Review: Saks at Placencia
Mar 26th, 2006 | 07:23 PM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Review: Saks at Placencia
First, let's be clear. Belize is a third-world country, and Placencia is a pit. If you are expecting expansive swaths of white beach, palm-lined boulevards, restaurants with waiters in white livery serving seafood delicacies, or luxury hotels with crystal clear pools, forget it. In fact, if you are expecting more pedestrian features of even remotely civilized destinations like paved roads or semi-clean restrooms, you will be sorely disappointed.
What you will find in Placencia is:
- Ridiculously narrow beaches of large-grained yellow sand leading to an ocean so choked with sea grass that it makes swimming unplesant and snorkeling useless
- Miles of dusty, rocky, unpaved roads that, if you are not careful, will eat up tires at a prodigious rate
- Dumpy, open-air restaurants run by down-trodden locals or ex-pat hippies serving food of such dubious quality that they leave one pining for something as generic as a McDonalds
- Over-priced shacks calling themselves hotels that haven't seen a lick of paint or maintenance in 30 years and that give new meaning to the word rustic
Consisting of a few run down clapboard cabins, an open-air restaurant with random hours, a pool the size of a small puddle, and a thatched hut that masquerades as a beach bar, Saks at Placencia (formerly Kitty's) bills itself as a hotel, but should more correctly be called a hovel. Most rooms are independent buildings, some with kitchenettes, some with A/C, all with ants, nails protruding through the corrugated fibreglass roofs, and drawers/doors that eiher stick horribly or just plain don't work. This isn't simply a dearth of staff to spritz you with Evian, it is severe lack of maintenance: when opening a door, one expects the cylinder to at least stay in the lock -- not so at Saks.
While the polite staff tries to make the best of a unplesant situation, Saks is badly in need of a visit from a friendly construction worker driving a bright yellow Catepillar bulldozer. Light bulbs hang from bare wires, plastic debris and seaweed litter a miniscule beach studded with stubs of palms ripped up by Hurricane Iris, and iguanas rule the grounds. Dorothy, you are definitely not in paradise anymore.
Certainly, former owner Kitty cashed out at an opportune time. Let's hope she takes her fortune and moves to somewhere more pleasant like St. Barth's.
To be sure, the Belizeans are good-natured, polite, and accomodating. Despite a government that is rampant with corruption, they have faith that tourism will be their salvation, providing the proverbial "pollo in every pot." Unlike Jamaicans who would just as soon kill you as look at you, the natives are friendly to tourists, smiling and waving as their potentially beuatiful nation sinks under the weight of a heavy foreign debt.
With all the construction on the peninsula, there may be hope for civilization in Placencia, but for now, unless you are a fan of swarms of noseeums, clouds of dust, and run-down shantys, bypass Placencia in favor of almost anywhere else with a beach.
What you will find in Placencia is:
- Ridiculously narrow beaches of large-grained yellow sand leading to an ocean so choked with sea grass that it makes swimming unplesant and snorkeling useless
- Miles of dusty, rocky, unpaved roads that, if you are not careful, will eat up tires at a prodigious rate
- Dumpy, open-air restaurants run by down-trodden locals or ex-pat hippies serving food of such dubious quality that they leave one pining for something as generic as a McDonalds
- Over-priced shacks calling themselves hotels that haven't seen a lick of paint or maintenance in 30 years and that give new meaning to the word rustic
Consisting of a few run down clapboard cabins, an open-air restaurant with random hours, a pool the size of a small puddle, and a thatched hut that masquerades as a beach bar, Saks at Placencia (formerly Kitty's) bills itself as a hotel, but should more correctly be called a hovel. Most rooms are independent buildings, some with kitchenettes, some with A/C, all with ants, nails protruding through the corrugated fibreglass roofs, and drawers/doors that eiher stick horribly or just plain don't work. This isn't simply a dearth of staff to spritz you with Evian, it is severe lack of maintenance: when opening a door, one expects the cylinder to at least stay in the lock -- not so at Saks.
While the polite staff tries to make the best of a unplesant situation, Saks is badly in need of a visit from a friendly construction worker driving a bright yellow Catepillar bulldozer. Light bulbs hang from bare wires, plastic debris and seaweed litter a miniscule beach studded with stubs of palms ripped up by Hurricane Iris, and iguanas rule the grounds. Dorothy, you are definitely not in paradise anymore.
Certainly, former owner Kitty cashed out at an opportune time. Let's hope she takes her fortune and moves to somewhere more pleasant like St. Barth's.
To be sure, the Belizeans are good-natured, polite, and accomodating. Despite a government that is rampant with corruption, they have faith that tourism will be their salvation, providing the proverbial "pollo in every pot." Unlike Jamaicans who would just as soon kill you as look at you, the natives are friendly to tourists, smiling and waving as their potentially beuatiful nation sinks under the weight of a heavy foreign debt.
With all the construction on the peninsula, there may be hope for civilization in Placencia, but for now, unless you are a fan of swarms of noseeums, clouds of dust, and run-down shantys, bypass Placencia in favor of almost anywhere else with a beach.
