Manta Island Resort — Hotel in Belize District

My husband and I stayed at Manta Island Resort for a week (arrived 2-17-2024) and on Friday, February 23, 2024 I took a drink out of a sealed Coca-Cola No Sugar bottle found in our refrigerator at the resort. The fluid was definitely not Coca-Cola, but rather a greenish blue substance that caused significant staining of the skin and tongue and mouth when touched or ingested. Although I only took one drink and realized it was not Coca-Cola, for the next 12-24 hours, I suffered repeated throwing up, nausea, and violent chills all that night. Less than 24-hours later, I also had significant chemical burns and blistering on my tongue, lips, within my mouth, and under my entire tongue. My tongue and lips were so swollen that I needed a steroid shot to be able to talk. Attached are pictures (censored and had to be removed) that document the burns, blistering and peeling skin on my lips, mouth, and tongue on a daily basis over two weeks.

We went to the resort office and brought the coke bottle. They reported not knowing what the substance was. The next day we took the two hour boat ride from the island to Placencia, where we were picked up by a representative of the resort, and driven to a "doctor's office" in a small shack. (** If you have a medical emergency on this island you will not be able to receive emergency care.) The very elderly doctor looked at the substance in the Coca-Cola bottle, but did not know what it was, yet he wanted to give me an injection of an "antidote". I refused to take the injection, not knowing what I had consumed, yet alone what the vaccination may have in it. The representative from the resort, then drove us back to Placencia airport where we boarded our flight to Belize, and then from Belize back to Dallas.

I sought medical attention when I returned to the US and gave blood samples which showed an alarming decline in my kidney functioning. I have blood tests from my doctor from previous routine physicals, dating back three years, and my kidney functioning has always been normal. Please look up paraquat poisoning. My health concerns continue given the lethality of this herbicide and no medical protocol for treatment.

The Manta Island Resort has pictures of the sealed bottle that was in the mini fridge in our room. I understand from the manager at the resort, that it was first believed to be a problem being shipped from the manufacturer, Bowen and Bowen; however Bowen and Bowen deny it came from their plant like that.

The Manta Island resort kept the Coca-Cola bottle for testing in Belize and we had samples that we brought back to the United States. Bowen and Bowen, manufacturer of the Coca Cola, said in an email that their testing indicated it was Paraquat herbicide. We also had the substance tested at a forensic laboratory in the United States and they also found it to be Paraquat herbicide. We have a report documenting the lab’s findings. The entire bottle was filled with Paraquat.

This seems to be a criminal intent of attempted murder, not just pure neglect, in having a Coca Cola bottle filled with Paraquat herbicide and how it ended up in the refrigerator of a 5-star resort for a guest to be poisoned is still in question. Paraquat is so toxic that one teaspoon can be lethal. It has a restricted use in Belize and has been banned in 60 other countries because of its lethality. Please look it up and do not drink from your refrigerator.

In addition to being in contact with the Manta Island resort and Bowen and Bowen, I also filed an online police report in Belize (no response), emailed the Belize Ministry of Health (no response), contacted the US Embassy in Belize and the Pesticides Control Board of Belize.

I do not know if this is an isolated incident or how the Manta Island Resort is investigating how this poison got into a Coca Cola bottle in a guest room’s refrigerator. I have not received any updates from them regarding their investigation so please beware and be safe. I pray this was an...

