Las Terrazas Resort & Residences

Great place to stay with very friendly staff. Quiet and quaint. Loads of activities to do coupled with the perfect amount of downtime. Accommodations are comfortable, clean, well kept—not a luxurious 5 star but tremendous value for the price.

I depend heavily upon Trip Advisor reviews so I thought I would share my recent experience at Las Terrazas resort in San Pedro, Belize. I probably went into too much detail but I really wanted to present a reasonable picture of what to expect, Some general comments to start: First trip to Belize. Just my wife and myself. Found a direct flight with American Airlines. Getting through immigration and customs was surprisingly simple. Don't know if we were just lucky. We arrived on a Monday afternoon. Quickly processed thru immigration (Make sure you complete the arrival and departure forms online found at the Belize immigration site). Customs was just as easy. They did NOT check our luggage or carry on. We were going to Ambergris Caye so we either had to take the ferry or a short air trip. We opted for the ferry to save some $$$. We used San Pedro Belize Express (there are only two choices.) We purchased our tickets there as opposed to making a reservation (65$ USD) for two. As advised by other reviews we got in line about 30 min prior to departure. Chose seats on the port side in the middle on the aisle next to the door. They turned out to be good choice. Ride was not very bumpy. Left on time. First stop was Caye Caulker which took about an hour. Unfortunately they had to unload a bunch of freight in addition to getting the passengers off which added about 20 min to the trip. Once we arrived in San Pedro took about another 20 min to get our luggage. Definitely a long ride. If $$$ is not an issue take the flight. Taxi to Las Terrazas which was only about 20 min away was $30 USD. Belize is definitely NOT cheap. We rented a golf cart for the 5 days that we were there which I would strongly recommend unless you plan on never leaving the resort. We used Isla Bonita Golf Cart. They delivered the cart and picked it up the night before we left. Cart worked fine. Cost around $216USD. We opted to fly back from Ambergris Caye and used TropicAir (Cessna 208) for the short trip (around 20 min). More expensive than the ferry but sooooo much easier. We checked in at the Belize airport 3 hours prior to departure. Not much to do there. Benches were not the most comfortable but things went smoothly and we departed on time. We used credit card as much as we could (most places accepted VISA). Tried to remember to tip all the time (these folks do NOT earn a lot) at least 20%. Bring a bunch of cash (nothing larger than$20) as some places still do NOT use credit cards. Weather was perfect!!! Sun is strong but there was usually an offsetting breeze. We did go to Secret Beach and several smaller restaurants (La Sol, Tipsy Lobster, Truck Stop, Aji, Rum Dog) close to our hotel (separate reviews for all of these). OK-So now Las Terrazas. Arrived around 7 PM. Check-in was easy and the folks at the front desk were very helpful and very friendly. We had a discounted single room ("early bird special") which was definitely "entry level." View was not great facing the parking lot and resort entrance and main road (traffic noise is there but not awful) but we did not come for the view from the room-Just a place for us to shower and sleep. There was a very comfortable King bed with large pillows. There was a small bench which was kind of old and had some stains on the cushion. Then there was this really weird appearing uncomfortable chair that just did not fit the rest of the decor. Seemed like someone realized they needed a chair and threw this one in! Not a big deal though. No desk or place to use a computer. There was a great walk-in closet with lots of cubbies and places to hang clothes. There was a very small safe. Next was the bathroom with a single sink. Just fine,. There was a walk-in shower with a glass door. The floor of the shower was kind of old and a little on the dirty side but not horrible. Rain shower head which was nice. Good water pressure and PLENTY of hot water. Commode is in same place as shower and sink FYI. Just beyond the bathroom was a great little kitchen area. There was a large counter with a coffee maker, microwave, and small frig (which was definitely in need of defrosting!) but kept our drinks cold. Coffee packets, creamer, sugar provided. Two bottles of water in frig (would advise going to the grocery store down the road and getting a couple of gallon jugs of water). So the room was adequate but definitely NOT luxury (as others have noted definite signs of wear) but it was clean. The Las Terrazas grounds were clean but not nearly as colorful as I have seen at other resorts (if that is important to you-not critical for us). Pool was gorgeous and is probably the high point of the overall appearance of the grounds. Water was just the right temperature to actually cool off without freezing. Not that many shady spots so if the resort is busy you will need to get to the pool early to claim your spot. Pool towels were provided. Lounges showed signs of wear as did the cushions but were certainly comfortable. There were multiple tables around the pool if you wanted to have a meal there. Of course there were servers who would bring drinks to poolside. The beach at Las Terrazas, in my opinion, is decent, although on the small side. The staff does a good job of raking and keeping the beach clean. Only a few cabanas for shade and no umbrellas. Lounges, again, showed signs of wear and a few were actually broken but they were OK to lie out in the sun. We were very lucky in that the beach was essentially empty for our entire stay so we never had a problem finding a spot. Not sure how things would be if you were there at a crowded time. Big disappointment was at the water's edge (though not unexpected as others have commented on this). LOT of sea grass though the staff really tries hard to rake it up. NOT the beautiful crystal clear blue-green water with a sandy bottom that I have experienced at other resorts in the Carribean. Of course this is NOT the fault of the resort. It is just how mother nature made it. We were there 5 days and other then sticking a toe in I never went in the water at the beach. I would say the beach is fine to go and lay out and enjoy the breeze and the many palm trees there but NOT a great place to play in the water. We did NOT eat at the restaurant at Las Terrazas nor did we have drinks at the resort so I cannot comment upon the quality of either. We chose to do our eating and drinking offsite. A few additional random comments. The staff was wonderful. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. I got the feeling that they really tried hard to make a good impression. Housekeeping was a mixed bag. They would make the bed, replace towels, and sometimes leave a few bottles of water. They omitted replacing some of the items such as coffee packets, shampoo, bath gel but if we asked for something, such as an extra blanket there was no issue. My overall take is that Las Terrazas is a good concept but in need of a facelift. There are just too many areas that show signs of wear (as others have noted) to elevate the property into the "luxury" category. We liked the location as it was quieter and we liked the proximity of numerous places to eat and drink. We actually never went into San Pedro proper. If you are seeking a clean, quiet, decent place to "rest your bones and recharge your batteries" than Las Terrazas will work but, at least IMHO this is NOT a "luxury" location. Would I consider returning? If I could get another "deal," yes. Would I recommend it to others? I would say yes with the understanding of the issues noted above.

