AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Ambergris Caye Costa Maya Resort Opening?

Supposed to be going to CMR on Saturday Aug 25th but have been told by the travel agent that it's closed until Sept 29th.

Can anyone verify or hopefully refute this?

CPR... check this site.. http://www.belizeemergency.net/dean/san_pedro.html
It says
Costa Maya Reef Resort Will advise shortly minor structural damage, beach erosion

It also states.. "If you do not see your hotel listed here and are unable to contact them directly, feel free to email us and we will try for you."

No guarantees but at least a start.
Gail

Thx, sent them an e-mail

On Costa Maya's website it says "We would like to let everyone know that Costa Maya weathered Hurricane Dean very well and that everyone is safe. We look forward to welcoming guests soon to the resort and will have a more detailed update for you on Friday AM." Don't know what that means in regards to your scheduled arrival on Saturday but they have been good about answering emails in the past.

I am supposed to stay a Costa Maya the week after you. Can you please post anything if you hear when they are reopening? Thank you so much! Hopefully we all get to go still!!!

Here is a letter the dive shop at Costa Maya Reef email me today.

Hi all,
Thanks for all of your thoughts and well wishes. All of our staff are fine, Amy, Wil and Steven left the island on Sunday afternoon, and Tracey, Craig and Jorge locked themselves inside their homes for a very blustery night.
We awoke on Tuesday morning and were relieved and surprised to find very little damage. Many piers are damaged, a lot of trees either snapped in half or got uprooted and from what I could tell about 10 boats sunk. No major structural damage anywhere I could see. Costa Maya Reef Resort lost their end of pier palapa, and quite a bit of their lower dock. The gardens took a beating and 2 massive palm tress snapped in half, fortunately falling away from the buildings. Buildings are all fine as are Urbano and Edmund, who stayed at the resort throughout. The rest of the staff had still not reported back by the time we left there on Wednesday at 2pm, but most of them evacuated the island. Mata Chica's end of pier structure is a bit lopsided, but still standing, and I believe their small boat is not operational yet. Other than that all units looked fine when we went past yesterday. Portofino has some minor dock damage, but they had some guests check in yesterday (Wednesday), and restaurant is open for business.
Our dive shop got some minor thatch damage, but is still standing and we cleaned it out yesterday, restocked it, and are ready for business today. All boats made it, with only minor cosmetic damage from being parked in the mangroves. We do consider ourselves extremely lucky, but a lot of the reasons for there being so little carnage, is that we had a lot of notice for this system, and everyone took the necessary precautions with plenty of time to spare.
Once again thanks for your positive thoughts, and we hope to see you all soon.
Craig, Tracey, Amy, Jorge, Steven, and Wil (who has left us to start a new life in the US )

Here's the reply from CMR's owners/operators (Fairmont), I received this Thu am US EST.

CPR
-----------------------------------------

Hi Chris and Sue,
At this time, I can report that we have every intension of operating the
resort for this Saturday. However, we will receive the final report late
this afternoon to guarantee operation, I'm sure we'll have "Great News".
I will email you with the final word and if any changes due to Hurricane
Dean. In our best efforts, we may not have some amenities or services
available, as San Pedro might not either. In light of the hurricane, we are
sure you'll have a "great vacation" with us.

Have a great day!



Shannon Gertner

Customer Relations Agent

5006 Fairmont Frontage Rd

Fairmont Hot Springs, BC V0B 1L1 Canada

Shannon@sunchaservacationclub.com

And here's the less optimistic reply from the Belize Tourist Board.

-----------------------------------------
CC:
<tstychim@costareef.com>
Subject:
RE: Costa Maya Resort
Date:
Thu Aug 23 12:50:21 2007

[View Source]

Hello Christopher,



Warm Greetings from Belize!!!



Costa Maya Resort sustained damages to their property and won't be operational until the next 2 weeks. At this time they are cleaning their property. I got a hold of them and I gave them your email address.



If I can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact me anytime. Do have a pleasant day.





Kind Regards,

I have a few emails out as well so maybe we can get an actual answer today!

Fri Aug 24 13:02:53 2007

[View Source]

Hi Christopher,
We must have ESP! I was about to call you about your reservation for
tomorrow and then follow up with the below email.

We'd like our guests to feel safe and welcomed to the resort so shortly
after the hurricane. It is best that our guests know what to expect at the
resort and know that they can still enjoy the tranquility that remains on
the island. If you have any questions or concerns with the below email
please let me know.

On behalf of the General Manager of the Costa Maya Reef Resort we are happy
to announce the arrival of our guests for this Saturday, August 25th, 2007.
It is evident that during your stay you will notice that the resort and area
have sustained some damage due to Hurricane Dean. Our Resort staff has been
working around the clock to clean-up the debris and is making every attempt
to satisfy our guests so shortly after the hurricane.
Our water and sewer system is up and running.
The end of the dock where we once had a Palapa and stairs to the ocean for
snorkeling, swimming and fishing will not be accessible. We are happy to
announce that the "Belize Academy of Diving" is at our Resort and open for
business. Our guests are welcome to enjoy a limited portion of our beach
with lounge chairs, or an enjoyable spot would be beside the pool area where
your needs may be met.
Power has not been restored to the North part of the island however we are
running our own power generating system which is capable of handling our
resort needs. At this time, the Belize Electricity Company (BEL) is stating
that they expect to have power to the North end of the island by next week;
we can only hope that it will be earlier than later. Our power generating
plant is regularly serviced and we are keeping our diesel tanks full for
situations like this. In the event of a failure to the Resorts power
generating system, and our worst case scenario could be that our guests
would have to relocate to hotels in San Pedro, at their own expense, where
full power has been restored.
Both Tropic Air and Maya Island Air, and the Water Taxi have resumed
schedule to the island from Belize City. Our Costa Maya boat is still on
schedule to pick you up at Hustler's dock on Saturday for either the 2:30
p.m. or 6:15 p.m. boat ride to the resort. Island Ferry has also resumed on
schedule.
Our food and beverage outlets will be in full service, and our activity
center and convenience store will be in full operation. Please keep in mind
that some services and amenities may be limited at the Costa Maya Resort and
possibly in the San Pedro area.

The Costa Maya Reef Resort has made every attempt to succeed in fulfilling
your planned vacation, and we are positive that we can give our guests a
warm "welcome home" to our Belizean hospitality.

See you Saturday!


Have a great day!
Shannon Gertner
Customer Relations Agent
5006 Fairmont Frontage Rd
Fairmont Hot Springs, BC V0B 1L1 Canada
Shannon@sunchaservacationclub.com
Direct: (250) 345-6566
Fax: (250) 345-6320
Toll-Free: 1-877-451-1250 (from Canada/USA)