrangements made by the excellent staff. The rooms were great, the beach was beautiful, the location was pristine. I would definitely stay here again. Oh, and the hotel has the best restaurant on the beach.

A wonderful place to stay!

from A TripAdvisor Member
I loved Maya Beach Hotel! The owners, John and Helen, provide a relaxing, peaceful atmosphere. The food is superb (due to John's experience as a chef) and the hospitality is bar none! They have free use of kayaks and bicycles. Their staff is personable and pleasant. They all work to address you by name and get to know you better. The sunrises are breathtaking, and there is a palapa at the end of their pier where you can sit in one of the adirondack chairs or sway in the breeze on a hammock. The only downfall is that Maya Beach is at the north end of a 7 mile peninsula which makes it challenging to get around other than by car. Don't bicycle to Placencia village unless you want to be run over by construction trucks, burned to a crisp by the hot sun, and covered in road dust. :) Overall, I would absolutely stay there again and hope to soon!

Oscar is great!

from A TripAdvisor Member
We stayed at this place in February 2006 and loved it. The perfect place for a stay in Placencia. Food was EXCELLENT--the best on the peninsula in our opinion, service was wonderful (Oscar at the bar was a great ambassador of both the hotel and his country), and the location made it easy to do a number of day trips. The hotel will arrange for you to snorkel, take a river cruise, and do almost anything else you can think of. Rooms are unfussy and have separate baths, the beach is beautiful white sand with 3 or 4 hammocks stretched between palm trees and a short dock at the end of which is a cute gazebo (again, with a hammock).

One word of caution: this isn't a super-inclusive luxury resort with a lot of hububb going on, so don't expect that kind of place. What you should expect is a small, well-run beach hotel, personal and friendly service, great location, FABULOUS food, clean rooms, and a quiet, relaxing atmosphere.

And the food is great:)

Food

from A TripAdvisor Member
We had a wonderful time at this sun drenched , quaint , hotel. Located on Placencia, Belize it is the hotspot for its dining and friendliness. Superb service, too. John and Ellen really go out of their way to make your stay pleasant. Had fabulous views of the sunrise. Loved the gazebo and hammocks out in the water. Snorkeling fun-more an activity. Can take a day trip for snorkeling off beach. Excellent hospitality and clean rooms. Would recommend to anyone and we did while there- a few couples came for dinner. What a wonderful way to spend a vacation-Relaxing.

Top Local Tips for Placencia

Interesting experience the roads are mostly dirt and a bit jarring. It is a trip for relaxation and I would limit your travel outside the hotel to every other day.

Placencia Tips 1) The roads in Belize are not all paved and public transportation is not on a major schedule. We heard from multiple people who are very familiar with Belize, that using the bus to go long distances, especially from Placencia to anywhere else in the country, is long and can be unpredictable. We would recommend paying the $70-80 US each way to fly in and out of Placencia. Check out Tropic Air - we were told it was the most reliable. We flew Tropic Air from Placencia to Belize City - glad we did this rather than take the bus as originally planned. 2) Taxis to and from Placencia to/from Maya Beach are about US $15 each way. Plan your trips accodingly. 3) Attractions - in Maya Beach, definitely try out the bistro at Maya Beach Hotel. The Hungy Gecko in Maya Beach is also good. In Placencia village, Wendy's (NOT the fast food, don't worry!) makes a mean shrimp quesadilla and burrito. There is an ice cream place across from Wendy's that is fab, I think it's called Tutti Frutti.

Food Safety We ate everything on the menu at the hotel, and tried some other restaurants suggested by Ellen. We did not get even remotely sick- and I am obsessive about safe food preparation- I won't even eat at various establishments in the U.S. We drank the water provided at meals, ice, fresh fruits and veggies, and the filtered water in the tap in our bathroom.

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Other names for Maya Beach Hotel

  • maya beach placencia
  • hotel maya beach
  • Address: Maya Beach - Placencia - Belize
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