Matachica Resort & Spa

Matachica is an adults-only boutique hideaway on a secluded white-sand beach around five miles north of San Pedro, on northern Ambergris Caye, reached by boat and facing the Belize Barrier Reef. A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World and a Michelin Guide hotel, it arranges around thirty-two vibrantly painted thatched casitas and villas like a village, the seafront ones adding private plunge pools, living rooms, soaking tubs and beachfront terraces, up to a two-bedroom Seafront Luxury Villa for groups. The vibe is deliberately tech-light and grown-up, casitas dressed in local art with verandas and, on some, hammocks and outdoor showers. Mambo serves celebrated open-air international and local dining, Mambo Bistro keeps light all-day fare, and Danny's Bar wraps around a tree trunk, with romantic private pier dining on offer. The Jade Spa works with local papaya, banana and coffee in couples' rooms and runs beach yoga, alongside a main pool and the seafront plunge pools. The Belize Barrier Reef, Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley are minutes away by boat, and the stay is bed-and-breakfast — a Belize honeymoon favourite for couples, friends and small groups, aged sixteen and over. The Belize Barrier Reef offshore is the largest in the northern hemisphere and a UNESCO World Heritage site, with the famous Great Blue Hole reachable as a day dive and the slow-paced island of Caye Caulker a short hop away.