Mystic River Resort — Hotel in Cayo District

I stayed at the Mystic River for a couple of nights and honestly I waited a couple days to make sure I wanted to leave this review. After waiting for 30 min and the airport we called and They got a hold of the driver who showed up later. While checking in, we asked about the activities we wanted to schedule for the next day and were told that the activities we wanted were not available and that we needed to schedule in advance. This was extremely frustrating because we had communicated multiple times before our arrival if we needed to secure any activities ahead of time and each time we were informed and assured that it would needed to do that when we arrived. We were then taken to our room and to our dismay we found only two beds. This was extremely frustrating since we had 3 people, were paying an additional fee for the 3rd person and again before our arrival communicated multiple times and wear a shirt each time that a third bed/cot would be provided. Now we understood the eco friendly no AC resort but only one stand up fan in the room was not okay. In addition we tried to open the windows (which had screens) to get that jungle breeze going. This is when we found that the main window wouldn’t open because there was a tiny bolt still in it that needed to be removed. So Long story short, after two of us had to continuously go up to the office and deal with the rudest man we have ever met who kept laughing, lying, ignoring, sending a young girl with ice and another fan at our request, talking down to us, and saying he had no one on sight capable of looking at the window, I bribed a security guy to come and look at the window. The security guy Melvin was amazing and had it opened in less than 2 minutes. He went out of his way to try and make up for the Manager earlier. We weren’t trying to make a big deal but when on the same arrival day, we were late being picked up, couldn’t do the activities we wanted and were assured we could schedule, no third bed, one fan and then the main window wouldn’t open and needed a 2 second fix that we could have completed with the right tools and then the manager was rude it was unacceptable. From that point forward the time spent here went downhill. Awful customer service from everyone. Continuous charges that they add on to everything add up. The tours were extremely expensive. On a positive note, we did love Oscar, one of the tour guides who did an amazing job and seemed to genuinely know his material. Not a lot to do on site. They lie and try and charge everything as an incidental and then when you want to speak to the owner or staff member who accused you of damage, suddenly the owner is gone and the staff member is on another tour. Josie in the office is abrasive, loud, rude, and is extremely disrespectful and demeaning to guests and staff. Everything seemed at least 30 min out from the resort so don’t recommend for kids or families. The food was good, BUT service was AWFUL. The waiters never refilled the water or cleared for the next meal. When asked for limes for our water we’d not get them or get them 30 min later by the waiter carrying the cut limes in his bare hands. At one point we had to go into the kitchen to get someone to serve us. Another time we waited an hour for the bill and the waiter was nowhere to be found so as we walked out we saw him sitting at the bar drinking. So plan for 2-3 hours for each meal. The only night we got okay service is when we sat next to the Owners at dinner. I understand the Owners wanting to add a required 10% charge to everything as a tip for all employees, but having come from another resort, Mystic River’s employees were lackadaisical, rude, uninformed, uninterested and unconcerned of its guests because of it. They blame everything on someone else and rely on the owner to much as an excuse. Everyone needs a customer service lesson. All in all I would not return to Mystic River and I would look at alternative resorts before I...

We really enjoyed our stay here. It is an absolutely beautiful setting and the people who work here are so nice and helpful. The grounds are naturally beautiful! My family of 5 stayed in a studio suite. We had a king bed, a futon (I think that’s always there) and another twin bed that was brought in. I was worried about space but it was plenty for us. You’re really never in the room but it was spacious even for the 5 of us. The bathroom is large. I was most worried about having no ac (I booked in January when I was freezing in NJ and didn’t really pay attention to not having ac) but ac was not at all needed! It cools down a lot at night and with the fans and windows it was very pleasant. It was also nice listening to birds/bugs which are so loud (in a good way) as soon as the sun sets. ||I appreciate detailed reviews so this might get long…. The included continental breakfast is small but nice. There is fruit, homemade yogurt, cereal and granola and a rotating selection of baked goods- bagels, muffins or cinnamon rolls, fry jacks one day plus you have the option to order pancakes which we did every day because they are delicious. They also have a menu you can pay for but we didn’t do that. Coffee station. Restaurant setting is beautiful in the trees with a fire burning in the mornings! ||We booked excursions on our own because I found some great people on TA and other sites I wanted to book with but the resort also has a tour menu. They gave us towels and toiletries for our ATM tour and also offered to dry our sneakers. The resort is quiet during the day because people are doing excursions and then come back and hang at the pool after. Pool is small but pretty and big enough to play in. Plenty of seating around the pool. Pool bar with drinks and food- they will come around for your order. Really nice great service! ||They have tubes, kayaks and canoes to take out on the river. You can take them down to Sweet Songs across the river and have a drink at the 4-6pm happy hour or order lunch at their really nice pool which we did one day and hung out for a couple hours. Just bring money or a card. ||There were a few minor cons or just know before you go. It is down a very bumpy dirt road. It takes 5ish minutes to drive up it once you turn off the main road but it feels like longer because you’re afraid your car will fall apart. Also they have a rotating dinner menu and one night it was only pizza which they wanted us to preorder. My husband hates pizza but it was literally the only option- no salad or anything else. Because it was Easter weekend not much was open in town so we ate at the resort more than we planned. Kids were happy so that was fine but just be aware. Also we never saw the 5-6pm happy hour advertised. The pool bar told us it was only at the restaurant bar but we walked over there and it was closed. Just a minor irritation. ||There is a lot to do at the resort itself with trails, river activities, pool etc. Overall a great stay...

Our family of seven stayed here for three nights during spring break. We got off to a somewhat shaky start when we arrived around 6 PM and had an ineffective waiter for dinner. For example, we had to ask several times for a refill on water. We couldn’t get a wine list or a cocktail list. Even after we got the list on our 3rd try in an hour, we couldn’t order any alcoholic drinks.But after that first night, things took a huge turn for the better. We met Steve the bartender and Lilette as outstanding servers. In general, the food was 4/5 stars and the service was 4.5/5 stars. Our rooms were very clean. We had a lovely porch with a few of the Macal River from high up above the water. There was a very interesting and free birdwatching tour that we did on the first day. The wildlife is amazing here, Paradise for bird lovers. Just in front of the dining room there is a wooden tray where fresh fruit is placed outside for the birds who are very entertaining. Several times we saw a group of toucans feasting on the fruit. Very entertaining! One morning we went to. San Ignacio for a class on making chocolate. Our driver Jose drove 2 of us there and gave us a tour of the town. He grew up very close to Saint Ignacio and knew a lot about the area. There were many other tours available as well. our Young and middle aged children did an ATM cave tour. The grandparents wisely skipped that one. Another day we took a canoe ride across the river to the other side and had lunch at Sweet song Resort. We totally enjoyed the lunch, after an exhausting walk up about 100 steps. The staff at Mystic River Lodge was invariably friendly and accommodating with the one exception that I mentioned. We thought the prices of the food and the drinks were very reasonable. Each of our rooms had a wonderful porch with a view of the river. Two of the days the temperature was in the high 90s Fahrenheit, but we still managed pretty well with the fans in our room and some shade from the heavily forested area. All in all, the trip was a success, and I think that you will likely enjoy this place, especially if you appreciate wildlife...