TravelingSaurus

Hotel Recap: Matachica

Heather — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 18:55:00 +0000

I did quite a bit of research before settling on Matachica for our stay on Ambergris Caye. There were a ton of options, and we were looking for something boutique, relatively luxury, small, with easy access to good snorkeling. It ended up being a great choice for us. Matachica may not be (err…definitely is not) the cheapest place on Ambergris Caye, nor is it for people who really want to be near San Pedro. It’s not really near a lot of anything, except fish, which is just how we wanted it.

Dock at Matachica

Most days we kayaked out to the reef on our own (it’s about a 15 minute paddle, depending on your kayaking skillz…ours were shoddy on day one, but improved), where there is a buoy (did you know that British say buoy as ‘boy’? Total confusion when the lovely British couple asks on your return, where’s the boy? Uh, what boy? We sorted it out with a chuckle).

The fish and reef right in front of the property is beautful, with tons to see. Every day we went out we saw something new. All equipment is free to use, and they had plenty of equipment for all of their guests, including kayaks, hobie cats, snorkels and fins (we brought our own snorkels, but I did use their fins).

We Learned How to Kayak Together…Eventually!

We also did two snorkeling trips with them, both of which were great and small, and we were really pleased with our guide. If you want to go in a more intimate group to some of the snorkeling sites, I’d definitely consider staying somewhere that does their own trips and limits the number of people. We really prefer smaller groups, so this worked well for us (8 of us went to Hol Chan, only 4 to Mexico Rocks). And the ever important question–food! A continental breakfast was included in our rate, and instead of a buffet, they crafted a plate for you from different options, which was really nice. I fell in love with the Fry Jack with beans that was served…delicious. I’d never eat something like that for breakfast at home, of course, but on vacation….why not? A hot Fry Jack doesn’t really sound “continental” to me either, so it was a pleasant surprise.

Lunch and dinner were certainly not cheap, but no food on Ambergris really seems to be “cheap”. Coming from DC we are accustomed to high food prices, and we weren’t really trying to be cheap. And….we may have opted for lobster and other deliciousness, which didn’t help. We tried quite a few things on the menu, and all were good. Some were fantastic, and some were just tasty, but nothing left me pining for something else.

We had a smaller cabana that wasn’t beachfront, but it was probably a hundred steps to the beach. The cabanas are all named by fruits (i.e. Pineapple, Lime..we had Banana, and yes it was bright yellow), which is cute….I’m a sucker for things like that. Our cabana was sparkling clean with a large shower, with more than enough hot water (and I can run through a tank of hot-water like no one you’ve ever met). As with much of the beach on Ambergris, there isn’t much sand, and there is a lot of seaweed in the water right away. Matachica also has a nice dock/pier with chairs, and it’s easy to swim under the dock if you just want to cool off. The one complaint we had is that a few of the bartenders were pretty delinquent in bringing drinks to the pool area–they’d come out and ask you for your order, or you’d go to the bar and order, and it would be 30 minutes at least before your drinks would appear. Some of the bartenders were awesome, bringing ice water with lemon around for everyone, but others really left something to be desired. We tend to not get worked up about stuff like that and just tip accordingly, but if it bothers you, now you know.

Want more reasons to like Matachica (in no particular order)?

1. Enormous mudslides.
2. Great mojitos.
3. Jacuzzi (super if you get cold, like me, snorkeling!)
4. Lots of fluffy clean towels.
5. L’Occitane bath products.
6. Super-easy and well scheduled transfers to/from the airstrip.
7. Scheduled free taxi service to/from San Pedro.

Those mudslides…I’d go back just for those enormous delicious mudslides….well I’d actually go back for lots of reasons, but those just seem particularly appetizing right now….

Where did you stay on Ambergris Caye? Any recommendations for those heading to Belize?

Pool Area

Mexico Rocks – Belize

Heather — Thu, 19 Jun 2014 18:55:00 +0000

Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley seem to get all the attention for easy and great snorkeling. On our last day in Belize, we wanted to have another snorkeling outing (we had been kayaking out to the reef and going on our own), and decided on Mexico Rocks. It was rainy, windy, and rough. We weren’t sure we would be able to go until the last minute. As the surf picked up, waves kept crashing over the top of our snorkels.

But the snorkeling? Amazing. We were also all alone, in part due to the weather; there wasn’t a single other boat at the buoy.

(I really told you all about the weather conditions to provide an excuse for some of the photos being a bit blurry. It’s hard to take great underwater shots while you are being rocked around, clearing your snorkel, and swimming nearly all the time to combat the currents. And….we also just aren’t superior underwater photographers, so there is that.)

