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Matachica Resort & Spa

Matachica Resort & Spa

The Cayes, Belize

Matachica is a chic, tropical hideaway roughly 9.6 km (six miles) from the main town of San Pedro by road, or a pleasant 30 minutes by boat. Thatched palm roofs sit on brightly coloured bungalows and villas, complete with hammocks for lounging. The white sand beach makes an impressive welcome as you arrive at the hotel's newly modelled dock. The 31 rooms are bright and stylish, each with its own individual design and impressive bathroom.

Although simple in style, the hotel has a very personal feel and is perfect for kicking back and relaxing in a charming Belizean environment. Service is excellent, and you can arrange water sports such as snorkelling and diving from a palapa on the beach; relax by the pool or spend time lounging on one of the quirky day beds set along the dock. Kayaks are supplied and there is an infinity pool, spa and a small gym, and the Mambo bar and restaurant serves excellent food (try the jalapeno margarita). The increasing boat traffic around Ambergris Caye does mean that it can occasionally be more difficult to swim out too far in the sea.

OUR OPINION:

A friendly and peaceful place to relax. We love Matachica's colourful rooms, set right on the white sand beach, and its laid-back Caribbean charm.

OUR RATING: First Class

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who's been there
Audley Travel specialist Nik

Start planning your tailor-made trip by contacting one of our Belize specialists

Rooms

Matachica offers a choice of 31 rooms including the Seabreeze Bungalow, Seabreeze Suites, Seaview Cabanas, Reefview Suites, Beachfront Casita, Deluxe Beachfront Casita and Luxury Two Bedroom Caribbean Villa. They are all dotted throughout the resort, none of them are further than 200 feet from the sea but if you are looking to be as close to the water as possible, the beachfront rooms are best as they are just 50 feet from the Caribbean Sea.

Vibrantly coloured and exotic with thatched roofs, the rooms are individually decorated with bright, tropical murals by illustrator Cécile Gariépy, depicting the fruit they are named after. They are spacious with feather duvets, traditional mosaic bathrooms, air-conditioning, ceiling fans and patios with hammocks. There are no TVs in the rooms but there is in the cinema lounge, with an array of DVDs.

Location

Matachica is on Ambergris Caye and only reachable by boat. The resort sits in tropical gardens on a white sand beach that stretches down to the Caribbean Sea. Beyond lies the world's second largest barrier reef, so it's safe to say the underwater world is pretty spectacular.

Matachica is 30 minutes and $10 US dollars by water taxi from the town of San Pedro where you can find shops, bars and restaurants.

Food and drink

Mambo restaurant serves up seafood and international cuisine. For breakfast you can expect waffles, huevos rancheros, pancakes and omelettes; lunch might be fajitas, quesadillas, or grilled snapper on skewers; for dinner you might try jerk seared sea scallops, slow-roasted lime grouper or chargrilled mango glazed pork chop. It's a tasty sounding menu. Choose a refreshing cocktail or glass of wine, but don't expect a jumping bar scene. If you want to enjoy a bit of the local nightlife, then San Pedro, a ten minutes' boat ride away, is the place.

Do be aware that the restaurant adds a 15% service charge to all bills.

Families

No children under 16 are allowed to stay at the resort.

Diving

Belize has some of the best diving in the world and several sites on every diver's must do list, such as the Blue Hole. Although the hotel does not have its own dive centre, they can easily arrange half and full day trips to the outer barrier reefs through reputable local dive centres and the protected marine parks in the area. The barrier reef is under a mile from the resort and this has numerous excellent dive sites. The best spots are undoubtedly in the outer reefs. These are anything from 30 minutes to two hours away by boat, depending on how far you'd like to go.

Spa Facilities

The Jade Spa at the resort is decorated in a Belizean style and has a wide range of treatments to help you unwind and get into the Caribbean spirit. Using natural products sourced from the Belizean jungle and sea in their preparations, they can offer signature treatments such as a Mayan coffee scrub and chocolate wrap.

Tour ideas in The Cayes

Our itineraries are there to spark ideas for how you could include a stay at Matachica Resort & Spa as part of your trip. Treat them simply as suggestions, because every aspect of the trip we create for you will be yours to define.

Location & places nearby

Places & hotels on the map

    Alternative places to stay nearby

    Where possible, we like to offer a range of accommodation for each stop of your trip, chosen by our specialists as some of their favourite places to stay. To help you make the right choice, we give each property a rating based on its facilities and service, but we also look for hotels with distinct character or a location that can't be bettered.

    Experiences while staying here

    The following activities are designed to give you the most authentic experiences of the area where you're staying. We work with local guides, who use their knowledge and often a resident's eye to show you the main sights and more out-of-the-way attractions. Our specialists can also suggest outdoor pursuits and activities, such as cooking classes, that will introduce you to the traditions of the area's inhabitants.

    • Great Blue Hole Three Tank Dive
      Sealife, Placencia

      Great Blue Hole Three Tank Dive

      Great Blue Hole Three Tank Dive

      This excursion departs early in the morning, at around 6am, and arrives back at around 5.30pm — a full-day trip which allows for three incredible dives in some of the most pristine and beautiful underwater sites in Belize.

      View details

    The Cayes and nearby places