DO NOT STAY AT THE MIDAS HOTEL. I WAS ROBBED OF PASSPORTS, MONEY, PHONES, SHOES. I can not recommend staying at this hotel. I am a frequent traveler who has been to over 40 countries, and this is my first time being robbed in a hotel. As an avid traveler, I have come to expect that some misfortunes will befall any tourist; however, the lack of professionalism displayed by this particular hotel owner after I was robbed in his hotel was so abhorrent that I feel obliged to warn others.
This hotel is located some distance from the center of San Ignacio, which is a small tourist town that is only a few miles from the Guatemalan border. The hotel is on a piece of land that overlooks a ravine that leads to a river, which is really no more than a garbage dump. As accommodations go, I was given a cottage room whose décor had not been updated since the 70s, the room had missing windowpanes, and the air-conditioning was subpar. I was willing to overlook these problems as my purpose was only to stay in San Ignacio as a hub for tours around the area and would only be there for a few nights. As soon as I arrived, I noticed that the owner was at the pool drinking beers with his friends. This left a bad impression since the pool area should be reserved for paying guests and not staff, much less the owner who should be more professional. I noticed this every night that I was there. On the afternoon that I was robbed, I found him once again at the pool where he was drinking and having a party for his daughter. When I informed him that someone had broken into my room and stolen my passports, money and phones and shoes, the owner was not only slow to react, but appeared inebriated (something that he admitted to the next day). He appeared to be more irritated that he was being drawn away from his party than with the concerns of his guest. It was at this point that he informed me that there was no REAL security at this hotel and that he was well aware that people could freely walk on the property from the river, which he seemed to think absolved him and his staff from suspicion, but really only made the situation worse. The security at the hotel really only amounts to a dog, which is very sweet, but far from a professional, and a link fence. After I returned from my ordeal at the police station, I noticed that the owner was still at the pool, beer in hand, and now with shirt off—he was clearly still partying. Not only did he not offer an apology or make any accommodations for his guest, but also he didn’t even bother to make eye contact. This is surprising since I have heard of hotels being more than generous with guests who have suffered any misfortune, even if it did not happen on their property. The next day the owner made a feeble attempt at an apology that really only revealed his complete lack of professional behavior, his sense of entitlement and immaturity. In short, he is feckless. I had to find my own transportation to the United States Embassy in Belmopan, which was very graciously provided for by PACZ Tours. They took care of me and even called their contacts at the embassy to speed my process along. This is something that the hotel owner should have done. If you enjoy being burgled, subpar accommodations, an intoxicated owner who puts Basil Faulty to shame, and security that really only amounts to dog…then by all means stay here, but YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
