Mariposa Resort
Frequently Asked Questions
Mariposa Resort FAQs
You can make your reservation by either booking online or by calling our office at 501-523-4474.
If you are unable to find availability for your desired travel dates, need a shorter stay, or have unique circumstances for a special event, we recommend an email or call to the office. Email communication with specific questions, dates, etc. often works best.
The Oceanfront rooms are part of the main resort building and are near the restaurant and bar. These rooms provide guests with beautiful views of the pool, beach, and Caribbean Sea. These rooms are adjacent to areas with various activities taking place and therefore may provide slightly less peace and quite during peak activity & dining hours. The Treehouses are very private and offer a more jungle surrounding although they are less than 100 yards from the pool and ocean. All rooms are equipped with Smart TV’s, Wi-Fi internet, Air Conditioning, Air Purifiers with UV Light Technology, Coffee Pots & Supplies, Small Refrigerators, Safes, Blow Dryers, Irons, and Ironing Boards.
A valid passport and return ticket are necessary for entry into Belize. No visas are required for citizens of the United States, British Commonwealth nations, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey and Uruguay. You can see full entry details here: https://www.belize.com/belize-visa
Visitors can stay for 30 days with the visitor’s permit issued upon arrival. If you decide you love Belize and want to stay longer, you can request a one (1), two (2), or three (3) month extension from the Immigration and Nationality Department at $200.00 BZD per month. Prospective immigrants can renew as needed or eventually decide to apply for Belize Permanent Residency.
Belize is on the Caribbean East coast of Central America, sharing borders with Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.
Belize is officially an English-speaking country although Spanish is the second language of many Belizeans.
Belize is a very diverse country, populated by Mestizos (44%), Creole (30%), Mayan/Indian (11%), and Garifuna people (7%). The remaining 8% of the population is made up of North Americans, Europeans, and Asians. While people live rather harmoniously, there are distinct cultural differences that can be seen in towns throughout the country. While at the Mariposa Belize Beach Resort, you will likely meet Belizeans of all sorts.
In terms of population, Belize has around 400,000 permanent residents. Its physical size is roughly the size of Massachusetts, or about two thirds the size of Belgium. Belize has around 240 miles of coastline on the Caribbean.
Yes. If you have your own laptop, tablet, or smartphone, you can connect with wifi. There is no charge. We attempt to cover every corner of the property with more than 20 routers.
There is no need to change your money to Belize dollars (BZ $) before you come. US dollars will be welcome in the hotel and other local establishments. Mariposa Beach Resort does NOT accept US dollar travelers’ cheques because our banks no longer accept them. For total fees of approximately 3-5 percent (fees from both your home bank and a Belize bank), you can get a cash advance in Belize Dollars from a bank using your ATM card or credit card. If you like to have small change on hand for tips, etc., please bring US $ in small denominations ($1, $5, $10)
Yes! We have a small pool adjacent to our outdoor dining area. It is available to guests of the hotel and the rental houses.
Belize is a developing country and the Placencia Peninsula is a little isolated, so you should be aware that emergency services such as police, fire or rescue services are very limited and are not usually able to respond quickly. Placencia Village has a nurse and family doctor and it is a 15-minute drive from Mariposa Beach Resort. Please take precautions to safeguard yourself and your belongings when you travel. We recommend leaving unnecessary valuable items at home.
Sandflies (no see’ums) and mosquitoes are sometimes present, but well-maintained beaches do help keep the bugs at bay. DEET-based repellents work very well to repel mosquitoes and sandflies, and other products like Avon Skin-So-Soft’s Bug Guard are also popular repellents for sandflies. At times there are other insects, but they are rarely a nuisance in maintained areas.
The main mobile provider in Belize uses GSM technology. If you have a phone with a SIM card, and you have a plan that allows international roaming, most likely your phone will work but remember that calls while roaming may be expensive. If you are going to be in Belize for an extended period and you expect to make a number of calls, check to see if your phone is unlocked so that you can purchase a SIM card from BTL (Belize Telemedia Ltd) in order to save some money.
If your phone does not work here, we have a cell phone that guests can use while on the property to make calls, both locally and internationally. This will cost approximately 30-40 US cents per minute to call North America and 10-20 cents per minute to make calls within Belize.
We implement numerous security measures to maintain the safety of your personal information when you place an order. We use a secure server. All supplied sensitive and credit card information is transmitted via SSL technology and then encrypted into our payment gateway provider’s database. It will only be accessible by those authorized to such systems with strict confidentiality policies. After a transaction, your private credit card information will not be stored on our servers.