Mar 26th, 2006 | 08:14 PM
#2
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 4,272
Likes: 0
Ouch! Sorry you didn't enjoy your stay. Obviously the saying, "One man's ceiling is another man's floor" applies here - most folks on Belize Forum and Trip Advisor have loved the place:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...ann_Creek.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...ann_Creek.html
Mar 27th, 2006 | 09:07 AM
#4
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,466
Likes: 0
i too love placentia. very relaxing and nice people.
as always, people need to research destinations before they go. i think if you had, you would have easily discovered the accurate description of placentia. we had some great meals there and stayed in a clean room with 2 double beds, right on a great section of beach for $25/night.
as always, people need to research destinations before they go. i think if you had, you would have easily discovered the accurate description of placentia. we had some great meals there and stayed in a clean room with 2 double beds, right on a great section of beach for $25/night.
Apr 11th, 2006 | 07:45 PM
#5
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 23
Likes: 0
I have to reply to this. First I am sorry you had a bad time. I love Placencia and specifically Kitty's (Sak's).When we talk to friends about BELIZE we always try to add the caveat that it's not for everyone.
I like the unpaved roads. The friendly & honest people are such a blessing that I just can't express how wonderful it is. My experience of the locals is not downtrodden but layed back. A very welcome change from where I live.
The consturction you praise , horrifies me. To see a slice of paradise turned into a clone of Miami beach for the profit of foreigners is infuriating.
The corruption you speak of is true. Individuals in the Belize elite are trying to profit from the current international interest in this tropical delight. Hopefully they will wake up and promote developement that will be good for all the residents of this beautiful country.
The residents of this delightful country have an incredible asset that they may not appreciate. A small population. As yet they don't have to make sacrifies to support to many people. I hope that they can develope their country into something they and their children will be proud of. For now, there are few places in this world that I'd rather be than Belize.
I like the unpaved roads. The friendly & honest people are such a blessing that I just can't express how wonderful it is. My experience of the locals is not downtrodden but layed back. A very welcome change from where I live.
The consturction you praise , horrifies me. To see a slice of paradise turned into a clone of Miami beach for the profit of foreigners is infuriating.
The corruption you speak of is true. Individuals in the Belize elite are trying to profit from the current international interest in this tropical delight. Hopefully they will wake up and promote developement that will be good for all the residents of this beautiful country.
The residents of this delightful country have an incredible asset that they may not appreciate. A small population. As yet they don't have to make sacrifies to support to many people. I hope that they can develope their country into something they and their children will be proud of. For now, there are few places in this world that I'd rather be than Belize.
Jul 30th, 2006 | 08:28 PM
#6
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
I read this review prior to our trip to Belize, and after spending a week there, feel it is important to reply in case anyone else looks at this post for their own trip research.
Placencia is a lovely, laid-back village. If you plan to reach it by car, you must plan on at least a 5-hour drive from Belize City, as only the main highways are paved. It takes only a minute of research for someone who is unfamiliar with the country to discover that Belize is a third-world country. Therefore, it should be unsurprising that roads are unpaved, restrooms aren't sparkling and waiters in white livery are not a familiar sight.
At SAKS (we stayed in Carter's Beach Bungalow), we had very comfortable lodging that we shared with a few tree frogs. Our porch was 20 feet from the water and the gorgeous beach was swept of sea grass each day by the staff.
The only potential spoiling factor for our visit was the threat of an enormous development now in the works. It is heartbreaking to see such a lovely area turned over to the type of people who can't vacation without air conditioning and an adjacent golf course. Shame on those who want every beach in the world to be Miami. I earnestly hope that our next trip to Placencia doesn't end up as clean, dull and antiseptic as a trip to an all-inclusive in Mexico. AvantisOne and others who share his/her travel preferences, please do the world a favor - stick with the five-star accomodations that already exist in other countries and leave Belize alone.
Placencia is a lovely, laid-back village. If you plan to reach it by car, you must plan on at least a 5-hour drive from Belize City, as only the main highways are paved. It takes only a minute of research for someone who is unfamiliar with the country to discover that Belize is a third-world country. Therefore, it should be unsurprising that roads are unpaved, restrooms aren't sparkling and waiters in white livery are not a familiar sight.
At SAKS (we stayed in Carter's Beach Bungalow), we had very comfortable lodging that we shared with a few tree frogs. Our porch was 20 feet from the water and the gorgeous beach was swept of sea grass each day by the staff.
The only potential spoiling factor for our visit was the threat of an enormous development now in the works. It is heartbreaking to see such a lovely area turned over to the type of people who can't vacation without air conditioning and an adjacent golf course. Shame on those who want every beach in the world to be Miami. I earnestly hope that our next trip to Placencia doesn't end up as clean, dull and antiseptic as a trip to an all-inclusive in Mexico. AvantisOne and others who share his/her travel preferences, please do the world a favor - stick with the five-star accomodations that already exist in other countries and leave Belize alone.
