Mata Rocks Resort

Stayed at the Mara Rock resort during a business/vacation trip. Had a 100% experience. Wonderfully located, fantastic hospitality and service. Couldn't find anything to write negativity about. I was in a relatively "off season" time, but could still appreciate the cleanliness, attention and service. Highly recommended

This hotel was absolutely perfect. The ambiance makes you feel like you are staying at a boutique resort; relaxation meets luxury. The grounds are gorgeous and well maintained. I love the floral arches and beach vibe. Dorell at the front desk was amazing. So helpful and friendly. He went out of his way to make sure we were well taken care of. The beach views from our room were gorgeous. The restaurant/bar and pool area is perfect. This hotel offers complimentary bikes, paddle boards and kayaks. We used the kayaks and it was a great way to explore the area. The hotel is towards the south end of the island, which offered a quiet escape from the bustling north end. By golf cart, it took approx. 5 minutes to the airport, and about 10 the main beach/restaurant *****.

Pay attention! In mid-October 2022 we made a reservation for one week through booking with the possibility of cancellation free of charge. Days later we cancelled this reservation, but Mata Rocks had already debited 50 % of the credit card immediately. In the terms and conditions it is written that the refund lasts 30 days. After this period we wrote two emails to ask for a refund, When we didn't get any answer, we had to turn to Booking. Thanks to Booking's customer service, we got our refund a few days later! It is regrettable that we had to waste time and money, as we lost 75 dollars with this refund. Where is the seriousness of this place? We had the opportunity to walk around the outside of the hotel and there is no beach, but a concrete wall. Dirty, just doesn't look taken care of.

The staff was very friendly and nice, the food at the bar was good depending on what you ordered. And Free Coffee/Water at the outside bar. But.. Don't waste your money. I would never stay at this resort again. The room alone was just not acceptable. The outlets in some places did not work/one little table for both beds, double occupancy. One towel and one roll of toilet paper, that we had to ask for towels and TP every single day. Staff was reluctant to give us fresh beach towels and bath towels on a daily basis. So many cracks in the room. The shower was full of hair when I checked in and the shower drain is lower than the tile, so I tripped in there and told the Manager about it. All they did was clean the hair out of the drain that day. That shower is an accident waiting to happen. Floor in the rooms was not cleaned enough for my standards. And I am in healthcare. We were promised an Ocean View, what we got was a corner end unit, so when you open the door you saw the room outside across from you. The manager said well, if you turn your head right, there's the Ocean. unacceptable. The outside of our room by the pool was dangerously slippery if it rained, that you had to be very careful when walking so as not to slip. The outside bar/huts was really adorable, except for some tables were rusted and several nails sticking out of post or on the dock, that one lady had a nail go thru her foot, so I played Nurse that day since most of us talked and knew what we did for a living. Getting off the dock into our boat excursions was another issue. not a safe dock and very dangerous. We were told it was a swimming area and unfortunately not even close. We had to walk down to another resort to get into the ocean. We were not told about using the free kayaks/paddle boards until the last day and I was livid, since I kayak in my town. This place could really be an adorable boutique hotel if someone had the money and incentive. Sad to say, Hotel -1 Staff 4 I hav enever been so disappointed on a vacation before.

I chose this hotel based on what they advertise as amenities--stupid me to expect what they advertise is what I should expect! There are so many things to complain about, this review would be a novel so I will provide highlights. I witnessed 2 different parties check in and leave the next day. One party, a couple traveling from Seattle, I was able to speak with as they were leaving the property. They said the lock on their door didn't work was the last straw for them among other concerns. I hope they are able to get their money back. Mata Rocks offer airport transfers on their website. When I tried to arrange pick up, I was told they haven't offered this service in a long time. While on the property I heard at least 3 other guests ask about transport back to the airport and were told the same thing. The rooms are poorly cleaned, there was quite a bit of European hair on my shower walls when I checked in. The housekeepers did not change me sheets for days. I asked that my sheets get changed and Gisellie lied to me and said she changed them. When I pulled the sheets back to get into bed that night, the dried blood spots from when I scratched mosquito bites during my sleep made it quite evident my sheets were never changed. The next morning I asked the front desk person who was doubling as the bartender/waiter to please have my sheets changed, the lying housekeeper had the audacity to tell me it was changed the day before. When I pointed out the dried bloodspots as proof she was a liar, she said nothing more. The other housekeeper Gisellie continued to double-down on her lie. The day they so-called cleaned my room, they took the garbage out the waste basket and decided to place it on the table among my things primarily food items and leave it there. When I returned to my room and saw it, I asked the manager to please come to my room. At this point I was fresh out of patience being that so much had gone wrong. I asked the manager Anita, how much more should I contend with? As per her usual response she apologized and offered me food which I refused. Food on the Island is relatively cheap so not only was it insulting, it did nothing to fix the actual issues I brought to her attention. Claiming she would talk to them, was for my benefit alone, she could care less. I realized, her allegiance is not with me, I was just a stranger passing through and they've already collected my money. Anita and the staff's allegiance is with each other for better or worse! For the remainder of my stay, I opted not to have the housekeepers come back into my room (They weren't cleaning it anyway!). I was emptying the trash daily and going to the reception desk for clean towels. Even something as basic as clean towels and wash cloths was a challenge to get on the premises. The most egregious of insults however, was statements made by Iver. There was a group that checked in on Saturday from Minnesota who were noticeably rambunctious and at times disruptive. Most of them le