There are various vehicle transfer services, rental car agencies as well as two domestic airlines. Driving is approximately three (3) hours whereas flying is less than 30 minutes. If you have additional questions, send us and email and we will assist with your transportation needs. We can even book your airline tickets with Tropic Air and will offer you a complimentary pick you up from the Placencia Airport.
We aren’t quite able to offer Uber services yet in Belize. Taxi service is available in and around Placencia. If you need a taxi, please let a staff member at the front desk or within the bar & restaurant area know and they will arrange one for you. If you know that you will need a taxi for a specific time/day, it is best to book in advance.
If you’re flying into Placencia, we will gladly meet you at the Placencia Airport (PLJ). We offer complimentary shuttle service to/from Placencia Airport (PLJ). If we booked your airline tickets, we will be ready for you when you arrive. If we didn’t book your airline tickets, please make sure you send us your flight information 72 hours prior to arrival in order to receive transportation confirmation.
If you want to fly to Placencia and then rent a car or golf cart, you can do it through a local rental company called Placencia Car Rentals, Barefoot Rentals, or Budget. Cars rent for $70-120 US dollars per day. Golf carts are around $60. Please mention us when you contact them so they know how to reach you. Should the Placencia companies be out of cars, some rental companies in Belize City will send a car down for you. The cost of doing this is approximately $200-250 US dollars to have a car delivered to you in Placencia. It will cost another $200-250 US dollars to have the car picked up, but if you drive it to Belize City yourself, you can save that charge. Normal car rental fees of $70 to $120 US dollars per day will apply.
Placencia Village is only 1 mile away and less than a 5 minute drive. If you don’t have a cart, you can use taxis, rent a golf car or use our complimentary bicycles.
The answer to this depends on what you plan to do on your vacation. Golf carts cost between USD $40 and $60 per day. Cars are in the $70 to $120 USD range per day. If you like to have a lot of freedom and make more frequent trips to the village, a golf cart could be a good choice (albeit a little slow). If you want to drive around the countryside and visit some of the national parks, farms, or Mayan sites on your own, you can take advantage of having a car, although it certainly isn’t necessary since engaging Belizean tour guides are available to take you just about anywhere.
The rooms and treehouses have mini refrigerators and a Keurig with pods for tea and coffee. Our penthouse suite has an entire kitchen with a full-size refrigerator, four-burner gas stove, microwave, toaster oven, and a Keurig with pods for tea and coffee.
Electricity in Belize is 110V/60Hz (same as the US). Voltage variations and surges can occur, and we suggest that you bear that in mind if you are planning to use your laptop computer or other electronic devices. Irons and hair dryers are available in every room.
In Belize, there is no need to have anything but US dollars when you arrive. There is a fixed rate for the Belize dollar (BZ $) against the US dollar (roughly 2 BZ$ = 1 US$). Most establishments will accept US dollars and will give you change in Belize dollars. TRAVELERS CHECKS ARE NO LONGER ACCEPTED. There are three ATMs in Placencia Village. Our recommendation is to bring a little cash for small businesses but rely on your credit card for security. If you are traveling from outside the United States, you should exchange your own currency into US dollars before you come.
No. All of our rooms are non-smoking as are indoor common areas of the hotel and restaurant.
You may smoke outdoors, but please be considerate of other guests and restaurant patrons and smoke in areas where others are not affected. This includes balcony areas where the smoke may enter a guest room due to the breeze.
There are some diseases in Belize that you can be vaccinated against before your trip. These include Hepatitis A and B, Typhoid, Tetanus, and Influenza. Ask your doctor which vaccinations are currently recommended or visit an immunization clinic.
The climate here is subtropical. The temperature is almost always in the low 80s to low 90s during the day. In the summer, nights are very warm and in the winter there is more relief from the heat with temperatures dropping in to the high 60s and low 70s overnight. There is normally less rain between the months of November and April but there is a chance of rain year-round and especially in the summer. A few internet sites have statistics which are interesting, if not helpful. The most comprehensive we have found is WorldClimate.com.
Tropical storms and hurricanes can threaten Belize, normally in the months of June – November. If you are traveling anywhere in the Caribbean you should have a contingency plan during those months. It might be as simple as purchasing travel insurance so that you can make a claim if your flights or prepaid hotel stays are disrupted by a storm. If there is a storm approaching, we will advise guests of any recommendations made by Belize’s national weather and safety authorities and guests will be required to comply, even if that means early evacuation.