Mexico Rocks was also half the price of the Hol Chan excursion from our hotel…so if you are looking for another snorkeling experience but don’t want to pay for Hol Chan for a second time (which may be a bit longer, granted), Mexico Rocks may fit the bill. We definitely don’t regret going to Hol Chan, but Mexico Rocks exceeded expectations. It was a quick boat ride for us–probably 10 minutes or so–but we were staying pretty far up the island away from town.

Without further adieu, here are some pictures from Mexico Rocks. If you look carefully, you can see the elusive (at least for us) stoplight parrot fish, and a very well camouflaged little fellow (a sand diver). Plus there were lots of princess parrotfish, sergeant majors, blue tang, and spadefish! And so many rays. They were everywhere.

I’d love to go back to Belize, and maybe even try diving….back on the destination list it goes!

Where else did you snorkel in Belize? What other fish and species did you see?

Caracol

Heather — Sun, 15 Jun 2014 18:55:00 +0000

When we decided to go to Belize, we opted (like many who visit) to spend a few days inland and a few days on the beach. We ended up spending one less day inland than planned when we purchased our tickets/made hotel reservations, thanks to United’s splendid flight schedule changes from DCA which meant we arrived at 7pm instead of 11am. Ugh.

We really only had one particular goal, and that was to see Caracol. I’m a huge fan of ruins, and Caracol’s were definitely worth the diversion from the wonderful marine life on the coast. We stayed at Hidden Valley, an adorable lodge set on a beautiful reserve with lots of waterfalls and trails. We requested a trip to Caracol, with a guide from Hidden Valley. You can self-drive, but that seemed too stressful for a vacation, and DH and I wisely didn’t want to argue over directions when we were lost on dirt roads without signs. Some years ago there were problems (robberies, etc) on the road to Caracol, which means that each day, there is a military escort by the Belize Defence Forces which meets all visitors going at a specified point and time, and escorts them to Caracol and back (note: private cars are free to meet at the aforementioned point and go with the rest of the vehicles).

Despite the fact that it was January, it was drizzling the entire time we were there which even the locals thought was a bit odd. And it was muddy. The drizzle gave it sort of an appropriate feel, really. Caracol is probably the most popular Mayan site in Belize, and it is enormous. The urban buildings have radius of approximately 6 miles, and this area is thought to contain at least 30,000 buildings. My guide book says Caracol only gets about 12,000 visitors a year–we went during a pretty busy season and there are 15 people there, tops. Definitely not “busy” to us, but we are certainly not complaining.

The University of Central Florida is continuing excavations in the area for a few months each year, and we saw them when we were there just starting to set up.

Fun Drive

Caracol is truly set of into the jungle. It’s no wonder that so much of it remains unexcavated, and that they believe there is a key urban center, mentioned within the glyphs of Caracol and Tikal, that still hasn’t been found.Our guide spent lots of time discussing the temples, as well as the local fauna. He also spotted some monkeys and parrots which we saw in the distance. We spent about five hours exploring Caracol before stopping for a wonderful packed lunch (packed lunches are usually horrible from hotels so I was very pleasantly surprised!).It took us about 2 hours, and maybe a bit more, to reach Caracol from our location at Hidden Valley, which is in the Mountain Pine Ridge area. On our return, the vehicle directly ahead of us saw a tapir, which obviously was gone in an instant, but there is lots of wildlife to be seen.

Caracol was definitely impressive. There are more ruins on Ambergris Caye which we did not see, since we were too busy snorkeling. If we go back to Belize, I’d definitely check those out as well. I’d also make a trip over to Tikal, in Guatemala.

Have you been to Tikal? How does it compare? How was your experience at Caracol?

Best of Hol Chan Marine Reserve

Heather — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 18:55:00 +0000

A trip to Ambergris Caye is never complete without some snorkeling or diving. One of the most popular spots in Belize, because of its easy accessibility and substantial marine life, is Hol Chan Marine Reserve. It’s a protected area right off the coast of Ambergris Caye.

We went to Belize in January, and while I didn’t blog then, Hol Chan and Belize are definitely worth a few throw back posts! Dear husband was gifted a underwater camera for Belize, and it was definitely a treat. I’ve never had underwater photos before (even if they are a bit blurry).

We took a tour from Matachica, where we stayed. The currents aren’t bad if you are comfortable in the water, but there were places where constant kicking was required to stay in place. I would say the deepest water we were in was about 25 feet. Husband didn’t get cold at all, but I’m a total water wimp, and after about 45 minutes my teeth were chattering. The water temp was reported to be about 79F.

So here is the best of Hol Chan & Shark Ray Alley (a specific area of Hol Chan, known for it’s population of nurse sharks and rays). Lots of turtles, spotted eagle rays, stingrays, and nurse sharks!