We stayed at Mata Rocks 20 years ago and just took a family trip back with our two teen aged children. The good - The staff is still able to arrange amazing tours (swimming with sharks, fishing, cave-tubing) right from the front desk. Our room was sufficient and clean - it even smelled good upon arrival The needs improvement- The beach (similar to most resorts now) has a concrete break wall. This hotel however did not fill in the sand behind the break wall so the view which could be amazing is just not amazing. The overall building maintenance is lacking overall. It seems no one is able to find the broom to sweep the floors in the restaurant area or a rag to wipe down the tables. While we witnessed a pool guy cleaning the pool it remained completely disgusting - even our kids refused to enter the water. It is a small pool which would have been sufficient if it had been maintained. Some paint and pool chemicals are needed. Summary - this place is now well below average but will suffice if you plan on filling your days and evenings off property on excursions and exploring the town….. if you plan on hanging around the hotel you should go elsewhere. This place has the potential to be amazing once again - but the new owners seem less personally engaged than the prior owners and it is showing. I hope to hear of a revival someday!

Resort - This is a cute little sandy boutique hotel. The staff, Hari, Javi, Anita and Hymi were wonderful and took great care of us in our weeklong stay. They helped us with airport transfer, bookings, food and drink, taught us pickle ball and even bandaged my arm (multiple times). The property was clean but could use a bit of sprucing up. The daily housekeeping service was excellent. ***Read this next part before you book!!!! Shore/Beach - March 2023 is seeing the largest influx of sagassum ever -not just in Ambergris Caye - but around the Caribbean. In Ambergris Caye it is a bloom of literally tons of sea**** that is washing into shore in waves. The sargassum is a solid coating on the water for the first 300 yards out from the beach. As it gathers on the beach, it rots and smells like rotten eggs and shrimp. This makes kayaking, swimming and paddle boarding almost impossible. This is the condition of the shore from north to south all along Ambergris Caye. Crews are using pitchforks to attempt to clear it but they are merely making a dent in the problem. They are literally filling dump trucks and attempting to carry it away but it keeps washing in. It turns the water brown and upsets visibility for snorkeling and diving. As a more broad concern, it is absorbing alot of oxygen from the water and choking out sea life. The West facing "beaches" are not plagued with the sea**** issue. The "beach" in front of the resort was small to begin with but the week before we got there, a storm breached the sea wall (which holds in the sand that makes up the beach) and now half of it is blocked with caution tape. As a side note, if it were not for the sargassum and the caved in beach, I think this would be a delightful beach to hang out on. To get away from the smell, we went diving. The smell is not as bad on a dive boat or if you happen to be hanging out on a dock that is not surrounded by sargassum. Diving - March and April are the windy months so beware of large swells and poor visibility. The week before we arrived, the storms were so bad that dive boats did not go out for a week. Visibility was just OK and swells varied from 4-8 foot waves. We used Belize Pro Dive which is an easy walk from the resort. Johnathan, De Mas and Pedro were great. We did not do as much diving as we planned because my husband contracted a foodborne illness.

Yes the hotel is right on the water with magnificent views. Yes you can hop out of bed and go for a run or walk along the shore, and it's just a couple of kms from downtown (far enough from the downtown crowds, but close enough to take a golf cart out for an evening meal in a restaurant downtown). Yes the rooms are clean and comfortable and the wifi and fridge work. Yes the amenities are lovely, with the only pickleball court on the caye, a nice pool, and a pool bar. But it's the people who make this cute little boutique hotel special. Harry and Javier and the rest of the staff did everything they could to make sure we had a thoroughly pleasant stay. We'd buy exotic and unfamiliar fruit from local vendors and Javier would cut it up for us or mix it in cocktails, and explain how Belizeans would normally prepare it. And when there was a mix up with our cart rental, Harry sorted it out with the rental company like a pit-bull, making it right, and doing everything he could to make sure our overall experience was positive. The only downside to our stay were factors beyond the control of the hotel. If you are going to stay at Mata Rocks or any of the other hotels on the west coast of Ambergris Caye, you may (or may not) see sargassum sea**** washing up on the shore. The sea**** did blow in during windy days, but most of it accumulated on the shoreline in front of the property next door, that was closed for renovations, whose owners didn't care to have it removed. The renovations were expected to be completed in March 2023, so for most visitors it won't be a problem. And while Mata Rocks does not have a pristine white sand beach immediately outside (it has a sea wall), we were able to enter the water from the pier and have a great swim in the shallow, warm water. We also saw people fly-fishing from the pier or wading, and the hotel supplies kayaks, and paddle boards! Had a great time kayaking from the hotel to the San Pedro sign downtown and back!

Very comfy beds, fresh pot of coffee at bar every morning. Location was great short drive to town. Great tacos across the street from crazy tacos. The staff of this hotel is amazing. Anita the manager, John and Bartender will go out of their way to help, acomadte and advise.