Top notch experience! Seven day stay for a peaceful tropical family get-away. Manager, Greg, runs a tight ship -- the entire staff is welcoming, competent, and friendly. They made it a point to learn our names, which made for warm interactions all around. The cabanas are well appointed, luxurious even, set up with AC/fridge/ table/microwave in case one wanted to do room service and hole up away from people, but we never wanted to-- we spent our evenings at the bar overlooking the ocean before heading to dinner. The resort "activities" that we participated in --atoll boat tour, guided snorkeling, karaoke-- were well organized, fun in that other guests also participated. One of our favorite activities was to kayak out to the facing reef and snorkel/photograph for a few hours at a time. We know that the guests who were there for deep sea fishing had good catches. If you want night life, thumping music, and rando hook-ups, this resort is NOT for you. ||Chef, Alberto, made delicious food every meal, including any fish that we caught that day. He was sure to include Belizean food in the rotation. The bartenders are accommodating, even remembering our "regular" drinks after only a few days. ||As previously posted, even if the resort is "full", one still feels like the island is your own.||The scuba diving on the atoll was high quality-- pristine reefs, different topography at different dive sites, and lots to see. IYKYK. The barrier reef is a must-see. We were able to book dives every day. Divemaster, Abi, was safety conscious, knowledgeable, and very kind. He was one of best divemasters we have dived with. He helped one of our kids overcome the yips of the first dive of the week. He was cheerfully accommodating towards those of us who were doing underwater photography. Boat captain, Leo, was also very safety conscious, funny, and protective. The dive equipment was in excellent condition: BCD's were ScubaPro with integrated weights. I cannot overstate: Abi and Leo were extremely safety conscious and fun to be with. This was not a loosy-goosy dive operation. ||As you outgas after dives but don't want to sit still, high quality snorkeling is right in front of the resort, if you don't mind a brief (5-10 mins) kayak trip (double and single kayaks available that can anchor in a shallow spot). Not only are there healthy hard and soft coral, but we also saw barracudas, lobsters, porcupine fish, rays, Queen/French/gray angels, and the usual array of parrotfish, fairy basselets, trumpetfish, damsels, etc. Because the atoll is protected, everything looks healthy. | |One of us indulged in a massage/facial with Ebony and said that it was "rejuvenating".||Other specific kudos: Timothy in reception is super knowledgeable, and we appreciate how he worked with us to create our dive package. (and he's an entertaining karaoke singer). Christie and Bobby in the dining room were attentive and fun to talk with. Cliff and Mike at the bar brought joy to our daily cocktail hour. |We were especially impressed with beach captain, Jeffery. He is quiet but very friendly and safety conscious. He even took a boat out to the reef to check on my husband who had kayaked out to snorkel for a few hours. He also preps the coconuts if you want a coconut...

It is difficult for me to write a review about Manta without it sounding like a love letter, but here it goes. This is our third trip with ez investments (the parent company) in four years, so we’ve kind of entered a cycle of going back every other year. Due to Coco plum being closed for renovations we stayed at Belizean dreams for four days in Hopkins and had a great time. I only bring that up because at all of the resorts, the people are so cool that we were able to visit some of our friends that we’ve made at Coco plum while staying in Hopkins. That is very indicative of the kind of people you will meet at any of their resorts. Emilio and Michelle have built an incredible culture. When it comes to Manta there is not a more beautiful place on earth. The staff is the nicest and one of the big upgrades since we were there two years ago is that the food is absolutely delicious. We did not have a single meal where I heard anyone complaining, and we were in a party of 12. It was very fun bringing my adult children with me this time, as well as some of our closest friends. Sharing my favorite place with my kids was a real joy. We celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary and my wife’s 50th birthday and I think it’s the best trip that we’ve ever had. The water is beautiful. It is so relaxing. They now have two Hobey cats. One being a new larger one. We really enjoyed the sailing trips, the paddleboarding, the kayaks. We just had a ball. We went snorkeling every day and the water is brimming with beautiful sea creatures. Swimming in the infinity pool and having drinks with some of the nicest people on the planet is so fun and relaxing. I can’t imagine a better week. As with the sister properties, what makes this place special is the people and the first person we communicate with is Tiffany. She was incredibly accommodating and allowed us to continuously tweak our reservation, which was really important with the size of our group. The manager Gregory runs the place incredibly well, and is also a very cool person who I’ve become friends with over the last couple of years. He loves his job and it shows. I was very excited to see Midge and Mike there. We had a great time with them on our last trip. Mikey is really nice as well. They are incredibly talented bartenders who demonstrate that mixology really is a craft. Bobby was with us for practically every meal and is so fun to be around. Big big shout out to Caesar, Norman and Jose, their knowledge of the reef and glovers attol in general is exceptional. They are excellent guides. We did a fishing trip. That was incredibly fun. Thanks also to Captain Gary, Snorkeling excursions with those guys is incredible. I did not get a massage while we were there but those that did spoke very highly of Shamille. Not surprising to me though, since she gave me the best massage of my life at Coco plum a few years ago. And lastly, Alberto and his staff made us amazing meals each and every day. Manta is incredible, and we will be going back in the years to come as often as we can. I just got home, and I’m already looking forward to my next...