Las Terrazas Resort Review I recently stayed at Las Terrazas Resort, and unfortunately, the experience was not as enjoyable as expected. While the resort itself is beautiful, there were several issues that significantly impacted our stay. We had booked multiple services in advance and paid for them, but when we arrived, it was clear that the resort had not made those arrangements. One of those being a sunset boat cruise that was not booked at all. I also attempted to book a scuba drive for nearly 3 weeks before we arrived with minimal responses from the resort. I ended up booking directly through a dive shop instead. On top of that, we ordered and paid for a charcuterie board for our arrival, which wasn’t prepared until we called. Hot water was another issue—only one bathroom in our condo had it, which was inconvenient for our group. Additionally, we were told by the front desk that we could walk into O Restaurant without a reservation. However, when we arrived, we were told they were fully booked and couldn’t seat us for over an hour and a half. This lack of communication and coordination was frustrating. To make matters worse, our golf cart broke down twice during our stay. The first time we reported it, we were told there were no replacements available, which left us stranded for a while. Other than ONE free bottle of wine from the restaurant because of the dinner reservation debacle the resort never tried to fix these issues by offering some sort of free service or discount to our rate. All they could do was just look at us and apologize. While the resort’s setting is undeniably beautiful, the poor response to customer issues, lack of communication, and inconsistent service left much to be desired. I’m afraid I won’t be returning due to these ongoing problems.

We spent 3 nights at this resort and it had its pros and cons Overall it was a nice place and probably had more amenities than others on the Caye. Pros: pool area was very nice , beach was great and overall the staff was nice and helpful. We didn’t eat at the restaurant but didn’t hear good feedback so we skipped it. Parking staff and front desk was helpful and kind. Our room was on the bottom level and was spacious and had a full kitchen and w/d. Cons: the smell from the cleaning supplies in our room was overwhelming and awful. We could barely be in the room and had to leave the door open until it cleared out. There was a fee complaint with the hobie cat instructor but management was very helpful to work this out. It was a fun experience but make sure you get confirmation on the fee. The bathroom was very old and needs updating. Do not use the spa service. The gal was lovely but the treatment was terrible for $100. I was very disappointed. The spa room was old and not spa like at all and the massage table was so uncomfortable I could barely get up afterwards. We met some fun people here which made the few days we stayed enjoyable. The beach was quiet and the location to San Pedro and the Secret Beach area was good and kind of mid point.

As you can see from their website, they have everything you need. Fine dining on the grounds, pool, beach, security, dock, and well furnished apartments or suites. We could not have asked for anything better. All staff were quite attentive as well. We had a slight water pressure issue, but it was fixed.