Central America / Belize / Ambergris Caye
On a Canvas of Sand

Take one very stylish Italian woman (a dead-ringer for Diane Von Furstenberg, but even more attractive) & her dapper French husband. Put them aboard their boat, trying to escape a hurricane. The result? The landing of Nadia & Philippe onto Ambergris Caye. A tiny island off Belize, in Central America.

It's been 5 years since this savvy couple opened the Mata Chica Beach Resort , the fruit of their labor after fate blew them ashore. Previously in the fashion business, Nadia first heard of Belize when her friends were filming "The Mosquito Coast" (1986, starring Harrison Ford) on location there.

But it was that fateful hurricane that actually brought them "home" to the spot where the Mata Chica was built along these shores. And it's the "barefoot in the bank" attitude that keeps them there, according to Nadia, after a recent meeting in town at her bank...sans shoes! That, and the fact that 3 out of the 4 natural atolls in the world are located in these waters. A diver's & boater's paradise.

No roads lead you to the resort. Only water taxis or the Mata Chica's private boat. Cruising up to the dock, The Mata Chica appears to erupt from an artist's canvas of sand. Composed of 13 separate villas, each is washed in a different tropical color & "hatted" with a thatched roof. The buildings offer a colorful contrast to the pure white sand they rest upon.

The Mata Chica evolved without blue prints, just the couple's vision of paradise for their guests. Some of it well thought-out. Other parts came from impromptu ingenuity. Local mahogany is used extensively for flooring and cabinetry. Lots of Mexican tile. Some is traditionally bright. But some is unusually rich in "off-colors" (like one bathroom in a dusky, purple-pink). There're lots of soft furnishings to lounge on. And the artwork & antiques come from the couple's travels around the world. It's an international mix of island style that all comes together to make it a truly comfortable home away from home.

Being Italian, Nadia has made Mata Chica's cuisine a very important aspect of the total experience. Although importation of some foods makes it difficult for Nadia to fully use her inherent culinary expertise, the resort's restaurant, "Mambo," manages to serve up some of the best food on the island. Which includes (but of course) her homemade pasta.

Mick Jagger & Pierce Brosnan have been on the guest list, but the Mata Chica is not at all caught up in any "glitterae" or "who's who" of guests. In fact, they discourage fashion shoots or anything else that may disturb the tranquility of their more earthly guests.

Along with managers Rachel & Jason, everyone at the Mata Chica offers a friendly welcome, along with just the right kind of ambience we know you'll love. But just don't blow in with the wind like Nadia & Philippe did...you need a reservation here (especially at high season, November through May) to be assured of your spot at this masterpiece in the sand.