Mahogany Villas — Hotel in Toledo District

I travelled to Belize for my first ever visit to research its potential as a retirement destination and spent two weeks exploring the entire mainland of the country. Mahogany Villas and owner Wayne were by far the best experience of my trip! I was looking for a relatively accessible place to stay in the Punta Gorda area and ended up with far more, including a new friend. ||I called to book the day before as I had questions about accessibility at the property. I can stand and walk for short times and distances, but for longer I use a folding electric wheelchair that I take along with me. I mostly wanted to make sure that I'f be able to bring my chair out of my vehicle into the room at night without struggling to roll it up a bunch of stairs or traverse really rough ground. Wayne assured me that, while not being accessibility compliant, there were few steps and that they were small. ||I arrived the next day to a warm welcome from Wayne at his beautiful, lush acreage on the main highway and was escorted to my room. Upon reaching the front of the building I discovered a ramp from the patio up the 5 or 6 inch step into my room. Wayne said "I wasn't sure exactly HOW accessible you needed, so I built a ramp". I was stunned. The man literally built a ramp for me in less than one day "just in case" I needed it for my two night stay! ||The room was a very pleasant surprise after most of the other rooms I'd occupied in my week in country. It was absolutely huge with two queen beds, desk, dresser, night table, suitcase stand, fridge/microwave area, vaulted ceilings a massive bathroom with a huge shower and more counter/drawer space than an entire family could use. All of this came in at a price that was the same as I'd paid for the cheapest, often cramped and very outdated rooms that I'd had so far on the trip. Bed was comfy, lots of fluffy pillows provided, water pressure good, the toilet actually flushed vigorously as opposed to barely as is common in Belize, the mini split AC worked well and the fridge as well. All of the furniture as well as doors, counters, trim, etc were made of locally crafted hardwood, adding a luxurious feel to the room. ||Wayne is definitely "the host with the most" with an exceptional customer service attitude. Having been born and raised in Forest Home before living around the country throughout his career in forestry and eventually returning home, he is an encyclopedia of local knowledge and a good guide to the rest of the country as well. It matters not if you want tourist recommendations or information about anything to do with day to day life in Belize......Wayne is on top of it. We had many interesting conversations on many topics as he is very generous with his time above and beyond his role as your innkeeper. Unfortunately I didn't end up meeting the rest of his family as our schedules didn't match up in the time that I was there but I heard all about them and will undoubtedly meet them all on a future visit. I did, however, have plenty of interaction with Sandra......the housekeeper and cook of the delicious breakfasts that you can choose to have as a part of your Mahogany Villas experience. She's pretty much a member of the family herself and also bends over backwards to ensure that your stay is comfortable and that any request is met. If you need anything extra for your room or an unscheduled cleanup or some laundry done it's all available. Her breakfasts are home made fantastic and not to be missed! With this team your experience is more like a homestay than a hotel if you want that experience, but if you prefer your privacy you can also simply come and go from your pleasant room with minimal contact. ||Mahogany Villas is set on a carefully manicured 8 acres right on the highway less than 5 miles from Punta Gorda but it's more like being at a secluded country retreat. The family home and office is only steps away from the building housing the three large guest rooms on one side and a one-bedroom full equipped self-catering cottage on the other side. There's an above-ground pool available for your use if you wish and lots of space to go for a quiet walk in the grounds or sprawl out on the grass. ||I arrived as a guest intending to stay for two days and it was very difficult to leave my new friends when I finally moved on 4 days later. I truly hope that it won't be very long until I'm able to visit again and ultimately hope to have Wayne as my neighbor in a few years when my...

my son and i loved this place. Wayne Bardalez was an excellent host. He was very patient with my questions about the jungle flora and fauna, and helpful with recommendations for restaurants. We really enjoyed talking with him. || room was nice. and clean. we were in the one on end. easy parking and near hiway but quiet because its well insulated. so temperature was more comfortable also. outside seating is comfortable. very good wifi. breakfast was great and a little different everyday. ||I didn't...

Stayed three nights and it was marvelous. Wayne and Rhoda were the perfect host, we were treated like old friends. Nothing like coming to a new place and having home cooked meals, a quiet and beautiful place to stay and a host who knows so much about the area. The entire stay was nothing less than spectacular! Highly recommended and can’t wait...