Glamping, but definitely not a 4 stars resort
For context, I am an avid traveler to 4-5 stars beach resorts all over the world.
I spent 9 days on the island and had a relaxing and wonderful stay but want to be transparent about my experience because if you’re an experienced international traveler who stays at 4 star resorts, you may be disappointed in the accommodations and food.
First, the staff are amazing, specifically Shakira, Richie D, Jackson, & Daniel. It’s my assumption this resort gets 4+ star ratings because of the staff as the resort is rustic, very worn down, and basic.
The overwater bungalows are small. Only big enough to fit a king bed, a few hooks on wall to hang clothes, 2 drawers under bed, but no where to put suitcases if you unpack. Bathroom is smaller than a gas station bathroom. You can sit on toilet and reach the sink and the corner shower. Not sure how 2 people stay in these small rooms. They have a deck & hammock but winds are so strong on that side, they push the hammock sideways so you can’t even get it. There is also a strong sulfur smell & very dirty questionable water surrounding the overwater bungalows so you can’t swim or get in the water outside your room. The sulfur smell is off putting and makes me wonder if there’s a leak in their septic system. There are no mini fridge in any of the rooms. You also cannot flush toilet paper down the toilet in the overwater bungalows. You gotta put your poopy toilet paper in trash can. Not ideal. There are no bedside tables, outlets, or side lamps near the bed. The only light is the very bright main light in the ceiling fan. Not ideal if you want to relax & read at night after a long day. Also, not safe because it’s very dark at night and unless you leave the bathroom light on when you go to dinner, you walk into a pitch black room. As a woman, this was concerning for me. Simple solution would be to install battery operated sconces next to the bed. You also cannot plug your phone or sleep pap machine next to the bed because there are no outlets or extension cords. The closest outlet is near the entry door to the overwater bungalows. I do not know the outlet options in the other type of rooms.
There is no internet in the rooms & no way to contact the main lodge or staff in case of an emergency and the overwater bungalows are far from the main lodge so even if you screamed for help, no one would hear you. Doesn’t feel safe especially if you have any health conditions or are traveling solo. No room service. There are good working a/c in the rooms.
The main lodge is old and worn down and when it rains, the roof leaks. It’s also very hot as there is no a/c. Not a place you really want to gather and hang out.
The food is basic. I’m confused by other reviews stating how good the food is because it’s bland, little variety, every kind of meat served was terribly overcooked and so dry, it made you choke. Same exact salad every dinner: Lettuce, dry cucumbers, black olives, red onions, and feta cheese. Dinner was generally salad, overcooked meat, mashed potatoes, sautéed squash and onions, hot soup with dry, bland cake for dessert. Not sure why they don’t offer local cuisine which I imagine would be more delicious and cooked better than current options which I can only assume they serve to accommodate American tourists.
Breakfast is basic. Some fruit (watermelon and papaya), yogurt with toppings, toast, sausage or sometimes bacon, and an option for an omelette.
Lunch was small plated dishes that were good and seemed to be more local cuisine but small portions and if you asked for seconds, they’d have to check to see if there was anything left which was strange for an all inclusive resort.
No snacks between the set meal times except for some pecans and almonds or you could buy overpriced pringles ($6 usd for mini can) or single chip bags. For an all inclusive resort, I expect more variety for all meals and definitely unlimited snacks. Yes, I understand this is an island but for the price they charge, they need to level up.
Food is basic. It’s def not 4 star. Definitely doesn’t match the description on website. If you’re a foodie or expecting 4 star, you’ll be as disappointed as I was.
Happy Hour is 4-6pm with appetizers which I expected to be chips & salsa/pico, quesadillas, sliders, fries, bruschetta, chicken fingers. What they served were chicken wings which were actually very good and stale chips and dip and if you arrive at 5pm, generally most of the food was gone & they don’t replenish. There are also knats landing on all the food, sticking to it and in the dip. Unavoidable on an island and they put napkins over to help but still gross. The food is also on the edge of the small bar & if people are sitting at the bar, you have to push around them awkwardly to try and grab food before it’s gone. There aren’t many places to sit in the shade at the bar despite it having a roof so you’re standing around holding food & drink. Not ideal. I’d move the HH to the beach which has a larger area to mingle, many loungers, and a small bar. I’d also get the wire mesh done food covers to put over food to help with bugs.
To get to the island is a very long travel day. Flight into BZE, then commuter flight on a very small prop plane that is stomach turning to fly in, then 30+ minute ride on partially paved roads to a boat dock, then 30-60 minute very bumpy speed boat ride to the island. If you get seasick, be warned, the waters are often choppy & rough and you definitely come out of your seat on the boat and land on a hard seat. Think of how your stomach feels on a roller coaster and that’s the experience. It’s not a relaxing way to ease into your vacation.
When you arrive, the GM or Asst Mgr greet you at the dock with a fresh juice and shot but after that initial greeting, I didn’t see either mingling with the guests. They stayed in the main lodge at the desk. as a guest, you had to seek them out which is not what I expect from a 4 star resort. I expect a front desk person for general questions and then expect the GM and Asst Mgr to be proactively engaging with guests, checking on HH, greeting guests at dinner, saying hello on the beach. Smooshing with the guests essentially. None of that happened. Seemed odd to me. The rest of the staff is constantly hustling and engaging with guests. The rest of the staff make you feel like family, remember your name, and always greet you with a smile. They really do make your visit worthwhile. I along with several other guests encountered an attitude from the Asst Mgr when engaging with him. Very off putting and I had to bite my tongue to not be impolite.
