January 2014 - Chabil Mar Villas

Touropia selects Placencia as One of the Best Beaches in the Caribbean

Posted on January 31, 2014

Touropia, a popular travel site in the world has selected the beautiful and gorgeous Peninsula of Placencia as a top best beach destination in the Caribbean.

“A popular peninsula, Placencia has the best mainland beaches in Belize, plus some of the most amazing offshore coral cayes. The eastern side of the Placencia Peninsula is a long expanse of white sand beach. The western side is bounded by a long and narrow bay. The beautiful beaches . . . make it a great place to relax” asserts the article about Placencia Belize.

“Aruba, St Martins, Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Cuba, Saint Lucia, Guadelope, Jamaica, Anguilla, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Turks and Caicos, Antigua and Barbuda, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands (UK), Barbados, Martinque, Grenada, Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Virgin Islands (US) were the other countries that made it on the list. Splendid company to be among, and we are very proud of this honor for Placencia, home to Chabil Mar Resort”, says Larry France, Marketing Manager at Chabil Mar.

“It is interesting to observe how Placencia has evolved from once a sleepy fishing village to now an increasingly popular eco destination on the Caribbean, while maintaining its Belizean culture and typical everyday life.”

“Tropic Air and Maya Air, the local Belize air carriers, have also made it easy to access Placencia from the different tourist destinations in Belize especially from the Cayo District, the ecotourism capital of the country, with direct flights from multiple towns and villages throughout Belize. Last year in November, Tropic Air started offering direct flights from Maya Flats Airstrip in San Ignacio to Placencia and return. I personally took this flight, in January, after visiting one of our premier Jungle Lodge partners, Chaa Creek, while discussing our joint Jungle and Sea vacation package. It was so beautiful to fly over the Maya mountain range from Cayo to Placencia.
Just a magnificent experience with waterfalls to be seen cascading out of the mountains in the depths of the uninhabited jungle!

This means that you can start your vacation in the Rainforest exploring Maya temples, caves and waterfalls and then head to Placencia to enjoy the white sandy beaches and the spectacular snorkeling, fishing, diving and sailing among the multiple offshore islands (cayes – pronounced ‘keys’).”

“Placencia is also an ideal base to explore outdoor adventures like hiking or trekking the jungle trails of Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, where the first Jaguar Reserve in the World was established and visiting Maya Temples like Nim Li Punit or Lubaantun in Southern Belize or visiting resident howler monkeys along Monkey River.” If you are interested in a Belize or Placencia vacation, please visit our website chabilmarvillas.com. We’d love to help you plan your Belize vacation.

National Geographic Features Stunning Aerial Shots of Belizean Photographer

Posted on January 29, 2014

Almost every Belizean who is on social media follows Tony Rath on Facebook because of the compelling and gorgeous photos on Belize that he posts on his Facebook page.

Last week National Geographic did an article on Tony entitled “Go Inside: Photographing Belize from the Air” in which Tony describes his experience about making aerial images with LightHawk.

For those who do not know anything about LightHawk, it is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to champion environmental protection through the unique perspective of flight.

Here are some of the striking photos that Tony took on the flight. (All photos are courtesy of Tony Rath).

One rainstorm following the other in the Turneffe Atoll, Belize. Tony Rath Photography

Lighthawk airplane taking off. Tony Rath Photography

Biologists record the GPS coordinates of marine mammals spotted during the LightHawk survey flight.
Tony Rath Photography

Photographer Tony Rath self portrait with Cessna 206. Tony Rath Photography

About Tony Rath
Tony Rath has worked as a diver and underwater photographer for the Smithsonian Institution; diving on oilrigs off California; and captaining a sailboat across the Atlantic Ocean and through the Mediterranean and North Seas. He first visited Belize in 1979, and moved there permanently in 1988. Since then he has explored and photographed most of Belize by land, sea and air.

Want to know more about Belize? Visit our website chabilmarvillas.com for more information.

Trip Advisor Bestows Chabil Mar with 4 Traveler’s Choice Awards for 2014

Posted on January 27, 2014

Chabil Mar, the only guest exclusive hotel in Placencia, has been bestowed with four prestigious awards for 2014 by Trip Advisor, the largest travel site in the world.

“Last week, Trip Advisor bestowed accolades to ten Hotels and Resorts from all over the country of Belize who are considered a romantic getaway for honeymooners and travelers alike” said Natalie Ranguy, Guest Services Manager at Chabil Mar. The Belizean hotels and resorts were chosen from the following destinations: Hopkins, Dangriga, Caye Caulker, San Pedro, San Ignacio, Belmopan and Placencia.

Chabil Mar and Hatchet Caye were the only two romantic hotels from Placencia that made it on the list for Top Romantic Hotels for both Belize and Central America.

Chabil Mar also won the top Small Hotel in Belize and Central America Awards, along with 9 other Belizean resorts and hotels from the
following destinations: Hopkins, Dangriga, Turneffe, San Pedro, Belmopan and Placencia. It was interesting to see that ten Belize Resorts made it on the list. In fact, Belize was the only Central American country that had the most hotels on that award category.

“Romantic, laid back, and simply wonderful!!!”,“Amazing hotel in a beautiful setting!” state the last two Trip Advisor reviewers.

Costa Rica had 9 hotels, Honduras 3, Nicaragua 1, Panama 1 and Guatemala 1.

El Salvador didn’t have any hotel in the list.

“Having ten Belize resorts and hotels in the top 25 Central American list indicates that Belize, Mother Nature’s Best Kept Secret is no longer a secret” said Larry France, Marketing Manager of Chabil Mar.

About Chabil Mar:

Privacy, luxury accommodations, guest-centric award winning service, access to all of Belize’s adventures, and our premier location, result in a one-of-a-kind “Barefoot Luxury” Resort adventure vacation.

If you are interested in vacationing in Belize, please check out our website chabilmarvillas.com or email us at reservations@chabilmarvillas.com.

Belize: Top Best Snorkeling Destination in the World

Posted on January 22, 2014

Belize: The Top Best Snorkeling Destination in the World

Join David Webb on an underwater exploration of Belize’s Barrier Reef. By now everyone should know that Belize is one of the top best snorkeling destinations in the world thanks to the great and colorful Belize Barrier Reef. Marine Reserves like Hol Chan and Gladden Spit provide an amazing opportunity to swim with Nurse Sharks, Groupers, Snappers, and Jacks. Even Charles Darwin was astonished by the Belize Reef that he described it as “the most remarkable reef in the West Indies” in 1842. “Belize has the finest snorkeling I’ve experienced. Better than Thailand. Better than Bali. Better even than Aruba. Better, dare I say it, than what I’ve experienced in my beloved Hawaii. Belize is home to the world’s second-largest barrier reef (I’m sure you can guess where the largest is), which harbours staggering marine biodiversity”, says David Webb.

In this blog post, we will share with you a potpourri of snorkeling photos that will compel and enchant you to go on a snorkeling tour in Belize:

All photos are courtesy of AcrossandAbroad.com/David Webb