The Maya Beach Hotel, a small hotel in Placencia, Belize, sits on a pretty section of beach midway down the peninsula. The Maya Beach Hotel staff are chosen for their pleasant personalities as well as their skills. They come from neighboring Mayan, Creole and Garifuna villages. http://www.caribbeanmag.com/search/hotels/Belize/mayabeachhotel/hotel/773/3/ en-us Copyright 1998 e-TravelMedia.com/CaribbeanMag.com Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:52:40 EST The Maya Beach Hotel sits on a soft sand beach right in the middle of the Placencia Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea, just off the bright red clay road that extends the length of the peninsula. We'll encourage you to see what's down that road, but we understand if you're too content to move. From your hammock you can feast your eyes on some of the most brilliant colors in nature. On an average day, you'll see pelicans, iguanas, tropical birds, small fish. On a lucky day, add a manatee or a school of dolphins. By night, you can lose yourself in the sounds of the sea and the black depths of the sky. No city lights. No city noise. Just a few other adventurers and yarn-spinning locals winding down for the day. Maya Beach isn't quite a town, but it has a few small restaurants and a good local shop for necessities. Placencia Village is a pretty Creole town at the end of the peninsula, and you can get there by bus or taxi. Along the way you'll pass through Seine Bight Village, interesting for its Garifuna people and culture. Other resorts dot the peninsula and welcome visitors for lunch and dinner. John and Ellen Lee, the owners, are travelers themselves. Between them, they have lived in 6 countries, worked in 20, and visited 60. John, an Australian engineer, and Ellen, an American advertising executive, decided they'd had enough of the fast lane and opted for the decidedly slower pace of Belize. They are committed to helping you get the most out of your stay. The Maya Beach Hotel staff are chosen for their pleasant personalities as well as their skills. They come from neighboring Mayan, Creole and Garifuna villages. They respect our guests' privacy yet when asked, are quick to offer suggestions for activities that might enhance your Belize experience. AMENITIES: Each of the rooms at the Maya Beach Hotel has a different view and amenities. All rooms include screened windows, a ceiling fan, private bath with hot and cold water, a small table and chairs, safe drinking water, and nice cotton linens. Our Standard and Deluxe rooms are air conditioned. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hibiscus Room and Toucan Room Standard Beach View Our standard rooms have queen beds, large windows, tiled or hardwood floors, air conditioning and ceiling fans. Private baths have hot and cold water, plus a separate fresh drinking water tap. The Hibiscus Room is on ground level of the main building, and the Toucan Room is on the second floor of the other building. These beachfront rooms have nice views of the sea. Occupancy: Max 2 Pax + 0 Pax Extra or 0 Children -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jaguar Room Standard Beach View Plus The Jaguar room is one of our standard rooms with a queen bed plus a set of bunk beds. It faces the beach and has A/C and a ceiling fan. Occupancy: Max 4 Pax + 0 Pax Extra or 0 Children -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Coconut Room Deluxe The Coconut room is our largest hotel room, on the 2nd floor of the Hotel. It has a queen-size bed plus a queen-size futon, is air conditioned and has walk-out access to the balcony and views through the coconut palms to the sea. Occupancy: Max 2 Pax + 2 Pax Extra or 2 Children -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iguana and Hummingbird Rooms Economy Garden View The Iguana and Hummingbird rooms have queen-size beds with air conditioning, garden views and some beach views. They are just steps from the beach. Occupancy: Max 2 Pax + 0 Pax Extra or 0 Children -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Private Beach Unit Rentals "Joya Del Mar" Just 100 feet up the beach from the Hotel is a cute, breezy 2nd-floor beach house suite with 2 balconies. Nice views! Sleeps 3, with a queen bed + single daybed for a child or third adult. Use our online reservations system to see pricing and availability. "Beach House - upper level" Adjacent to the hotel is a stately beach house with its main living quarters on the upper level. This private rental includes two bedrooms (each with queen beds), a nice bathroom, a full kitchen and an open living area with views out to the sea. The large balcony is the perfect place for an afternoon nap in a hammock. A swimming pool on the property gives you the choice of the big blue Caribbean Sea or a freshwater dip. "Beach House - lower level" In the same house is a ground-floor apartment available for rent daily, weekly or monthly. This apartment has two large rooms separated by a bathroom. The room in the front has a queen bed, a table and chairs, and a full kitchen. The room in the back has another queen bed. This apartment is very basic (with furniture that might remind you of college...) but it's also large, inexpensive and right on the beach! ACTIVITIES: There is no end to the activities you can do from here. Entertaining local guides can pick you up at the hotel and take you on an adventure of a lifetime. Just draw a circle with a 50-mile radius around us, and you'll see that we are surrounded by the best of Belize. 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. 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. DINING/RESTARUANTS: Breakfast selections: Continental breakfast with homemade breads Fresh fruit Eggs benedict Bacon and egg burger Coconut French Toast Pancakes or Pancakes Deluxe (with papaya compote and diced thick bacon) Bar menu and appetizers: Whole roasted garlic with tomato chutney, brie, and toastettes Caesar salad Ceviche Gazpacho with grilled shrimp Bacon-wrapped shrimp Lobster-mango summer rolls Coconut ribs Big Creek Banana Boat Dinner menu: Cocoa dusted pork chop on rissotto cake with papaya-coconut butter sauce Fish stacked on roasted vegetables with green onion crema Five-onion cioppino Sassy shrimp pot Lobster tail Temple of Chicken Type: Hotel Beach Location: Beach Front (Directly on Beach/Water Front) http://www.caribbeanmag.com/search/hotels/Belize/mayabeachhotel/hotel/773/3/ Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:52:40 EST