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Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,404
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i loved the hideaway. those texas ladies could COOK!!!!!
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 3,281
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Spent many a fine fun night there myself! Lan, I don't think Bella Maya in Placencia is closed - I just inquired for availability for a client coming down in April, and got a response and rates. Let me know if you know different. hard to keep up with all the changes, openings & closings lately!
Last edited by Barbara K; 02/02/10 10:35 AM.
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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 10,850
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Joyce and her chicken fried steak, yummmmmmm !
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Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,404
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amen bro,,,,,mmmmmmmmmm here's for the memories.....
//ambergriscaye.com/hideaway/index2.html //ambergriscaye.com/hideaway/index.html
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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 10,850
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Memories is right ! I know most of the people in the photo's :)Tom, RB, Judy, Pamela, Pam, Emma, Charlene, Josie. Cant see the rest of them.
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,054
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Barbara,
Bella Maya IS closed, as of January 11, 2010, according to people in Placencia and also according to the developer. It is being billed a "temporary closure" for 60 to 90 days ... until the low season -- what's wrong with that picture?
FYI, here is the memo Bella Maya sent a couple of weeks ago to condo owners at the property.
--Lan Sluder
>>
Subject: Temporary Closure of Bella Maya Resort
As you will be aware, we have developed Bella Maya resort from the beginning without external investment, apart from some bank finance that we obtained towards the end of the construction process, and we also established our own resort management company with which to operate the resort.
With the current economic situation, operating the resort during 2009 has been incredibly expensive for us. Despite the good first half of 2009, which was a significant improvement on 2008, the number of guests staying at the resort has dropped. In addition these guests are booking cheaper room rates and spending less at the bar and in the restaurant.
In the last quarter of 2009 Ben and I have been working on finding a strategic partner to work with us in taking Bella Maya forward. We have been looking for not only some additional investment - to enable us to get the remaining lagoon units 100% complete as well as to make some general upgrades to the resort as a whole, but also for a group or team that can help improve the operational and rental occupancy of the resort.
We have contracted a hotel advisory/ management company to help us with the process of both securing some additional investment as well as bringing in a new management company. Boutique Hotel Advisors are very experienced in this field, and specialize in turning around under performing resorts. They have worked with over 100 hotels in 35 different countries. I have attached some background information on them.
We are a few weeks away from finalizing both the investment as well as bringing the new management company on board, and we will be providing further information to you over the coming weeks on this.
What this means for now however is that as of Monday 11th January, we have closed the resort for anywhere from 60 to 90 days. This will allow us time to finalize a deal with the new investors and for us to get the improvements completed. We did not have many guests checking in for January or February so we feel this is the best decision for now, as its costing us a lot of money to operate the resort at present and we cannot offer the standards that our owners and guests would expect.
We will use this time to start the completion of the lagoon units that have not yet been finished, as well as to carry out some general upgrades of the resort, including improving the apartment furnishings, adding to the landscaping and carrying out a number of small finishing touches around the resort that we always intended to do but did not have the spare funds to do so.
The new resort sales and marketing team are based in Houston and they specialize in the corporate bookings market for hotels and resorts. The fact that they are based in Houston is ideal because there are daily direct flights from Houston to Belize.
Boutique Hotel Advisors are confident that they can get occupancy up to over 50% within 6-9 months, with the aim of achieving 70-80% within around 18 months. We would reopen the newly refurbished, 100% complete Bella Maya just before Easter, which is by far the busiest time of year (it is also Whale Shark season).
The new Placencia International airport is due to open by June and they have just opened International customs at the existing Placencia airport as a temporary measure until the new airport opens. This is because the flights from Honduras have already started, bringing guests from Europe. Since January the European tourists fly direct from Italy and Portugal to Honduras, and then connect on a series of light aircraft for the 40min flight to Placencia. Once the new airport opens they will fly direct from Europe.
It is also expected that a lot of the hotels and resorts in San Pedro on Ambergris Caye will lose business to Placencia once the airport opens, as tour operators generally opt for a destination that does not require a second flight connection from the international landing point.
In addition to the airport and new Placencia road (which is now complete all the way up past Bella Maya) there is a golf course that has already been started just across the lagoon from Bella Maya. It is literally less than a five-minute boat ride from Bella Maya, and will be a huge attraction once it opens. Bella Maya is less than a 15-minute drive to the new airport, second only to The Placencia Hotel and Residences, which is 1 mile north of Bella Maya.
Whilst things at present seem to be taking a step backwards, we do believe that the strategy we are implementing with the new investment and Management Company will enable us to take Bella Maya to the level at which we have been aiming for over the years that we have put into creating the resort. Once reopened the quality of the resort and service offered will be far superior, and the rental income for owners should greatly exceed anything that we could have previously hoped for.
With higher rental incomes being generated, a better quality product, together with the new airport, flights, golf course and road, the value of the apartments at Bella Maya and real estate in Placencia as a whole should increase significantly.
We will be in regular communication over the next few months, but if you want to discuss any of the above in more detail please feel free to get in touch with me.
On behalf of Someplace Else Ltd / Bella Maya Resort Ltd
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 3,281
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Interesting. Glad I didn't book my clients there. Wow - what is going to happen to all these huge resorts built and not operating on the beaches of Belize???? Sounds like a real nightmare economically, environmentally and scenically! Any current (real) info on the Placencia Int'l airport? You would think the BTB or some GOB agency would be letting their wholesalers know these developments...
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,054
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So many rumours about the airport, I don't know what to believe, but I don't think I would put too much credence in what the Bella Maya letter says about the airport or direct flights from Europe.
--Lan Sluder
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,419
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"Once the new airport opens they will fly direct from Europe."
WHAT???
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 1,448
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Too much smokin da ganga!!!
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