Overall, I’d categorize this resort as Glamping as opposed to a 4-star resort. It’s worn down and in desperate need of upgrades. I specifically mention this because a major corporation owns this resort along with many others in Belize and the quality of their other resorts is much higher quality overall- 180 degree difference - which is a reflection of the major corporation not doing necessary audits and inspections or caring about their older resorts or maybe it’s the GM not letting them know? Hard to really know. Most locals/staff never travel outside of Belize & likely can’t afford to stay at a true 4+ star resort so perhaps what they deem as 4 star is 4 star to them but I’ve stayed at another resort in Belize which was 4-5 star resort and exceeded my expectations in every way, so I think this resort is just leaning on the 4 star reviews from travelers who either don’t know what a 4-5 star resort is or give a 4 star review because they have a wonderful experience not withstanding the lack of 4 star accommodations and food.
I had many conversations with 5+ guests during my trip and they were all as disappointed in the overall quality based on the cost. If the cost was equivalent to the accommodations, etc., I wouldn’t have been as disappointed.
The island is quiet especially after breakfast when many guests leave for fishing, diving, or snorkeling excursions. It really is peaceful and tranquil and there is a wonderful swimming beach with shallow water and long shelf where you can walk far into the water. The snorkeling around perimeter of island has small fish.
Beach has a small bar but no snacks. There is no natural shade on beach or beach umbrellas so unless you’re in the water, you’re baking in the sun. There is one palapa but unless you claim it by 7am, you have to constantly move around beach loungers looking for shade. And the sun is hot and brutal. You need shade even with 50+ spf. And I can’t stress this enough, wear 50+ spf with ZINC even if you easily tan because the sun is intense and you’ll burn.
There are paddle boards and kayaks but they’re not cleaned daily and are dirty and in need of repairs. However if you’re lucky, the island dogs Pico and Marley will hop on kayak or paddle board and join you for a little outing.
The deck, stairs, and railings to the HH bar are dangerously in need of repairs. One of the railings literally falls to the side if you lean on it. The spaces between the railings are NOT safe for children or anyone drunk because they’re spaced too far between each rung and a child could easily fall through. The water isn’t very deep but it’s still not safe. Many railings around the resort also have nails or screws sticking through the wood where you could easily cut yourself. These may seem trivial complaints but again for the cost they charge, none of these issues should be overlooked or happen especially the stair railing that is falling off!
I wouldn’t recommend any of the land excursions mostly because you spend more time in transit than you spend at the ruins or cave tubing. Any land excursion requires the same choppy boat ride to another resort then van ride to locations. For ruin/cave tubing, we spent over 5+ hours in transit and less than 2 hours at each location then the choppy boat ride back to Thatch Caye. I don’t find value spending that much time in transit for an excursion costing over $270 usd. Also feel like the cost is high considering that equates to 540 Belize dollars.
Highly recommend snorkeling as it’s the largest Reef next to the Great Barrier Reef in the world and it’s the best snorkeling I’ve experienced and I’ve snorkeled in Hawaii, Mexico, Thailand, USVI, & BVI. I saw over 20 different tropical fish, sand sharks, stingrays, barracudas, and so much more. All resorts in Belize offer the same snorkeling excursions though so you don’t need to stay at this resort to get that experience. Those who went on diving excursions had rave reviews along with those who went on fishing excursions.
Would I stay at Thatch Caye again? Probably despite the things I didn’t like. I wouldn’t recommend the underwater bungalows to anyone though. Don’t get fooled by their excellent marketing and videos.
Level set your expectations that this will be more like Glamping than a 4 star resort and you’ll have a wonderful time especially if you love water, snorkeling, diving, or fishing and a very quiet beach.
Our Best Trip Ever
We had never been to Belize and this was a dart throw of a honeymoon for us. It never once disappointed. As soon as we got to Thatch, Luis was waiting for us with a drink and cool eucalyptus towel. They take your luggage immediately to your room while you get a quick rundown of the island. After that, you’re free to do whatever you’d like. We have never had a more fun while also relaxing experience in our lives. The food is incredible, which was something we originally thought we might be sacrificing because of the remoteness of the island. Junior and Anivar never let us go thirsty and Shakira and Charles were incredible waiting on us for meals. I cannot stress enough that it was the best staff we have ever had on a vacation. While you’re there you can spend the day relaxing on the beach, paddle boarding, kayaking, and my personal favorite, snorkeling. If you want to chill you’re at the right place, but if you want to do activities they have great ones available. We only did the Island Crawl, which lets you hop around the cayes. Rafi was a great tour guide and they don’t let you run short on shots. We stopped at two local bars for drinks as well. Next time we would really like to take advantage of the amazing fly fishing and night snorkeling. There’s happy hour every night at the over water bar starting at 4:00. We met amazing couples and you get a sense of a new family by the time you leave. While our bungalow was not large, there was plenty of room and it was perfect. The bathrooms are great, the bed was extremely comfortable, and the air conditioning helps you fall asleep immediately after hot days in the sun. If you’re like me you’ll also want to take advantage of the hammock on your deck at night for incredibly bright star watching. This review is genuine and I can honestly say that we can’t think of 1 single thing to complain about or improve. Everything about Thatch Caye was perfect and we know we will be heading back. Now that I think about it maybe I should’ve kept this to myself so we don’t have an issue booking our next stay. Sincerest thank you’s again to the incredible staff. As Luis said, this is a magical island, he’s not wrong.
-Ryan and Mackenzie Boyer
